John & Yoko End Our Holiday Countdown

All good things must come to an end. I truly hope you enjoyed the journey since Thanksgiving!

I wish we'd all wake up this morning and discover that war, indeed, is over. Peace is a real possibility.

Diplomacy ~ NOT bombs!

Billboard in Brief

Happy Labor Day to all my fellow Americans! Have a safe and happy three-day holiday weekend. Here's news from the Billboard Top 20, skipping through selectively, for the week ended September 7.

Kylie Minogue's "Skirt" is lifted to second place. Expect it to be next week's # 1. (Go, Kylie!) Pet Shop Boys' "Vocal" is # 3 and upwardly mobile. Yoko Ono's doing a good job "Walking on Thin Ice," now up at # 9. Expect her to skate ever higher with the new remixes of her '80s hit.

Lady Bunny sings "Take Me Up High" and the universe grants her request, landing her in the 18th spot while Cazwell and Luciana -- "Guess What?" -- are at #20.

Thanks and big kisses to my readers abroad, this week especially in France, Germany, U.K., Russia, Poland, Mexico. China, Italy, Brazil, Turkey, Mauritius and Romania.

Unite on the dancefloor! Dance music is about peace, acceptance and love!

Below, the video for the Wayne Numan remix of Lady Bunny's "Take Me Up High." Disco down y'all!

Dj Buddy B's Billboard News ~ week ending 8/24/13

Interesting developments on the Dance/Club music top-25 on Billboard (week ending August 24, 2013), especially at top and bottom where our focus will be today.

Cher's "A Woman's World," which peaked at #1 two weeks ago, holds steady in 10th place this outing. Kat DeLuna's "Stars" heavenly at #2; Kylie's "Skirt" swirling in third place. Plumb's "Need You Now" upwardly mobile at #5.

The great UK groups from the '80s, Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boy, have survived and even flourished through the ensuing decades and, may I add, they are as musically relevant today as they've ever been. At #7, "Soothe My Soul" by Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys at #8 with "Vocal," both tunes seeming to be headed upward still.

At #22, the 2013 remixes of the John Lennon-produced "Walking on Thin Ice" (another echo of the '80s), sung by Yoko Ono, are skating upward. Ms Ono turned 80 this past February. Disco divas are forever! Excellent remix work, especially by Dave Aude and Ralphi Rosario.

All hail Lady Bunny as she cracks the Top 25, in the 25th spot but upwardly mobile, with producer Wayne Numan's "Take Me Up High."

That's it for this week; we'll revisit next. To my friends and readers all over the world, it's all about love, peace and disco. Boycott the Russian Olympics! We love our gay Russian comrades. Unite on the dancefloor!

Billboard's Dance/Club Hits of August 10

For the Billboard magazine week ending August 10, Cher's new single (with remixes), "Woman's World," usurps the #1 spot on the Dance/Club chart, as anticipated! It's really Cher's world; we just live in it.

Inaya Day will "Make Some Noise" if she damn well pleases. The perennial house music diva is back, up at #4 with Dj Escape on that number.

Plumb's "Need You Now" is now nestled in the top ten at 10th place with Kylie close behind as "Skirt" shakes it way to #11.  And "Soothe My Soul," by the UK's very durable band over the decades, Depeche Mode, is up at #12 . UK's equally durable Pet Shop Boys this week find their "Vocal" in 14th place and rising.

Upwardly mobile, though currently much lower on the Club chart, are the new Lady Bunny song (who was a Lady long before Gaga), "Take Me Up High" by an unfunny, serious Bunny as house music diva; Yoko Ono's "Walking on Thin Ice" 2013 driven by top-notch remixes from Dave Aude and Ralphi Rosario; and the 2013 remixes of Sylvester's "Mighty Real."

Billboard Beefs Up

Finally, there's some hope on Billboard's dance-music horizon now that "A Woman's World" by Cher is in the #2 position for the club chart ending August 3. It's poised to top the chart next week.

The always remarkable Inaya Day and Dj Escape's "Make Some Noise," is a true floor-filler, up at 6th place this week, while Jennifer Lopez's "Live It Up" is down at #8. The JLo tune peaked in first place, and was at #5 last outing. Fading but still strong.

Ciara's "Body Party," also a previous #1 (last week, in fact), steeply fell to 11th place but it was nice to find the girl charting for the dancefloors again.

"Need You Now" by Christian Contemporary singer, Plumb (nee Tiffany Arbuckle Lee), features strong remixes by RedTop, WaWa and Dave Aude. It's upwardly mobile on the dance/club chart at #15, as is venerable Depeche Mode's "Save My Soul," now in the current 16th spot.

Kylie Minogue works her "Skirt" into the 17th spot, and she's always a welcome presence on the gay club scene, this being no exception.  In the 18th spot, we have Anton Clamaran's "This Is My Goodbye" featuring diva Fenja. It's a pop-friendly high-NRG, trancey number that will seduce you to the dancefloor. Unfortunately, it peaked on Billboard at #13 last week, so it's falling now. Still, it's recommended. (Radio edit posted below.)

