...AND THE BEAT GOES ON! The GRAND ILM DISCO POLL results are revealed!

damn "Barely Breaking Even" is incredible

Stayin' Alive - love it, didn't vote for it

i didn't know the whole gibbs story, i.e. all those early records, until a year or so ago, which makes me love the disco hits even more. i don't think i could have resisted voting for 'jive talkin,' which rings all my bells for 'pop masterpiece'.

i'll never be able to unhear "feel more of the flavor on the dancefloor" when i listen to "stayin' alive"

"Barely Breaking Even" was one I discovered off an ilxor's disco top ten (maybe Andy K's) some time ago, it's the kind of thing I'd never have discovered but for ILM!

;_; love u guys so much ;_;

Use in medical training

"Stayin' Alive" was used in a study to train medical professionals to provide the correct number of chest compressions per minute while performing CPR. The song has close to 104 beats per minute, and 100-120 chest compressions per minute are recommended by the British Heart Foundation,[5] and endorsed by the Resuscitation Council (UK).[6] A study on medical professionals found that the quality of CPR is better when thinking about "Stayin' Alive".[7] This was parodied in the season 5 episode of comedy series The Office "Stress Relief".

On 15 June 2011, the song was featured in a Hands Only CPR PSA campaign video from the American Heart Association and featured actor and medical doctor Ken Jeong in the classic John Travolta outfit from Saturday Night Fever.[8]

Vinnie Jones also stars in a UK version of this CPR video in association with the British Heart Foundation shown on TV circa January 2012.[9]

haha yess

59. The Crusaders featuring Randy Crawford - Street Life (1979)
249 points, 7 votes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/lixnixn/R-87212-1343907509-4345_zps81848bbf.jpeg

http://youtu.be/JVvLNMIGHTE

Also, "Street Life" by the Crusaders is GREAT, probably even in its 11-minute album version, but that's 1979, so never mind.

― chuck, 25. lokakuuta 2003 3:15

I really thought the Def Leppard cover of Street Life would be the Randy Crawford one, major disappointment

― the same relation to machines as that which machines have to man (Matt #2), 28. syyskuuta 2010 0:15

4. Crusaders – Street Life
Immaculate in every respect, including the presence of Ms Crawford.

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), 9. lokakuuta 2006 12:51

Again, this is a song where probably everyone knows the radio version, but the 12" version is quite different. Try it out, it might change your opinion for better – or worse.

For me, "Street Life" was the first disco song I really fell in love with with during my adult years; I was getting into jazz, picked up a Crusaders comp which had the full-length version (I'd heard the tune on the radio, of course, but never knew the artists, so I had no idea it was by this jazz-funk band) and those strings just pulled me in.

I had to cut it from my ballot though, which made me sad.

So pleased to see "Barely Breaking Even" represented. My sister got me into the track in the late 1980s; it was a big tune at Kiss FM club nights, before the station got its licence.

And, yes, you need the full length album version of "Street Life".

NB There are links between "Barely Breaking Even" and "Weekend" - both co-written by the wonderful Leroy Burgess, both co-mixed by John Morales of M&M.

(...the Class Action version, that is.)

god i love john morales

the M&M comps were my intro to 70's nyc disco. soo good

the version of Street Life used over the opening of Sharky's Machine is amazing but i've no idea which version that is.

I hadn't heard "Barely Breaking Even"! Great job, ILM.

the M&M comps were my intro to 70's nyc disco. soo good

― flopson, Monday, December 9, 2013 3:02 PM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

me too

damn "Barely Breaking Even" is incredible

― Tip from Tae Kwon Do: (crüt), Monday, December 9, 2013 4:11 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^^^ wow, never heard this before. 1984? Too late to be Disco with a capital D, by my arbitrary rules, but still...

the version of Street Life used over the opening of Sharky's Machine is amazing but i've no idea which version that is.

― piscesx, Monday, December 9, 2013 6:04 PM (29 minutes ago) Bookmark

otm

Two of the GYNACOM quotes are from me but I ended up voting for a different Eddie Kendricks track that feels more disco to me. Can i add another "YESSS" to Barely breaking even' showing up.

Wow, that first "M&M Mixes" comp is awesome. The La-Rita Gaskin "Never Can Say Goodbye" appears to be a completely different song than the one everyone knows. And it's amazing.

Barely breaking even is from 1982
http://www.discogs.com/Universal-Robot-Band-Barely-Breaking-Even/release/310462

The M+M remix of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is probably in my top 20 pieces of music ever.

58. Loleatta Holloway - Love Sensation (Tom Moulton Mix) (1980)
250 points, 7 votes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/lixnixn/R-763878-1370373487-4593_zps6f50ce04.jpeg

http://youtu.be/2IMWCCP7sY0

Actually I'd think about this in terms not of what was a typical-sounding record, but what encapsulates the spirit of disco best i.e. fantastical, glossy hedonism with an epic sense of drama.

Therefore I nominate Patrick Juvet - "I love america"

Either that or Donna Summer - "Love trilogy" or Salsoul Orchestra - "Love sensation"

For much the same reasons that "Move your body" or "Reachin" epitomise 80s house not by being typical, but by being evocative...

― Jacob (Jacob), 21. toukokuuta 2004 8:40

Am I missing something? WTF did Black Box do apart from rip off Lolletta Holloway's Love Sensation? Pfft.

