House Compilation Concensus Charts

[fabio]

I was wondering is there is a HCCC similar to the one that Markydefad has been writing regarding the Disco Chart.
Anybody knows of any specialist magazine which may have published House Charts during the 80's?

[marmite7]

Not specifically house charts, but Record Mirror had dance charts, split by genres!

I used to buy it weekly and check James Hamilton's recommendations for chicago house, aswell as using the charts as a guide as to what to buy ;)

EG:

W/E Feb 7 1987 the top ten was (from 1-10)

Jack Your Body - Steve Silk Hurley
Jack The Groove - Raze
This Brutal House - Nitro Deluxe
Big Fun - Gap Band
I Found Love - Darlene Davis
Once Bitten Twice Shy - Vesta Williams
You Can Dance (If You Want To) - Go Go Lorenzo
Chillin Out - Curtis Hairston
The Rain - Oran Juice Jones
Workin Up A Sweat - Full Circle

As you can see, not all House trax. But that was clubs then, a mixture of styles but all still dance :)

Other house tunes in the Top 100 that week:

Turn Me Loose - Wally Jump Junior
Let The Music Move You - Raze
House Nation - House Master Boyz
Jackin - Home Wreckers
Can You Feel It - Mr Fingers
Watcha Gonna Do - Blaze
Let The Music Take Control - JM Silk
Looking For A Lover - Taurus Boys
Face It - Master C&J

[K-Bee]

I believe both Mixmag and Blues & Soul did have some sort of dancecharts listed too back in the 80s.

[fabio]

Hey Marmite7 this is a good start!
Any more copies of Record Mirror that we can check? I remember buying the magazine when i first came to London (the start of the 90's) but forgot everything about it.
Maybe i should go down the British Library to see if they have any copies...you never know, we may be up to something.
Cheers

[marmite7]

Hey Fabio (where's grooverider btw?) ;)


I used to have Record Mirror's going back to 1985 (the start of Chicago House), but sold em all on ebay - for loads of dosh.

What you need is the year end issues, which published the best selling tunes of the year.

Remember MK II - Used By DJ? Awesome track on DJ International. The first house tune I ever bought ;)

Hercules - 7 Ways also a storming tune and so durty it just throbs :razz:

[fabio]

(...) Following Marmite7 suggestion i turned to e-bay and bought 10 copies of Record Mirror (UK magazine) dated between 1982 and 1985.
I found few charts including sooo many unknown records and i would like to ask your help to identify the "genre" and find a tran-sition between Disco and House (will publish the same message in the 70's section)
I would like to start with the first issue dated September 18th, 1982. Which one of the following tracks could be labelled "Post Disco/Proto House"?:roll:
Let's begin:

