1976 Billboard Disco Compilation Consensus Charts!!!

[thommy2458]

Originally Posted by STEPHEN L FREEMAN

I'm also suprised they weren't charted together.
Although it's lower bpm probably made it easier to program, I didn't much care for "You're My Driving Wheel".

Agreed! Marky,what about my other favorite from this
LP-"Love,I Never Knew"-this used to blow the roof off the
club when played at peak hour.I thought for sure this
was "bundled" with the other two and charted also?

Thom

[drlove]

Regarding "Love I Never Knew" by the Supremes:

That was indeed a fantastic tune, Thommy2458 -- actually just listened to it for the first time about a month ago when I picked up that LP from a vinyl store here in New Orleans. It's a shame that those great tunes from the "Mary, Scherrie & Susaye" LP turned out to be the the Supremes' final studio recordings before they disbanded by mid-1977. Would've been quite interesting to see what they & their producers could've come up with as disco grew in popularity thru 1978/79 !!!

[markydefad]

Originally Posted by thommy2458

Agreed! Marky,what about my other favorite from this
LP-"Love,I Never Knew"-this used to blow the roof off the
club when played at peak hour.I thought for sure this
was "bundled" with the other two and charted also?

Thom

Hi Thommy,

Yeah, "Love I Never Knew You Could Feel So Good" dropped off this week...but returns next week and when the bundling into the Top 40 happens in January, 1977,it is the third title in the bundle..."You're My Driving Wheel/Let Yourself Go/Love I Never Knew"

"I Don't Want To Be Tied Down" and "Come Into My Life" also "bubble under"

[remicks]

******

Originally Posted by markydefad

DISCO MIX By Tom Moulton

December 4, 1976


Looks like Joe Simon has a smash with his "Easy To Love" on Spring Records. This is one of the best things Simon has done. It also reunites him with John Richbourg, who produced all of his earlier hits like "The Chokin’ Kind." Andrew Smith has done a strong arrangement on "Easy To Love," which has a happy feeling and an easiness to the rhythm that fits the song.
This will probably be one of Simon’s biggest records.

*******

You gotta love Tom Moulton for consistently sticking his neck out concerning some of these releases!!

So how about it this time ye ol' chartmaster ? Is Tom on to something??
Are you able to look into your crystal ball and see how well this record does ? Is it one of Joe's biggest?... ( Does it chart at all??)
I don't recall it myself and wonder if it was even pressed as a DJ friendly 12" ???
Only see reference of the 45 :




Tom makes mention of arranger Andrew Smith whom shared several early projects with Moulton. Andrew Smith's name appears on projects by BT Express, Gloria Gaynor , Phyllis Hyman , Al Downing ..... This one with Joe Simon seems to be amongst his last involvements before becoming less active with the scene ....

____________


While I'm here , and speaking of crystal balls and recently of MAKES YOU BLIND ....
.....look at what I noticed in one of your posts from the 1975 Consensus thread:

from the Rhino Disco Box liner notes:

DJ playlists for the era covered in this thread (10/26/74 - 12/31/75):


#4: Montreal
Limelight/October 1975
DJ: Robert Ouimet

SPRING RAIN - Silvetti
MAKES YOU BLIND - The Glitter Band
AYE TUMBAYE - Les Tumbaye
FOOT STOMPIN MUSIC - Hamilton Bohannon
CHICANO - Black Blood
ONE WAY STREET - Becket Brown
LADY BUMP - Penny McLean
JUMP FOR JOY - Biddu Orchestra
LET THE MUSIC PLAY - Barry White
DO IT ANY WAY YOU WANNA - People's Choice
I AM SOMEBODY - Jimmy James & The Vagabonds

so ..... Rhino made a mistake and somehow/someway inserted it onto this club's playlist ??? or .... MAKES YOU BLIND was already around in Canada in 1975???

