TRACK #292:
Disco Blood by The Vamps
No, it’s not that Disco Blood, featured in 1981’s slasher classic, The Prowler, as performed by Nowherefast. Unfortunately, that one still appears to be unobtainium at the moment. Nope, this disco hit comes courtesy of Brazilian dance outfit, The Vamps.
It’s the title track the from their only LP, Disco Blood, released back in 1977.
And boy, what a weird ass tune this is.
It’s essentially a disco tale of a nubile woman who runs afoul “the vampire.” And not just a vampire, mind you, but the vampire. We could assume this means Dracula, as it typically does, but perhaps not. We’re just not sure.
Anyway, after some less than coy flirtations, and then overt unsolicited advances, this thing turns to (from the sounds of it anyway) straight up Vampire rape. After which, this poor young woman seems to acquiesce to the dire situation and the song then devolves into these 2 audibly fucking for almost 2 minutes over a disco beat. Well then.
The story itself, in all its myriad complexity, is actually illustrated for us on the album’s sleeve. Well, that’s a curious bonus. Chalk one up for The Vamps.
These are some great pictures to have on the back of an album, and it was an unexpected treat when I received this record in the mail.
As for the song, there’s some serious bongo work on display with this tune and man if it don’t get yer foot tapping.
Sure, you could take issue with the less than favorable subject matter, either as a moralistic objection to sex in general, the performance and distribution of simulated sex on record, or the unholy union of a human and creature of the night in sexual congress. Any one of those would make perfect sense and could impair someone’s desire to dance. I get that.
However, having no objection to the above, one could still find it difficult to dance to a song featuring a woman being thrust upon by a man (or monster) against her will. True enough. This woman literally yells “Get out of me!” Not sure if that’s just a language barrier or something more specific, but whatever’s happening here is not (at least initially anyway) consensual in the slightest.
But then again, I think that’s the nature of the vampire. For what is a vampire attack, if not a wildly non-consensual act.
But, if you can square yourself with that unfavorable situation, then you got one hell of a smokin’ disco number on you’re hands.
Unfortunately, like most of the artists this year it seems, I couldn’t dig up too much information on The Vamps.
So, I guess all we have are these drawings and 7 and a half minutes of a little 33rpm auditory pornography/maybe rape/probably horror/definitely disco. Eh, why not?
I apologize in advance.