Feature

B&S 40 ESSENTIAL DANCE TRACKS

While soul music as we would recognise it goes back to the 50s, pre-recorded black music adopted by DJs to play in public dance venues on sound systems didn't come into its own until the 60s.

Since Blues & Soul wasn't launched until 1966 there will be a few omissions from this 40 track selection of significant dance tracks within the magazine's lifespan, Martha Reeves' 'Dancing In The Streets' and The Four Tops' 'I Can't Help Myself' are particular examples. Furthermore, in 1965 Frank Wilson recorded 'Do I Love You', a record that later became the bedrock of Northern Soul, the first scene in the UK to turn dance music into a lifestyle inspiring everything there was to come.

This selection is, of course, based on my own perspective through the years as a soul fan, DJ, dance journalist and former Assistant Editor of Blues & Soul. They are in order of release combining milestone releases with personal observations and favourites.

1. THE FOUR TOPS 'Reach Out I'll Be There' (Motown) (1966)
By the time B&S was launched in 1966, Motown ruled the dance floors with a sound instigated by writers and producers Holland-Dozier-Holland, and this was one of their biggest hits. There were plenty of other hits around, but as a starting point for the magazine and this list of 40 this is significant in its timing, the fact it broke The Four Tops internationally and perfectly sums up the period Blues & Soul first hit the streets.

2. ARETHA FRANKLIN 'Respect' (Atlantic) (1967)
While Motown dominated, Atlantic Records carved its own niche in dance music history by signing Aretha Franklin and identifying an Otis Redding song that, when produced by Jerry Wexler, would capture the Queen Of Soul at her finest and make one of the best dance records ever. Aretha continues to be integral to B&S through to this day.

3. SLY & THE FAMILY STONE 'Dance To The Music' (Epic) (1968)
While many companies and artists tried to emulate the success of Motown in the 60s (such as Chicago's Chess label who pulled it off once with Fontella Bass' 'Rescue Me'), others did their own thing. Sylvester Stewart was a West Coast DJ whose music had a funk base with a colourful, psychedelic twist defined by this uniquely different record (though not to forget 'Family Affair' which was actually a better song).

4. MARVIN GAYE 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' (Motown) (1969)
After the departure of Holland-Dozier-Holland at Motown, the label's sound shifted and became more sophisticated. This record is significant as it was one of Motown's biggest sellers ever aside from being of the most infectious, timeless and most perfect dance records of all time. Furthermore it was created by Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong who probably didn't need to ever work again after this success. However both went on to produce further milestone records on The Temptations and Norman gave us the iconic Rose Royce hit 'Car Wash'.

5. JAMES BROWN '(Get Up, I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine' (Polydor) (1970)
Despite establishing himself with classic like 'Papa's Got A Brand New Bag' in the 60s, James reached an all time height in 1970 with this timeless classic. Funk played an integral role in dance music during the 70s, and James was the Godfather of Soul who invented it. James was so prolific during this period, there is a whole legacy of dance classics that either directly bears his name or carries his hallmark. While this is the track everybody knows, others have helped sustain a healthy funk scene that exists in clubs through to this day, while his 'Funky Drummer' hook inspired hip hop beats on the rap scene.

6. CURTIS MAYFIELD: Move On Up (Curtom) (1970)
Curtis was a man where the message in the music was paramount, but on this timeless, iconic dance classic he hit the spot with an infectious upbeat arrangement that with one record defined his sound and filled dance floors for over 35 years.

7. JACKSON FIVE 'I Want You Back' (Motown) (1970)
Back at Motown new writers and producers from L.A teamed up with a new family group from Gary, Indiana on this evergreen dance floor classic (before another straight after with 'ABC'). Among the creative team were Fonce Mizell who produced A Taste of Honey's 'Boogie Oogie Oogie' and Freddie Perren who produced Tavares' 'Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel' and Yvonne Elliman's 'If I Can't Have You'.

8. THE O'JAYS 'Backstabbers' (PIR) (1972)
The sound of Philadelphia played a major role on mainstream danecfloors in the 70s, and this was the first biggie on which all past influences came together for an extraordinary production by 1972 standards. (Of course it was sampled only recently by Angie Stone on 'Wish I Didn't Miss You'). For fifteen years Gamble & Huff with their team and the Philadelphia International label delivered only the classiest of dance records. In the process a whole generation of people tried to copy them, The Detroit Spinners being particularly successful with it on 'I'll Be Around'.

