I think the criteria was more ‘can you party’… As opposed to pose for the camera but some did:
The sound was supposedly quite something too.
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^ Why are these B&W? ^
I mean colour film was universal and affordable in the late 70s, and disco was TECHNICOLOR, baby, by nature, plus colour sups had been around since 1962 - so I can’t even see press hacks using B&W by then…
Maybe these were authentically B&W, but I’m seeing a lot of familiar colour images being swapped around on social media ‘nostalgia’ threads that have been desaturated to B&W just to make them look more oldtimey…
Great pics just the same 
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An ignoramus writes… Yebbut if you are shooting for print media there would be no need for colour because of print technology, and the venues would be quite dark, and prevailing photo aestheric?
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That Grace Jones images was certainly colour originally
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Great pics,70s London was excellent,but those New York discos look good fun.
Can imagine it would wreck your nostrils after a couple of years though
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I’d not say you definitely wouldn’t use B&W, but as I say colour printing was widespread by then. Pretty sure the first colour newspapers had appeared in the 'states by the late 70s, plus every newspaper had weekend colour supplements, then there were magazines…
Point being by 1978 using B&W film was a deliberate, artistic decision for subjects like this, and it would be downright odd to snap this stuff in B&W… It’s also easy to print from colour neg to B&W paper, and various tricks existed to increase contrast…
As I say, I don’t know for sure here, but I’m seeing this desat thing done a lot to make 1960s - 1990s pictures look fakely oldtimey, and since I’ve woken-up grumpy I’m here to bitch about it… 
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Amusing that Grace is very much in colour but everyone else seems to be wearing black and white, insofar as they’re wearing much at all.
Maybe my memory only works in B&W. Moustache technology seems to have gone in reverse.
B&W was available in higher iso so handy in low light situations. So hung around quite a while.
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Thank you. I am more comfortable with B&W imagery than current digital tweakery, turning every image into something metafictional.
Really? Who knew…? 
Well I’m fairly sure this one should be B&W… 1907 - bringing the spud harvest in in Kirton - between Spalding and Boston - I want that lorry! 
No further info I’m afraid.
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Wonder if that’s steam or fuel?
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Definitely not steam. That’s petrol fo’ sho’ 
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Apparently had “a four-cylinder Aster engine … with a diameter in the bore of 105mm, and with a stroke of 140mm … developing 26-30hp” - which is frankly more than I expected!
Similar chassis used for Omnibuses and Charabancs perchance?
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Back then, yes. In fact it wasn’t unknown for the same chassis to be used overnight for lorry stuff and then have a different body structure fitted for work during the day…
It eventually became obvious that this wasn’t an ideal situation. Various tragic incidents happened due to no regulation; fatigue and poor\non-existent maintenance…
Road Traffic Act of 1930 helped. So too did the first purpose built buses with cranked chassis frames for lower entrance and floor heights.
The Leyland ‘T’ range buses. But that’s for another thread…
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Which considering it’s maximum speed- around 15mph- and what look like cable or rod actuated brakes on the rear axle only!
Well that’s enough performance! 
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