Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Opening with David Mancuso's seminal "Love Saves the Day" Valentine's party, Tim Lawrence tells the definitive story of American dance music culture in the 1970s--from its subterranean roots in NoHo and Hell's Kitchen to its gaudy blossoming in midtown Manhattan to its wildfire transmission through America's suburbs and urban hotspots such as Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Newark, and Miami.

Tales of nocturnal journeys, radical music making, and polymorphous sexuality flow through the arteries of Love Saves the Day like hot liquid vinyl. They are interspersed with a detailed examination of the era's most powerful djs, the venues in which they played, and the records they loved to spin--as well as the labels, musicians, vocalists, producers, remixers, party promoters, journalists, and dance crowds that fueled dance music's tireless engine.

Love Saves the Day includes material from over three hundred original interviews with the scene's most influential players, including David Mancuso, Nicky Siano, Tom Moulton, Loleatta Holloway, Giorgio Moroder, Francis Grasso, Frankie Knuckles, and Earl Young. It incorporates more than twenty special dj discographies--listing the favorite records of the most important spinners of the disco decade--and a more general discography cataloging some six hundred releases. Love Saves the Day also contains a unique collection of more than seventy rare photos.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Figures (p. vii)
• Preface (p. xi)
• Acknowledgments (p. xvii)
• Introduction (p. 1)
• 1. Beginnings: House Parties and Discotheques (p. 5)
• 2. Consolidation: Party Pariahs and the Path to Permanent Revolution (p. 33)
• 3. Pollination: The Rise of the Downtown Party Network (p. 55)
• 4. Recognition: The Crystallization of a Sound (p. 83)
• 5. Visibility: The Message of Love and the Disco Mix (p. 117)
• 6. Expansion: Record Pools, Music Labels, New Clubs (p. 155)
• 7. Prominence: Forums, Formats, Franchises (p. 205)
• 8. Ascendancy: Eurodisco, Midtown, Downtown, Out-of-Town (p. 251)
• 9. Dominance: Disco Takes Over (p. 303)
• 10. Turbulence: Backlash and Survival (p. 363)
• Epilogue (p. 433)
• Notes (p. 443)
• Selected Discography (p. 457)
• Selected Bibliography (p. 473)
• Index (p. 477)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Dance music of the 1970s was symbolic of the ever-changing popular culture, and innovative promoters and DJs such as David Mancuso and Nicky Siano were important catalysts in this world. Their impact on New York's dance music scene helped to ignite the disco craze that ultimately spread to other cities. Mancuso was pivotal, known for private parties at his downtown loft, particularly the "Love Saves the Day" event, and for his explorations of new presentations and approaches within the medium. Dance music culture ultimately exploded with the emergence of revolutionary DJ methods and sound technology, new artists and styles, famous clubs such as Studio 54 and plentiful lesser-known venues, wildly enthusiastic dance crowds, and even film notoriety with Saturday Night Fever. Over time, the scene was dominated by groups of every description-geographic, economic, social, racial, and sexual-some plagued by serious backlash against them. Lawrence (director, music cultures program, Univ. of East London) tells the complete story in this fine, groundbreaking history filled with fresh information and thoughtful perspectives on the disco decade, the result of his hundreds of interviews and exhaustive research. Scores of photographs and signature discographies nicely complement the text. For public libraries and academic collections on popular culture.-Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

Lawrence (music cultures, Univ. of East London, UK) has compiled a detailed, complex, fascinating, and unique history of disco dance music. Beginning with the opening of various dance clubs in New York City in 1970 (particularly David Mancuso's Loft), Lawrence focuses on the role of disc jockeys in promoting and shaping a unique musical/dance culture. The author draws on numerous interviews and on published accounts in exploring how a wide variety of people--straight and gay, male and female, white, black, and Hispanic--discovered a fevered dance scene. He discusses DJs, e-record companies, performers, critics, and others involved in promoting this dance craze, which reached its visible peak with the opening of Studio 54 and the subsequent release of the film Saturday Night Fever (1977). By the end of the 1970s, disco music had outlived its commercial popularity: when it came under attack, the music declined. Most of the story focuses on New York, although Lawrence includes a short discussion of dance clubs in Chicago. Numerous illustrations, helpful notes, and a selected bibliography and discography are most helpful. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. R. D. Cohen Indiana University Northwest