In 1973, a British art-metal band called Babe Ruth released a song called "The Mexican" that opened with Spanish guitars, then turned into the Doors' "Riders on the Storm" then Ennio Morricone's Sergio-Leone-movie theme "For a Few Dollars More" over an absurdly realized Latin disco rhythm two years before disco existed..."The Mexican" was not a certified hit, but it became a secret cult favorite in discos...then rapped over by Funky Four Plus One and...Soul Sonic Force.

Teena Marie holds vowel notes for opera-house lengths, then switches to monkey squeals or random screeches, bouncing-on-the-beat raps, wild cats imitating horn or guitar parts, Hispanic accents for rhythm, British ones for irony, runner-nose toddler talk for sarcasm. What makes her rock also makes her mush, but her mush knows how to rock you.

In Disco Tex's world, anything can be rock'n'roll, that's his whole point.

(Cerrone's "Supernature" is) as dark as anything Metallica or Voivod have ever done...but unlike any of these, "Supernature" is also joyous; the mutants taking over the planet are disco's nocturnal freaks.

To remember its sense of wonder, rock'n'roll had to be born again, as disco, of all things. Boney M, a German aggregate fronted by four flying-saucer- uniform-clad West Indian fashion models whose names go uncredited on album covers...even sang about being born again...yet somehow, maybe in the way the sour stratospheric chords keep turning icier, you know a fall from grace is coming.