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

55. Gino Soccio - Dancer (1979)
262 points, 6 votes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/lixnixn/R-2287540-1312979042_zps507162ae.jpeg

http://youtu.be/8TO78gCEMjI

Yeah, he's great! I just picked up his '79 Outline LP -- same beat-driven Euro-rigidness as Moroder, a bit more funky and celebratory, less remote. Soulful-yet-anonymous female vox.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), 27. toukokuuta 2003 0:34

I only have 'DANCER' - love the music and effects, and much prefer the muted vocals in the 2nd half to the diva disco moments... but I've been hearing his stuff more and more recently, and have mixed feeling about so much... I'd like to hear it some more

― nick.K (nick.K), 27. toukokuuta 2003 2:19

I agree with you about the end of "Dancer" -- the whooping and hollering seems out of step with the rest of the track. At least if, say, Beyonce were doing it, it would feel more controlled. She's a diva, yes, but also a professional who knows how to give a song exactly what it needs.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), 27. toukokuuta 2003 2:48

i still have yet to explore a majority of gino's material, but all i know is "dancer" might be the best disco track of all time

― san frandisco, 28. elokuuta 2008 20:21

as a novice digger myself, i can attest to finding the "dancer" 12" (one that has the same sleeve as outline) for £1 in a care and share, and always see it in the record exchange. don't know about the others though. i love it so much, especially how it starts with just the handclap so you can mix it with practically anything.

― rio (r1o natsume), 16. huhtikuuta 2009 18:20

thought Gino was a woman until just now.

booming song, hope "try it out" places as well

Way way way too low. I had a hard time deciding whether or not to give it the top spot on my list and it ended up at number 2 for me. KEEP YOUR BODY SHAKIN!

TOO LOW. One of my top five tunes.

Emily I would say that 'School Daze' is sleazier and druggier than the kosmische tag would suggest. More like if early techno had stayed more heavily indebted to italo and amyl rather than ecstacy had become the accompanying drug of choice.

54. Indeep - Last Night a DJ Saved My Life (1982)
263 points, 9 votes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/lixnixn/R-172721-1242590816_zps78a603e0.jpeg

http://youtu.be/GtfZbj4J71A (music video)
http://youtu.be/7JWy9PCtKNA (12" version)

The video to 'Last night..' is beyond classic. Clear where Richard X ripped everything off from. Girls spinning and singing while Mr Indeep stands between them barely moving until it comes to his 'in the mix' speech. I was clapping for joy watching this, everyone please d/l it if you can.

― Affectian (Affectian), 5. maaliskuuta 2005 22:20

Anyway "Last Night..." is a great tune. And away go troubles down the drain, indeed.

― Tantrum (Tantrum The Cat), 5. maaliskuuta 2005 23:35

Last Night, A DJ Saved My Life. Zij trok mij van de snelweg af net voordat een vrachtwagen vol Coberco-yoghurt mij kon raken.

― Arien, 24. maaliskuuta 2002 3:00

"last night a dj saved my life" is an untouchable classic

― vahid (vahid), 20. elokuuta 2004 3:30

So, is Indeep "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life" the best song in the universe or what?

Been enjoying following the rollout so far as a way to take a dip into a genre I've only ever had superficial knowledge of. Not caught up with all of today's results yet, but have particularly enjoyed discovering:
Bumblebee Unlimited - Lady Bug (Disco Mix)
Jimmy "Bo" Horne - Spank
Dennis Parker - Like an Eagle
Loose Joints - Tell You (Today)
Heatwave - The Groove Line
The O'Jays - Love Train (Tom Moulton Mix)
Patrick Cowley - Sea Hunt
Eddie Kendricks - Girl You Need a Change of Mind
Universal Robot Band - Barely Breaking Even
& the Phreek version of Weekend.

Also been having plenty of great 'oh so that'swhat that one's called/who that one's by' moments (Keep It Comin' Love, Don't Make Me Wait, Boogie Nights, You're the One for Me, Street Life - probably a few others to come no doubt).

I wasn't sure whether I loved or hated Last Night A DJ Saved My Life, but one listen cleared that up nicely.

Well alright!

I was mainly familiar with the 7" edit of the Gino Soccio... I love all that stuff that happens after the 5 minute mark of the 12". Nice revelation!

this song is how disco should sound imo

― |$̲̅(̲̅ιοο̲̅)̲̅$̲̅| (gr8080), Tuesday, December 10, 2013 8:46 AM (7 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

all-time track of course but i totally disagree! it's too deadeyed and "cool" not ecstatic enough

obv there's no single way disco should sound.

one of the things I thought was great about the curation job done on the Larry Levan 'Journeys Into Paradise' comp was that it really touched on all the different emotions and vibes disco can encompass while still presenting the sound as coherent - Phreek's "Weekend" and Chaka's "Clouds" rubbing shoulders with Man Friday's "Love Honey, Love Heartache" and Taana Gardner's "Heartbeat".

