The Best Disco/Dance/Funk Songs from the 70's

[boechsner]

OK, I'm 23 and I LOVE disco. It's by far better than the dance music of today.

So what are your favorite disco/dance/funk songs of the 70s???


Some of my favorites (in no order):

1. Anything by Donna Summer especially:

MacArthur Park
Heaven Knows
Try Me, I Know We Can Make It
Love's Unkind
Bad Girls
Hot Stuff
Last Dance
I Love You

2. Anything by The Bee Gees especially:

You Should Be Dancing
Stayin' Alive
Night Fever
Tragedy

3. Chic's: Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah), Le Freak and I Want Your Love

4. Gloria Gaynor's: Honeybee and Never Can Say Goodbye (I Will Survive is not bad but highly overrated)

5. K.C. & the Sunshine Band's: Boogie Shoes, That's the Way (I Like It), Shake, Shake Shake (Shake Your Booty), Get Down Tonight

6. Village People's: YMCA
7. Sylver's: Hot Line and High School Dance
8. Trammps': Disco Inferno
9. Carl Douglas': Kung Fu Fighting
10. The O'Jays': Love Train
11. Leo Sayer's: You Make Me Feel Like Dancing
12. Paul Nicholas': Heaven on the 7th Floor
13. B.T. Express': Express and Do It ('Till You're Satisfied)
14. Andy Gibb's: Shadow Dancing and I Just Want to Be Your Everything
15. Candi Staton's: Young Hearts Run Free
16. Instant Funk's: I Got My Mind Made Up
17. Diana Ross': The Boss and Your Love is So Good for Me
18. Tavares': Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel
19. Thelma Houston's: Don't Leave Me This Way
20. Alicia Bridges': I Love the Nightlife (Disco Round)
21. Jackie Moore's: This Time Baby
22. A Taste of Honey's: Boogie Oogie Oogie
23. Earth, Wind & Fire's: September and Sing a Song
24. Melba Moore's: You Stepped Into My Life
25. Yvonne Elliman's: If I Can't Have You

26. Sister Sledge's: He's the Greatest Dancer (We Are Family is not bad but highly overrated)

27. Cher's: Take Me Home
28. France Joli's: Come to Me
29. Brothers Johnson's: Stomp! and I'll Be Good to You
30. Shalamar's: The Second Time Around
31. Abba's: Dancing Queen and Take a Chance on Me
32. Sylvester's: You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) and Dance (Disco Heat)

[cablejockey]

Some of the songs I've heard from the 70s and like are:
Still The One--Orleans
Fly Robin Fly--Silver Convention
Instant Replay--Dan Hartman
Grooveline--Heatwave
I Love Music--The OJays

[jamesanthony]

Originally posted by boechsner
Heaven Knows

I Love You


4. Gloria Gaynor's: Honeybee and Never Can Say Goodbye (I Will Survive is not bad but highly overrated)
7. Sylver's: Hot Line and High School Dance
9. Carl Douglas': Kung Fu Fighting
10. The O'Jays': Love Train
11. Leo Sayer's: You Make Me Feel Like Dancing
12. Paul Nicholas': Heaven on the 7th Floor
13. B.T. Express': Express and Do It ('Till You're Satisfied)
14. Andy Gibb's: and I Just Want to Be Your Everything
15. Candi Staton's: Young Hearts Run Free
16. Instant Funk's: I Got My Mind Made Up
17. Diana Ross': The Boss
21. Jackie Moore's: This Time Baby
22. A Taste of Honey's: Boogie Oogie Oogie
23. Earth, Wind & Fire's: September and Sing a Song
24. Melba Moore's: You Stepped Into My Life

26. Sister Sledge's: He's the Greatest Dancer (We Are Family is not bad but highly overrated)


29. Brothers Johnson's: Stomp! and I'll Be Good to You
30. Shalamar's: The Second Time Around

I like all of these and a lot more. Those dance songs were good to LISTEN to not just to shake your groove thing to on the dance floor or go into a trance over. Lots of strings and full orchestras. Minimalism wasn't the trend in music then. I'm surprised you mentioned Jackie Moore's song. That one wasn't a big hit and she wasn't an artist who had a lot of hits but that was a kicking song.

[Nighthawk76]

Originally posted by boechsner


2. Anything by The Bee Gees especially:

You Should Be Dancing
Stayin' Alive
Night Fever
Tragedy

[boechsner]

Originally posted by jamesanthony
I'm surprised you mentioned Jackie Moore's song. That one wasn't a big hit and she wasn't an artist who had a lot of hits but that was a kicking song.

Yeah, I love that song. I heard it on a disco compilation cd and instantly loved it.

I almost forgot some other disco/dance hits:

Anita Ward's Ring My Bell
Odyssey's Native New Yorker
Rose Royce's Car Wash
Van McCoy's The Hustle

[Brian]

Disco Inferno by The Trampps.

