The 40 Best Dance Albums of the Last Thirty Years

[Captain Eo]

Surely Panic! At The Disco will make an appearance.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Um.

Hmm.

I hate Basement Jaxx anyway but that album was an armpit.

Missy Elliott is better now she's skinnier. Music hasn't improved though.

No good dance albums were made in 2007 which means that it's probably some tat like Mika or Mark Ronson. Perish the thought.

[Cactus Drags]

Beastie Boys are hip-hop, not dance.

[Captain Eo]

Where's the rest!?

[K]

most of these aren't dance albums drags, if i was still a mod i would change the thread name to "the last 40 albums that i took my pants off and danced around the living room with my life partner to"

edit: also mark ronson is awesome

[RPS]

I'll post the rest of these either tonight or tomorrow, with no write up and just the stats on the album and the best songs.

[RPS]

10. The Prodigy – Music For The Jilted Generation (1994)

The stats: a response to the growing fears and criminalization around raves; debutted at #1 in the UK and #198 in the US; ranked one of the best British albums of the last 50 year by Q Magazine.

The essential tracks: Their Law, Voodoo People, Full Throttle, Poison, No Good, One Love.

9. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver (2007)

The stats: debuted at #28 in the UK and #46 in the US; would be the basis for the Nike funded song, 45:33; created two top 100 hits in the UK.

The essential tracks: Get Innocuous, Time To Get Away, North American Scum, Someone Great, All My Friends, Watch The Tapes.

8. Prince – Purple Rain (1984)

The stats: Platinum over 13 times; 72nd on Rolling Stones greatest albums of all time; spawned 5 top 40 hits and two #1’s on the Dance Charts.

The essential tracks: Let’s Go Crazy, When Dove’s Cry, Take Me With U, Darling Nikki, Baby I’m A Star, Purple Rain.

7. Justin Timberlake – FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006)

The stats: 8.6 million copies sold worldwide; won four Grammy Awards, two of which were for best Dance Recording; six consecutive top twenty hits, three of which went #1.

The essential tracks: FutureSex/LoveSounds, My Love, Sexy Back, LoveStoned, What Goes Around..., Chop Me Up, Summer Love.

6. Daft Punk – Homework (1997)

The stats: one of the most influential recordings of the nineties; kick started a French wave of house music; sold over two million copies; sampled by Janet Jackson.

The essential tracks: Daftendirekt, Revolution 909, Da Funk, Phoenix, Rolling & Scratching, Around the World, Alive, Rock'n Roll.

5. The Human League – Dare (1980)

The stats: Triple platinum in the UK; groundbreaking use of new electronic instruments; remained in the UK Charts for 71 weeks.

The essential tracks: Don’t You Want Me, Love Action, The Sound Of The Crowd, Open Your Heart.

4. Various Artists – Saturday Night Fever (1977)

The stats: gone platinum fifteen times; Grammy for Album of the Year; brought Disco to the mainstream.

The essential tracks: Staying Alive, How Deep Is Your Love, Night Fever, Jive Talking, You Should Be Dancing, Boogie Shows, Salsation, Disco Inferno.

3. Madonna – American Life (2003)

The stats: considered a commercial and critical flop; eight top ten hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play Billboard Charts; led to Madonna being banned from radio airwaves.

The essential tracks: American Life, Hollywood, I'm So Stupid, Love Profusion, Intervention, Die Another Day, Nobody Knows Me, Mother And Father.

2. Daft Punk – Discovery (2001)

The stats: #2 in the UK and #44 in the US; 2.6 million copies sold worldwide; sampled by Kanye West & Wiley; created a movie, Interstella 5555, to accompany the film.

The essential tracks: One More Time, Aerodynamic, Digital Love, Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, Crescendolls, Superheroes, Something About Us, Face To Face.

1. Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982)

The stats: the biggest selling album of all time, seven top 10 hits in the U.S, won 7 Grammy's at the 1984 Grammys; the album spent 11 weeks at the #1 on the Dance/Club charts, sampled by Rihanna, N.W.A, The Prodigy, Public Enemy, among others; influenced pretty much everyone on the list who came after him.

The essential tracks: Wanna Be Starting Something, Baby Be Mine, Thriller, Beat It, Billie Jean, PYT (Pretty Young Thing).

Edited November 5, 2008 by PunkRockPete

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

10, 6 and 2 are great albums.

I don't think I can bring myself to comment on the other albums but that's why I've loved this list so much

[Liam]

10, 6 and 2 are great albums.

I don't think I can bring myself to comment on the other albums but that's why I've loved this list so much

LCD Soundsystem is awesome. Though whether top 10 is arguable.

[METALMAN]

Purple Rain and LCD Soundsytem. Not bad at all. I think Purple Rain is one of the best albums ever, never mind dance albums.

[JStarr]

Purple Rain and LCD Soundsytem. Not bad at all. I think Purple Rain is one of the best albums ever, never mind dance albums.

What he said, except it's odd to consider it in a dance context. Let's Go Crazy is a straight wave-the-lighter guitar anthem, as is Purple Rain. Baby I'm a Star, I Would Die 4 U, When Doves Cry, and Take Me With U are probably solid "dance" tracks, though. MAYBE When Doves Cry. However, for the REAL dance tracks from Purple Rain, get The Time's "Ice Cream Castles" album. Jungle Love and The Bird FTW.

Dez Dickerson's "Modernaire" and Apollonia 6's "Sex Shooter" were good, as well. Good luck finding them, though.

All in all, a solid list, Pete...except American Life. I think even Madonna would like to take that album out back and bury it.