― oats (oats), 13. lokakuuta 2004 15:56

This song basically invented screaming-diva gay house

Well, maybe house. Maybe. But certainly not disco. The Black Box magii merely recombined Holloway's vocal which means that "Love Sensation" is already screaming-diva and gay gay gay.

― Kevin John Bozelka, 10. elokuuta 2007 1:01

And yet she remains kind of immortal in that she was first and foremost famous for old recordings of her singing voice being cut and pasted into new pieces of music.

― You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), 23. maaliskuuta 2011 4:26

In which we attempt to list all the songs, hit or not, that have sampled or (urgh) "interpolated" Loleatta Holloway's "Love Sensation".

Sadly (though perhaps understandably), most of the ILM discussion on this tune and Loleatta Holloway seems to revolve around Black Box and others who sampled it.

Sorry to rewind, but have to cosign the love for Barely Breaking Even, I'll never tire of that one. The other Universal Robot Band output is solid and fun stuff but nothing of the same caliber as BBE, such a knockout.

And the sleeve for Magic Fly, for real, how rad is that. I love that you can almost feel the rough paper texture in the scan.

some solid and fun and very timely Universal Robot Band action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NEnSkpbmCY

damn the bassline on "Paradise" is incredible!

I actually rate two URB songs above BBE ("Dance and Shake Your Tambourine", "Making Love") but I'm not going to try to convince anyone...

add me to the chorus for Barely Breaking Even

Sorry, that's kinda hard to do, it's already been recorded 30 years ago.

In my top ten.

Loose Joints - Is It All Over My Face? (Larry Levan Mix) (1980)
260 points, 8 votes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/lixnixn/R-235302-1305255413_zps48068529.jpeg

http://youtu.be/PGfTCEyR75o

Of course it's that sort of avant-cool music that is pleasant on first listen but doesn't really bowl you over until about the third or fourth. To make an example, I was a bit mystified as to the legend surrounding "Is It All Over My Face" when I first heard it, but it's since been one of my most-played songs all summer.

― Tim, 24. helmikuuta 2001 3:00

who did that 'is it all over my face' disco song, thats sexy and ill

― s trife (simon_tr), 1. joulukuuta 2002 6:54

i don't like the vocal on is it all over my face either

― gaz (gaz), 13. lokakuuta 2003 6:19

Ah Ha! But that song would never work with a "good" vocalist. The personality in that song is about 90 % in the woman who sings it.

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), 13. lokakuuta 2003 6:33

arthur was a genius. a much bandied about term but in this instance, totally deserved. he was an avant garde cello player who fell in love with disco and made some of the most out there disco records ever.

you should also check -

loose joints - is it all over my face (west end 12") - a total classic

― stirmonster, 24. kesäkuuta 2002 3:00

Loose Joints, "Is It All Over My Face?" MUST be included

― M Matos, 17. kesäkuuta 2002 3:00

Sorry, that's number 57., obviously.

this song is how disco should sound imo

TOO LOOOOOOOOW

BOOOOOOOO

BOOOOOOOO

Agreed. Disappointingly low.

56. Donna Summer - Bad Girls (1979)
261 points, 7 votes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/lixnixn/R-1437918-1260791799_zps68c5fefb.jpeg

http://youtu.be/QZ_KbwEVBjU (music video)
http://youtu.be/PA0NkYi3Y5U (12" version)

i only know "bad girls" and "hot stuff" but they're both awesome.

― hobbes, 15. heinäkuuta 2010 5:34

No disrespect to Kraftwerk, and the cross-pollination between the two camps is possibly overstated, but her work with Moroder (almost) makes those Germars redundant.

― balls and adieu (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), 24. heinäkuuta 2010 6:10

Which came first, "Bad Girls" or Rick James' "Love Gun"?

― musically, 4. elokuuta 2007 22:46

"Bad Girls" is great, as you know.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), 20. lokakuuta 2004 6:58

TOOT TOO YEAH BEEP BEEP

TOOT TOO YEAH BEEP BEEP

― the objections to Drake from non-REAL HIPHOP people (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, December 10, 2013 8:32 AM (7 minutes ago)

Phew, just caught up after an incredibly busy weekend. Playlist so far is here, let me know if I've missed anything.

Very happy to see 'Magic Fly' here, was one of my top picks.

I heard of Patrick Cowley loads and the name 'Menergy' rang a bell, so I just assumed I'd heard it before... it seems not, whoaaaoaoaoaoaoooooooooo that song is good.

Catching up. "Street Life" is really familiar but I couldn't guess when or where I last hear it (or originally heard it, for that matter). Anyway, good down tempo tune.

emil.y, it's not disco but you should check out the School Daze comp of lost Patrick Cowley synth soundtracks/experiments that just came out this year, feel like you might enjoy it.

Thought Loose Joints would be top 20, easy. The iconic art-disco song.

Cosign on School Daze, it's amazing.

keep em' coming tuomas

I will check it out - I read a review which kind of concentrates on the kosmische elements, which you'd think would excite me, being a massive fan of that stuff, but honestly I'm more hyped up by the beat and the vocals and the *perfect* synth choices in 'Menergy'... I already have one Klaus Schulze, how many more do I need?

(NB: I totally reserve the right to change my mind and laud the kosmische elements myself when I've calmed down a little.)

I hope you change your mind. It's a great record and an awesome addition to his canon