*****

[markydefad]

I had always been under the impression that the 2 titles in that Montreal playlist ["Makes You Blind" & "Spring Rain"] charted in Canada in late 1975 and then took almost a year to chart in the US.... but now, after having done these charts, I see the city that chart represents is none other than Montreal and I have the Montreal stats]

SPRING RAIN-Silvetti [this debuts on December 11, 1976 on the Montreal chart!!!...but doesn't make the Top 40 until early 1977 and then it is credited by Billboard to "Bebu Sylvesti"]
MAKES YOU BLIND - The Glitter Band [this charted in Montreal between 9/18/76 - 11/27/76]


Soooooooo...it appears that Limelight in Montreal playlist is in error....charting records in October of 1975 that do not appear on Montreal's charts until September/December of 1976!!!

[SandraDee]

Originally Posted by markydefad

SanDee, I don't know the tune...haven't found it yet...Correction: I do see that Amazon has a cd version of the original LP....it's not currently in stockAmazon-U.S. | Amazon-U.K.

That Esther Williams CD isn't bad, more funky disco than glam disco; in fact some tracks sound a tad Patrick Adams-y; 2 tracks are written by Greg Carmichael so maybe that's why. Anyway, thanx for bringing it to my attention.

[markydefad]

Originally Posted by SandraDee

That Esther Williams CD isn't bad, more funky disco than glam disco; in fact some tracks sound a tad Patrick Adams-y; 2 tracks are written by Greg Carmichael so maybe that's why. Anyway, thanx for bringing it to my attention.

So you were disappointed??? Sounds like a lukewarm recommendation to me, SanDee.

[SandraDee]

It's not that it's bad marky (I've heard lots of much worse LPs!) but it doesn't completely float my boat if I'm honest; I can imagine hip-hop producers looking for samples would find it useful. It's very listenable but I can't imagine me rushing to put it on my player too much in the future. It just might be my personal taste; others might absolutely love it to bits.

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

Originally Posted by SandraDee

That Esther Williams CD isn't bad, more funky disco than glam disco...

I'm sorry you were disappointed with it. But I understand. I bought this LP when it came out. I was hoping it would be more of an Eddie Drennon / BBS Unlimited record, than it was. (considering it was another Bullseye Production and she's a vocalist for BBS Unlimited)

Unfortunately, the only track that set me on fire was "You Gotta Let Me Show You", which I already had the 12" single of. And it propelled me to buy the LP. Also, at 7mins+, Tom Moulton's 12" mix is much longer (and better) than the LP.

And I never understood the fascination with "Last Night Changed It All". But the 12" release of it is, apparently, worth sacrificing your first-born child to obtain! (even if it IS the same length as the LP)

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

Marky,

We all know "Love In C-Minor" is just around the bend... So, I'd like to jump ahead of the thread and stick my neck out, on a memory that's been floating in my head for over 30 years...

I worked part-time in a record store, from the winter of '76, through the spring of '77. I vaguely recall having my UK/Atlantic copy of Cerrone prior to New Year's Eve of '76-77. Then getting my Heart & Soul Orchestra version shortly thereafter.

But I clearly remember following the Billboard Charts with regards to LICM. And I have a vivid recollection stuck in my head. If I may publicly test my rapidly deteriorating brain cells by saying...

In January of '77, "Love In C-Minor" by The Heart And Soul Orchestra/Casablanca climbed the charts right up until the US/Cotillion release of Cerrone's version. In my head, I can see The Heart & Soul Orchestra at #3, when Cerrone enters the chart somewhere in the high-30's / low-40's. Then, by the next chart, the positions are almost exactly reversed. And within 2 charts, The Heart and Soul Orchestra is gone from sight and Cerrone is at #1, or #2.

I promise that I haven't seen, nor reviewed those particular chart weeks, since then. And I may-well be so far off, that it's embarassing. But I'd like to put that, long-standing memory to the test.

[markydefad]

Oh, Stephen..I hate to be the one to break it to you ...BUT no....that's not how it happened. I had to look this up because I haven't touched 1977...I just knew they BOTH charted Top 10.

Briefly,

Jan. 15, 1977: Cerrone first charts #15 in Montreal

Jan. 22, 1977: Cerrone goes to #1 in Montreal & charts in the U.S first on NYC chart @ #4 (12" import) ...somehow this doesn't merit a Top 40 mention!

