To mark the 50th anniversary of James Hamilton's first Disco Page in Record Mirror, Alexis Petridis (head rock & pop critic for The Guardian) joins Greg Wilson and Mike Atkinson for a countdown of the first ever Disco Chart that James compiled, based on DJ returns from around the UK.To accompany this episode, you can listen to this entire Top 20 in full, or alternatively as a shorter medley of snippets.Further listening: other tracks mentioned in this episode.(Spotify) // Bob Stanley's Hot Chocolate playlist (Spotify)Further reading: James Hamilton's Disco Pages 1975-1982.(550 page hardback book) // Guardian feature on James Hamilton, by Alexis PetridisMike also hosts the podcast Which Decade Is Tops For Pops? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:47:55
25th July 1981, with Leee John
Leee John joins Greg Wilson and Mike Atkinson for a Disco Chart Top 20 countdown from July 1981. Already a committed clubber and an active member of the Britfunk community, Leee had just started to find success with his band Imagination, who had been signed to Morgan Khan’s R&B label, and so he has vivid memories of this particular period: a transitional time, when the disco era had ended, the electronic era had yet to emerge, but the beat went on, with a focus on skilled musicianship and carefully crafted production. And as always, you'll also get to hear what Record Mirror's James Hamilton thought of each track that we discuss.To accompany this episode, you can listen to this entire Top 20 in full, or alternatively as a shorter medley of snippets.Further listening: other tracks mentioned in this episodeFurther reading: James Hamilton's Disco Pages 1975-1982 (550 page hardback book)Mike also hosts the podcast Which Decade Is Tops For Pops? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:53:17
8th December 1979, with Morgan Khan
Morgan Khan joins Greg Wilson and Mike Atkinson for a countdown of the biggest dance tracks of December 1979. As the disco backlash was taking hold in the USA, British dancefloors were experiencing a shift in styles, as dance music started to prepare itself tor the 1980s. Already a key figure in the UK music industry, well ahead of his success with the Street Sounds compilations that cemented his reputation, Morgan provides us with a unique first hand account of the era.To accompany this episode, you can listen to this entire Top 20 in full, or alternatively as a shorter medley of snippets.Further listening: other tracks mentioned in this episode; Street Sounds Radio.Further reading: James Hamilton's Disco Pages 1975-1982; Greg Wilson interviews Morgan Khan.Mike also hosts the podcast Which Decade Is Tops For Pops? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:50:34
24th September 1977, with Jeff Young
Greg Wilson and Mike Atkinson are joined by Jeff Young: "funk mafia" DJ, presenter of BBC Radio One's first ever specialist dance music show, remixer, studio owner and music industry professional.To accompany this episode, you can listen to this entire Top 20 in full, or alternatively as a shorter medley of snippets.Further listening: other tracks mentioned in this episode.Further reading: James Hamilton's Disco Pages 1975-1982.Mike also hosts the podcast Which Decade Is Tops For Pops? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:22:38
20th September 1980, with Dave Lee
Dave Lee joins Greg Wilson and Mike Atkinson, for a look at the biggest UK dance tunes of September 1980.To accompany this episode, you can listen to this entire Top 20 in full, or alternatively as a shorter medley of snippets.Further listening: other tracks mentioned in this episode.Further reading: James Hamilton's Disco Pages 1975-1982.Mike also hosts the podcast Which Decade Is Tops For Pops? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Greg Wilson, Mike Atkinson and a special guest discuss a randomly selected Record Mirror Disco Top 20, from any week between 1975 and 1982. These charts were compiled by dancefloor reaction reports, sent in by DJs from across the UK. We'll also look at how they were reviewed at the time by Record Mirror's legendary James Hamilton, whose columns from this period have recently been published in book form as James Hamilton’s Disco Pages 1975-1982. Each episode comes with its own playlist, so that you can listen to all the tracks continuously. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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