9. THE CARSTAIRS 'It Really Hurts Me Girl' (Red Coach) (1973)
While mainstream radio and clubs played the hits of 70s soul, the UK's northern soul dance scene decided to stick with the sound of the 60s and in so doing this turned over 500 obscurities into cult classics. Except at the Blackpool Mecca where in '73/'74 this record divided fanatical soul fans into those who did, and those who refused to embrace 'modern soul' and a new underground dance scene was born. All down to an old school rousing '70s vocal and production on a song that would never be a hit. (While 'Backstabbers' came the year before, it was considered too 'pop' for Northern Soul fans whether they embraced new music or not!)

10. GEORGE McCRAE 'Rock Your Baby' (Jayboy) (1974)
While a huge commercial pop record, this dance track is also important in that the production sound is reflective of a hugely successful soul and dance scene that came out of Miami at the time. Completely separate to what was going on in the musically dominant Philadelphia, this record is the epitome of the so-called 'TK Sound' (after Henry Stone's TK label) that brought us Betty Wright, Little Beaver, T-Connection (one of the first UK 12" singles with 'Do What You Wanna Do') and, of course, Gwen McCrae who two years later recorded the definitive 'rare groove' outing 'All This Love That I'm Giving'. The sound created, of course, by its musicians can still be heard today in the music of Joss Stone.

11. VAN McCOY 'The Hustle' (Avco) (1975)
In the summer '75 this was being played everywhere and was one of many 'soul instrumentals' from the period where orchestras like MFSB and Love Unlimited could achieve a hit rfecord without a vocalist. There was so much more to Van McCoy than just this record, not least that fact that the re-working of his song 'Giving Up' by Zulema is regarded by many as being the first disco record.

12. BRASS CONSTRUCTION 'Movin'' (United Artists) (1975)
By the mid-70s recording technology, improvement in sound systems and the popularity of dance music allowed epic records like this to exist and to be made specifically to sound spectacular at large arenas. Beyond regular discos came concert size venues for all-dayers, all-nighters and weekenders and the start of some extremely butch dance tunes like this.

13. GLORIA GAYNOR 'Never Can Say Goodbye' (Polydor)(1976)
There had been soul records you could dance to before, but the term 'disco' didn't reach beyond the gay clubs of New York much before Gloria took this, the first of her three iconic dance anthems to the top. So this is clearly a landmark record in our 40 track journey as a new genre of tailor-made dance music was born, though soon she'd be back with 'I Will Survive' and 'I Am What I Am' during our music's most prolific commercial era, though I personally always preferred 'This Love Affair'.

14. THE TRAMMPS 'Disco Inferno' (Atlantic) (1977)
By the time The Trammps had moved on from their cheerful soul tune 'Hold Back The Night', disco music was massive. Many soul acts felt threatened by it and were resentful towards their record companies who wanted disco hits and more disco hits. Still, this was also a period of glorious soul records that DJs embraced, and songs like Candi Staton's 'Young Hearts Run Free' and Thelma Houston's 'Don't Leave Me This Way' (both from 1976) remain timeless classics and all time favourites. 'Disco Inferno' took the genre to new ecstatic heights with its huge production from the time it crossed to the mainstream thanks to men in tight trousers and the Saturday Night Fever movie soundtrack.

15. FIRST CHOICE 'Doctor Love' (Gold Mind) (1977)
New York's Salsoul and subsidiary Gold Mind made out and out disco, and huge sounding soulful anthems like this epitomised the flavour of a repertoire that included 'Let No Man Put Asunder' and 'Love Sensation' from the Queen Diva of Salsoul, Loleatta Holloway. While Salsoul has slipped in and out of fashion over the years, for me this is one of the most timeless tracks that really has sounded magnificent throughout all decades.

16. ROY AYERS 'Running Away' (Polydor) (1977)
Jazz artists came to the fore in dance music during the 70s to create 'jazz funk', and those who could sing would take a further step forward and deliver a classic like this. George Benson may have been the most successful commercially of these acts, and Patrice Rushen did okay too, but Roy was always the coolest and remains so to this day. Tom Browne made his mark with 'Funkin' For Jamaica', but when electronics came along and artists like Ronnie Laws put down their sax and sang to computer rhythms, it was essentially all over. Finally Herbie Hancock sent the whole lot packing when in 1983 his 'Rockit outing killed the genre forever.