Dance/ Soul music idol Chaka Khan's "It's Not Over" truly deserved to be a #1. It peaked at a respectable #7 and is now at  #20.

And "Vocal" by Pet Shop Boys just cracks the Top 25 this week in the 25th spot, but moving up for sure.

Meanwhile, bubbling up in the Top 50, Lady Bunny gets even higher (#43) with the fabulous, ascending "Take Me Up High." New, 2013 remixes of Yoko Ono's "Walking on Thin Ice" (#47) and Sylvester's perennial disco classic and gay anthem, "(You Make Me Feel) Mighty Real," is at #50, rounding out the chart.

Beaverhausen's Divas: Week in Focus

Happy Passover and Easter, everyone! Like Joan Rivers, I'm celebrating both Spring holidays by dying matzoh. And by looking back over this past week in divadom!

Yoko Ono, 80, continued her club diva reign as "Hold Me," redesigned by Dave Aude, rose to #3 on the Billboard Dance chart (and she appears to be upwardly mobile).  Crystal Waters' "Mama Say" (best club tune in months) is sitting pretty at #13, after claiming the #1 Dance/Club position two weeks ago. Meanwhile, Christina Aguilera's "Let There Be Love" nudged into the chart at #21, looking like it has legs fit for climbing.

Divas Mariah Carey and Lady Gaga had birthdays over the past week. And Ms Dionne Warwick is broke, owing the Feds USD$10 million! While most of us are envious because we wish we made enough to owe the IRS that kind of bread, Ms Warwick was at least able to become a tabloid darling, grabbing headlines once more.

Oh, la publicite! La publicite!

Cystal Waters, Yoko Ono, Tori Amos: Billboard Dance Divas

While the current Billboard dance chart leaves me cold in many ways, there are some gems amongst the dust. And I don't mean to be a Dj Buddy fuddy-duddy but I am having an affair with classic disco and, especially, the music of Bob Esty right now, reminding me how great dance music can be. The current crop of dance music, especially as seen on the Billboard Dance/Club chart, is a disappointment by any aesthetic comparison as far as I'm concerned.

If my finger on the pulse of the gay dance-music scene in NYC is any indicator, a nostalgic embrace of club music from the '70s through the '90s is what's currently happening. Clubs in the boroughs are regularly announcing revival nights with legendary divas for whom there are hardly any matches on today's dance-music scene. On July 12, there will be a major, open-air Tribute to Donna Summer concert, featuring Gloria Gaynor, The Village People, The Trammps and Rose Royce, on Coney Island. This is where the gay scene's currently at, not just for those who remember the day, but for the young who are rejecting the demeaned quality of today's dance music, frequently remixed radio-oriented songs. A quiet disco revolution is going on, take it from me.

Yet some divas spring eternal. Like the ever-essential Crystal Waters, who burst on the scene in the 1990s in a major way with the classic "Gypsy Woman." Her distinctive vocal stylings took the current "Oh Mama Hey"all the way to #1 in a mere eight weeks on the dance chart. (As I write this, Ms Waters is returning from performing in Moscow, stuck in Domodedova Airport with bad pizza and warm beer.) The Chris Cox/Dj Frankie-produced number is a catchy, tribal dance tune that sticks to your head with its fantastic chorus. Especially loving the original dance mix!

Yoko Ono is 80 and she has a new Billboard Dance/Club hit, "Hold Me," produced by Dave Aude. The avant-garde artist and peace and AIDS activist, became a house-music mama in the '90s. Mama hey, mama hi! However, she initially entered the dance-music arena in the 1970s when she recorded "Walking on Thin Ice."

"Hold Me" is currently on Billboard at #9, up from #13 in 6 weeks!

And Tori Amos' "Flavor," finally, is still charting at #12. It went to #1 weeks ago and has clung to Billboard's Dance/Club for 12 weeks total so far. Glory to Tori.

Big thanks, hugs and hellos to my readers in: China, Ukraine, Sweden, Iraq, Romania, Croatia, Belgium and Russia! Peace, love, happiness ... and Disco!

Below, the official video for "Oh, Mama Hey!" Radio-edit version.

Divas on Top: This Week on Billboard

Florence Welch

This week's Billboard Dance/Club chart is a bore, frankly, except for the top four spots, and then at the bottom.

Florence Welch (of Florence + The Machine) sits atop the #1 throne this week with the Calvin Harris dance track, "Sweet Nothing." Love this song! "Your Body," the Chistina Aguilera number is now number two with the probability of ascending to the top spot next week. Rihanna's "Diamonds" glitters at #3 assisted by great remix work from Liam Keegan, Alessio Silvestro and Sharaf Moran.

Yoko Ono is still going strong as a vital club diva. She will turn 80 this February! So, it is very exciting to see her chart so highly and so well with the remixes of her latest dancefloor hit, "I'm Movin' On." She certainly is. God bless the queen!

Lenny Kravitz cracks the top 25 in the 25th place with "Superlove." Oh, yeah! Nelly Furtado at #22 with her new "Parking Lot." And, at #21, Paloma Faith is "Picking Up the Pieces."