Jan. 27, 1977: Cerrone first charts Top 40 @ #25

Feb. 05, 1977: Cerrone moves up to #12; out of nowhere Heart & Soul Ochestra debuts @ #13!!!

Feb 12, 19, 26; March 5, 12, 19, 26; April 2& 9 BOTH chart Top 10 for 9 weeks...Cerrone is always slightly above Heart & Soul by at least one position.

April 16, 1977: Heart & Soul slips out of Top 10 to #12.
Cerrone is still #3.

April 23, 1977: Cerrone slips out of Top 10 also to #11; H&S is #18.

April 30, 1977: Both still in Top 20...

May 07, 1977: Heart & Soul off Top 40...Cerrone moves down chart 5/14...and is gone from the Top 40 on May 21, 1977. It will "bubble under" on May 21 as it is #15 on Montreal...just where it began on Jan. 15!!!

We've come full circle.

So that's the way Billboard lays it out. I just work with the facts.

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

Originally Posted by markydefad

Oh, Stephen..I hate to be the one to break it to you ...

My life is a sham...

May I still have the lovely parting gift?
A month's supply of "creamettes", perhaps?
No?

Okay... I'll go quietly.

[markydefad]

Thanks for playing "Outguess the charts?".....few dare to play, so thanks for the challenge!!!

I think conventional wisdom is that Cerrone's version blew Heart & Soul's off the chart...it seems that folks have stated that here in the past...but, although Cerrone did better..peaked @ #2 and charted about 3 weeks longer than Heart & Soul Orch....H&S peaked @ #4...so not so shabby.

You can't have any creamettes...you are carb-deprived, remember???? Maybe some mashed yeast & sprouts??? Keep that body buffed!

[drlove]

RE: the "C" Minors . . .makes you wonder that if the tune was popular enough to have 2 competing versions in the National Disco Action top 10 SIMULTANEOUSLY (thanks Marky for the stats !!!) . . . .then it seems to make sense that Love in C Minor coulda, woulda, shoulda been a # 1 disco hit for either artist (but for the other's competing Top 5 version). As we'll never be able to re-write history, do you think that was a plausible chart likelihood ???

[markydefad]

drlove,

With our 20/20 hindsight, it's rather obvious that "Love In C Minor" was a pivotal innovator in the sound of "disco" and would open the floodgates for a whole lotta Euro-types to enter the U.S. charts with their orchestral recordings that didn't have the U.S. soulful, funky R&B feel or the colder, precision-tooled Munich sound---but would nevertheless, enthrall DJs and dancers for the remainder of the disco period--well, until the "funky" took over again in the early Eighties...and "violins for hire" or, as I once mistakenly, but quite vividly referred to them..."Violins On FIRE"!!! fell out of favor for the fresher and cheaper sounds of synths.

I think the simultaneous charting of two recordings of the same song-- "Love In C Minor"-- in the disco Top 10 must be a first and maybe only (?) example of this in disco chart history thus far. At least the most successful. There were two recordings of "Satin Soul" by Gene Page & Love Unlimited Orchestra that charted simultaneously and a few other artists had competing cover versions of the same song [ there were also 2 versions of "Hi-Jack" by Herbie Mann vs. Barrabas; 'Love Hangover": Diana Ross vs. 5th Dimension/'I Love to Love": Tina Charles vs. Don Downing. etc.]... but this has to be the case of most successful competing versions thus far... BOTH in the Top 10 simultaneously for over 2 months each. [This is off the top of my head--not having gone back to research it. I may be wrong!!!]

Thelma Houston, The Trammps, T-Connection & Grace Jones keep Cerrone from reaching #1 in the first quarter of 1977....not sure how the actual city stats compare on the two competing titles...but it does seem to be a first on several levels...and most importantly, a great harbinger of what was to come musically.

And, to actually answer your question, I would think that if only one version were charting...it might have actually gone to #1...but the competition is rather formidable..so who knows?