53. Prince - I Wanna Be Your Lover (1979)
269 points, 9 votes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/lixnixn/prince_i_wanna_be_your_lover-WB26_zps0c15aa8f.jpg

http://youtu.be/8u2GtWsXac0

I once put "I Wanna Be Your Lover" on a crush tape -- I didn't get the guy, but when he listened to the tape he did go "I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU!" The same guy has used "Raspberry Beret" on all his crush tapes, often to successful effect (because what girl wouldn't swoon over "Raspberry Beret"?).

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), 18. marraskuuta 2002 23:33

Heres a rundown of races who love what prince album.

Klingons: "1999"
Cardassians" Purple Rain"
Romulans "I wanna be your Lover"
Borg " Sexy M.F."

― startrekman, 26. marraskuuta 2005 8:47

7. I Wanna Be Your Lover
Michael had Don't Stop...Prince had this...Real men sing in Falsetto...if you don't dance to this you don't dance...

― The Pastiche Liberation Front (sonnyboy), 3. elokuuta 2011 2:23

I didn't think "I Wanna Be Your Lover" could be improved until I heard Dimitri From Paris' edit of the live version; now the original seems to be lacking a bit of disco oomph.

― Tim F

Actually my favorite Prince songs are the ones with a spare, modernist sound. Few musicans can do it right and Prince is one of them... imho there's more sexual tension to be had in the music when you use an economic approach to the sounds you have instead of going the booming, maximalist pop-funk route. And Prince is al about the sexz.

― Moka, 9. marraskuuta 2011 22:4

the s/t Prince album, I'm convinced now, is one of his top five.

That's it for tonight, I'll be back tomorrow.

This is a beautiful song

haahahahaa startrekman

the s/t Prince album, I'm convinced now, is one of his top five.

― the objections to Drake from non-REAL HIPHOP people (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, December 10, 2013 5:14 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

otm, this has always been my position for as long as i've been a Prince fan

Oh, one more thing, if you haven't heard it before, there's a pretty awesome remix by Dimitri of "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life", it has a bit of a surprise towards the end of the tune.

"Dancer" too low, though I'm probably guilty of voting for "There's A Woman" in the spur of the moment.

This is my fave video of "Last Night...", with Mike Cleveland on waxwork bass:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH0s1RYinGQ

Love how iconic "Is It All Over My Face?" is, with the Dajae and Cazwell versions; probably hear the male & female versions out in equal proportion.

many xposts: Oh man, love this, and love that Dimitri from Paris remix.

What is the surprise? That played out more or less as I was expecting (except I thought it might turn into Vogue).

Tim F OTM re: that Dimitri edit.

(of the live version of "be your lover")

here: http://soundcloud.com/grant-marshall/i-wanna-be-your-lobster

That bit where the beat comes pounding in after the live back and forth interplay makes it one of maybe twenty tunes in the entire world that I would kill a man in order to hear on a crowded dancefloor.

it does what all edits of well-known tunes should do

one of the things I thought was great about the curation job done on the Larry Levan 'Journeys Into Paradise' comp was that it really touched on all the different emotions and vibes disco can encompass while still presenting the sound as coherent - Phreek's "Weekend" and Chaka's "Clouds" rubbing shoulders with Man Friday's "Love Honey, Love Heartache" and Taana Gardner's "Heartbeat".

Such an OTM compilation. "Haven't You Heard" next to "Ain't No Mountain" next to "Love Injection" next to "Once in a Lifetime."

xpost similarly re the comments upthread about "A Lover's Holiday" and the LNTG edit thereof, the first thing that is marvelous about the LNTG edit is how it liberates something a little bit extra out of the interplay between the bass and the clipped Chic guitar licks, extending out the tension so that its resolution is that much more satisfying.

But what is even more surprising is that, while I already loved "A Lover's Holiday", after falling in love with that edit it actually made me love the original more than I already had: the edit really focused my mind on how magisterial an expression of disco economy and discipline the original's groove is, not a single note wasted.

that comp was the best album I heard in 2006.

"Love Sensation" still sounds massive. Good to see my vote on "Barely Breaking Even" didn't go to waste!

glad to hear so many people discovering "barely breaking even". I first heard it on DImitri From Paris' Disco Forever mix, one of the first cds that got me into disco.

even though i had trouble whittling my ballot down to 50, i still feel like there's so much to discover. so much canonical stuff i haven't heard before. can we do seperate house and techno polls at some point?

there should have been (at the very least) a line break before my techno/house polls plea. It looks like i said this poll had too much house and techno or something which is not at all what i meant.

def down for that. fuck artists poll i can't even

What is the surprise? That played out more or less as I was expecting (except I thought it might turn into Vogue).

After the male rap, Dimitri adds something that doesn't belong to "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life"; I guess if you don't know the song that bit originally belongs to, you might not notice... But it definitely put a big grin on my face when I first heard that remix, especially since the tune borrowed there is one of my all-time favourites.