Calling out around the world! Are you ready for a brand-new beat? Thanks to all the hits over the week from Serbia, India, Spain and Japan! And to increased hits from my friends in France, Canada, the UK, Indonesia, Russia and the US of A!

The Ralphi Rosario radio edit remix of Yoko below:

Divas, Divas Everywhere

Heartthrob Adam Lambert, himself a diva in the best sense, will be hosting this year's "VH1 Divas" show on December 16th. While tributes to both Donna Summer and Whitney Houston are planned, Dj Buddy B is rather underwhelmed by the rather doggy diva line-up set to perform.. They include Ciara, Jordan Sparks, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Kelly Rowland.

Yours truly is underwhelmed by the week's Billboard Dance/Club chart, too. Can you dig that South Korean singer/rapper PSY is # 3 with the novelty dance floor number, "Gangnam Style." I'm multi-culti and all that; however, I'll sit that one out at the disco, thanks. And, hey, waiter, bring me a mai tai. What ever happened to the Macarena and Los del Rio? Oh, and did I mention Taryn Manning's "Send Me Your Love" is this week's #1? Better make that drink a double.

Meanwhile, can you believe Kristine W peaked at # 4 and dropped to 6th place this week with the fabulous "Everything That I Got"? Waiter, another drinky-poo, please.

Other diva faves are upwardly mobile, though. A toast to the week's 8th through 10th chart positions. Nothing's stopping Yoko Ono from moving on, I'm happy to announce, with "I'm Moving On," as she occupies the # 8 spot after climbing to # 10 last week. This week's 10th spot belongs to Christina Aguilera with remixes of her sprightly new number, "Your Body," Buddy boasts.

At the bottom of the top 25, things are settling rather than rising with one fine exception. The band Matchbox Twenty (not to be confused with Haircut 100) soars from 31st place to # 23 with "She's So Mean," on a slew of fab remixes. Song's off their album, released in September, North, which is exactly where their single's pointed at the moment. 

Beyonce's "I Was Here" is still here, dropped to # 22 without ever having cracked the top 10. It peaked at 13. Ouch! Pet Shop Boys' "Winner" peaked at 12, now at # 24. And Pink's "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" rests on the bottom rung, # 25, a steep drop from last week's 8th spot. But it did, in fact, peak at #1.

Mariah Carey's "Triumphant," also a recent numero uno, slowly deflates. Was # 11 when we last looked; now at # 13. And where would we be these days without a Rihanna song on the Club chart? She's the Greatest Gainer, having made it up from # 35 the previous week with "Diamonds," and taking over the 18th place this go-round, where she smacks into Ke$ha, currently # 17 with "Die Young." No cheap, tasteless comment from me here, folks!

So until next week's chart, keep dancing to your favorite club dj, to the radio, to the music videos at your gym or bar or both, and wherever you find the music that moves you. This week's dj kisses out to Belgium, Turkey and the Netherlands for your record views of my blog. Four more years of Obama to celebrate, everybody, so peace, love, disco, over and out!

Billboard Shake-Up

It was sad to see Kathy Griffin's fabulous "I'll Say It" drop off the top 25 Billboard Dance/Club Chart this go-round, but good to see Florence Welch (of "+ the Machine") ascend to #14 (from #20 last week) on vocals for "Sweet Nothing" by Calvin Harris. While I love listening to Harris' extended version, it offers no intro for mixing into a set. For that purpose, I recommend the Tiesto remix.

Christina Aguilera leaped into the top 25 in a major way when her quite catchy but undistinguished "Your Body" made it from last week's #26 song to the #16th. I'll refrain from any Greatest Gainer comments.

Mariah Carey's "Triumphant" is still solid at #11, having peaked at numero uno. X Factor's Melanie Amaro is rising right behind, at #12, with "Don't Fail Me Now." And, at #13, we have Beyonce, losing wind and nudging up just one spot from last week, with "I Was Here." Yeah, you was.

Pet Shop Boys peaked at #12 with "Winner" on the US chart, though Kristine W is up at #4 with the fantastic, Bimbo Jones-produced floor-filler, "Everything That I Got." Meanwhile, Yoko Ono is "Moving On" to the number 10th place.

Let me tell you, I could eat up every part of a guy like Cheyenne Jackson in a New York minute (pictured at top)! But who couldn't? Tall, dark, handsome and out (but married). The Conaire remix of the Broadway crooner's "Drive" crossed my desk recently.  Unfortunately, it doesn't quite gel for the dance floor. Good song, but not a good mix. Unlikely to peak on Billboard or end up in my mix.

More on the dance floor musique and some more Billboard club jive soon. Love ~~ Dj Buddy B!

Billboard's Diva Race

For those of you following the diva race on Billboard's dance chart, this week Mariah Carey snags the #1 spot, victorious with "Triumphant," probably her best club tune ever. I'd call her a "Winner," but that song, by Pet Shop Boys has currently reached the12th spot on the chart, upwardly mobile, and expected to get into the current Top 10.

Mariah's American Idol rival, Nicki Minaj, slides to seventh place with "Pound the Alarm" (exactly what I'd like to do when it goes off in the mornings). Last week's #1, "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)," by Pink, is back down at #5.