17. DONNA SUMMER 'I Feel Love' (GTO) (1977)
Significant in its use of dominant electronic sounds in dance music for the first time courtesy of Giorgio Moroder, who later went on to produce a string of hits for Sparks, this hit inspired a new kind of dance music tagged as 'high energy' which again broke out of the gay scene. But programmed beats and synthesizers would soon become prominent in mainstream dance music.

18. CHIC 'Le Freak' (Atlantic) (1978)
A signature sound of guitar, bass and brittle strings launched the writing and production team of Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards into the mainstream with this ingenious dance record. It hasn't stood the test of time as well as their other creations such as 'Lost In Music' and a personal favourite 'He's The Greatest Dancer' (both for Sister Sledge), but it did sell over four million copies and became one of dance music's most unique records. Follow up 'Good Times' was pretty fine too.

19. SYLVESTER: 'You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)' (1978):
What can you say about Sylvester and this record other than here we have a true one-off iconic piece of disco at the peak of the genre. Gay clubs were still leading the way with new dance music and this song's influence on what became 'high energy' in the 80s is simply enormous. To mainstream audiences this was just a great pop record of its day, much like The Village People's infamous 'Y.M.C.A', where the masses had no idea of the music's origins.

20. FUNKADELIC 'One Nation Under A Groove' (Warner Brothers) (1978)
With this record we give a nod to the p-funk scene and the genius of George Clinton. A brilliant dance track, it's George's unique and slightly mad sound at its most seductive as not everything he did with Funkadelic, Parliament or as a solo artist was as accessible to mainstream dancefloors. This however is a bona fide classic.

21. PHYLLIS HYMAN 'You Know How To Love Me' (Arista) (1979)
And so to 1979 where I personally could have taken this whole 40 track selection! This is a glorious soulful dance record from a precious period when real soul and dance music went hand in hand and sustained itself through hit records and one glorious classic after another. Not everything was a hit, but the black music industry was self-sufficient so the money was there to allow some freedom to create masterpieces. Being an 18 year old DJ mixing this record into Jean Carn's 'Was That All It Was', then into Jackie Moore's 'This Time Baby' before drawing on the suspense and drama of an Ashford & Simpson production on Diana Ross with 'The Boss' was a truly glorious time for me!

22. EARTH WIND & FIRE 'Boogie Wonderland' (Columbia) (1979)
So when B&S is 50 and we get another 10 songs to include we can add The Emotions' 'Best Of My Love'. For now, the combined efforts here by black music's mega group EW&F and the girls represent both soul music institutions at their peak and the music of its type at its all time high. Was anything ever quite the same after this? I think not.

23. McFADDEN & WHITEHEAD 'Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now' (PIR) (1979)
McFadden & Whitehead saw out the 70s with one of Philly's biggest soul anthems of all time. They had previously only written and produced hit records, and they never equalled this success as artists. Meanwhile Philadelphia International became more melancholy after the death of disco entering another golden and very classy era with Dexter Wansel more at the helm and occasional dabbles with dance with The Jones Girls' 'Nights Over Egypt' and Wansel's own instrumental 'Life On Mars'.

24. SUGARHILL GANG 'Rapper's Delight' (Surgarhill) (1979)
Nobody in 1979 would have guessed how huge rap music would become over the next 25 years, but for now the mainstream soul scene danced essentially to a re-issue of Chic's 'Good Times' with three guys dropping rhymes on top. While there were other rap records that year (notably Younger Generation's 'We Rap More Mellow'), the record was a sensation three years before Grandmaster Flash turned up with 'The Message'.

25. SHARON REDD 'Can You Handle It' (Prelude) (1981)
Created by Willie Lester & Rodney Brown (responsible for other hits on Bobby Thurston and Gayle Adams), I see this as one of the last mainstream soul records of its ilk. An instant commercial hit, and a timeless dance record, the likes of its sensitivity in the music, the arrangement and the melancholy chords will soon be a thing of the past in the commercial world.

26. JOHNNIE TAYLOR 'What About My Love' (Beverly Glen) (1981)
This may seem like an unusual choice, but to me this sensational record symbolises the point when mainstream dance audiences fell out of love with this particular style of orchestrated soul. It had a glorious arrangement by Gene Page, responsible for every Barry White hit, a vintage soul voice from one of the greats, and the production values of a Philadelphia International, but was desperately unfashionable except to the hardcore of soul fanatics who have ensured the longevity of this genre. It was far from being a hit in its day, though ingeniously sampled by the Shapeshifters who used its dramatic opening string section on their recent hit 'Lola's Theme'.

