Exploring acts who hit it big on the dancefloor, moved on, heard crickets and then came back. Chic factors strongly at the get-go, and the Pet Shop Boys bring up the rear. The Village People asked to return to Big Apple dancefloors after they disastrously went New Romantic, Johnny Mathis went missing (his exquisite 1980 Chic-produced album was inexplicably shelved for nearly four decades!), and Sly Stone went crazy, so some jocks tried to kick him up to remix relevance with mixed results. I only recently heard Cory Daye’s attempt to recapture that Cherchez La Femme magic on a stand-alone 12" that was missing from her ’80s comeback album—odd considering it was leagues better than anything that was on it. Their rawkist fans turned up their noses when Queen “went disco” on Hot Space; it didn’t stop them from returning to the style for the standout track on the Freddie-sings-from-the-grave exploitation album Made in Heaven. Beat Well Done is from Mavis Staples’ work with Aretha Franklin’s sister Carolyn, work that Mavis—and no one else—considers some of her best. Motown brought in Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards to goose up Diana Ross’ post–disco success career. Miss Ross wasn’t happy with the mixes they handed in, so she had Motown’s in-house mixers push her performances to the fore. Upside Down was a massive hit; the version here is the original Chic Organization mix that is heavier on the Chic than it is the Ross, especially at the end. As for Club Bowie, there’s not much info out there on this full Bollywood gonzo rethink of Let’s Dance. Must say that as a dancefloor delight, I prefer it to the original. Namaste!

High—Chic ’91 ℘ French Kissin’ in the USA—Debbie Harry ’86 ℘ Take Me—Johnny Mathis ’82 ℘ Upside Down—Diana Ross ’80 ℘ Stand!—Sly Stone ’79 ℘ Let’s Dance—Club Bowie ’03 ℘ City Nights/Manhattan Cafés—Cory Daye ’82 ℘ Beat Well Done—Mavis Staples ’84 ℘ Carry On—Giorgio Moroder featuring Donna Summer ’92 ℘ New York City—Village People ’85 ℘ You Don’t Fool Me—Queen ’95 ℘ Computer Love—Kraftwerk ’91 ℘ In Private—Dusty Springfield ’89 ℘ Confidential—Tina Turner ’96 ℘ I Want You Now—Liza Minnelli ’89