Kristine W's "Everything That I Got" makes a nice show this week at #8. Offering a fantastic production by Bimbo Jones and boasting several expert mixes, it'll have you up and dancing before its intro is done.

The perennial Yoko Ono, club diva at 79 years of age, leaps into the top 25 club hits, at #20, with "I'm Moving On." And we're glad she is. Love most of the remixes for this one.

And "I'll Say It" by Kathy Griffin cracks the top 25 this week as well! #24 with a bullet to the comedian/diva's remixed tv theme. I adore it!  Hear it at link.  http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2012/09/kathy-griffin-ill-sing-it.html

Thanks to all my blog readers! Love you guys (and gals) from Italy to Indonesia, Ukraine to United Kingdom, Russia to Rwanda. (Actually, I don't think I have any readers in Rwanda.) And, to my fellow Americans, I was psyched by this week's Presidential debate; hope you were, too.

Peace and happiness for all! ~~ Disco kisses xxx Dj Buddy B

Billboard Inferno

The Trammps' vocalist, baritone Jimmy Ellis, has passed away at the age of 74, it's been reported. Ellis is best known for belting out the 1976 disco smash hit, "Disco Inferno."

"Ellis' booming, joyous vocals brilliantly championed the celebratory fervor and atmosphere that made disco both loved and hated among music fans," Wikipedia states.

Other hits with The Trammps include "That's Where the Happy People Go" and "Hold Back the Night." "Disco Inferno" was included on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and has famously been covered by Tina Turner and by Cyndi Lauper.

Meanwhile, what can I say about a Billboard dance/club chart in which the #1 spot is occupied by a song entitled "F U Betta?" Perhaps that Madonna continues to spiral upward with "Give Me All Your Luvin'," now up four spots from last week, at #5, in a mere three weeks on the chart. At #6 is the now downwardly mobile Kelly Clarkson with a weaker "Stronger."

Blush's ebulliant girl-group sound seems to have exuded some charm as their "Dance On" is at #11, having peaked at #1, and tenaciously charting for a total of 14 weeks.

X-Factor's Melanie Amaro's house-styled rendition of Otis Redding's "Respect" may not make you forget Aretha, but it may make you want to dance. She's up at #12, one spot ahead of Beyonce's "Love on Top," also nudging its way to the top. Also moving higher, at #14, is Yoko Ono and "She Gets Down on Her Knees."

Plumb refuses to drop from the Top 20, snuggled in at #17, which is where the song was ensconced last week. And Erasure's "Be with You" gets a little bounce, up from its previous #21 spot, back to 20.

My Look at the Chart: This Week's Billboard Dance/Club Top 25

While Havana Brown featuring Pitbull captures the #1 position on this week's Billboard Dance/Club chart, "Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson drops to second place. (The less said about a song entitled "F U Betta" by Neon Hutch, the betta, I think. It's #3.)

Madonna cracks the top ten, up 14 spots from last week! "Give Me All Your Luvin'" makes a huge leap to #10, attributed to dj club play that reflects her strong promo of the song at Superbowl half-time. Our modern-day Joan Crawford once again reinvents herself to amazingly capture the pop-culture youth market.

Yoko Ono's "She Gets Down on Her Knees" gets up to the 18th position, from 22 last week. Won't be surprised if Ono makes it all the way to #1; she usually does. Talk about recapturing the youth market! Yoko just turned 79, bless her and her ever creative and irreverant wit.

After peaking at #7, Erasure's "Be with You" hangs in strongly at 21 after 12 weeks on the chart.

And "Love on Top" by Beyonce makes it into the Top 25 at #25. Expect it to peak at #1. Great remixes to push it there.

In the meantime, enjoy this dance-music video, set in a nursing home. (Ok, all you disco dinosaurs, prepare!) It's the always fabulous Crystal Waters doing a swing-goes-disco number (a'la the recent Gloria Estefan charter, "Hotel Nacional") with a serious Doctor Buzzard & His Savannah Band sound. Puppini Sisters, let's get with it!



Love it!

Charts: For Better or Worse Till Death Us Do Part

"What makes a pretentious album?" asks the UK's NME on-line magazine, academically, before it answers its own question. "A groan-inducing concept, lots of highfalutin waffle, and a ridiculous cover. If you’re lucky you get all three at once."

Lady Gaga's Born This Way tops NME's list of 10 albums that includes Terence Trent D'Arby's Neither Fish nor Flesh, Lou Reed & Metallica's Lulu and Peter Townshend's Psychoderelict.

"For a while Gaga was the most exciting pop star on the planet. Then on ‘Born This Way’ she seemed to believe in her own hype," NME says, "convinced that she had a message to share. Cue an album of unwieldy ‘anthems’ that couldn’t mask the fact the fun had left the building."

Well, I don't know who put a bug up NME's ass about Gaga but I feel her album doesn't belong on that list at all, never mind appearing as its #1 Most Pretentious album. Rather, I think bashing Born is a cynical attention-getter on a list that otherwise sports albums that have garnered public apathy and even scorn.

