Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
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The following is the TOP 20 Disco/Dance songs for the month of January 1984 ( in alphabetical order) . What I am curious about are these two things ....................
1) Which of these songs did you buy/get then .............. (later?)
2) Which do you still listen to today ???
January 1984
Top 20 Dance/Disco Recordings
Art Of Noise - Beat Box (Island)
Basil, Toni - Over My Head (Chrysalis)
Burton, Jenny - Remember What You Like (Atlantic)
Cara, Irene - Why Me? (Geffen)
Culture Club - Colour By Numbers (LP) (Virgin)
Freeez - Pop Goes My Love / Scratch Goes My Dub (Streetwise)
Gang Of Four - Is It Love (Warner Bros.)
Hall, Daryl and John Oates - Say It Isn't So (RCA)
Kitt, Eartha - Where Is My Man? (Streetwise)
Kranz, George - Trommeltanz (Din Daa Daa) (Personal)
Laid Back - White Horse (Warner Bros.)
Lisa - Rocket To Your Heart (Moby Dick)
Pointer Sisters - Automatic / Jump (For My Love) (Planet)
Re-Flex - The Politics Of Dancing (Capitol)
Rolling Stones - Undercover Of the Night / Too Much Blood (Rolling Stones)
Romantics - Talking In Your Sleep (Epic)
Sylvester - Too Late / Trouble In Paradise (Megatone)
Xena - On the Upside (Emergency)
Yello - Pumping Velvet / No More Words (Elektra)
Yes - Owner Of a Lonely Heart (Atco)
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Indie Release [Level 4]
Wow, what memories. That was the year I really started going out a lot, especially to gay and progressive clubs.
The songs/records I bought then were:
Culture Club
Gang of Four
Eartha Kitt
George Kranz
Laid Back
Lisa
Pointer Sisters
Re-Flex
Sylvester
The Gang of Four and Sylvester ("Trouble In Paradise") were the best, IMO. Those two and the Culture Club album I still listen to.
No Longer Charting
That must be an American chart.I can't remember my playlist being that awful at the time.
Xena, Kraanz, Laid Back have all gone on to become reasonably sought after records.
Underground Hit [Level 5]
The only one I really bought was SAY IT ISN'T SO by Hall & Oates (The album and the 12 inch). I listen to it to this day as I love all their 80's material.
Someone gave me 90125 by Yes (which has Owner Of A Lonely Heart), because I was a fan of 70's Yes, but I hate that tune and don't care too much for that LP.
The ones I like :
Art Of Noise - Beat Box (Island)
Basil, Toni - Over My Head (Chrysalis)
Re-Flex - The Politics Of Dancing (Capitol)
The ones I don't:
Rolling Stones - Undercover Of the Night / Too Much Blood
Romantics - Talking In Your Sleep (Epic)
Cara, Irene - Why Me? (Geffen)
Gang Of Four - Is It Love (Warner Bros.)
I don't care for this song too much, but I like her voice:
Kitt, Eartha - Where Is My Man? (Streetwise)
Gold Record [Level 7]
:-?
Yeah...I don't have any charts to hand right now, but in the UK at about that time, the songs were a little different. IMSMR, great tracks like the one by the Pointer Sisters didn't hit until about springtime. The track by Xena appeared on one of the ever popular Streetsounds compilation LPs called "Electro". This genre was an electronic precursor to house and techno music, which sounded fantastic and quite popular in that year.
A good year for music...And...Miami Vice :lol:
Indie Release [Level 4]
"White Horse" by Laidback was banned by some radio stations for it's obvious "drug influenced" message. "If you want to ride, you ride the white horse." Plus, "If you want to be rich, you have to be a ....."! Even today, I listen to an 80s station and I NEVER hear this song on the radio.
Would you actually consider this song more "Synthpop" than "Disco" or "Technopop"?
No Longer Charting
BTW: the 12" of Owner Of A Lonely Heart by Yes was an absolutely brilliant de/re-construction. In a blindfold test, no-one would have known who it was (had they not already known the track).
Platinum Record [Level 8]
The George Kranz and Eartha Kitt would probably rank as two of my least favorite dance records.
Triple Platinum Record [Level 10]
Hmmm....the only ones I don't think I have are Jenny Burton, Freeez, George Kranz and Xena.
If I had to pick 5 to take to a desert island....
1) JUMP (FOR MY LOVE) - The Pointer Sisters (a classic!!!!!)
2) TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP - the Romantics
(I like it.)
3) OWNER OF LONELY HEART - Yes
4) SAY IT ISN'T SO - Hall & Oates
5) OVER MY HEAD - Toni Basil ( love the cover of Toni in that Hat.)
and maybe I'd also try to squeeze Re-Flex and Yello in my suitcase.
Oh, and I gotta have Automatic also!!!!
Chart Hit [Level 6]
At the time I actually bought:
Art Of Noise - Beat Box (Island)
Kitt, Eartha - Where Is My Man? (Streetwise)
Kranz, George - Trommeltanz (Din Daa Daa) (Personal)
Pointer Sisters - Automatic / Jump (For My Love) (Planet)
and picked these up later.
Lisa - Rocket To Your Heart (Moby Dick)
Re-Flex - The Politics Of Dancing (Capitol)
Rolling Stones - Undercover Of the Night / Too Much Blood (Rolling Stones)
Xena - On the Upside (Emergency)
I still listen to The Art Of Noise - great first album :)
Lisa appears on a recent homemade hi-nrg cd and Din Daa Daa has always been a mad favourite.
Gold Record [Level 7]
I have all above... but addOriginally Written by markydefad
Art of Noise
Eartha Kitt
Gang of Four
Indie Release [Level 4]
I have to say Xena is the only great song in this list. Laid Back is also very good, and there are a few that are reasonably good (Lisa, Re-Flex, Yes). If only the Pointer Sisters' 'Automatic' was as good as Millie Scott's song of the same name a couple of years later. There were some fantastic dance songs in '84, but it looks like they came after January....
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
What a gawd-awful list. Even the Sylvester entry doesn't warm my heart. Sadly, each one was received as a promo in the record pool. As to what I would touch today:
Hall & Oates
Pointer Sisters ("Automatic" only. "Jump" can go... jump!)
Yes
Laid Back
Indie Release [Level 4]
Ahh what a time, I used to work in Manhattan, Union Square at Disc-O-Rama during the time of these releases, around the same time remember having Shannon signing her releases and also Brenda K Star signing Pickin up the Pieces just brought back some good memories any way my selects at the time were
Art Of Noise - Beat Box (Island)
Burton, Jenny - Remember What You Like
Culture Club - Colour By Numbers (LP) (Virgin)
(really only bought the album because it was a picture disc maybe an investment I thought at the time
Pointer Sisters - Automatic / Jump (For My Love) (Planet)
[b]Freeez - Pop Goes My Love / Scratch Goes My Dub (Streetwise)
Hall, Daryl and John Oates - Say It Isn't So (RCA)
Loved the 12 mixes done by Jellybean also Out of Touch
Kranz, George - Trommeltanz (Din Daa Daa) (Personal)
Laid Back - White Horse (Warner Bros.)
Xena - On the Upside (Emergency)
Excelent time for the 12" releases of these songs there was always nice alternative (bside/dub/inst) to play making the songs more usable during play at least thats the way I feel. All of the ones I played at the time I still enjoy now, but the George Kranz I may have second thoughts.
Chart Hit [Level 6]
. 
. 
Laid Back is still played alot,
Lisa was good NRG but
the song I still pull it is
Gang of Four's "is it love"-
Gorgeous Chic-esqe downtempo rock-funk...
Thom
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