(the title of the chart is) Disco:
(part 1)
1) LOVE COMES DOWN Evelyn Champagne King
2) WALKING/ROCKING ON SUNSHINE Rockers Revenge
3) THE MESSAGE GMaster Flash
4) SO FINE Howard Johnson
5) JUMP TO IT Aretha Franklin
6) DO IT TO THE MUSIC Raw Silk
7) MORE BOUNCE TO THE DANCE Zapp
8) GIVE ME/3AM I Level
9) NEVER GIVE YOU UP Sharon Reed
10)BEAT THE STREET Sharon Reed
11)HEAD OVER HEELS Galaxy
12)THERE IT IS Shalamar
13)WHEN WE PARTY Jay W McGee
14)NEW YORK CITY/STRAIGHT TO THE TOP Stanley Clark
15)YOU CAN HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO Brenda Taylor
16)SHE'S GO IT/ NICE AND EASY Leroy Hutson
17)BOOGIE IN YOUR BUTT Eddie Murphy
18)BIG FUN/GET DOWN ON IT Kool and the Gang
19)PLANET ROCK SS Force
20)BEAT THE STREET (remix) Sharon Reed
21)ONE MINUTE FROM LOVE/NEVER HAD A LOVE LIKE YOU/FOREVER/BABY
WON'T CHA Marc Sandane
22)IMAGINATION BB&Q Band
23)THE LOVER IN YOU SugarHill Gang
24)DON'T STOP MY LOVE Passion
25)LOVE DON'T COME EASY New Jersey Connection
26)LOVE'S COMING AT YA Melba Moore
27)SHE'S SO DIVINE The Limit
28)BRING YOUR SWEET LOVIN BACK
29)SUMMER LADY/CONFIDENCE Narada Michael Walden
30)INVITATION Shakatak
31)GO WITH THE FLOW Weeks and co
32)CHANGES Immagination
33)AND I'M TELLING YOU AM NOT GOING Jennifer Holliday
34)STOOL PIGEON Kid Creole and the coconutz
35)I MUST BE DREAMING Wanda
36)IF YOU DON'T KNOW ME BY NOW Jean Carn
37)CAN'T TAKE MY EYES OFF U Boys town Gang
38)ZOOM Fat Larrys Gang
39)PARADISE/CLASSY LADY/NOBODY BUT YOU Leroy Hutson
40)FEELIN FINE Sly Cabell

Have fun!!

[tony98]

There's not that many in that chart that i would call proto-house apart from -Rockers Revenge-Aretha Franklin (recently sampled in a club hit by Tom Novy) Raw Silk-Sharon Redd singles-Brenda Taylor-New Jersey Connection you could maybe argue about one or two others. I played all of those tracks at the time and i remember when house broke through in 86 the crowd gave you a hard time because of they where used to the sort of tempo featured in that chart.

[Greg Wilson]

Originally Posted by fabio

(...) Following Marmite7 suggestion i turned to e-bay and bought 10 copies of Record Mirror (UK magazine) dated between 1982 and 1985.
I found few charts including sooo many unknown records and i would like to ask your help to identify the "genre" and find a tran-sition between Disco and House (will publish the same message in the 70's section)
I would like to start with the first issue dated September 18th, 1982. Which one of the following tracks could be labelled "Post Disco/Proto House"?:roll:
Let's begin:

(the title of the chart is) Disco:
(part 1)
1) LOVE COMES DOWN Evelyn Champagne King
2) WALKING/ROCKING ON SUNSHINE Rockers Revenge
3) THE MESSAGE GMaster Flash
4) SO FINE Howard Johnson
5) JUMP TO IT Aretha Franklin
6) DO IT TO THE MUSIC Raw Silk
7) MORE BOUNCE TO THE DANCE Zapp
8) GIVE ME/3AM I Level
9) NEVER GIVE YOU UP Sharon Reed
10)BEAT THE STREET Sharon Reed
11)HEAD OVER HEELS Galaxy
12)THERE IT IS Shalamar
13)WHEN WE PARTY Jay W McGee
14)NEW YORK CITY/STRAIGHT TO THE TOP Stanley Clark
15)YOU CAN HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO Brenda Taylor
16)SHE'S GO IT/ NICE AND EASY Leroy Hutson
17)BOOGIE IN YOUR BUTT Eddie Murphy
18)BIG FUN/GET DOWN ON IT Kool and the Gang
19)PLANET ROCK SS Force
20)BEAT THE STREET (remix) Sharon Reed
21)ONE MINUTE FROM LOVE/NEVER HAD A LOVE LIKE YOU/FOREVER/BABY
WON'T CHA Marc Sandane
22)IMAGINATION BB&Q Band
23)THE LOVER IN YOU SugarHill Gang
24)DON'T STOP MY LOVE Passion
25)LOVE DON'T COME EASY New Jersey Connection
26)LOVE'S COMING AT YA Melba Moore
27)SHE'S SO DIVINE The Limit
28)BRING YOUR SWEET LOVIN BACK
29)SUMMER LADY/CONFIDENCE Narada Michael Walden
30)INVITATION Shakatak
31)GO WITH THE FLOW Weeks and co
32)CHANGES Immagination
33)AND I'M TELLING YOU AM NOT GOING Jennifer Holliday
34)STOOL PIGEON Kid Creole and the coconutz
35)I MUST BE DREAMING Wanda
36)IF YOU DON'T KNOW ME BY NOW Jean Carn
37)CAN'T TAKE MY EYES OFF U Boys town Gang
38)ZOOM Fat Larrys Gang
39)PARADISE/CLASSY LADY/NOBODY BUT YOU Leroy Hutson
40)FEELIN FINE Sly Cabell