Today, Lady Gaga offered this great reply on Facebook: "Oh the irony of winning "Most Pretentious Album Ever" from none other than NME. *eyeroll* I might laugh forever + then return to narcissism."

But let's turn our attention briefly this week to another list: The Billboard Top 25 Dance/Club Play Songs chart. Kelly Clarkson forcefully takes over the #1 spot with "Stronger (Whatever Doesn't Kill You)" empowerment track, greatly abetted by her remixers; especially, in my mind, 7th Heaven. Last week's #1, the girl-group NRG number, "Dance On" by Blush, meanwhile drops to 9th place on a diva-challenged chart full of dross.

After securing the 7th spot last week, Erasure's "Be with You" drops to #13. However, Yoko Ono's back (always a good sign), bouncing into the Top 25 at #22 with her latest, "She Gets Down on Her Knees," which brings me then to Madonna.

"Give Me All Your Luvin'," prominently featured during Madonna's excellent Super Bowl half-time show, snags the 24th Billboard Dance/Club spot, hugely up from the 54th spot last week as it enters the Top 25 list.

Meanwhile, Cher just Tweeted she's touring in September. The Farewell Farewell Farewell Again Tour? (Where do I get my tickets?)

Until the next time, love, peace, happiness & disco to everyone, all over the world from Dj Buddy B!

Buddy B's Best Club Songs of 2011

2011 was a good year for dance music, showcasing some fine vocal talent and a slate of equally impressive remixers attached to their songs. The UK ruled with the 4-to-the-floor sound freshly reloaded by Bimbo Jones, Moto Blanco, Almighty, 7th Heaven and Digital Dog, to name a few. All are actually indebted, to one degree or another, to the classic Almighty style, while Almighty has stayed relevant by refreshing its formula and bringing in new remixer talent. This sound has enjoyed a true worldwide renaissance over the past few years, originating as the beat of classic disco and continuing as Europe's hiNRG sound. It's subversively re-uniting the world.

England's classic HiNRG producer/remixer Pete Hammond came back prominently this year, and American stalwarts like Tony Moran, Ralphi Rosario, Eddie Baez and Jonathan Peters held their ground in the brave new disco world before them.

Note my opinions are just that and, as such, highly subjective, but these are the songs that I enjoyed playing the most, and that inspired me to get up and dance and to party on down. Now, let's get to that list! Shall we?

My top-15 artists are in alphabetical order, starting with the ubiquitous Adele, who was felled only recently by throat surgery (from which I understand she's recovering quite nicely). Adele has had a few of her pop songs translated for the dance floor, both legitimately and not. Dance remixers did quite well by this talent regarding "Set Fire to the Rain," "Rolling in the Deep," and "Someone Like You" (my personal favorite, even if it didn't fare as well as the previous two).

Pattie Brooks is disco-diva royalty best known for her 1978 sensation, "After Dark." She garnered positive notice this year with "All About the Music." Pattie started her professional career in the chorus on The Smother Brothers Comedy Hour, and toured with people like Bobby Darin and Ann-Margret before signing as a solo artist for the Casablanca record label. "All About the Music" was mixed by a slew of remixers domestically, in England, and in Australia. It was originally produced by legend Paul Gianatos. An energetic tune that'll rouse you to the floor, it's nice to have Pattie back to dance to after dark. And nice to have Charo on the scene again, too, with the latter's "Sexy, Sexy."

"Sexy Sexy" showcases the Cuchi-Cuchi Queen in fine form, still with the laughable broken English (a put-on, surely, considering how long she's been speaking English) and camp lyrics. "Feel on me, dance on me, touch on me, creep on me," Charo emplores to a disco beat. Below, she performs the song (after her bawdy, knowingly self-depracating, drag queen-like patter, dubbing herself, "The Spanish Puta". "Viva La Puta!" one of the boys shouts back from the crowd). The show was filmed earlier this year at Splash, NYC. Charo is one hot mess, but an intentional one (I think)! And she's looking simply stunning, sweeties! Here's the video for your enjoyment (and wait till the posse of go-go boys arrives):


Two women who are always a pleasure to have back on the disco scene returned this year with top-notch numbers to showcase their voices: Deborah Cox, at the end of the calendar year with the Janice Robinson-penned, "If It Wasn't for Love," and Taylor Dayne, this past summer with "Floor on Fire." Two strong, solidly written and produced tracks for two great, distinctive deliveries.

The divas known as Erasure (Vince Clark and Andy Bell) made a wonderful and welcome comeback with "When I Start to Break It All Down" in the fall while Lady Gaga ruled dance floors with a new anthem. "Born This Way" had a great beat, positive and empowering lyrics you can dance to, and melodic structure that reminded many of Madonna's "Express Yourself." But that's not such a bad thing, is it? I mean, she could do worse in terms of a model to clone from. Call it an homage and it isn't a problem any more; call it plagiarism only if you care to be ugly about it. Recent remixes of "Marry the Night" (my favorite song off the album) also score big on this year-end tally.

