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  1. #1
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    Four Motown Releases Made Billboard's All-Time Disco/Dance Top 100

    ... according to tabulations by Joel Whitburn [[1974-2003).

    What were they ? Any guesses? [[ no cheating!)

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    Don't Leave Me This Way
    Upside Down/I'm Coming Out???

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    My guesses are;

    "Don't Leave Me This Way"-Thelma Houston
    "Love Hangover"-Diana Ross
    "Super Freak"-Rick James

    "Heaven Must Have Sent You"-Bonnie Pointer

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    I don't know Boogie!!!! I would wanna think "Upside Down" is on there.

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    My guesses have already been mentioned by others. But how about “love machine” by the Miracles? Or “lover girl” by Teena Marie?

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    Maybe "Got to Give it Up" by Marvin Gaye?

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    Good responses! Three of the four have now been mentioned, one has not.

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    Marvin Gaye - Got to Give It Up
    Diana Ross - Upside Down
    Thelma Houston - Don't Leave Me This Way
    Diana Ross - Love Hangover

    I could be wrong af but Diana at least has two, I know it. LOL

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    Down To Love Town -The Originals Love Machine - The Miracles

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    Quote Originally Posted by khansperac View Post
    My guesses have already been mentioned by others. But how about “love machine” by the Miracles? Or “lover girl” by Teena Marie?

    "Lover Girl" was post-Motown - Epic 34-04619.


    My guesses:

    Upside Down / I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross
    Don't Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
    Super Freak - Rick James
    Somebody's Watching Me - Rockwell

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    The Jackson 5 Dancing Machine and Forever Came Today

  12. #12
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    Brick House
    Don't Leave Me This Way
    I'm Coming Out
    Keep On Truckin'

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    Surprised SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE and ALL NIGHT LONG haven't been suggested.
    But no matter , all four songs have been mentioned .........

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    Don’t make us wait any longer

    And the answer is.......

  15. #15
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    Here you go Rob!:

    #72 GIVE IT TO ME BABY/SUPER FREAK/GHETTO LIFE - Rick James
    #45 FOREVER CAME TODAY - Jackson Five
    #33 UPSIDE DOWN/I'M COMING OUT- Diana Ross
    #14 DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY/ANYWAY YOU WANT IT - Thelma Houston

    Good job folks!! Thanks for playing!

  16. #16
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    Thank you

    Wow , Forever Came Today

  17. #17
    Forever Came Today!!!! J5's version is awful. C'est la vie.

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    Quote Originally Posted by copley View Post
    Forever Came Today!!!! J5's version is awful. C'est la vie.
    The current writers at Billboard are crazy.

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    I like The J5's version of "Forever Came Today", it is great disco and very enjoyable, but I'm not sure I would have put it in Billboard's All-Time Dance Top 100...

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    I actually like Diana's Your Love is So Good For Me....and the Ross LP version of Lovin' Livin' & Givin'...and I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do The Walkin' & You're My Driving Wheel a lot more than those 4! [[also on my list non Motown....Celi Bee Superman, Mike Theodore The Bull, Bionic Boogie Risky Changes and Fatback Spanish Hustle...not a bad list for a true 70's "hard rock freak"

  21. #21
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    If I had to pick only 4 Motown Records to make their Dance/Disco list, they would be:

    Marvin Gaye - Got to Give it Up
    Bonnie Pointer - Heaven Must Have Sent You
    Jr. Walker & the Allstars - Shotgun
    Thelma Houston - Don't Leave Me This Way.

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    Quote Originally Posted by TomatoTom123 View Post
    I like The J5's version of "Forever Came Today", it is great disco and very enjoyable, but I'm not sure I would have put it in Billboard's All-Time Dance Top 100...
    I don't even think we viewed that record as "Disco" back when it was new. "Dancing Machine" was much better.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Boogiedown View Post
    Here you go Rob!:

    #72 GIVE IT TO ME BABY/SUPER FREAK/GHETTO LIFE - Rick James
    #45 FOREVER CAME TODAY - Jackson Five
    #33 UPSIDE DOWN/I'M COMING OUT- Diana Ross
    #14 DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY/ANYWAY YOU WANT IT - Thelma Houston

    Good job folks!! Thanks for playing!
    You know the Billboard writers are nuts! You can't even dance to "Upside Down", "Coming Out" very well at all. "Forever Came Today" is not even on the level of "Dancing Machine". I would love to know a bit about background of the person[[s) that created this list, like their age!

