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

I've never liked the chorus of this tune, but my god that wordless vocal/horn riff that precedes it is glorious! What was the 90s club tune that sampled it?

Nile is quite open that Roxy Music are the source for the whole Chic aesthetic, which is totally otm until you realise Roxy never had a sleeve remotely like that one

KC are magnificent of course. more of them to come I hope

I left off 'just an illusion' for definition of disco reasons but if I hadn't have been as strict it would've joined 'stop bajon' in a top 5. 'At last I'm free' my number 2 ;_;

nice work tuomas

92. Village People - Y.M.C.A. (1978)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/lixnixn/R-1424926-1260808978_zps47fa6de0.jpeg

http://youtu.be/CS9OO0S5w2k

The Macarana back lash put that song and craze out of its misery while millions of people still try to spell out YMCA.

Without the Village People (or Frankie Goes To Hollywood) karoke would only be half as fun.

― zacko, 22. elokuuta 2001 3:00

SexyBack" is likely a time capsule joke in a decade or two-- our very own "Y.M.C.A."

^^^whaaaaaaaaa?

― Samuel (a hoy hoy)
____________________________________________

i think he might be right about that tbh

― rather shipped (J0rdan S.)

Yep. Y.M.C.A. --> Ring My Bell --> Achy Breaky Heart --> The Macarena --> SexyBack.

― Daniel, Esq., 30. syyskuuta 2009 13:47

You want my honest opinion?

THEY ARE THE BEST BAND EVER.

That's all there is to it. I mean, who is better? Iggy Pop? The Beatles? No, they all suck next to the greatness that is the Leather Man. I mean, YMCA gets played at sporting events, total homophobes sing along with it like morons led to the slaughter, I'm all for that kind of subversion. Plus, Go West is the best song ever made.

― Ally, 21. elokuuta 2001 3:00

Things that it's fun to do at the YMCA poll!

I couldn't sensibly evaluate this one - it is wonderful, it's just too much of wonderful

Tuomas had the same problem, hence no numbers

I saw this disco documentary a while ago, where they interviewed the current Village People, and they kept insisting VP didn't really do gay tunes. (I guess one reason for that claim is that there are only one or two only original members left in the current lineup, I think.) Like, the Native American dude (who I think is an original member) was claiming that Jacques Morali (the writer/producer for the group), being a foreigner, didn't even know what the YMCA was, it was just a sign he saw on the street... Except that immediately before that the doc had showed an interview of Henri Belolo (Morali's co-producer), where he said Morali liked to hang at the YMCA and pick up guys there, and that was the inspiration for the whole song. The contrast between those two interviews was pretty odd, and sad.

Whoops, sorry, that should read:

92. Village People - Y.M.C.A. (1978)
176 points, 4 votes.

I think seeing Jim Davidson perform YMCA repeatedly on the generation game when I was a kid put me off the song.

I never really got what was so gay about this one tbh. Native American dude otm.

I'm not sure if you're joking there...? But just in the case you're not, you should know that the in the US the YMCA was traditionally a place for gay men to meet each other. That's the whole point of the song.

I'm ... sort of joking - the whole thing is obviously delicious campery, but I never knew about the YMCA other than this song. Though there's one in London that has indeed served as a pick-up joint in a couple of books I've read (I've never been).

I don't even know what it is! Except its got a gym in it, and my friend used to go swimming there.

91. Dan Hartman - Vertigo/Relight My Fire (1979)
177 points, 5 votes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/lixnixn/R-993303-1366140118-5115_zps076b2f65.jpeg

http://youtu.be/HgOhXTiarv0

RIP Hartman, Holloway, Norman Harris:

So many "!!!" moments in these 10 minutes.

― Andy K, 15. helmikuuta 2012 15:24

Imagine hearing this for the first time, not expecting Holloway to show up at 6:40.

― Andy K, 15. helmikuuta 2012 15:28

not strictly female but....

Dan Hartman - Vertigo / Relight My Fire later dan hartman cut, out of this world

― administrator galina (Matt P), 17. helmikuuta 2013 6:24

Jezus, dat gaat wel heel hard zo.

05. Dan Hartman - Relight my fire

― Stonehead (Stonehead), 11. elokuuta 2006 14:56

xp iirc the first VP album went after a gay audience and had a lot of in-group references (Fire Island, San Francisco) and after that they pivoted towards mainstream success

TOO LOW!

I guess so, but there are not-so-hidden gay references in pretty much all of their big singles: with "Macho Man" and "In the Navy" it's pretty obvious what the point is, "Go West" is about moving to San Francisco, "Sex Over the Phone" is about the change in gay sex practices after AIDS crisis, and so on...