27. D-TRAIN 'You're The One For Me' (Prelude) (1981)
While Stevie Wonder had been playing around with keyboard technology in the years before, this record completely changed the landscape for dance music with its total embracement of electronics. Vocally, James 'D-Train' Williams gave the record its soulful credibility, and through an inspired arrangement and production changed dance music's landscape overnight. Prelude Records shortly captured the market for so called 80s 'boogie' music with this record in particular being a milestone classic for a whole new generation of music fans.

28. MICHAEL JACKSON 'Billie Jean' (Epic) (1982)
If there was room I'd be insisting 'Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough' was in this summary of tunes, but to be fair 'Billie Jean' is the biggest dance record of them all on the biggest album of all time, so of course I have to go with it. Louis Johnson of the Brothers Johnson is on bass, Ndugu plays drums (before going off and joining The Crusaders), and Quincy Jones brings it all together with Michael at the pinnacle of soul and dance music�s biggest success on one scene before the divide into sub genres.

29. STEVIE WONDER 'Do I Do' (Motown) (1982)
While Stevie was the first to play with synthesizers, his records like 'I Wish' and 'Sir Duke' were songs first, and secondly danceable by the nature of their tempo. While I don't expect he set out to focus on making a dance record here, 'Do I Do' perfectly hit the spot on ironically one of the last fully organic club hits and even boasted a guest appearance by Dizzie Gillespie. What's more up to date night clubs could also opt to play the song with full visuals on a new system called the video player! Soon, of course, Michael Jackson soon blew the format wide open with his 'Thriller' mini-movie (Any one else remember being at the Camden Palace when that was broadcast live for the first time? Very exciting and very memorable.)

30. LOOSE ENDS 'Hangin' On A String' (Virgin) (1985)
The dancefloors of '85 and '86 were about the 'bubble and squeak' of records by Surface ('Happy'), Midnight Star ('Curious'), The Controllers ('Stay') and this masterpiece produced by Nick Martinelli which remains one of the most timeless records of all time. All these records were born out of the computerised rhythm and percussion ideas of Mtume's 'Juicy Fruit' and Marvin Gaye's 'Sexual Healing', though not everything from this period, and certainly since in this style has aged so well. However it was the ideal breeding ground for Jam & Lewis who in 1986 would launch the career of Janet Jackson with 'What Have You Done For Me Lately'. This was also a fun period for soul music with Fatback, Jocelyn Brown, Cameo, Prince and others filling dance floors with happy music and having hits in the mainstream. It was the era that came just after Chaka Khan's 'Ain't Nobody', which had been reassuringly classy and sophisticated, but a lot of it did become formularised thereafter.

31. FARLEY 'JACKMASTER' FUNK 'Love Can't Turn Around' (DJ International) (1986)
This is another one of those records where the world seemed to change overnight and suddenly house music had arrived in the mainstream. An extraordinary record that divided the soul scene and started a new era of dance music. It was also the start of DJs making their own records and having hits and a new generation of people going to warehouse parties to dance to Steve 'Silk' Hurley, Raze's 'Jack The Groove' and others like this. Meanwhile the soul scene amused itself with Sherrick's 'Just Call', and the urban black music scene made inroads with Run DMC's 'Walk This Way'. However, before hip hop and house went completely its own way, 'hip house' had a small run of luck, though when it came to fast rap music nothing much compared to Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock's 'It Takes Two' in 1988.

32. SOUL II SOUL 'Back To Life' (Virgin) (1989)
By the late 80s, garage and house ruled the dancefloors and soul music re-invented itself in the mainstream by dropping its 'bubble & squeak' and adopting a more earthier sound and what became known briefly as a soul II Soul groove. It was swiftly adopted by the Americans and sold back to us as New Jack Swing and the urban music scene could finally compete with house. It was a good time for Lisa Stansfield to drop 'All Around The World'.

33. FRANKIE KNUCKLES 'Tears' (1989)
Soon after regular house music came the sub-genres, and so-called 'deep house' swiftly produced this masterpiece by New York DJ Frankie with the help of keyboard player Satoshii Tomiie and vocalist Robert Owens. Fifteen years later and the genre hasn't changed much with DJ Roger Sanchez having a massive hit with 'Another Chance' only recently. Only thing is that records stay at the same BPM these days after a brief run of novelty records started by Lil' Louis with 'French Kiss' where the tempo dropped in the middle.