52. Bee Gees - More Than a Woman (1977)
271 points, 6 votes, one 1st place vote.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/lixnixn/R-2005308-1258049373_zps41672f6c.jpeg

http://youtu.be/5XIr_TjL6Og (album version)
http://youtu.be/7H_Eyux5knw (scene from Saturday Night Fever)

Hell you can certainly include the entire SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER soundtrack (I saw the whole movie for the first time in class last week, I should start a thread on um, whether its a "good" movie) ...didn't anyone mention DISCO INFERNO or the BeeGees MORE THAN A WOMAN yet ?

― V, 8. lokakuuta 2002 1:21

A student has just thoughtfully burned me disc 2 of Their Greatest Hits - The Record. Surely I cannot be convinced that "More Than A Woman" is not the best song ever written (or at least under that title. Sorry A, we'll always have "Can I Come Over") (actually I REALLY blame this on Neil and Rachel's Comic Relief dance). My parents had the SNF sndtrk and Abba Greatest Hits Vol. 2 on vinyl, but sadly Pearl Jam never covered either and they grew dust.

― Dave M. (rotten03), 26. huhtikuuta 2004 8:27

the phrasing of the verses is great, I'm so addicted to this song...the samba(?) beat, all of it

― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), 20. kesäkuuta 2012 22:21

In my head, this is TOTALLY tied to the scene in the movie.

― hutlock, 20. kesäkuuta 2012 22:23

my mind plays out the choreography every time I hear it

every
single
time

― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), 20. kesäkuuta 2012 22:31

To be honest, this was one of the few things in this poll that made me not-so-happy. IMO "More Than a Woman" is bit of a limp tune, so I'm not sure if it needs to be in the top 100 twice? But the people have spoken.

The Tavares' version is better, I realise now, but this is one i listened to first. My no.5. Tuomas, you are wrong.

This is stupid.

Sorry, I calls 'em as I sees 'em.

Meh

I am so offended now

51. George Benson - Give Me the Night (1980)
274 points, 7 votes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/lixnixn/R-822689-1162392965_zps60cb5572.jpeg

http://youtu.be/Iey3CZFg-KE (music video)
http://youtu.be/G0e7OyxFsxQ (12" version)

A lot of funk bands and jazz people made a similar shift to relatively smooth R&B around that time. It could be any number of factors -- label pressure, new technology, desire to not run the same sound into the ground, etc. I like a lot of that late '70s/early '80s crap -- Raydio, George Benson's Give Me the Night, Patti Austin, Patrice Rushen, whatever -- so you'll hear no complaints from me.

― Andy K (Andy K), 27. huhtikuuta 2004 23:42

Gimme the Night is sooooooo slick.

― m0stly clean (m0stly clean), 23. joulukuuta 2004 6:40

Not sure how I made it this far in life without knowing "Give Me the Night". OH EM GEE I want to put this on repeat for the next 72 hours.

― Johnny Fever, 12. huhtikuuta 2013 22:44

Yes! Top tune! One of my Mom's favorites.

― Mr. Snrub, 12. huhtikuuta 2013 22:46

you've got George Benson doing some beach rollerskating guitar jam dancing and you only use about thirty seconds of it in the video, that's more restraint than I'd have been able to show.

― Fanois och Alexander (Merdeyeux), 25. kesäkuuta 2013 22:00

my dad used to get down to "Gimmee The Night" when I was a kid. It kicks ass. Subabababaadubduabababa.

― Chris V. (Chris V), 1. helmikuuta 2003 5:49

This is so good, one of my favourite discoveries from this poll

50. Carly Simon - Why (1982)
274 points, 8 votes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/lixnixn/R-3454758-1331025360_zps71c290b5.jpeg

http://youtu.be/aW8UnXzP3ms (music video)
http://youtu.be/9z951iR1bM8 (12" version)

I like-not-love "Why" -- her voice sounds like an off-key synthesizer (no, not a good thing, kids).

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, 26. helmikuuta 2008 23:00

I like-not-love "Why" -- her voice sounds like an off-key synthesizer (no, not a good thing, kids).

why

does this post
hurt so much?

tell me why

― henry s, 26. helmikuuta 2008 23:24

Seven minute WHY 12" = Best song ever?

― piscesx, 1. tammikuuta 2009 22:55

LA-DI-DA-DI-DA

yay @ on "Give Me The Night."

When I saw that this tune started getting votes, at first I was like, "Why?", until I found out it's a Chic production. You guys sure love Chic, don't you? :)

But it's okay, though I don't think the busy 80s drum machine fills really fit the groove...

(x-post)

I loved 'Why' before I knew it had anything to do with Chic! I heard it played on jazz fm one day (between two other songs that I'd heard a million times before) without catching the name of the artist and had one of the most intense 'must find out what this is' reactions I can remember, I was surprised when I found out it was Carly Simon.