Some might disagree but I think "How Soon Is Now" sounds nothing like the rest of The Smiths stuff and was their best moment. Especially that long instrumental reverbed fade.

Why didn't they work that sound to death? I guess the Stone Roses did that for them.

Yes, Owner of a Lonely Heart

Randy Newman, Gone Dead Train (from the Performance soundtrack)

Beth by Kiss.

Laugh if you want, but this was big news in 1976. They even talked about it on TV news, and back then TV news never talked about rock music.

"Beth" is a great example! The others to date all qualify, as far as I can tell, as well. Digging up a song mentioned recently in another thread (I hope my aging mind did not so quickly repeat the exact topic): The Osmonds, "Crazy Horses".

Would “Hard Luck Woman” disqualify “Beth” in this case? Even if it doesn’t, it is Beth’s superior in every way, not coincidentally because of its nautical theme.

How about something like “Hey Mister Taxi” knocking “Crazy Horses” out of contention for The Osmonds? I saw the Osmonds TV movie on VH-1 Classics not that long ago, and there was this whole sad section about how the Osmonds had this dream of being the “next Led Zeppelin” that was crushed by their image and fan expectations. And also the fact that they were The Osmonds.

Springsteen, "Dancing in the Dark"

spandau ballet always claimed that their syrupy ballad hit, "True" was not at all reflective of their sound, an anomaly in their oeuvre. Is this....true?

Squeeze, "Tempted."

OK, I'll retract "Crazy Horses". Thanks for the RTH vigilance, alexmagic. We must uphold high standards.

I think "True" is just about the best of what Spandau Ballet was pretty good at, that is, the romantic side of latter-day Roxy Music. I don't think they count.

"Tempted" is definitely thrown out on the heels of the follow-up single from their next album, "Black Coffee in Bed".

Unless anyone has evidence to toss "Dancing in the Dark" (is nothing from those boring post-E Street Band albums along those lines? seems hard to believe), I think alexmagic is standing with "Hard Luck Woman", Kiss' Rod Stewart soundalike, which doesn't disqualify the ballad "Beth" but just happens to be the next novel song suggested.

Surely someone else will step forth to claim the belt!

dudes,

Kiss went on to put a sh*tty ballad on just about every other album they ever did, trying to get another hit like that.

Styx-Mr Roboto

All right, Kpdexter, we'll take your word on it, but can "Mr. Roboto" count? If memory serves, wasn't that whole album mechanized Broadway crap like that song? I trust your knowledge of bad music and your integrity, Kpdexter. Tell us if you need to retract "Mr. Roboto", in which case we may have to go back to The Great 48's hard-to-believe "Dancing in the Dark" or Dr. John's Randy Newman track to see just who's standing. Perhaps it is you, KPD, and I just hated everything Styx ever did equally, not discerning the unique badness of "Mr. Roboto" the night a friend and I tried to play the whole thing on our college radio show when it came out.

Hard Luck Woman came out on Rock and Roll Over which came out after Destroyer. Beth was the first cheesy Kiss ballad, hence the really big news about the whole thing.

I'll toss out Hot Stuff by The Stones, too. The Stones went Disco and in my Jr. High that was a big offense. Probably the first Rock Crime I'd ever witnessed firsthand.

Nilsson - Jump Into the Fire?

Revolution 9. Does too count!

I'm having a hard time keeping my head around the end of the question - the "would NEVR do again" part. If it was successful, then every band revisits every sound they ever made.

How about Chuck Berry's Havana Moon?

there are two issues at work in this thread:

1. sometimes a band has a hit with an anomalous song, after which time, they work in that direction because it was successful.

2. other times, a band is exploring new directions and never go back to the new territory they've explored with one anomalous song.

i imagine it's "door number 2" you're looking for in this thread. the pure anomaly is what holds here.

but mod, are you familiar enough with Spandau Ballet's oeuvre / trajectory to confidently label them a roxy music type band, or is this the usual knee-jerk assessment of them that is *based on* knowing only the song and video for "True"?

i don't know enough about spandau ballet to claim, definitively, what they were.

but i DO remember their protestations that "true" wasn't even close to what the rest of their songs or show were like...that the difference was THAT DRASTIC, and they found the double-edged sword of chart success with an uncharacteristic song rather vexing. i don't know why they'd say this if it wasn't at least somewhat true.

so mod, i'm suspicious of your offhanded dismissal of my submission, unless you know for sure that their resistance to being pigeonholed as a ballad band was exaggerated, or, you know that after "true", they "became" the band we all imagined them to be when we heard that song and wrote many songs in that vein.

come clean, boss.