Have fun!!

Hi fabio: It's this era that I highlight on my website:
http://www.electrofunkroots.co.uk

You can find floorfiller lists from the early 80's here (scroll down):
http://www.keeponmagazine.co.uk/charts.htm

The evolution of House music can be found in the post-Disco period, when the scene went back to a more underground vibe. This really gained momentum during the Electro era, with dance music increasingly relying on the advances in technology.

The piece I wrote, 'Electro-Funk - What Did It All Mean?' is included in the Disco 101 section:
http://www.discomusic.com/101-more/23_0_7_0_C65/

[Greg Wilson]

BTW James Hamilton's Disco pages in Record Mirror were absolutely essential reading for UK DJ's from the mid 70's onward.

Does anyone have copies of Record Mirror from the 70's?

[marmite7]

Hey Fabio

You really need Record Mirrors from 1985 onwards. There's a few records which sort of helped the transition from disco to house, but to be honest it was the hi-nrg sound which really mutated into house, starting in the gay clubs of chicago, before conquering the world ;)

Listen to:

L.I.F.E. - All Played Out
Patrick Cowley - Megatron Man
Peppermint - Light A Light

Even an electro-tinged funky disco number by Tony Cook & The Party People - Rock It from (I think) 1983/4 has that house feel to it.

1985 WAS the year it all took off though, so concentrate on RM's from this year first, then compare 1986 issues to se how it seemed to dominate the charts.

Of course it mutated again in 1987 with acid, then italo / piano house before rave kicked off in 1989 :p

[Greg Wilson]

Originally Posted by marmite7

Hey Fabio

You really need Record Mirrors from 1985 onwards. There's a few records which sort of helped the transition from disco to house, but to be honest it was the hi-nrg sound which really mutated into house, starting in the gay clubs of chicago, before conquering the world ;)

Listen to:

L.I.F.E. - All Played Out
Patrick Cowley - Megatron Man
Peppermint - Light A Light

Even an electro-tinged funky disco number by Tony Cook & The Party People - Rock It from (I think) 1983/4 has that house feel to it.

1985 WAS the year it all took off though, so concentrate on RM's from this year first, then compare 1986 issues to se how it seemed to dominate the charts.

Of course it mutated again in 1987 with acid, then italo / piano house before rave kicked off in 1989 :p

Hi marmite 7: Don't think Hi-Energy had anything like the type of impact you suggest. House was originally a catch-all term for the music played by Frankie Knuckles at The Warehouse in Chicago, just as Larry Levan's playlist from the Paradise Garage was once referred to as Garage. Hi-Energy wasn't a major factor at either of these venues, the music, in a general sense, being much more groove based, with New York labels like Prelude, West End, Streetwise and Emergency having a massive influence throughout the early 80's.

