Beautiful Together: The Billboard Club Chart & Dj Buddy Beaverhausen

Interestingly, this week, I'm in the middle of reading And Party Every Day: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records, a juicy tell-all by Larry Harris, the label's co-founder. In the book's prologue, the author writes of an altercation he had with the Billboard charts department in 1978, essentially involving payola. Is that all in the past now? And how honest or reliable is the Billboard dance chart today? We can only ponder that as we view their latest run-down.

Erika Jayne's "Party People" (and a few good remixers) lift her to numero uno on the latest Billboard dance/club chart, on the up-and-up, I'm sure, as it's very strong club material. Katy Perry drops to #2 with "The One That Got Away," bumping into Lady Gaga, ascendant to 3rd place with "Marry the Night," jumping from the 7th spot. These two divas are on a nexus like Joan Crawford and Bette Davis in their heyday; I actually think of them, sometimes, as Katy Gaga and Lady Perry!

Traci Lords' "Last Drag" has possibly peaked as she stalls at #4. But that's a nice niche to be in. "If It Wasn't For Love," Deborah Cox doing the Janice Robinson-penned number, deservedly keeps moving up up up, from #10 to #7. Gotta have hot Cox on the floor.

"Hotel Nacional" swings its way to #8, via Gloria Estefan, with its Dr Buzzard & the Savannah Band-like sound that really works, and Florence & the Machine round out the top 10 with the excellent "Shake It Out."

Tamara Wallace still flying higher with Rosabel on "Let Me Be Myself," glorious club stuff that's leaped to the 12th position from last week's #17. Nice to see Sweden's Gravitonas at #18, up from #21 with the great "Everybody Dance." (And everybody will when they hear this tune in the clubs.)

Lastly, as we get to the bottom of the top 25, the duet between Ultra Nate and Michelle Williams (of Destiny's Child) nudges up one spot. Disappoints the hell out of me cuz it's powerhouse, amazing vocalizing and production. Not enough payola here, or what's the damned problem? And LeAnn Rimes sinks drastically to #23 from last week's #14, after peaking at #11; just short of making her way into the top ten.

All right, all you groovy blog readers, keep dancin' the world round! Peace, love & out (for now)! ~~ Buddy B

Billboard USA's Club Chart, December 8, 2011

Beyonce's "Countdown" stalled, in this week's Billboard dance countdown, in the #2 position as Enrique Iglesias, featuring Pitbull & the WAVs, snatches the numero uno spot away from her ascendency to the top of the heap. Anjulie's "Brand New Bitch" is up at 3 followed by "Buy My Love" by the always-of-interest vocalist, Wynter Gordon, at 4.

The rest of this week's Billboard Top 25 Dance/Club Songs chart shows promise. Traci Lords scores a new hit as she makes rapid progress in six weeks of release with "Last Drag." This is not the first time at the rodeo for the ex-underage-porn star (hey, ya gotta start somewhere). In 1995, she scored big on the music scene with the house-music track, "Fallen Angel," which went to #2 on Billboard that year. Well, praise the Lords, she's back at it with a fresh new number to have us all in a twirl!

Right behind her is recent club fave Erika Jayne with "Party People." Ms Jayne has a number of hits under her garder belt, most notably "Rollercoaster" and (my fave) "Pretty Mess." Check her out online at www.erikajayne.com.

"Give," by LeAnn Rimes, reaches #17. Favorite mix for this one? The Almighty remix, of course. "Whenever," by Zarkana, is on my latest cd-r dj club promo ("Fagtastic Too"). Zarkana is a show by Cirque du Soleil, from which this is based, and it features both male and female vocals in a driving house production that'll make you shake your money-makers. You'll want the extended Ralphi Rosario remix, trust me. The song broke into the Top 25 at 22, jumping from 27 last week.

Laura LaRue, so entertaining around Pride time with "San Francisco Is My Disco," returns with the new "Un Deux Trois" (#23) and the fabulous Rosabel with Tamara Wallace round out the chart at #25 with "Let Me Be Myself" (hey, didn't Leslie Gore sing that line?), up all the way from 37 last week. So check out these artists and support them by legally downloading the songs that make you move.

Till next my chart chat, enjoy the music, come together. Love, peace, happiness, out!