Jennifer Holliday has been away from dance music for too long, so it's a warm welcome back to that belting voice as she re-emerges for the club crowd with "Magic." The Tony Moran-produced track from his album, Mix Magic Music is truly a stunner worthy of this great diva. Remixes have started to emerge in just the past month or so. It is a powerhouse club threat, and I am telling you I'm not going to have this off my turntables for some time!

While Laura LaRue has a current Billboard dance charter with "Un Deux Trois," her Gay Pride-timed hit, "San Francisco Is My Disco," made me smile... and dance, and won a place in my heart, and is consequently on this list as a dance fave of the year. Here's the original, non-remixed version, already designed for the clubs.

Two Martins make my chart for the year: Billie Ray and Ricky. Ms Martin (by which I mean Billie Ray) started as vocalist for the '90s electropop group, Electribe, then had her first international solo hit with "Lovin' Arms," famously remixed by Junior Vasquez in 1995. This German diva is freely inventive with a style I can only call "disco avant-garde," and when she gets it right, the results are amazing as in this year's "Sweet Suburban Disco."

"Deep grooves are overlaid with layers of sparse, cold, synths which are expertly counterpointed by Billie’s huge warm vocals and the best lyrical content we’ve heard in dance music for a while," raved electronicrumors.com. Just keep 'em comin', honey! Love ya!

Martin, Ricky, on the other hand, had a hit on the Billboard Dance chart with "Freak of Nature" (originally entitled "Mas"), going all the way to #7, propelled by the brilliant Ralphi Rosario remix. This really was one of the very best dance songs of the year, and I was championing it since back in the spring (check my blog archive for evidence). (It shoulda gone to #1, I tell ya!) Try not to dance when you put this on. Muy caliente!

Michele McCain, whose dynamic vocals are like a cross between Loleatta Holloway and Izora Whitehead, has never gone beyond cult status, unfortunately, despite a history of well-produced but definitely diva-driven club numbers. This year's "Make a Friend" made a friend of me and was easily one of my faves.

Kylie Minogue's "Put Your Hands Up" charted on Billboard's 2011 top-50 dance listing, ascending to #1, and certainly was adored by moi! Viva La Minogue! And Viva La Ono, as Yoko, at 88 years of age, scored not one, but two Billboard dance charters for the year: the brilliant "Move on Fast" and the even better "Talking to the Universe." She's the new Betty White, people, so look out! (Betty's duet with Luciana, "I'm Still Hot" was a fun dance track, even if it fell short of my fave list.)

And, rounding out my list is Kristine W. This girl has really lasted, thank God, and what a shame it is her name isn't a household word.

She's been a beacon in the world of dance music since the 1990s; one of the most reliably stalwart vocalists, and a great lyricist to boot, frequently taking dance music to a level of human emotion and thoughtfulness consistently paralleled only, perhaps, by the Pet Shop Boys.

So, there you have it, my favorite club songs of the year and the 15 artists who lifted me to new levels of pure joy throughout the four seasons. Wishing everyone a happy New Year, and even bigger and brighter diva-fueled hits for the 2012 dance floor.

Katy Perry Vs. Lady Gaga on the Year-End 2011 Dance/Club Billboard Charts

Well, I was certainly surprised, disappointed, occasionally impressed but certainly not blase about the results of Billboard's annual wrap-up of the dance/club charts for the year 2011.

It was Katy Perry who held the #1 spot on the Dance/ Club Play list with "E.T." Did you say, "Really?" That's what I said! Katy was also in the #6 spot, singing about girls gone wild ("Last Friday Night"), which I'm sure was a fave at sorority parties everywhere but not something I'd care to hear at a club particularly. The best song from the Teenage Dream album is "Firework," in my opinion, charting on the Club Play list at 19. This derivative but infectious ditty surprisingly was not mashed up with Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors," with which it shares a common theme, the way Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" was mashed with Madonna's "Express Yourself," with which it shares a melodic structure.

A little incidental trivia: Did you know Katy is the great-niece of director Frank Perry, the director of "Mommie Dearest?" (Perhaps we should start playing Six Degrees of Mommie Dearest.)

Second place sees Rihanna all settled in with the "whips and chains" of "S&M," a little bracing coming from a victim of date violence. Exploit much and possibly not a well woman at large here, though very pretty when her face isn't battered by Chris Brown.

Kylie nicely sits atop both the tenth and eleventh spots. The big surprise here is that "Put Your Hands Up" is the 11th spot and "Better Than Today" is one entry up at #10.

Cher's back on the annual Billboard dance hits list with "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me." Dance remixes (notably by Almighty) lifted this one upward on Billboard from the soundtrack of Burlesque. Always a good year when Cher charts for the dance floor.

The shocker on this chart is the fact that Lady Gaga's biggest hit on it is #23, and that's the anthemic "Born This Way," which I thought received endless club play earlier this year. So, excuse me here, but "E.T." phoning home at #1 and "Born This Way" at 23? Doesn't add up! I'd love to see a breakdown of gay club play vs straight club play because results might be quite different, I think. God, I miss the old DMA (Dance Music Authority) magazine!

But Gaga has four hits on the 2011 top 50 whereas Perry has three. Our Lady of Gaga also charts at 37 with "The Edge of Glory;" 41 with "Judas" and 45 with "You & I."

