Discomusic.com Top 700 discussion

[Disco Dave]

Just curious about the thoughts on the Top 700 list here.

First off, how long ago was this list compiled? Years ago? Has it ever been updated? Do any people feel it needs a current revision?

Example: I saw the Top 10 Donna Summers tunes thread and it did not match up with what Donna Summer's tunes were on the 700 chart.

DONNA SUMMER TOP TEN : *

-1) -- I Feel Love
-2) -- Could It Be Magic
-3) -- MacArthur Park
-4) -- Love To Love You Baby
-5) -- Bad Girls
-6) -- Last Dance
-7) -- Try Me , I Know We Can Make It
-8.) -- Sunset People
-9) -- Hot Stuff
10) -- On the Radio

Top 700 chart:
8 - I Feel Love
22 - Last Dance
41 - MacArthur Park Suite
54 - Rumor Has It (???)
60 - Spring Affair (???)
89 - Love To Love You, Baby

There are a lot of obscure records on the Top list with some obvious classics sprinkled in. I can completely understand that the people on this board (after I've visited multiple times over the last year) enjoy pulling out obscure gems over the "classics" they've heard a few million times. The list is meant to reflect the die-hard fans here who've been there from the beginning or have spent years on their Disco collections.

Then again I also think a Top Disco list should also reflect public tastes and what you could actually PLAY on a disco night today. In those terms this list might fail. Then again have dj's here had success playing a lot of these obscure records in modern times?

A lot of questions (hopefully it won't cause to much of a commotion)

[paul]

Dave, in my opinion that particular list (the second edition of the Top 500) is trash. One reason there is so much Donna there is I remember seeing something about a bunch of people from a Donna Summer site participating and absolutely skewing the list. This list: http://www.discomusic.com/charts-more/1675_0_8_0_C/
is superior and is the original list done several years back. As Bernie will attest, these list were difficult and exhausting. I believe Bernie and a few members like Maarten worked on these list.
The choice of songs are reflective of what many of us consider disco back in the 70's and early 80's.
I can't speak for Bernie but I don't know if he wants to do this again. I don't think he'd object if you wanna take on this monstrous challenge :D

[Bernie]

The first edition of the Top 500 list that Paul linked to as well as the Top 700 are the definitive lists.

The second edition of the Top 500 was the one that got sabotaged by a slew of Donna Summer fans, which completely threw off the list. It pissed me off since I put a lot of work into it including adding BPMs, release dates and record label names. If the Donna Summer fans had simply voted for one of her songs in the number one spot that wouldn't have been so bad, but they put Donna Summer songs on every line of their entries. Everyone was allowed to vote for 30 songs.

To recap:

• The Top 500 Disco Songs (1st edition) was compiled by votes from everyone and thus has more broad appeal for modern parties. This was compiled by DiscoMusic.com member, Maarten in 2000. Essentially a "listener's/dancer's" list.
  http://www.discomusic.com/charts-more/1675_0_8_0_C/
  
• The Top 500 Disco Songs (2nd edition) was compiled by votes from everyone, but skewed by abnormally large votes for Donna Summer effectively throwing off the list. I compiled this list around 2001. Essentially a "listener's/dancer's" list.
  http://www.discomusic.com/charts-more/1689_0_8_0_C/
  
• The 700 DJ Certified Top Disco Dance Songs was compiled strictly from Disco DJs who mainly played during the Disco era. This is a great list and one that I compiled around 2002. Essentially a "DJ's / player's" list.
  http://www.discomusic.com/charts-more/2664_0_8_0_C/

I doubt I'll do another Top Disco Songs list or chart as the results will be about the same and we have two great lists from the DJ's perspective as well as the "average Joe."

Hope the above helps.

[Disco Dave]

Brilliant. Thanks the information on all 3 links!

I actually was using the original list as an example for the Donna Summers rankings not the two latter. :lol: I can see why the latest list is so very skewed. I hadn't actually seen it. I guess it makes it hard to make a revised list unless its limited only to specific trusted posters. Plus its a ton of work.

I worked on a New Wave Top list (albums+songs) for a similar hardcore group (http://nwoutpost.tripod.com/) and we used weighted lists. Weighed from 5 points for a poster's Top 10, down to 2 points for the latter 50. Excel luckily does a ton of the work.

Were the previous lists scored in a similar fashion (weighted)? I take it the first and third lists appeal based on whether you see ir from a audience/dj perspctive? I can start to see the difference now.

Do these obscure top records actually work on a dancefloor for most dj's here or are they more based on dj opinion?

[QUINNY]

All the lists were flawed and hi-jacked by different interested parties. :roll: Really quite a shame that we all tend to let vanity get the better of us when it comes to things like top XXX lists.

