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

xxxp yes, those were my predictions for the top 2. now I think sylvester will take it

Just in case it wasn't clear, my comments are re 'I want your love' and the expected number 1, not 'disco duck'.

Disco inferno can fuck off imo

shame about Disco Inferno. was it the first disco song everyone (the critics even) agreed on? I always got that impression

Someone start a ballots thread when we have the (mighty) real answer!

― Ramnaresh Samhain (ShariVari), Wednesday, December 18, 2013 1:44 PM (15 minutes ago)

Predicting Sylvester finally shows up as the #1? I'll buy it.

I can't believe some of the songs that have missed out. Probably about 40 of list hasn't placed.

Will be happy if Sylvester takes it but would even happier if it's with Don't Stop instead of Might Real.

1. Sylvester - You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) (1978)
879 points, 20 votes, two 1st place votes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/lixnixn/31c6ab6d-8b22-47d3-8cbe-d17831ec27c7_zps122ed64f.jpg

http://youtu.be/y_p-gacgSns (music video)
http://youtu.be/t6vok4q11kE (12" version)

I was introduced to this masterpeice via VH1 in the late nineties on a special about Studio 54. They showed the video in its entirety and my eyes were glued to the TV trying to figure out what gender Sylvester was and at the same time I was mesmerized by how that beat was commanding me to dance. I was about 12 at the time.

Disco is cool.

― kevin says relax (daddy warbuxx), 13. toukokuuta 2005 7:21

I think the question actually is: is there anyone who doesn't find this to be a classic? I think even non-disco fans would cite it as a highlight of the genre.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), 13. toukokuuta 2005 7:24

OH MY GOD okay everyone stop what you're doing and HUNT DOWN a copy of the video to Sylvester's "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" THIS INSTANT. You will thank me profusely.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), 14. tammikuuta 2004 3:24

TThere was a paper on Sylvester at EMP. Apparently he didn't actually like this song much, meant it for a B-Side, thought the disco treatment was inappropriate for a song intended as a gospel/soul number... NEVER LISTEN TO ARTISTS!!! ahem. Anyway the paper also told a moving story of his collaboration with Patrick Cowley just before the latter died and his late conversion to thinking the disco he made was good after all.

― Tom (Groke), 13. toukokuuta 2005 11:36

always play 'you make me feel mighty real' by sylvester.

― haitch, 31. joulukuuta 2007 12:04

This is classic all the way. Anyone who says otherwise is clearly an enemy of humanity.

― ninjas and lasers and gold and (snoball), 18. heinäkuuta 2010 11:14

this is going to be the first dance at my wedding

― moonship journey to baja, 3. helmikuuta 2008 4:42

Fair enough

Cool.

i didn't see this coming at all! so happy you guys

This genre, my god.

Wooo!

Thanks for such a great poll Tuomas.

nice!!

My #1!

first time it's happened

Yup. How could we have a disco poll without Sylvester in it? Glad he made it to #1

A hundred points clear too. So happy about this.

*pops champagne*

Top 3 pulled this out of the inferno imo

Don't think I actually voted for it, but works for me. Thanks for taking the time to do it, Tuomas!

FWIW, I had two Sylvester tracks in my ballot (I Need Somebody To Love Tonight & I (Who Have Nothing)), but I'm glad his biggest hit topped this list. SF reprazent.

Rose Royce! Where are Rose Royce?

Only nine of my list placed but I do like just about every song that did make the it. Just shows what an incredible genre it is.

1. Bionic Boogie - Hot Butterfly
2. Luther Vandross - Never Too Much
3. Grace Jones - Pull Up to the Bumper
4. Sylvester - Don't Stop
5. Love Unlimited - I'm So Glad That I'm a Woman
6. Charlie - Spacer Woman
7. Barry White - Let the Music Play
8. Sister Sledge - Pretty Baby
9. Gichy Dan's Beachwood # 9 - On a Day Like Today
10. Diana Ross - My Old Piano
11. Sparks - The Number One Song in Heaven
12. Cerrone - Supernature
13. Heatwave - The Groove Line
14. Chic - Everybody Dance
15. Cloud One - Disco Juice
16. Cerrone - Love in C Minor
17. Alec R Costandinos - Romeo & Juliet
18. Patrick Cowley - Menergy
19. Dee D. Jackson - Automatic Lover
20. Chic - 26
21. Kid Creole & The Coconuts - I'm a Wonderful Thing Baby
22. Donna Summer - Sunset People
23. Ryan Paris - Dolce Vita
24. Michael Jackson - Off the Wall
25. The Tramps - That's Where the Happy People Go
26. Mascara - If You Don't Want Me in Your Life
27. S.O.S. Band - Take Your Time (Do It Right)
28. Bombers - Everybody Get Dancin'
29. Eddie Kendricks - Date With the Rain
30. Le Pamplemousse - Le Spank
31. Change - The Glow of Love
32. Cerrone - Look For Love
33. Idris Muhammad - Could Heaven Ever Be Like This
34. Dennis Parker - Like an Eagle
35. Cloud One - Spaced Out
36. D-Train - You're the One For Me
37. Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band - I'll Play the Fool
38. Jacksons - Walk Right Now
39. Gloria Gaynor - Love is Just a Heartbeat Away
40. Jackson Sisters - I Believe In Miracles
41. Madonna - Burning Up
42. Kano - It's a War
43. Don Ray - Garden of Love
44. Musique - In the Bush
45. Easy Going - Fear
46. Love & Kisses - Beauty & the Beast
47. Earth, Wind & Fire - Getaway
48. Models - Don't Ever
49. Peter Jacques Band - Walking on Music
50. Barry White - Your Sweetness is my Weakness