On the Dance/Electronic Albums chart, however, Gaga rules. Born This Way is #1 on that list and The Fame album is #3.

The Fame Monster is #8, while The Remix -- just recently released -- is #9. Ranking four out of the top 10? A simply dazzling feat for any artist.

Ultimately, on the Dance/Club Artists chart, Billboard has Miss Perry in the numero uno spot and La Gaga at numero dos.

Other gay-favorite divas who charted are: Jennifer Lopez with "On the Floor," "I'm Into You" and "Papi" (numbers 15, 16 and 18, respectively); Wynter Gordon's "Til Death" made #20; ageless wonder Yoko Ono came in at nos. 21 and 28 with "Move On Fast" and "Talking to the Universe," respectively. Erika Jayne is in the 22nd spot with "One Hot Pleasure" as the always divine Kritine W charts a respectable 23 with this year's "Fade." Gloria Estefan's "Wepa" is #38, which is nice considering it was released in the fall and tallied alot of play in a relatively short period. The ubiquitous Betty White and Luciana got their "I'm Still Hot" hot enough to be this year's number 48 dance/club hit. You got it goin' on, Perfect Betty!

But it's our Britney who's kind of bottom-heavy on the Dance/Club list this year.

Though "Til the World Ends" did a smashing #17 on this year's round-up, Britney holds the numbers 34 and 39 places down with "Hold It Against Me" followed with "I Wanna Go."

For any of the above-mentioned full chart listings, go to Billboard.com.

US Billboard & Diva Tweets

I love dancing. I think it's better to dance than to march through life. So tweeted Yoko Ono yesterday, and chances are, if you're reading Leave It to Beaverhausen, you love dancing too. So, let's see what's up on the Billboard club music top 25.

How Jennifer Lopez captured the numero uno dance/club spot this week is a mystery. I just don't get "Papi," a mediocre number with a hot title that had me expecting something more exciting. The remixes can only do so much and, number one or not, this JLo tune will not be on my turntables unless by gunpoint.

Selena Gomez' "Love You Like a Love Song" is so infectious that it's positively going viral. And why not? The pop tune has several keen dance mixes to choose from. My fave is the Dj Escape/Tony Collucio remix. "Love You" soared from #24 to #17 this week.

While Lady Gaga fell from grace as last week's #1 ("You & I"), she's at #5 after 7 strong weeks of charting. Taylor Dayne's "Floor on Fire" nudges up from #8 to #7, maybe running out of steam but certainly respectably nestled into the top ten.

The 22nd, 23rd and 24th positions this week are of interest. Kathy Sledge peaked at #20 with "Give Yourself Up", slid to #21 and now she's clawing on to #22. Tenacity! And a good dance number that deserved even better.

Beyonce's "Countdown" counts up from 35th position last week to #23 in a strong show for a solid song that oughtta keep dance floors packed at peak. And the divine Adele shimmies up to #24 from #29 with "Someone Like You," the remixes in the wake of the song's storming up the US pop chart.

By the way, Bette Midler's recent tweet? Justin Bieber has a scent? That's hilarious. It should be called "Someday I'm gonna Shave"....

And now I'm Following Ruth Buzzi! Till next time, keep dancing, keep loving, keep the peace & Occupy Wall Street.

Comeback, Little Divas

I was at the airport this afternoon, returning to New York on the very day my brother was picking up Mom's ashes from the funeral home. Our mother, whom we both love dearly and who loved us back unconditionally, may now be gone from our physical world, yet we sense her presence and serendipitously find messages from her in unlikely places.

Starting my first draft for this post as I waited for a connecting flight, I decided to look up Yoko Ono's age as it was my intent to post about diva comebacks currently on the US Billboard dance chart. Yoko recently went straight to number one on the "Club Play" list with "Talking to the Universe," and she is a prime example of an artist scoring a success in what's commonly thought to be a youth market.

It turns out that Yoko shares the same birthday as my mother! I was stunned by the improbable likelihood of this fact and by the timing of my discovery. Both were born on February 18, only three years apart. There are no coincidences, so I think the Universe is now talking to me!

But I want to move on to the diva comeback business. Let's start with Taylor Dayne, who has successfully recaptured Billboard's dance music chart, soaring from #21 to #16 this week with "Floor on Fire." I've mentioned this exciting, upbeat nouveux-disco tune before and it's got "international hit" written all over it. The one-time Leslie Wunderman from New York City is a vocal Wonderwoman who has topped the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart three times, lastly with the 2008 song "Beautiful." Best known for her dance-pop debut, "Tell It to My Heart" in 1987, 49-year-old Taylor last attempted to conquer the disco world with "Facing a Miracle", the official theme song to the 2010 Gay Games. Dayne performed that song to an audience of 50,000 fans on July 31, 2010 in Cologne, Germany. It failed to hit the top of the US club chart, however. But it's a new year, new song, new groove and welcome back, diva Dayne!

Gloria Estefan is this week's Billboard dance queen, sitting pretty with her newest single, "Wepa." Ralphi Rosario works it best in the remixing and it certainly is the best thing she's done in years, robust and moving, deserving of nailing that #1 spot.