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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    You know the Billboard writers are nuts! You can't even dance to "Upside Down", "Coming Out" very well at all.
    If you can't dance to Chic's productions on Diana, you would have to be either cripple or asleep! LOL

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    Quote Originally Posted by TomatoTom123 View Post
    If you can't dance to Chic's productions on Diana, you would have to be either cripple or asleep! LOL
    Lol. Such a stupid statement by you know who. Back in the day. They were playing “Upside Down” and “I’m coming out” at all the house parties. And all the kids didn’t seem to have a problem dancing to them.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    The current writers at Billboard are crazy.
    Are they? I didn't know that. But even if they do belong in a pysche ward, what does that have to do with Joel Whitburn?

    Joel Whitburn is the president of Record Research, author, record collector, archivist and an esteemed authority on recorded music and the Billboard charts. He has compiled many books based on the Billboard Charts and also the Cash Box charts.

    They are very informative and helpful to those people who live by the charts.

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    Quote Originally Posted by TomatoTom123 View Post
    If you can't dance to Chic's productions on Diana, you would have to be either cripple or asleep! LOL
    No, it's just means I have rhythm!

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    Quote Originally Posted by milven View Post
    Are they? I didn't know that. But even if they do belong in a pysche ward, what does that have to do with Joel Whitburn?

    Joel Whitburn is the president of Record Research, author, record collector, archivist and an esteemed authority on recorded music and the Billboard charts. He has compiled many books based on the Billboard Charts and also the Cash Box charts.

    They are very informative and helpful to those people who live by the charts.
    I know who Joel Whitburn is. I am pretty sure I have one or two of his books. Maybe he needs to consider retiring. I have not seen the complete list on this subject, but if he meant that the 4 from Motown he selected are being their best, then he is crazy!
    Last edited by marv2; 03-25-2019 at 02:37 PM.

  29. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    I know who Joel Whitburn is. I am pretty sure I have one or two of his books. Maybe he needs to consider retiring. I have not seen the complete list on this subject, but if the 4 from Motown he selected as being their best, then he is crazy!
    I’m sorry Marv that he didn’t include “Red Hot”. LOL!😂😂😂

  30. #30
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    Hi Marv.
    This is not an opinion based chart by any means .

    Joel Whitburn calculates his results on pure data .... by actual chart performance. This book came out in 2003 and has never been revised afaik.



    Not that he would taint any of his charts, but I especially don't think Joel Whitburn [[born 1939) had any biases when it came to these songs. I don't sense this was his most focused era or favorite genre. He's just a completetist , doing books on music charts from whatever angle.
    So if you're going to be mad at the results , be mad at the club goers at the time who responded to these tunes more than they did to others.

    The ranking is by points based on weeks on the disco/dance chart, peak positions reached and for how long etc.. Being a Number One song is an important way to garner points.

    Therefore the very best responses in the discos to Motown releases were:

    [[#14) DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY etc.
    - #1 for six weeks and spent 18 weeks in the Top Ten.
    [[#33) I'M COMING OUT etc.
    - #1 for five weeks and spent 13 weeks in the Top Ten.
    [[#72) SUPERFREAK etc.
    - #1 for three weeks and spent 14 weeks in the Top Ten

    and

    [[#45) FOREVER CAME TODAY
    which was #1 for four weeks and spent thirteen weeks in the Top Ten.

    Last edited by Boogiedown; 03-25-2019 at 02:48 PM.

  31. #31
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    Ok Boogie, now that makes a difference. I could not see how anyone would pick those 4 songs especially as the best examples of Motown's best dance music. They are just going by chart numbers. Superfreak and Don't Leave Me This Way make sense because I remember the response to them when they were played at clubs and parties.
    Last edited by marv2; 03-25-2019 at 03:03 PM.

  32. #32
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    Forever Came Today was one of HDH's worst compositions.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    No, it's just means I have rhythm!
    Oh marv, next you'll be telling me you can't get down to "Everybody Dance" or "My Forbidden Lover"...