Here are a few examples of Proto-House from 82/83:

Electra feels good
Sinnamon thanks to you
Rockers Revenge walking on sunshine
Klien & MBO dirty talk
Sharon Redd beat the street
Toney Lee reach up
Touchdown ease your mind (US remix)
Class Action weekend (linking back to the Disco original by Phreek)
Visual the music got me
Gary's Gang making music

It wasn't just House that was evolving during this period, but Techno as well - whilst Hip Hop well and truly announced its arrival on a wider level. The early 80's underground dance scene was absolutely pivotal. This was when remixers like Levan, Francois Kevorkian, Shep Pettibone, Jellybean Benitez, Tony Humphries etc, really came into their own. When Dub mixes, Bonus Beats and Acappellas began to appear on records as additional mixes. When drum machines became the standard in dance production and producers began to use samplers. The genres House and Techno came out of this, but, for some strange reason, people often bypass the early 80's, either suggesting that House and Techno emerged more or less in isolation, which is obviously ridiculous, or links back directly to Disco (or Kraftwerk in the case of Techno) without recognising the necessity for a catalyst, which is exactly what the sheer creativity and diversity of the early 80's dance scene provided.

[marmite7]

Hey Greg

Frankie Knuckles was a gay dj, playing to a gay crowd and inevitably hi-nrg was the choice of the day. He (and others like him) realised that a change was needed in the hi-nrg sound we'd all become used to, so bassline & stripped down vocals were introduced, taken from disco classics by Teddy Pendergrass (TSOP) etc and as this started at The Warehouse, the term "House Music" was applied and to anything else with the same sound.

Garage & House weren't that disimilar, although with garage the vocals tended to be at the forefront, but then The Paradise Garage was a mixed crowd, with The Warehouse being a gay venue. Each had to cater for its patrons, which is why the two (slightly different) genres came about I suppose.

Remember the days when "gay music" wouldn't be played in straight clubs?

"God forbid there should be repetative beats - it's queer music"

Even well known DJ's today were guilty of this crime back in the late 80's, refusing to play house tunes during their sets at The Astoria or Venue 44 for example or if some did, they were met with a hostile crowd who just didn't "geit it".

By definition hi-nrg was/is a 4x4 rhythm, as is house, whereas disco, funk & rare groove didn't have the same beats. (And are therefore harder to beat mix) It seems to me that hi-nrg was the main link, but with elements from other genres thrown into the melting pot.


But then again - I could talking out me rrrs ;)

[fabio]

Well guys, glad to see that I have managed to involve both sides of the atlantic (?) and raised a few questions.
Thanks to Mr Greg Wilson for the tips regarding his site. I have checked it and took notes of the relevant records…. I even found your name mentioned on the new Hacienda compilation! (how come no mention on the book Rip It up and Start Again...)
Thanks also to Marmite7 for his useful contribution:
Here more of what i found:

September 17th, 1983
Record Mirror Disco chart (part 1)
1) JAM ON REVENGE Newcleus
2) BODY WORK Hot Streak
3) WHAT IVE GOT IS WHAT YOU NEED Unique
4) SHOW ME THE WAY New York Skyy
5) ROCKIT Herbie Hancock
6) GO DE YAKA Monyaka
7) ONE MIND TWO HEARTS Paradise
A TIME LIKE THIS Haywoods
9) DON’T YOU GET SO MAD Jeffrey Osborne
10) PUT YOUR HEADS (?) TOGETHER (remix) O”Jays
11) JUST IN TIME Raw Silk
12) OUT IN THE NIGHT Serge Ponsar
13) LADIES CHOICE Stone City Band
14) I THINK I WANT TO DANCE WITH YOU Rumple-Stilts-Skin
15) JINGO (remix) Candido
16) JUST BE GOD TO ME SOS Band (also on Greg Wilson list)
17) HALF THE DAY’S GONE AND WE HAVEN’T EARNED A PENNY Kenny Lynch
1 COLD BLOODED Rick James
19) I’M THE PACKMAN The Packman
20) PUT YOUR HEADS TOGETHER O”Jays
21) KEEP ON ROCKIN/GIVE ME YOUR LOVE/COLD BLOODED LOVER/BOTTOM LINE Active force
22) I WANT YOU Curtis Hairston
23) STREET JUSTICE The Rake
24) DO YOU WANT ME El Chicano
25) PIMP THE SIMP Rick James
26) TALK TO ME Lew Kirton
27) ROCK THE WORLD Crown Height Affair
2 PARTY TIME Kurtis Blow
29) TWO THREE BREAK The B Boys
30) SUPERSTAR (BILLY JEAN) Lydia Murdock ( I forgot about this one)
31) THE CROWN Gary Byrd
32) IN AND OUT/CLOSER THAN CLOSE Junior Walker
33) SMOOTH Edwin Starr
34) SHOW ME THE WAY Skyy
35) ALL OVER YOUR FACE Ronnie Dyson
36) DOG TALK K-9 Corps
37) TONIGHT I CELEBRATE MY LOVE Peabo Bryson/Roberta Flack
3 THE WILDSTYLE Time Zone
39) RAINBOWS Del Richardson
40) IT’S COOL Walter Jackson