Judas Priest, "Turbo Lover"

spandau ballet always claimed that their syrupy ballad hit, "True" was not at all reflective of their sound, an anomaly in their oeuvre. Is this....true?

Not at all. It's not even the only song like that on that album.

but mod, are you familiar enough with Spandau Ballet's oeuvre / trajectory to confidently label them a roxy music type band, or is this the usual knee-jerk assessment of them that is *based on* knowing only the song and video for "True"?

i don't know enough about spandau ballet to claim, definitively, what they were.

but i DO remember their protestations that "true" wasn't even close to what the rest of their songs or show were like...that the difference was THAT DRASTIC, and they found the double-edged sword of chart success with an uncharacteristic song rather vexing. i don't know why they'd say this if it wasn't at least somewhat true.

If you seriously want me to bust out my MTV-eta Anglophilia geekery on the subject of Spandau Ballet, I will step up in Mr. Mod's place, but I want to ascertain first that you know in advance what you're getting into.

You guys are getting off the subject, while for the moment the belt remains mine.

If you seriously want me to bust out my MTV-eta Anglophilia geekery on the subject of Spandau Ballet, I will step up in Mr. Mod's place, but I want to ascertain first that you know in advance what you're getting into.

Actually I'm looking forward to it. I know you can come through here, great48. I've often heard the same things as saturn in that "True" didn't really represent their sound and that they were for said Anglophiles only before "True" became a hit.

Some might disagree but I think "How Soon Is Now" sounds nothing like the rest of The Smiths stuff and was their best moment. Especially that long instrumental reverbed fade.

Why didn't they work that sound to death? I guess the Stone Roses did that for them.

While I agree with "How Soon is Now?" (seriously the best answer given so far), the second part of this makes no sense. Sure The Stone Roses had been around during most of The Smiths' existence, but they didn't put out their first album until 1989 (The Smiths broke up in 1987), so it's highly unlikely that Johnny Marr went "oh no, I'd better not use the long instrumental reverb fade again since The Stone Roses will probably double the length of it on a single that they'll release 4 years from now called "Fools Gold".

"Tempted" is definitely thrown out on the heels of the follow-up single from their next album, "Black Coffee in Bed".

Furthermore, when Paul Carrack briefly came back into the fold for 1993's Some Fantastic Place, they included a very "Tempted"-like song (with Carrack again on lead vocal) to intentionally duplicate its success, so it's definitely disqualified. Sorry Oats.

What about Elvis Costello's "The Town Called Big Nothing"? I can't recall any other spaghetti western type music from EC, even given all the other musical genres he's covered?

48 and berlyant are the kings of this thread!

48, i DO want you to unleash the 80s Anglophile geekery! bring it!

Great One, I can't tell you how much your support means. I was away from the Hall froa awhile. I can't believe Sat would doubt that I'd actually HEARD that first, big Spandau Ballet album! Hell, I'd probably heard it a half dozen times. You think I didn't spend any time in the company of women in college? I still recall it being a good album, especially for that kind of stuff. I almost bought it, for cryin' out loud but had a reputation to maintain.

Mwall, you like that belt? Fits you just right, eh? Well undo the buckle and hand it over! I've got an obvious one, the only "reggae" song in The Beatles' catalog, "Oh-blah-di-oh-blah-dah", or however it's spelled.

Richard Thompson, "Justice in the Streets"

Furthermore, when Paul Carrack briefly came back into the fold for 1993's Some Fantastic Place, they included a very "Tempted"-like song (with Carrack again on lead vocal) to intentionally duplicate its success, so it's definitely disqualified. Sorry Oats.

In re-reading the above, I realized that I forgot to name the song in question from the 1993 album. It's called "Loving You Tonight" and unfortunately, it's nowhere near as good as "Tempted" (or "Black Coffee in Bed", for that matter), but you could've probably guessed that from the uninspired title.

Mwall, you like that belt? Fits you just right, eh? Well undo the buckle and hand it over! I've got an obvious one, the only "reggae" song in The Beatles' catalog, "Oh-blah-di-oh-blah-dah", or however it's spelled.

