Odyssey 1

The Odyssey 1 opened in 1976 across the street from Rexall Drugs at Beverly and La Cienega. Guys in eyeliner, model types dancing while doing sign language to Grace Jones tracks, fog machines and outrageous disco lighting overhead...it all happened at L.A.’s most popular and remembered disco, the Odyssey 1. There were two peak periods during the Odyssey’s run — once during the late 70s disco craze, then again in the mid-80s “New Wave”. Of course, being L.A., you could shop for gold jewelry inside the club when you were off the dance floor, in case you were in search of that perfect gold chain for that wide-collared shirt. The second of two bad fires closed the place down for good in 1986, some say to the tune of “Burn, baby, burn...disco inferno...”