Thanks for putting this together Tuomas!

ah right. THUMBS UP.

A million thanks btw Tuomas, this was brilliant.

Thanks, Tuomas. Good work there.

I see I didn't actually vote for 'Mighty Real' but it's a deserved #1.

Bit peeved that my own #1 came nowhere though. I blame the fact that it was only nominated as a remix. Who cared about remixes in the 70s?

Yes, thanks a lot for all this, Tuomas

best poll, thanks Tuomas.

really happy with this poll except for the massive glaring omission of Bohannon, I was confident "let's start the dance" was top ten

Great job Tuomas, lots of new discoveries for me.

I really loved this poll. Thanks Tuomas.

nobody's ever been more wrong about anything than the Disco Sucks guys

Thanks for taking the time to do it, Tuomas!

No prob, it was great.

And as for the number 1, I'd just like to say: rest in peace, Sylvester and Patrick Cowley. AIDS was an unimaginable horror, and part of the reason it took so long to get proper treatment for it was the "gay plague" stigma. So let's all listen to the wonderful music they left us with and hope such things will never, ever happen again.

(And of course AIDS still is an unimaginable horror in many parts of the world. But let's celebrate life in this thread.)

Well said.

Now that was nearly two weeks of solid entertainment - hats off to you, Tuomas

Post your disco poll ballots here

Apologies for posting my list on this thread, was way to eager.

So, my Number One *was* the Number One. I never doubted it.

Here's the link to the full results:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiVOdCUDZoLxdHU1alc3dm9ONFYyZzRDSEs2c0ZjUGc&usp=sharing

Did "Moon-Boots" by O.R.S. seriously not even fucking place???

Wow, no song got more than two 1st-place votes.

Great poll, Tuomas, thanks for running it.

Oh man, voted for a diff Sylvester track, but so happy this placed at #1 - the top three being Mororder/Chic Corporation/Cowley is p.perfect, and I'm glad August Darnell & Arthur Russell got a look-in on the top 20.

MFSB, Jackie Moore, tamiko jones, Harry Thumann, Chaka Khan FUCKING CLOUDS! Unlimited Touch, bourgie bourgie ffs, the list goes on. And on and on.

Passengers/Risco Connection at #109/100 :(

Aw not even a single other vote for Hot Butterfly by Bionic Boogie.

Very enjoyable poll. It somehow managed to highlight how much disco I know, without necessarily knowing I know it, while at the same time reminding me of how much I don't know (plenty of completely unfamiliar-to-me tracks made it).

In some cases it's just good to finally know, or be reminded of, artist and title for certain songs I love.

Yes, best poll ever. Major props to Tuomas, and I liked it that the results were spread out over a couple of weeks.

amazing how many in the range 101-200 i would have been happy to see in the top 20.

Here are some observations of mine on the whole poll:

First of all, I'd like to say this was the best ballot poll I've ever seen on ILM! So thanks to everyone for participating and for voting such great tunes! In my personal opinion each and every tune in the top 30 is at least good if not great, and most of the other 70 is quality stuff too. I've never been so pleased with any poll results!

But if you allow me to be a bit negative, the biggest surprise in the poll was how badly Philly International fared. In the top 100, there was no MFSB, no Three Degrees, Blue Notes, Jean Carn, nor Teddy Pendergrass, and only one tune by the O'Jays and the Jones Girls. I didn't expect that.

On a more personal note, I would've wished for Sharon Redd and at least one of Boris Midney's projects (Beautiful Bend, Companion, USA-European Connection, etc) to have cracked the top 100. Redd is my personal favourite disco singer, but I know she isn't that big on ILM, so I was prepared for her not getting too many votes. But Midney I thought would have a chance, especially since most of his disco projects have been reissued during the last couple of years. Looking at the results, maybe Midney's poor showing is because ILM seems to like gritty funk disco and minimal electronic disco more than campy orchestral disco, the latter being Midney's forte. Other grandiose disco artists such as Alec R. Costandinos or First Choice didn't do so well in the poll either.