Personally, I think The Beatles should be disqualified from this thread, or at least that particular era given that The White Album is really 4 solo albums and all that stuff. With that said, the song you named (sorry I didn't wanna type it out) could be Macca's only reggae-ish song, but others who are way more familiar with his solo stuff (I'm looking at you, mockcarr, great48, oh hell most everyone on this site) could answer that one. Thus, we could consider songs that the individual members contribued to The Beatles canon along with their solo work or would that be breaking the rules? Hmmm...

With all that said, I'm still not 100% convinced regarding "Ob-Li-Da...". It sounds more musichall than reggae/ska to me, despite Macca's intent and what not.

Berlyant, let's stick to the Last Man Standing competition, OK? The Hall forgives you for forgetting the name of that Squeeze song. What's most important in this subthread, however, is your further damaging the credibility of Oats.

Mwall retains the belt, provided that the Richard Thompson song he suggests is actually unique among his catalog.

Berlyant, let's stick to the Last Man Standing competition, OK? The Hall forgives you for forgetting the name of that Squeeze song. What's most important in this subthread, however, is your further damaging the credibility of Oats.

OK then, since my Elvis Costello sugggestion went unnoticed, I just came up with a great one. How about The Beach Boys' "All I Want to Do", a deep cut on 20/20 that's a rip-roaring, rockin' Dennis Wilson-sung garage-rock nugget. I kid you not. The first time I ever heard it, I would've never guessed that it was The Beach Boys.

Now please hand over the belt.

P.S. Oats is cool by me. Usually he's right on and our thoughts are aligned similarly, but I had to correct him on this one (sorry).

Despite a musical career spanning at least four decades, Joe Pesci crossed over into the world of hip hop but a single time: “Wise Guy” from 1998’s beloved Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just For You.

With that said, the song you named (sorry I didn't wanna type it out) could be Macca's only reggae-ish song, but others who are way more familiar with his solo stuff (I'm looking at you, mockcarr, great48, oh hell most everyone on this site) could answer that one.

"C Moon," bitches!

Actually, there's bits of reggae all over McCartney's solo records. You don't think a bassist could smoke that much weed and NOT get into reggae, do you?

The Gift, Velvet Underground, White Light/Whie Heat

X - "True Love (Pt II)". X's only song with a disco beat from "More Fun In The New Word"

Ooops. That's "New World"

All right, you asked for it: TG48 waxes profound about Spandau Ballet.

Even at the height of my Anglophile period, when none of the bands in question were big among anyone but my fellow early adopters of late night music video shows (we're talking late '81 through to the end of '82, or as I knew it at the time, 7th grade and the start of 8th), Spandau Ballet always struck me and my friends as the odd band out among the New Romantic/New Pop bands, both the group who were in it mostly for their record label's clothing allowance and the band most nakedly interested in copping a mainstream pop hit.

Now, it's true that Spandau Ballet's early singles didn't sound much like "True." Their first few hits were all about that special brand of stiff, jerky white-boy funk that was all the rage in UK indie circles circa 1981, polished up for the charts: early singles like "To Cut A Long Story Short," "Chant #1" and "Musclebound" were basically tarted-up Pigbag or A Certain Ratio. Wham! would later take an even more deracinated version of this sound into the UK charts in late '82 and '83 with frankly terrible hits like "Bad Boys" and "Wham! Rap." (George Michael didn't start getting good until late '84.)

By their second album, DIAMOND, Spandau Ballet were still running a line in popping-bass "dance" music. The single "Instinction" is probably as good as this part of their career ever got:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juYdKAzqA74

But even on this album, primary songwriter Gary Kemp (the guitarist) was getting into the kind of creamy ballad that would eventually break the band in the US. Second single "She Loved Like Diamond" wasn't actually much good, but it was the first sign of things to come:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDsgmCgrCuQ

And then, in early 1983, Spandau Ballet released their first single that I ever downright loved, "Lifeline," which was good enough that it started getting some scattered US airplay before the album was even out. "Lifeline" remains the band's career high point, an unapologetically smooth pop song that's every bit as good as the best Culture Club singles, which for this style of music is saying something:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQgeYrso_Cg

Now, the musical space between this song and "True" is minimal, despite the congas and the thumby bass line. Therefore, it cannot be said that "True," which was the next single and the US breakthrough, is a radical departure:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYb83KM4at4

Nor is the even more adult contemporary sounding third single from this album, "Gold":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSq8ZBdSxNU

So there you have it: they were talking bollocks when they said "True" was entirely unlike anything else they ever did. I couldn't tell you about the later albums: I had pretty much lost interest in this style of music by the time album #4 came out in late '84.