For example, quite a few tracks nominated by Jussi to the top 700 list ended up in relatively high positions 'cos he would have placed them at #1,2,3 etc in his nominations and hence given weighting. I doubt if anyone else has ever heard of some of them, nor alone played them...and yet, there they are. The same thing must have happened to other people's nominations, but they're maybe not as easy to identify.

Please list a few tracks that you deem to be obscure, then you might get some (honest?) opinions as to whether or not they were played or set dance floors alight. Just a thought.

[Disco Dave]

Obscure is in the eyes of the beholder. I'm just a newbie when it comes into deep disco so there are many tracks I'm not accustomed to. Can I reverse the question and ask what tunes are way too high up?

I'm in the midst of collecting the top tunes and getting a personal view myself but I'm sure people have certain tracks on the list that utterly purplex them. As long as people don't take it personally I think any poster can voice what vexes them. :lol: What tracks did Jussi list as favorites that are rather unknown?

My biggest surpirse was the Donna Summers non-singles that were so high up on the original list (ver.1).

[paul]

Quinny, who or how was the first list hijacked?
I just scanned the original list and while there are some that initially surprised me in terms of ranking, they are not without merit. You have to consider that these choices were from people all over the globe. The style and content of music will vary depending on region. Heck, within cities you had discos that would emphasize different styles. One club might heavily favor euro, another funk, and yet another less frequently played selections.
I happen to like virtually every song in the first 99 so I would recommend them all.

[JussiK]

Originally Posted by QUINNY

For example, quite a few tracks nominated by Jussi to the top 700 list ended up in relatively high positions 'cos he would have placed them at #1,2,3 etc in his nominations and hence given weighting. I doubt if anyone else has ever heard of some of them, nor alone played them...and yet, there they are.

Good, bad or totally indefensible, a "Pretty Maid" certainly got spins all over the world and people danced to it a lot, even in London they got up and boogied to it - a LOT. Not a huge hit but the record was sold everywhere. Same goes for "Breathless" by Trax , another title not obscure by any means, you can still find the "Watch out for the boogie man" album rather easily.

No use being in denial, The Brits did dance to disco, not just to funk. Blues and Soul magazine, a respected voice back in the day, ran a poll in 1977 and "Accidental Lover" by Love&Kisses was voted the top tune.

[ehuerta]

Hey,

Did you know that the 50 first entries of the TOP 500 (First edition) are featured in the "Disco: Spinning the Story" DVD? (as a bonus chart compiled from discomusic.com, giving credit to the members of this great community)

[RetroRuss]

Whilst we're on the subject of the Top 500 , it has always amazed me why Voyage scored so highly in all the charts. It's not a bad tune (Souvenirs), As I play it in my head, I would argue that it has a lot of 'pop' undertones, the vocals aren't particularly 'gutsy' or soulful and the breaks not that 'intriguing'. I did buy it when it came out, but the best? I personally don't particularly like Beautiful Bend or Alec Constandis but can see why they rate highly as Disco tracks.

The best Disco track ever IMVHO? You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real).

[QUINNY]

Originally Posted by JussiK

Good, bad or totally indefensible, a "Pretty Maid" certainly got spins all over the world and people danced to it a lot, even in London they got up and boogied to it - a LOT. Not a huge hit but the record was sold everywhere. Same goes for "Breathless" by Trax , another title not obscure by any means, you can still find the "Watch out for the boogie man" album rather easily.

Plus Andre Gagnon etc etc . Jussi, I rest my case.

[Videoskooter]

Originally Posted by QUINNY

Plus Andre Gagnon etc etc

Yèèèèzzzzz, Q-tie, you really have taste (finally :P ) WOW! SURPRISE!

The original list is MAGIC! I'm with tha Paul and tha Jussi all the way!

And Disco Dave, welcum 2 da club!

[Disco Dave]

Thx man, I'm loving my stay

[QUINNY]

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

Yèèèèzzzzz, Q-tie, you really have taste (finally :P ) WOW! SURPRISE!

The original list is MAGIC! I'm with tha Paul and tha Jussi all the way!

Video: I'd never have such poor taste. :lol:
Just pointing out one of the other Jussi maoeuvered tracks into the top 700, that by all accounts shouldn't be there, if we lived in an ideal world.

The original list was just as flawed as the subsequent ones. Even Bernie realised how flawed it was BY TRYING TO COMPILE A SECOND AND THIRD LIST. It's a shame that these things can never be anything but vaguely representative, but that's the nature of the beast.

[remicks]

******

...... I'm sure Quinny's objective list was a pure and unbiased contribution of only the deserved best.

Could you please provide us with the songs that made your Top 10 that YOU submitted , Quinny ??

:P :P :P :P :P

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