Turntable Hat

Turntable Hat

Disco Dies An Exciting Death

Rock vinyl was king for decades. From the hip-rattling swagger of Elvis Presley to mind-expanding explorations of the Beatles, from the primal howls of Little Richard to the guttural roar of Led Zeppelin, rock n' roll was here to stay. But as mid-1970s arrived, a new sound - complete with quick hi-hat runs, infectious choruses and pop sensibilities - could be found on turntables and the charts. Disco was challenging the new king.

But for some, the change was hardly welcomed. Wax was the domain of rock n' roll and rock vinyl would not go down without a fight. Enter Steve Dahl, a Chicago DJ, who had summarily been fired from his job at WDAI after switching to an all-disco format. As someone with more than just a personal interest in seeing rock vinyl at the top, Dahl [hatched a plan.

After rain forced the cancellation of a Chicago White Sox game in early April, the game was rescheduled on July 12, 1979 as part of a doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers. Dahl, in association with Gerry Meier, his broadcast partner, Mike Veeck, son of Chicago owner Bill Veeck, and other radio station executives devised a crucial idea that would eventually live in infamy in both rock vinyl and baseball history: Disco Demolition Night.

The promotion asked fanatics to bring unwanted disco vinyl albums to the park in exchange for an admission charge of only 98 cents. And boy did they arrived. Rock fanatics came in thousands; nearly 90,000 showed up at the 52,000-seat Comiskey Park. A lot climbed fences outside the park, and the freeway had to be close down after it jammed with cars. When the stadium staff had collected more than enough records from the audience, many started using them as Frisbees, cluttering the field and hitting other watchers. At the least, it stood as a proof to their love of rock vinyl. No willing music lover would ever treat "real" 'albums as such.

Dahl appeared, in between games, with a young female in town, garbed in fatigues and riding in a jeep. A crate full of disco albums and wired in explosives was brought onto the field. Rock vinyl would rule the day. The following left a deep hole in the outfield and a small fire burning. Then again, it was only the beginning.

True to the spirit of the beloved rockvinyl Albums collections, fans stormed the field. Some walked aimlessly; some ran from police, some started more fires. In sum, a small-scale riot broke out in the middle of a baseball game. In the end, the field was cleared by the Chicago Police Department. The field was so severely mangled that the White Sox had to lose the game to the Tigers. And while Disco Demolition Night has gone down as perhaps the most ill conceived promotion ever, in a twisted way, rock vinyl rock vinyl certainly ruled the day.

About the Author

James Watts is a freelance writer living in Philadelphia. He is passionate about Vinyl Albums music and has devoted much of his professional life to helping young artists gain the exposure they need. When not writing or attending shows, Watts can often be found cheering on his beloved Phillies or cooking up one of his signature culinary creations.

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