Mott the Hoople, "I Wish I Was Your Mother"

George Michael didn't start getting good until late '84.

Really? Damn. I missed that.

Now that you mention it, I do remember Lifeline. It was really popular on the college radio station in my sleepy little town. As much as I really hated True, I have to admit Lifeline was pretty good, without getting all gooey and gross like True. After watching the video I'm glad I didn't have cable TV back then, because I really hated their Look.

Cream, "Wrapping Paper"

X - "True Love (Pt II)". X's only song with a disco beat from "More Fun In The New Word"

Ooops. That's "New World"

You were right the first time, andyr, at least if you were thinking of the album that "True Love (Pt. II)" is off of (that would be More Fun in the New World).

"The New World", on the other hand, is the name of the first song on that awesome record, and one that they (and The Knitters) still play to this day.

Unless, of course, you meant to imply that "True Love (Pt. II)"'s disco beat is an inverted version of the riff from "The New World", but I don't think that's what you were going for.

In any case, that's a GREAT nomination and one I should've thought of first. What about "Come Back to Me" (from Under the Big Black Sun) in the same category, though?

George Michael didn't start getting good until late '84.



Really? Damn. I missed that.

Oh fuck it, I might as well admit that I also enjoy George Michael's singles from "Careless Whisper" (a Wham song that was really a solo single) up through "Freedom '90". That earlier Wham stuff is downright horrible, though, but those videos for "Club Tropicana" and the like are camp classics now.

Yeah, that's about right: from late '84 to the turn of the decade (I'm generous enough to include "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," despite having quite possibly the single worst video of any hit single ever), George Michael cranked out a series of singles that rivals Elton's glory days as pure unapologetic ear candy.

If we can wade through the George Michael subthread (put me down with the Michael as Near-Modern Day Elton group), Berlyant is presently Last Man Standing, with his suggestion of X's "Come Back to Me". Will Berlyant be the Last Man Standing?

i love the faggotty direction of this new romantic thread.

how 'bout the 2 hits by the Gin Blossoms written by the guy who killed himself? Weren't the rest of their songs pretty different/not as good just like How Soon is Now? vs. the rest of the Smiths' songs?

Ah, but Shawnkilroy, you note TWO songs, meaning at least one of which sounded like the other! Berlyant has just been seeng high-fiving friends in anticipation of his crowning as Last Man Standing.

“Bob George” was suggested over in the Holy Grails thread, and I’d been thinking of that, too, but I never made it all the way through Crystal Ball to know if there was something else in there like it.

How about calling upon the power of Tull for “Bungle In The Jungle”?

I don't know, although "Bungle in the Jungle" has its charms and helped initiated a lot of young boys into Ian Anderson's lair, is it that much different than "The Teacher"?

Since you, alexmagic, dragged "Bob George" over here, you do get credit for being the Last Man Standing...until another stands atop you.

Pink Floyd - "Another Brick In The Wall, Part II". I doubt even die-hard Floyd fans saw THAT coming.

Scottrogers stands tall!

Led Zeppelin, "D'Yer Maker"

Has this one really just been left here standing in the open like this?

doesn't Fool in the Rain cover similar turf?

Van Halen-Big Bad Bill is Sweet William now

Did KISS ever do a follow-up disco single to capitalize on the sucksess of "I Was Made for Loving You"?

Mr Mod,

I can't say for sure, but I'd bet the farm that there was at least one more disco track on Dynasty. I seem to remember 2000 Man being disco-y.

doesn't Fool in the Rain cover similar turf?

Only if for the purposes of this discussion there's no significant difference between reggae and calypso. Which is possible, I suppose. Only one Caribbean tune allowed, or two utterly different musical traditions?

I think to maintain our perceived Rockist ignorance of world music forms we should consider both Zeppelin tunes of the same ilk. Kpdexter is still standing.

In this context, I will accept this Low Blow to Understanding.