(xpost)

Imagine hearing this for the first time, not expecting Holloway to show up at 6:40

Eh? I've just passed eight minutes and she's nowhere to be seen?

ah, she's at 8:14 on this cut

No, she does start singing at 6:40 in the version I linked to, with "got to be strong enough to walk on through the night..."

I was listening on spotify. I love songs that have several acts. It's a suite I suppose.

First song that I voted for, yay.

Boo,the full-length version isn't on Spotify, just a rare instrumental remix. I've added the single version, plus a link to the Disco Discharge full-length for those that have the MP3.

90. Jimmy "Bo" Horne - Spank (1978)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/lixnixn/a7671ede-5d65-4ab2-b952-9ca9ecda5c9d_zpsab4bc9f9.jpg

http://youtu.be/6SPPjPI73-U

ok.

today i dropped the forthcoming jimmy 'bo' horne comp into the deck

.. initially my reaction was oh fuck this 70's disco groove,

but i hung in there and i am now loving Spank (as featured above!) , Dance ACross the Floor, Let Me , though his flowery version of Carpenters Close to You is a little too saccharine for my tastes

.. but damn when the fat bass and brass kicks this is total dynamite..

― mark e (mark e), 1. kesäkuuta 2005 21:32

Jimmy "Bo" Horne - "Spank"
This would be unquestionably the greatest disco record ever if only they'd left out the annoying vocal. But the keys are so incredible that it's still in the top 10 - it sounds like running water in Bambi's forest and all the gnomes are humping.

― Jacob (Jacob), 22. elokuuta 2005 10:54

I was actually hoping this thread was gonna be about the Winter Olympics opening ceremony last Friday, where all the teams walked in to disco songs, many of them quite gay. I forget which country got "YMCA," but it definitely made the list. The United States got "Daddy Cool" by Boney M, which was hilarious, since the USA might be the only country on earth where it *wasn't* a hit. There were a couple early '80s picks like "Just Can't Get Enough" by Depeche Mode (still their best song ever!) and someting by the Eurythmics, probably "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)", but mostly it was total disco revenge. Biggest surprises besides "Daddy Cool" where "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by Santa Esmeralda and "Spank" by, who? Jimmy "Bo" Horne? Or am I confusing his spank song with another spank song? Either way: Absolute deep-voiced proto-house. It rocked.

― xhuxk, 16. helmikuuta 2006 3:11

Total monster groove, just missed my ballot.

On the KC & Sunshine Band site, I came across a weird semi-official compilation (no catalogue number or label name or anything) that has the two Jimmy "Bo" Horne albums in their entirety... That was one of the best 10 bucks I've ever spent, those tunes just sound so sweet! Jacob's comment above about the keys on "Spank" is OTM, but the spiky horns on it are also a thing to marvel, and I wouldn't belittle Horne himself either (though it's true he's probably not the real star of the tune).

Sorry, forgot the points again:

90. Jimmy "Bo" Horne - Spank (1978)
179 points, 4 votes.

OMG at that Jimmy Bo Horne record cover.

KC & Giorgio stuff waaay too low for realz.

That's it for today, back with the countdown tomorrow. Sweet disco dreams!

a good instrumental version of Spank, for those that don't know, is Sixty-Nine/Change Position by Brooklyn Express.

love that "Keep It Comin' Love" kicked things off -- my taste/knowledge of disco is pretty MOR, so so far all i've voted for is that and the Village People (you think they'll have more songs here or that's as good as it gets for them?). i didn't know even know what "Keep It Comin' Love" was called until relatively recently, i was like are they singing about how sexy common law marriage is or something?

too busy w/Velvets to bother with this, but curious about results

like this one a lot too -- i spent a decent portion of my childhood dancing to shit like this at bar mitzvahs

― wee-based god (J0rdan S.), 22. tammikuuta 2011 10:12

haha <3

Don't know much about this genre, but Relight My Fire seems well low.

92. Village People - Y.M.C.A. (1978)
176 points, 4 votes.

― Tuomas, Thursday, December 5, 2013 4:59 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

You guuuys!

Damn, missed that this started.

DAMN, you guys, the Jones Girls are about 90 slots too low!

Great start to the list.

I didn't end of voting for any KC & The Sunshine but these two songs were in my first draft of possible contenders. I especially like Keep It Comin' Love being the last song on their Part 3, such a great way to end an album.