[vashti1999]

I like practically every damn song boeschner mentioned in the first post. The only one I'm not familiar with is Paul Nicholas': Heaven on the 7th Floor, but I love each and every one of those. Disco is my music. There are too many disco songs for me to mention as favorites (but I'll mention some anyway )

Like you said: anything by Donna Summer
Most Sister Sledge
Most Sylvester
Most Village People
Most KC & The Sunshine Band
Most Chic (especially I Want Your Love/Good Times)
Take me Home - Cher
Boogie OOgie OOgie - Taste of Honey
Come To Me - France Joli




Ones I can't believe nobody mentioned
Do Ya Think I'm Sexy - Rod Stewart
Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now - McFadden & Whitehead
Disco Nights (Rock Freak) - G.Q.
Right In The Socket - Shalamar
Shame/I Don't Know if It's Right - Evelyn Champagne King
Doctor Love/Let no Man Put Asunder - First Choice
Shake Your Groove Thing - Peaches & Herb
Turn The Beat Around - Vicki Sue Robinson
In The Bush/Keep On Jumpin' - Musique
There but For The Grace of God - Machine
Found A Cure - Ashford & Simpson
Take Your Time - SOS Band
Boogie Wonderland - Earth Wind & Fire

[jamesanthony]

Originally posted by vashti1999
I like practically every damn song boeschner mentioned in the first post. The only one I'm not familiar with is Paul Nicholas': Heaven on the 7th Floor,

I remember that one. It was a top 10 single in late 1977 and had handclapping in it. I'm sure the lyrics are online someplace.

Ones I can't believe nobody mentioned
Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now - McFadden & Whitehead
Disco Nights (Rock Freak) - G.Q.
Turn The Beat Around - Vicki Sue Robinson

I'd say that McFadden and Whitehead's tune is my favorite disco record. GQ's record is great fun too. I heard they gave a very good live show. Vickie Sue's record is very enjoyable but the radio station in my area in NYC insists on playing Gloria Estefan's soulless cover.

A disco number that is very obscure to many that I liked was #1 DJ by Goodie Goodie from 1978 but very few people that I have spoken to have any idea what I am talking about.

[vashti1999]

Originally posted by jamesanthony
A disco number that is very obscure to many that I liked was #1 DJ by Goodie Goodie from 1978 but very few people that I have spoken to have any idea what I am talking about.

God, I remember that song. I think I had that, I might still have my old 45 single. It was Atlantic Records if I remember correctly. "You're my #1 DJ, you're my #1 man..."

[jamesanthony]

Originally posted by vashti1999
God, I remember that song. I think I had that, I might still have my old 45 single. It was Atlantic Records if I remember correctly. "You're my #1 DJ, you're my #1 man..."

That's the song.

You're my #1 DJ
I'm you're #1 fan
I can't lose with the songs you choose...

I forget the other lyrics but the hook was

#1 DJ with the #1 songs of today.

I think I read in one of those Billboard books that it had a very low ranking like in the 90s on the Hot 100, but it must have gotten a lot of airplay in NYC where I lived because I remember it very distinctly.

[vashti1999]

Originally posted by jamesanthony
it must have gotten a lot of airplay in NYC where I lived because I remember it very distinctly.

Must've been listening to Paco on 92 WKTU or Frankie on WBLS. That's most likely where I remember it from.

Other songs that weren't MAJOR:

Shoot Me With Your Love - Tasha Thomas
Work That Body - Taana Gardner
One More Minute - Saint Tropez
Music Is My Way of Life - Patti LaBelle
Hot Shot - Karen Young

[Dr. Jazz]

There are too many disco/funk favorites for me to mention here, but I also like several obscure singles from that era as well. I do remember the ones that Vash & jamesanthony mentioned - those are some of my JAMS! Here's a few favorites that come to mind right off the top of my head:

Come Let Me Love You - Jeanette "Lady" Day
Chains - Bionic Boogie (I don't think this one has EVER made it to CD)
All Night Thing - Invisible Man's Band
Over Like a Fat Rat - Fonda Rae
Thighs High (Grip Your Hips & Move) - Tom Browne
Hot Stuff - Raydio


Vash, you probably remember these

[vashti1999]

Originally posted by Dr. Jazz

Come Let Me Love You - Jeanette "Lady" Day
Chains - Bionic Boogie (I don't think this one has EVER made it to CD)
All Night Thing - Invisible Man's Band
Over Like a Fat Rat - Fonda Rae
Thighs High (Grip Your Hips & Move) - Tom Browne
Hot Stuff - Raydio


Vash, you probably remember these

Sorry to say "Over Like a Fat Rat - Fonda Rae" is the only one I know. If I do know the others, it's a case where I've heard them but don't know them from the titles/artists names. Hmm, I thought I was the disco king here. You've got me beat.

[Dr. Jazz]

Originally posted by vashti1999
Sorry to say "Over Like a Fat Rat - Fonda Rae" is the only one I know. If I do know the others, it's a case where I've heard them but don't know them from the titles/artists names. Hmm, I thought I was the disco king here. You've got me beat.

Man, I just know you would know those songs if you heard them. You're missin' out on some tight old school jams. .
*starts burning CD with those songs for Vashti*

[vashti1999]

Originally posted by Dr. Jazz
Man, I just know you would know those songs if you heard them. You're missin' out on some tight old school jams. .
*starts burning CD with those songs for Vashti*

Cool indeed I do have one cd "Super Rare Disco", I bought it for the song Mainline by Black Ivory. I knew maybe three of the 20 tracks on that cd so I never listened to it very often. I could have those songs and not even realize it.

BTW, add Mainline to my list of favorites.