This next one could be borderline too, so I wait an "authoritative" decision:

Big Star, "Stroke It Noel"

how about Big Star's Love Revolution

I'm not familiar with "Love Revolution". Sounds like a 1986-era, Chris Stamey-produced, semi-disco/semi-groovy '60s one-off reunion featuring Scott McCaughey, Peter Buck, and Peter Zaremba. Do tell!

i love the faggotty direction of this new romantic thread.

Well, I don't like the homophobia implicit in that statement, though I hope you mean it more in a 7th grade kind of way. Either way, it doesn't excuse it regardless.

how 'bout the 2 hits by the Gin Blossoms written by the guy who killed himself? Weren't the rest of their songs pretty different/not as good just like How Soon is Now? vs. the rest of the Smiths' songs?

Now this is an interesting subject. I always liked their album New Miserable Experience (i.e. the one with those hits on it) and have long thought that they were quite underrated. I especially like "Found Out About You". With all that said, a few of the other songs on that record (including "Allison Road", which was a minor hit, too) are almost as good.

My understanding, though I could be wrong, is that the guitarist in question wrote most of their material. I also remember thegreat48 mentioning that after he committed suicide, the remaining band members went to his parents' house to ask if he had any more unused songs lying around.

I'm not familiar with "Love Revolution". Sounds like a 1986-era, Chris Stamey-produced, semi-disco/semi-groovy '60s one-off reunion featuring Scott McCaughey, Peter Buck, and Peter Zaremba. Do tell!

Nah it's just Alex Chilton's attempt to write a disco/light funk song in the vein of "Boogie Shoes", which he covered back in 1980 on Like Flies on Sherbert. Thus, though it was released on Big Star's In Space a few years back, it's essentially a Chilton solo track (as half that album basically is) so I don't think it should count.

Mr Mod,

I can't say for sure, but I'd bet the farm that there was at least one more disco track on Dynasty. I seem to remember 2000 Man being disco-y.

I also think "Sure Know Something", which was also on Dynasty and I believe a single as well, was a bit disco-ish, especially in the verse melody, though otherwise it's a pretty straightforward rock song.

With that said, it's my favorite song of theirs.

I remember that track now, Berlyant. Good case you make for tossing it's proponent off the heap. I'm not allowing "Stroke it Noel", so that does leave KPDex standing.

We must be missing someting obvious - or someone's holding out for that final spot atop the hill!

Yeah, that's about right: from late '84 to the turn of the decade (I'm generous enough to include "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," despite having quite possibly the single worst video of any hit single ever), George Michael cranked out a series of singles that rivals Elton's glory days as pure unapologetic ear candy.

Hmm, I never really heard it that way. I know he covered "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", but those singles (to my ears, at least) have more in common with early '80s Elton hits like "I'm Still Standing" or "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues". Unless that's what you meant in the first place, though I consider prime Elton the early to mid '70s stuff.

Anyway, to me those singles owe way more to the blue-eyed soul of Hall & Oates regardless.

We must be missing someting obvious - or someone's holding out for that final spot atop the hill!

XTC's "Travels in Nihilon". Now, again, please hand over the belt.

My understanding, though I could be wrong, is that the guitarist in question wrote most of their material. I also remember thegreat48 mentioning that after he committed suicide, the remaining band members went to his parents' house to ask if he had any more unused songs lying around.

AFTER they had already kicked him out of the band, prior to the breakthrough success they had with his songs. I still consider this one of the all-time Dick Moves in the history of rock.

China Pig, Capt. Beefheart, Trout Mask Replica

China Pig, Capt. Beefheart, Trout Mask Replica

Please explain how this song is different from other songs on that record like say, "My Human Gets Me Blues" or "Pachuco's Cadaver"?

On those same lines, though, I just thought of another one. What about Robyn Hitchcock's "Wafflehead", the closing track on Respect? It's an obvious and not-that-great attempt to capture the vibe of Troust Mask Replica. I've never heard Hitchcock attempt to do that at any other point in his career, but there could be B-sides or album cuts I'm not aware of.

I'm not allowing "Stroke it Noel"

That's not good enough. I'll accept your reasoning, even if it's flawed, but I gotta see the reasoning. Is it a "solo release"?

