Discomusic.com Top 700 discussion

**Disco Dave** · April 5th, 2006, 11:57 AM

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** · April 5th, 2006, 12:11 PM

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** · April 5th, 2006, 01:35 PM

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** · April 5th, 2006, 02:41 PM

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** · April 5th, 2006, 05:14 PM

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** · April 5th, 2006, 05:57 PM

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** · April 6th, 2006, 12:19 AM

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** · April 6th, 2006, 01:10 AM

Originally Written 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** · April 6th, 2006, 01:18 AM

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** · April 6th, 2006, 03:50 AM

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** · April 6th, 2006, 04:27 PM

Originally Written by JussiK

Originally Written 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.

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

**Videoskooter** · April 7th, 2006, 03:34 PM

Originally Written 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** · April 9th, 2006, 02:11 PM

Thx man, I'm loving my stay

**QUINNY** · April 9th, 2006, 05:41 PM

Originally Written by Videoskooter

Originally Written 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!

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** · April 10th, 2006, 12:13 AM

******

...... 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

*****

**paul** · April 10th, 2006, 12:16 AM

So Quinny, can you answer this question? :lol:
What are your top ten tracks? I'm asking to get a feel as to what you consider superior.

**remicks** · April 10th, 2006, 12:21 AM

*****

:o
WoW Paul ...... we just asked the same question !! :P

*****

**paul** · April 10th, 2006, 12:52 AM

You know what they say about great minds remicks :D

**remicks** · April 10th, 2006, 01:17 AM

*****

Ya !! :lol: :roll:

Now it'll be interesting to see how " another great mind" :roll: of this board chooses to answer us .....

*****

**JussiK** · April 10th, 2006, 02:37 AM

The list is obviously useful not only for collectors but djs hesitant what they should program at their disco-themed gigs. The possible problem is when a dj goes thru the titles, does she or he know what the tracks sound like? Say, the person sees a record that got listed in a store that does not let you listen to it before purchase or at Ebay, and pays good money for it thinking it'll be good for the party. And if the record is "Pretty Maid" ....?! Still, you'll stand by your choices, right? Given the right place and the right moment, I'm sure all of the titles in the list revive Pretty well, so it's really a matter of personal taste. Everything Is Great.

**QUINNY** · April 10th, 2006, 05:43 AM

Originally Written by 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

*****

To be honest I can't remember which tracks I submitted to the second Top 500 list, except (for reasons explained in great detail at the time) Zone by Rhythm Makers was the #1. Basically, no other record had such an impact on my audience in 14 years as a pro DJ. This was at about the same time that I was waking up to the fact that my playlist was probably a little different to most other's around here and so, I didn't contribute to the Top 700. I would have found it nigh on impossible to single out 100 best records, 'cos once I got past the top 40 or so, there would be sooooo many that could go into it, nor could I put them into any kind of ranking (thus giving weighting to certain tracks). I can play tapes or CD compilations and hear soooo many records that I played and gave me a good vibe BITD (many of which I just don't remember the titles of), but whether or not to put any of them into a Top 100 list........ummmm. Suffice to say, that on my database I have well over 1000 tracks which I consider would be good enough to play out.

If pushed to name a few dozen today off the top of my head, that tore up dance floors, I'd have to include, in no real order:

T Connection - Do What You Wanna Do
Evelyn 'Champagne' King - Shame/I'm In Love
Sylvester - You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)
Chic - Good Times/Le Freak/Everybody Dance
Candido - Jingo ('82 remix)
Bohannon feat. Dr. Perri Johnson - Let's Start II Dance Again
Hamilton Bohannon - Stop & Go/Let's Start the Dance/Disco Stomp
Midnite Movers Unlimited - Follow The Wind
NF Porter - Keep On Keepin' On
Lavias - Do You Wanna Dance
Tavares - Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel
McFadden & Whitehead - Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now
MFSB - TSOP
James Brown - Sex Machine/There Was A Time/Get Up Offa That Thing
JBs - Hot Pants Road/Gimme Some More
Indeep - Last Night A DJ Saved My Life
Rhythm Makers - Zone
KC & The Sunshine Band - That's The Way I Like It/Get Down Tonight/Boogie Man
Gil Scott Heron/Brian Jackson - The Bottle
Trammps - Shout/ That's Where The Happy People Go/Disco Inferno
Peoples Choice - Do It Anyway You Wanna
Donna Summer - I Feel Love/Bad Girls
First Choice - Smarty Pants
Politicians - Love Machine
Eddie & The Soul Boys - Shaft
Michael Jackson - Thriller/Off The Wall/Billie Jean/Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough
Manu DiBango - Big Blow
Hot Streak - Body Work
Freeez - I.O.U.
Rose Royce - R.R. Express/Car Wash/Is It Love You're After
Stargard - Wear It Out/Which Way Is Up
Whispers - And The Beat Goes On/ It's A Love Thing
Jermaine Jackson - Let's Get Serious
Teena Marie - Behind The Groove
Captain Sky - Sir Jamalot/I Chewz You
Prince - 1999/Controversy/I Wanna Be Your Lover
George McRae - Rock Your Baby
Andre Cymone - The Dance Electric
Sheila E - The Glamorous Life/A Love Bizarre
Antonia Rodriguez - La Bamba
Shalamar - A Night To Remember ('85 remix)/Right In The Socket/
Odyssey - Going Back To My Roots/Use It Up, Wear It Out
Michael Zager Band - Let's All Chant
Lipps Inc. - Funky Town
Gibson Brothers - Cuba
Third World - Now That We've Found Love
Musique - In The Bush
Brick - Dazz
Donald Byrd - Change (Makes You Wanna Hustle)
O'Jays - I Love Music/Put Our Heads Together/Love Train
Gary's Gang - Keep On Dancin'
FLB - Boogie Town
Fat Larry's band - Act Like You Know
Hi Tension - Hi Tension
Fatback Band - (Are You Ready) Do The Bus Stop/I Found Lovin'
Kool & The Gang - Celebration/Get Down On It/Ladies Night
Sister Sledge - We Are Family/He's The Greatest Dancer/Lost In Music ('84 remix)
Michel Polnareff - Lipstick (part II)
Eddie harris - Is It In
Jimmy Castor Bunch - E Man Boogie/Bertha Butt Boogie
Baby O - In The Forest
Herbie Hancock - Rockit/I Thought It Was You
Players Association - Disco Inferno/Turn The music Up/Ride The Groove
Ohio Players - Fire
Heatwave - Boogie Nights
Level 42 - Lessons in Love ('85/6 remix)/The Chinese Way
Unique - What I Got Is What You Need
Pennye Ford - Dangerous
D Train - Music/You're The One For Me ('85/6 remix)
Phil Collins - Sussudio
Blue Rondo A La Turk - Me And Mr. Sanchez
Mike T - Do It Anyway You Wanna
Gary Byrd & the GB Experience - The Crown
Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight
Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel - White Lines
Kurtis Blow - The Breaks
Whodini - Mr. Magic's Wand
Forrest - Rock The Boat
Vicki D - This Beat Is Mine
Trussel - Love Injection
Positive Force - We Got The Funk
Arthur Adams - You Got The Floor
Francine McGee - Delerium
Azymuth - Jazz Carnival
Crusaders - Street Life
Rhani Harris & FLO - Six Million Steps
Juggy Murray Jones - Inside America
BB&Q Band - On The Beat
Gino Soccio - TryIt Out/Dancer
Quick - Zulu/Rhythm Of the Jungle
Nick Straker band - A Little Bit Of Jazz/Straight Ahead
Change - Searchin'/Paradise/Glow Of Love/Holiday
La Pregunta - Chameleon
Sharon Redd - Can You Handle It/Beat The Street
Edwin Starr - Contact/25 miles/SOS (Stop Her On Sight)
Gonzalez - Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet
Chaz Jankel - Glad To Know You
Jimmy Bo Horne - Spank/Is It In/Gimme Some

I'm tired now and know that I've left out many a title, but these are some of the records that certainly did the biz for me. Would they all make my Top 100? No way, cos there are a few that I hated from the get go.

