Record Mirror Disco Charts

Mike Atkinson
  • 5.0 (2)
  • MUSIC COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

Greg Wilson, Mike Atkinson and a special guest discuss a randomly selected Record Mirror Disco Top 20, from any week between 1975 and 1989. 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 been published in book form as James Hamilton’s Disco Pages 1975-1982 and James Hamilton's Dance Pages 1983-1989. 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.

  1. 8th January 1983, with Colin Curtis

    MAR 31

    8th January 1983, with Colin Curtis

    Colin Curtis joins Greg WIlson and Mike Atkinson for a countdown of the first Disco Top 20 of 1983: a time when electro-funk was in the ascendant, and even long-established soul/funk acts were incorporating electronic elements. Scratching was this month's new thing; jazz-funk was on the wane, club hits weren't always guaranteed pop crossover hits, a superstar's follow-up was briefly struggling, and a couple of formative underground classics from the 1970s were being repurposed to new audiences. In the vanguard as ever, as he had been since starting his career in 1967, Colin was breaking new tunes at places like Manchester Ritz, Birmingham Powerhouse and Nottingham Rock Citty, and embracing the changes as eagerly as he had done at Blackpool Mecca with Ian Levine, before pivoting to jazz dance, electro and eventually early Chicago house. Always a tastemaker and never a follower, he casts an expert eye on a chart that reflects an ever-changing scene, at a particularly transitional time. 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 (YouTube) Further reading: * James Hamilton's Dance Pages 1983-1989 (800 page hardback book) * 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.

    2h 6m
  2. 4th October 1986, with Graeme Park

    FEB 26

    4th October 1986, with Graeme Park

    Graeme Park joins Greg Wilson and Mike Atkinson for a look at the dance music of October 1986: a time when Graeme was the resident weekend DJ at The Garage in Nottingham, blending Chicago house with hip hop, soul/funk and Washington DC go go. Listed in James Hamilton's columns as the first British DJ to routinely feature house music in his sets, Graeme provides us with expert guidance through this eclectic era, with stories to tell and memories to share. 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 (YouTube) Further reading: * James Hamilton's Dance Pages 1983-1989 (800 page hardback book) * 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.

    2h 49m
  3. 10th September 1988, with Lisa Loud

    JAN 29

    10th September 1988, with Lisa Loud

    Having spent all of summer 1987 in Ibiza, dancing to Alfredo at Amnesia and experiencing an epiphany, Lisa Loud returned to London with a new-found determination to break into the music industry. By the time of this chart, she was DJ-ing at major venues and working in promotions for Virgin Records, where she was responsible for breaking acts such as Neneh Cherry, Massive Attack, Soul II Soul, and the act at Number One on this particular Club Chart. While the first wave of acid house was reaching its peak, Lisa was also travelling around the UK, delivering acetates to tastemaker DJs and generally "having the time of my life". Joining Greg Wilson and Mike Atkinson for our first episode based on the second volume of James Hamilton's columns, Lisa guides us through a pivotal time for UK club culture, where acid house, hip hop, soul, funk and Balearic beats intermingled, and sampling was rife, as yet unburdened by copyright concerns. 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 (YouTube) Further reading: * James Hamilton's Dance Pages 1983-1989 (800 page hardback book) * 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.

    2h 47m
  4. 26th May 1979, with Bill Brewster

    12/30/2025

    26th May 1979, with Bill Brewster

    Bill Brewster – DJ, writer, music consultant and dance music historian – joins Greg Wilson and Mike Atkinson for a look at the Record Mirror Disco Chart of 26th May 1979. 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) * James Hamilton at Gullivers, 18 August 1979 Further reading: * James Hamilton's Disco Pages 1975-1982 (550 page hardback book) * James Hamilton's Dance Pages 1983-1989 (800 page hardback book) * Bill Brewster on Patreon Mike also hosts the podcast Which Decade Is Tops For Pops? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 37m
  5. 12th April 1980, with John Morales

    11/28/2025

    12th April 1980, with John Morales

    John Morales - remixer, producer, DJ, and best known in the 1980s for his M&M mixes with the late Sergio Munzibai - joins Greg Wilson and Mike Atkinson for a look at the Record Mirror Disco Chart of 12th April 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 (550 page hardback book) Coming soon: James Hamilton's Dance Pages 1983-1989 (800 page hardback book) Mike also hosts the podcast Which Decade Is Tops For Pops? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    2h 26m
  6. 17th July 1976, with Peter Hook

    10/31/2025

    17th July 1976, with Peter Hook

    Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order, The Light) joins Greg Wilson and Mike Atkinson for a countdown of a Record Mirror Disco Top 20 from the fabled long hot summer of 1976. As the country sweltered, Peter was finding his true path, having witnessed the Sex Pistols at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall a month earlier. Meanwhile, this chart mixes pop and rock crossover hits with disco classics, funk tracks, three slowies and a couple of obscurities. But can we persuade Greg to bring back the “erection section”? The campaign starts here… 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 (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.

    2h 7m
  7. 8th May 1982, with Arthur Baker

    09/29/2025

    8th May 1982, with Arthur Baker

    For our second visit to 1982, Greg Wilson and Mike Atkinson are joined by Arthur Baker: producer, remixer, songwriter, DJ, and one of the prime architects of electro-funk (Planet Rock, Walking On Sunshine, Play At Your Own Risk, Confusion, IOU etc). In this Top 20 countdown, we can see these electronic elements starting to emerge, with some well-established funk acts already embracing the changes. Elsewhere, jazz-funk and Britfunk rub shoulders with pop crossovers, in a typically diverse snapshot of the times. Along the way, Arthur shares memories of the Paradise Garage, Better Days, a pre-fame Madonna, and collaborations with Tee Scott, Leee John, New Order and many more key figures 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. Further reading: James Hamilton's Disco Pages 1975-1982 (550 page hardback book)Greg Wilson's interview with Arthur Baker (2022)Arthur Baker: Looking For The Perfect Beat (Faber, 2025)Mike also hosts the podcast Which Decade Is Tops For Pops? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 55m
  8. 25th April 1981 Futurist/Electro-Disco, with DJ Paulette

    08/28/2025

    25th April 1981 Futurist/Electro-Disco, with DJ Paulette

    DJ Paulette joins Greg Wilson and Mike Atkinson for a detailed look at the last of James Hamilton's short-lived Futurist/Electro-Disco charts, from April 1981. Not only an award-winning DJ, but also a writer and broadcaster, Paulette's earliest clubbing roots lie within the Futurist/New Romantic scene, in which she was an active and enthusiastic participant. This gives her a unique personal insight into an era when electronics, fashion and politics combined in radical new ways, and when our future fascinated us more than our past. To accompany our discussion, 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) Further reading 1) Welcome To the Club: The Life and Lessons of a Black Woman DJ (DJ Paulette, 2024) Further reading 2) 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.

    2h 25m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Greg Wilson, Mike Atkinson and a special guest discuss a randomly selected Record Mirror Disco Top 20, from any week between 1975 and 1989. 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 been published in book form as James Hamilton’s Disco Pages 1975-1982 and James Hamilton's Dance Pages 1983-1989. 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.

Information

  • Creator
    Mike Atkinson
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Mike Atkinson
  • Show Website
    Record Mirror Disco Charts

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