And then there's Kathy Sledge of -- oh, yes! -- Sister Sledge. She is family, even without all her sisters with she! This is Kathy's big comeback, though her solo outings have fared well before with Billboard, especially "Take Me Back To Love Again," which hit #1 in 1992. Her new track is called "Give Yourself Up" on Universal, featuring Adam Barta, and produced by Mike Rizzo and Mr. Mig. It could be a big anthem for the fall, so keep your eyes (and ears) on it. Again, a sound poised for success, appealing to global tastes.

It's such a nice feeling to embrace old friends. Some voices we never tire of. We could dance to some of them forever, given the right material. But nothing is forever, unfortunately. Or is it?

Mom, I got your message today. Love you back.

Eye Candy

"What book is Dj Buddy B reading now?" If this, possibly, is a question on your minds that you've been afraid to ask, fortuitously it's one I'm prepared to answer.

As my friends know, I love trashy celeb bios. The more salacious and scandal-infested, the better. Gone, virtually, is the high-minded literature of my days as an English major as I make my way through a morass of purple prose. It was my doctor (Frank Spinelli, author of the very well-received The Advocate Guide to Gay Men's Health and Wellness) who recommended Not the Girl Next Door by Charlotte Chandler, catering to my rather unhealthy and not-quite-well, I'm certain, pre-occupation with all things Joan Crawford. (I recently purchased a "Joan Crawford: America's Sweetheart" button off ebay if that clues you in to my obsession!)

While a breezy, well-written recount of the star's life, NtGND unfortunately comes a cropper (as Judith Crist used to say) when it comes to airing dirty laundry, something I steadfastly demand. (I have standards after all!) In fact, the bio is gushingly protective of JC, quoting from Ms Chandler's first-hand interviews with Crawford and taking Joan's often phoney, image-perpetuating spins on her life unquestioningly at face value. It's a virtual sin, as far as I'm concerned, for which there is no penance. According to this account, Joan arrived in Hollywood as a pillar of moral virtue without a silent blue movie or casting couch in sight!

The book, still being read, languishes on my night stand near my bed while, on the little, goldfish-patterned table, sits the magnificently large, "coffee table"-formatted DISCO: The Music/ The Times/ The Era by Johnny Morgan, published by Sterling (NY/London/Canada). The book is lavishly illustrated with amazing, drop-dead-gorgeous photos of legendary disco divas like Labelle (Patti, Nona & Sarah), Gloria Gaynor (who wrote the foreward) and Donna Summer (posing with the author in '78). This book was recommended to me by my friend, Steven Spiro, owner of Rainbows & Triangles on 8th Avenue in NYC (19th/20th Sts.), which is where fellow New Yorkers can snap it up. Otherwise, check out Amazon or order through your bookstore. (R&T has a large book section catering to the gay community; so, if visiting New York, stop in and peruse it along with the dance-music cd section.)

The book is a true treasure and Mr Morgan is a genius on the subject of disco music; his knowledge is encyclopedic. DISCO is nothing less than an absolutely definitive story of the rise and fall of an era beginning with its start in the go-go clubs of the 1960s (London's Ad Lib Club, New York's Peppermint Lounge) from the music's Soul and Girl Group origins. This isn't the kind of book you can Kindle. Largely because of the photos and design, you really have to experience it in book form.

From the marketing notes on the back of its jacket: "These are the stories of excess, success and duress; myths are exploded and dance steps decoded. Every night was a party. And you can relive it here." In this instance, believe the hype. Brilliant! I love this book and highly recommend it!

Gloria Gaynor writes beautifully, in her foreward, of the infamous 1979 Disco Demolition Night in Comiskey Park: "[I]f these people hated disco, why did they have disco records to begin with?" Good point! Go, Glo! And she does goes on: "I happen to know that disco has never died though;... It has simply changed to protect the innocent."

ps: On the current dance music front, as I predicted back in May, Ricky Martin's "Freak of Nature" is on the rise to number 13 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, after 4 weeks, up from #21 last week. It is included on my Gay Pride 2011 promo. Kylie Minogue's "Put Your Hands Up" is at #16, strongly after only 3 weeks. It can be found on my "Fagtastic" cd, still popular since distributed for dj-promo-purposes-only in April. Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" holds on at #48 after 16 weeks with Lady Gaga's "Judas" at #30 after 11 (both on the Pride '11 promo). Beth Ditto's "I Wrote the Book" (on my recent "Fire Island House Party" promo) is now at #26 with Gaga's "Edge of Glory" up at 8 (on same promo). And Yoko Ono bursts onto the scene once more with her current "Talking to the Universe". And she was actually at Peppermint Lounge!

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who has viewed my blog thus far, I hope you enjoy my posts or promos, and a special thanks to viewers in Thailand, the Ukraine, India and Iran. (I do check my stats, you know!) Dance music pulls us together. Make love, not war or, as I always say: Why fight? Dance! Fuck Disco Demolition Night and all the haters of the world!

Love, peace, happiness and disco! :)