NIGHTCLUB
1) ROCKIT HH
2) THE CROWN Gary Byrds
3) THE SUN GOES DOWN Level 42
4) IOU Freeze
5) WHAT I GOT IS WHAT YOU NEED Unique
6) HALF THE DAY’S GONE AND WE HAVEN’T EARNED A PENNY Kenny Lynch
7) CONFUSION New Order (Love’em all!!!!)
LONG HOT SUMMER Style Council
9) GOLD Spandau Ballet
10) OUT IN THE NIGHT Serge Ponsar

BOYS TOWN DISCO
1) I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT Pamela Stanley
2) BAND OF GOLD Sylvester
3) SEARCHIN Hazel Dean
4) GUILTY Lime
5) GOT TO GET TO YOU Charade
6) TAKE A CHANCE ON ME (Abba?) Waterfront Home
7) THE BOYS COME TO TOWN Earlene Bentley
WHEN WILL I SEE YOU AGAIN Magda Layna
9) ROCKT HH
10) ON THE GRID LIME

When will i be a Silver member?:D Gold?

[Greg Wilson]

Originally Posted by marmite7

Frankie Knuckles was a gay dj, playing to a gay crowd and inevitably hi-nrg was the choice of the day. He (and others like him) realised that a change was needed in the hi-nrg sound we'd all become used to, so bassline & stripped down vocals were introduced, taken from disco classics by Teddy Pendergrass (TSOP) etc and as this started at The Warehouse, the term "House Music" was applied and to anything else with the same sound.

Hi marmite 7: Whilst Hi-Energy may have had a level of influence on House, it was by no means as pivotal as you seem to be suggesting. You only have to look at the contrast in the playlists for The Warehouse, and a full-on Hi-Energy club like The Saint in New York, to see that there was a vast difference in what was being played at these venues pre-House. The fact that both clubs catered to a gay audience didn’t mean that the music was the same.

[Greg Wilson]

Originally Posted by fabio

Well guys, glad to see that I have managed to involve both sides of the atlantic (?) and raised a few questions.
Thanks to Mr Greg Wilson for the tips regarding his site. I have checked it and took notes of the relevant records…. I even found your name mentioned on the new Hacienda compilation! (how come no mention on the book Rip It up and Start Again...)

Hi Fabio: I haven’t read ‘Rip It Up And Start Again’, so I’m not sure in which context I might have been mentioned. Maybe the early 80’s and the formative period of The Hacienda? The key role of the black audience in Manchester is more than often missing in accounts of the Hacienda’s rise to its eventual status as a world famous dance club. Tim Lawrence has finally addressed this in his sleevenotes for the ‘Discotheque: Hacienda’ album, outlining the influence of the underground black scene in Manchester on what would happen later in the decade. It wasn’t until the black crowd began attending The Hacienda that things started to fall into place (its original audience had been white students and indie kids). Many people would be surprised to learn that it was the black kids who originally embraced House in Manchester, with the early Trax / DJ International releases played alongside other black-based genres of the time, like Electro, Hip Hop and Street Soul.