34. ALISON LIMERICK: Where Love Lives (Arista) (1990)
The 90s produced significant amounts of soulful diva lead house anthems, but this record summed it up in the first year of the decade and was never surpassed. Ce Ce Peniston came close with 'Finally', Rozalla with 'Everybody's Free', and no one can argue with the impact of Robin S's 'Show Me Love' and Ultra Nate classic 'Free', but after those records in this genre everything else was an also-ran. (I really liked Sarah Washington's 'Heaven', though!)

35. THE SOUNDS OF BLACKNESS 'Optimistic' (Perspective) (1991)
Jam & Lewis dominated mainstream dancefloors through the 80s with their particular formularised sound that could do no wrong. However, this to me is their most inspired work and comes after all the S.O.S Band, Alexander O'Neal etc. tracks they did (though Cheryl Lynn's 'Encore' deserves a serious nod).

36. YOUNG DISCIPLES 'Apparently Nothing' (Talkin' Loud) (1991)
For those not interested in house, urban and bored with new soul, the 'rare groove' scene re-discovered organic soul and funk from the 70s and a new wave of clubs began playing Gwen McCrae's 'All This Love That I'm Giving', old James Brown-associated records and 'acid jazz' instrumentals. Talkin' Loud took this further by signing artists to make new records in this style, and Carleen Anderson on this brilliant record epitomises the sound and the period when credible UK soul records were filling dancefloors. Meanwhile the inimitable James Brown sanctioned his 'Funky Drummer' riff to hip hop.

37. SWV: 'Right Here' (Human Nature Mix) (RCA) (1993)
By the early 90s it was not uncommon for new records to sample old ones, but few at the time were as dramatic or impressive as Teddy Riley's idea to change a very average record into a classic by re-writing the song over Michael Jackson's haunting 'Human Nature'. A truly awesome record from the heyday of 'new jack swing' when urban black dance music still carried a tune and records like En Vogue's 'Hold On', Jade's 'Don't Walk Away' and TLC's 'Ain't Too Proud To Beg' ruled the black music scene. It was the period that launched R. Kelly with 'Your Body's Calling', though swing clubs had already been dancing to 'She's Got That Vibe' for a couple of years.

38. BUCKETHEADS 'The Bomb' (Henry Street Music) (1995)
The creation of Kenny 'Dope' Gonzales, this sticks in my mind for being somewhat of a novelty and a bit of fun as well as a huge floorfiller in its day. Kenny, of course, is one half of Masters At Work with Louie Vega and together they have been making the classiest of all house records for over ten years (including those under their other alias Nuyorican Soul). Real instrumentation has been the key to their success, and collectively they've probably made more great records than any one else in the house genre.

39. BEYONCE 'Crazy In Love' (Columbia) (2003)
With only two spaces left in this Top 40 countdown I could easily have chosen personal favourites like Spiller's Salsoul-inspired 'Groovejet', Moloko's 'Sing It Back', in fact so many tunes that perhaps Boris Dlugosch or Mousse T mixed, or came out on Soulfuric, Defected, Azuli , or Positiva. I was tempted to explore the world of broken beats (always liked 4 Hero's 'Hold It Down' and various Jazzanova mixes), but at the end of the day this is Blues & Soul magazine - I'm not going to mention Massive Attack's 'Unfinished Symphony' which has been in every other dance chart on the planet - and I'm going for Beyonce who is a true soul star with a proper soul voice on this clever and exceptional modern day, mainstream dance record that manages to be individual.

40. JOHN LEGEND 'Ordinary People' (Johnny Douglas Remix) (Columbia) (2004)
Rarely today are there milestone records in r&b, and this isn't one but it neatly concludes my 40 track journey. Remixed from his debut solo album its wide appeal is due to a combination of simplicity, dancefloor appeal and an artist who older soul fans can take seriously while younger ones can buy into the hype of an association with Kanye West.
Still, at least this record doesn't rely on a sample of an old record like today's floorfillers including Kirk Franklin and even Luther Vandross (RIP) on his Chic-driven 'Shine'. All of which is a bit of a worry. Of course all this is gobbledegook to a teenager today who crave their Justin Timerberlake, Kelis and Jamelia and in the main are regrettably disinterested in what has gone before.
Words Ralph Tee