  34. #34
    Quote Originally Posted by midnightman View Post
    Forever Came Today was one of HDH's worst compositions.
    Different strokes for different folks. It's my fav DRATS single and is also a fav of HDH who like me consider it to be very underrated.

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    Quote Originally Posted by TomatoTom123 View Post
    Oh marv, next you'll be telling me you can't get down to "Everybody Dance" or "My Forbidden Lover"...
    I did when I was 17 to "Everybody Dance" when it was new. No to "My Forbidden Lover" LOL!

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    Quote Originally Posted by copley View Post
    Different strokes for different folks. It's my fav DRATS single and is also a fav of HDH who like me consider it to be very underrated.
    I agree. Also one of my favorites as well..

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    Quote Originally Posted by copley View Post
    Different strokes for different folks. It's my fav DRATS single and is also a fav of HDH who like me consider it to be very underrated.
    I love it too copley!

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    Lumme some FCT; a great record and a nice , 'sophisticated' advance of writing [[and performing) style for Motown.

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    He aggressively tried to chew me down on an LP I was selling on Ebay years ago. It was a sealed C&W LP, and he made me a less than 50% offer. He let me know who he was, and how knowledgeable he was on such things....I knew exactly who he was, I have several of his books, and they are wonderful and accurate reference materials. I told him to buy the next one that comes along at that price.

  40. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by gman View Post
    He aggressively tried to chew me down on an LP I was selling on Ebay years ago. It was a sealed C&W LP, and he made me a less than 50% offer. He let me know who he was, and how knowledgeable he was on such things....I knew exactly who he was, I have several of his books, and they are wonderful and accurate reference materials. I told him to buy the next one that comes along at that price.
    Good for you Gman!

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    The J5's FOREVER CAME TODAY [[James Carmichael) is for me a continuation in sound to BOOGIE DOWN and KEEP ON TRUCKIN' [[James Carmichael)...long , fast-paced, playful compositions without a moment wasted, instruments of all types dropping in and dropping out, then dropping in again , lots of busy strings , shotgun guitar, and an abundance of studio wizardry.
    I especially notice Jermaine's voice on FOREVER CAME TODAY.

    The DJs at this time [[ pre-12 inch) were almost entirely playing 45's but they loved finding longer LP versions of songs that were popular , as was the case with FCT [[a top ten single on the soul chart) ; by playing its LP version, it doubled the song's length. Clubs liked to feature unique versions that were different from what was being heard on the radio, and dancers liked being able to stay on the dance floor longer. These things added to a song's club value.



    promo on blue vinyl!!
    Last edited by Boogiedown; 03-27-2019 at 03:43 PM.

  42. #42
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    Quote Originally Posted by Boogiedown View Post
    The J5's FOREVER CAME TODAY [[James Carmichael) is for me a continuation in sound to BOOGIE DOWN and KEEP ON TRUCKIN' [[James Carmichael)...long , fast-paced, playful compositions without a moment wasted, instruments of all types dropping in and dropping out, then dropping in again , lots of busy strings , shotgun guitar, and an abundance of studio wizardry.
    I especially notice Jermaine's voice on FOREVER CAME TODAY.

    The DJs at this time [[ pre-12 inch) were almost entirely playing 45's but they loved finding longer LP versions of songs that were popular , as was the case with FCT [[a top ten single on the soul chart) ; by playing its LP version, it doubled the song's length. Clubs liked to feature unique versions that were different from what was being heard on the radio, and dancers liked being able to stay on the dance floor longer. These things added to a song's club value.



    promo on blue vinyl!!
    It is not a bad record, but it was not hit in Detroit and got minimal radio play.

  43. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by copley View Post
    Different strokes for different folks. It's my fav DRATS single and is also a fav of HDH who like me consider it to be very underrated.
    I think "Forever Came Today" is a great song, just a little too complicated to be a hit single I guess [[at least in the original version). An unusual structure to the melody line and I think the key is a little higher than Ross' range, which makes her voice sound a little strained. [[It seems Ross often had to sing a little outside her range.) But I think it's a beautiful song. To me, it kind of has the feel of a show tune, definitely not a pop song, which may also explain its non-success.

    I like the J5 version too, though I think you could call it a "deconstructed" version of the song. Still, I think Michael sings the hell out of it and it's a great arrangement overall.

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