**Videoskooter** · April 10th, 2006, 01:18 PM

Originally Written by paul

You know what they say about great minds remicks :D

Pfffft :lol: OMG x1000 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Quinny, I don't like all of your picks in that list but it's a good 1 too!

Certainly The Players Association, one of my faves too and a group that is rarely mentioned on the board.

And altough I don't consider André Cymone as a Discorecord, it still is a monsterjam!

**remicks** · April 10th, 2006, 01:46 PM

Originally Written by Videoskooter

Originally Written by paul

You know what they say about great minds remicks :D

Pfffft :lol: OMG x1000 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Hey ! :P An' jus' wah's so 1000x funny???? :P

Thanks for the response Quinny .
All things said ...I think you have to agree that a comprehensive realistic list of the all-time great disco songs is not going to put ZONE at Number One.

But it'll always be #1 in that list residing in your head I reckon. Fair enuff.

I prefer Marky's compilation charts ...they are the real thing ... as " real" as real can get ...'cause even they weren't perfect .... ...
But they best reflect what was really going on back then ....ain't no monkeying with them .....
They are and will remain what they were : actual reports from actual clubs during the actual times ....

*****

**QUINNY** · April 10th, 2006, 04:37 PM

Originally Written by remicks

Originally Written by Videoskooter

Originally Written by paul

You know what they say about great minds remicks :D

Pfffft :lol: OMG x1000 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Hey ! :P An' jus' wah's so 1000x funny???? :P

Thanks for the response Quinny .
All things said ...I think you have to agree that a comprehensive realistic list of the all-time great disco songs is not going to put ZONE at Number One.

I prefer Marky's compilation charts ...they are the real thing ... as " real" as real can get ...'cause even they weren't perfect .... ...
But they best reflect what was really going on back then ....ain't no monkeying with them .....
They are and will remain what they were : actual reports from actual clubs during the actual times ....

*****

Remicks: As I stated, Zone was my #1 for many reasons, but the clincher for me was the fact that it always had a positive response (with someone asking what the hell it was virtually every time I played it) from a, then, diverse crowd. It was more or less totally unknown, even when released and yet I'd have English, Spanish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Belgian etc people coming up to me at the decks saying three things. (a) that's great (b) what is it, where can I buy it? They were gobsmacked by it. No other record came close to that sort of response, maybe because they were already known/heard or had been read about.

I agree, it's never going to be #1 in a Disco Top 500 or whatever, but can you see why I had to make it #1?

I agree to a very large extent that Marky's charts are worthwile, BUT even charts from BITD were fixed or open to manipulation. Name any self respecting DJ or record shop guy who'd put a Disco pop hit ahead of the latest hot numbers? They all needed to look hip, eh? And so, the charts were never an absolute mirror of true commercial appeal or popularity. I'd like to think that the Disco charts were compiled from returns done in the best possible taste, but I have very vivid memories of how transitory/fickle some big-time Brit DJ's charts could be, with a record being hotter than hot one week and stone cold just a week or two later, once it was no longer hip. I suspect they still played them, probably to packed dancefloors (as it might have been a really popular cut a month or so into its life), but they couldn't be seen to be less than cutting edge. Personally, I always somewhat mistrusted those types of jocks and those types of lists......of which the Top 500/700 came perilously close to being.

**paul** · April 10th, 2006, 11:50 PM

Thanks for providing your list Quinny. Honestly, I'd say your list is similar to mine and I'd guess most others. Similiar in that there are some very popular tunes and some oddball ones we are personally fond of.
I'm a little more optimistic about the original 500 cause everything averaged out. I'm not expecting perfection. We both know that can't happen when humans are involved 8)