Bumblebee Unlimited's Lady Bug was one of the last 10 songs I cut from my list. Great song and great album too. I'm really hoping Patrick Adams makes a good showing on this list. Would especially love to see some Cloud One make it.

I did think about losing Kid Creole & The Coconuts from my list I wasn't sure it could be classed as disco (and I was desperate at that point) but in the end I just had to include as it's an incredible song from one of my favourite albums ever.

I really wouldn't be surprised if Chic and their related projects take up about a quarter of this poll. Didn't vote for At Last I Am but it's a stunning song, they just have too many and I really wanted to give other bands more of a chance on my list.

This is awesome, thank you Tuomas! Love reading the blurbs, even if they're just "plain old" ecstatic enthusing.

I really wouldn't be surprised if Chic and their related projects take up about a quarter of this poll.

Chic are obviously awesome but I really hope this doesn't happen.

"Spank" is the shit, glad it made it.
"Just An Illusion" is at least a 9.5 out of 10 but I went ultra purist with my ballot.

The Brooklyn Express cover of "Spank" is really cool too, it's probably on youtube.

i love the tossed-off uniqueness of the euro pic sleeves here - but the american-style(?) die-cut generic record company sleeve, e.g. the iconic TK Disco "beachside palms" (seen at sunset or sunrise, depending on the time of night), offers an appealing blend of anonymity and universality which suits nicely the "in the mix" idiom of disco and nightclubs.

^Yes. Those generic sleeves looked great and have sentimental value for people who are familiar with them from flipping through stacks of 12" singles.

89. Dennis Parker - Like an Eagle (1979)
181 points, 5 votes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/lixnixn/R-750976-1376547099-4665_zpsadea1e6d.jpeg

http://youtu.be/ujbSkWKTuHo (French music video)
http://youtu.be/y87RLJ0M2E8 (12" version)

Okay, this might fall under the "beardo" designation even though it was a semi-hit (IIRC) on Casablanca, but ever since Radio Slave's Eskimo mix reminded me of its existence, Dennis Parker's "Like an Eagle" has been absolutely slaying me.

― Telephone thing, 19. huhtikuuta 2007 19:12

Dennis Parker is said to have been an adult film star at the time he released the Jacques Morali produced "Like An Eagle" in 1979.

― deej, 20. huhtikuuta 2007 3:40

i played 'like an eagle' at a party last year and drunk girls were reeling around, arms outstretched. it was a treat. cryingeagledrunkgirl.jpg, never forget.

― haitch, 20. huhtikuuta 2007 3:46

That 9/11 montage definitely needs a little Dennis Parker.

― matt2, 20. elokuuta 2007 20:42

12" version of like an eagle >> LP version >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> most other songs in the world

― gr8080, 23. toukokuuta 2008 6:35

Not on Spotify, but the original 12" mix is on Disco Discharge: Disco Fever USA, so I've linked to the MP3 on the playlist.

88. Peech Boys - Don't Make Me Wait (Larry Levan Mix) (1982)
183 points, 5 votes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/lixnixn/R-50240-1355736857-6185_zps2e9cdbf9.jpeg

http://youtu.be/QXCSYeNb10Y

Condens aan de muur en zweet op de dansvloer. Check ook zijn remix van Peech Boys' 'Don't Make Me Wait'.

― Arien, 4. toukokuuta 2002 3:00

Don't Make Me Wait - Peech Boys
(influential, pioneering, soulful early electro-funk)

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), 7. lokakuuta 2005 16:34

ive never been to new york but in my head it sounds like ze records or nyc peech boys

― plaxico (I know, right?), 22. helmikuuta 2010 18:26

"Don't Make Me Wait" is even better than I remember. Don't know if I'd put it in the "Hip Hop/Rap" category though. It's really the basis for House to my ears...obviously not a House beat, but the orgasmic moans, the repetitive groove with piano vamps, with the overt disco influence, all distinctly House. And of course, Larry Levan and Frankie Knuckles had a close relationship...don't know if Knuckles actually played at the Paradise Garage, but I'm sure he spent some time there.

― viborgu, 7. lokakuuta 2005 19:58

Doesn't fit my definition of disco, but I have loved this track to death for the past 31 years.

I checked the nomination thread, no one nominated "Say a Prayer for Two".

re-poll

I dunno, there were 3 CHA tracks in the nom list, I guess there just isn't enough love in here?

I'm not sure if I voted for any CHA, but I sure as hell love them more than a good few dozen from the actual listees.

My favorite Crown Heights Affair track. The bassline.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urIj5e99RzM

^OTM

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