“Move It” - Chubby Checker’s attempt at a disco-funk comeback hit. Different, incidentally, than its a-side, the filthy soul number “Rub Me”. http://blogfiles.wfmu.org/DP/2007/06/181_2_Chubby%20Checker_-_Move_It.mp3

"Stroke it Noel" shouldn't be allowed since it sounds like the other winsome, string-laden songs on Sister Lovers. I.e., "Nighttime," "Blue Moon," "Take Care."

My Human Gets Me Blues and Pachuco Cadaver are both full band studio recordings. China Pig is just Beefheart singing (and obviously improvising) accompanied only by a single acoustic guitar.

My Human Gets Me Blues and Pachuco Cadaver are both full band studio recordings. China Pig is just Beefheart singing (and obviously improvising) accompanied only by a single acoustic guitar.

Good point. I knew there was something different about it, but couldn't figure out what. I was thinking more about the song structure and not the accompaniment, though.

Thanks, Oats, for answering Mwall's question.

I'm not buying "China Pig". It's still Beefheart and that Beefheartian logic/structure, isn't it?

"Travels in Nihilon" was redone, to some extent, with lighter instrumentation on "Jason and the Argonauts". No great difference there.

Alexmagic seems to be standing with Chubby's disco number. I would venture there are many more one-off disco entries to come.

the industrial track My World, the last track on Guns N Roses' Use Your Illusion II

Chuck Berry, "Ding-A-Ling" or "My Ding-A-Ling" or whatever he calls his damn ding-a-ling, damnit.

The original question was not about logic/structure but about "songs that sound like nothing else a band or artist ever did or would do." *Sound.* I could suggest Little Golden Birdies from Clear Spot too. There are other poetic recitations, but not ones accompanied only by sound effects like that.

All right, BigSteve, I know this means a lot to you. The good thing about me rescinding my initial decision and allowing you this time atop the roost is that it makes the rest of our Townspeople more determined to build an even-higher human totem pole!

BigSteve is standing tall.

" mwall [Member]
Chuck Berry, "Ding-A-Ling" or "My Ding-A-Ling" or whatever he calls his damn ding-a-ling, damnit."

That's the type of song I've looking for, something that was a prominent divergence from their course, not something like "Her Majesty", a little change-of-pace tucked away in a cranny.

Poor Chuck, I think "My Doing-A-Ling" might have been his biggest chart hit ever, forcing him to haul it out for years on end at every live show. I loved it as a pre-teen, yet avoid it now.

Speaking of "Beth", how 'bout "I Was Made For Lovin' You"? Going disco? Those guys were always shameless trend hoppers, I thought "Beth" was just Kiss copping a little ballad mojo off that fellow Ezrin-producee Bob Seger.

"I Was Made for Loving You" was already disqualified for some KISSco follow up. So is that Berry song actually different - in sound, as BigSteve stresses - than all his other songs? If so, Mwall is standing tall.

"So is that Berry song actually different - in sound, as BigSteve stresses "

I think the only thing that would be comparable is his work in video.

"Heart of Glass" by Blondie. They could have worked that straight-ahead disco beat to death but they really didn't.

I'd already thought of "Heart of Glass" but disqualified it in my mind; the beat may be different, but much of the rest of the sound isn't.

Doesn't Call Me work the same electro/disco territory as Heart of Glass, though admittedly at a faster tempo?

Yeah, "Heart of Glass" has no chance here.

i apologize for my use of the word "faggoty".
i am not a homophobe. i am from northeast philadelphia.
i am also, as you might be able to tell from some of the music i listen to, kind of faggoty, so i thought it was ok.
i wish to promote tolerance, acceptance, and open debate in these halls of rock, along with responsible self-expression. if any of you were put off by my comments, please accept my sincere apology. and come to my rock shoe tonite at 9 at the north star.

Doesn't Call Me work the same electro/disco territory as Heart of Glass, though admittedly at a faster tempo?

I know that Mr. Mod has already disqualified it, but in addition to "Call Me", Blondie also recorded a number of other disco-ish tracks like "Atomic" (a very influential song on newer post-punk/disco punk bands) and "The Hardest Part".

Oh, I forgot to include that "Call Me" was produced (and maybe co-written as well) by Giorgio Moroder, to drive home the disco point even more.

As far as Beefheart, isn't "Ah Feel Like Ahcid" (from Strictly Personal) pretty much the same idea as "China Pig"?