From 1974 to 1978, a bunch of music rebels (some who could barely play) gathered in the Bowery in New York City to pump life into a disco-overloaded music scene. The place was CBGB. The rebels were the punks that saved music. And check out the film CBGB (from 2013). Here's a playlist from the bands that set the club on fire.
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We lost so many great artists this year. Here is a comprehensive playlist to the ones who left us during 2016. RIP
Party like it's 1969 with this great mix of rediscovered 60's soul music. This playlist sounds as good today as it did 50 years ago.
A look back at those we lost this year. This playlist honors the musicians and artists who passed away during 2015, including B.B. King, Ben E. King, Percy Sledge, Allen Toussaint and many others.
Here is the definitive list, in order, of every year-end top ten song in the US for each year from 1951 to the present according to the Billboard Hot 100. This is a great history of popular music.
Where songs were not available in the Spotify library (like the Beatles) I inserted an alternate version of the song (with varying degrees of success). 
The Date: 14 February 1980
The Place: The Copacabana, NYC The Event: Just 10 days after the closing of Studio 54, the city's most iconic and infamous nightclub, the revelers moved the party to E. 60th Street to another iconic and infamous location: The Copacabana. The Guests: Transplants from Studio 54 looking to keep the debauchery of the disco scene alive and Copa regulars who weren't always so happy with the influx of of former Studio 54 devotees. The Scene: The Copa had multiple levels of dancing, including a disco in the basement level with a huge DJ booth and dance and concert rooms upstairs. It was a wild party wherever you turned. The DJ's: Over the years, the deejays included Pete Denis, Tony Gio, Luis 'El Flaco" Orellana and many others. While the setlists varied, the music often had a Latin and international feeling. The Playlist: 
Yet another in our “Instant Expert” series of playlists with '80s Dance.
We've combed through our crates to bring you a selection of songs that will allow you to impress even the most knowledgeable '80s dance music devotees with this mix of great songs. Talk the talk to sound like an expert: "Did you know that The Cure's Robert Smith was once a member of Siouxie and the Banshees?" "Eddie Van Halen plays the guitar solo in Michael Jackson's "Beat It."" "Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax" was the biggest single in the UK of the '80s." And now you're an expert! 
Here's another in our “Instant Expert” series of playlists with "'70s Soul."
We dug through our crates and combed the web to bring you a selection of songs that will allow you to impress even the most knowledgeable '70s soul music devotees with this mix of great songs. Talk the talk to sound like an expert: "Many people claim that the sound of soul music in the '70s was one of the first and most visible successes of the U.S. civil rights movement." "Stevie Wonder wrote, produced and arranged the song Superstition. He also sang and played drums, keyboards and the clavinet on the song." "If you listen carefully to the song "Got to Give it Up" by Marvin Gaye, you will hear him greet Don Cornelius, the famed host of "Soul Train" by shouting out "Say Don! Hey Man. I didn't know you was in here." And now you're an expert! 
Each year we bring you a mix of the artists that passed away during the year. This comprehensive playlist crosses virtually every genre with artists from around the world. Sadly, this year's list includes Joe Cocker, Pete Seeger, Jimmy Ruffin, Bobby Womack, Jack Bruce, Johnny Winter, Jimmy Scott, Horace Silver, John Holt, Robin Williams and many more.
Raise a farewell toast to these great and talented people. 
Less than three years after Bianca Jagger celebrated her birthday just days after the club's opening in 1977 (see The Night That Changed Everything Post below), Studio 54 was shuttering its doors after a wild ride hosting New York City's elite. The closing party at Studio 54 came to be known as "The End of Modern-Day Gomorrah."
The Date: 4 February 1980 The Place: Studio 54, NYC The Event: The original closing night of Studio 54 and the party called "The End of Modern-Day Gomorrah" The Guests: Diana Ross, Sylvester Stallone, Jack Nicholson, Richard Gere, Ryan O'Neal, Reggie Jackson, Mariel Hemingway and more. The Scene: The disco era was ending as the musical landscape welcomed the grittier punk and new wave scenes. Studio 54, the epicenter of disco, closed with one final party called "The End of Modern-day Gomorrah". An A-List of stars gathered and packed the dance floor one last time. Soon the club's owners (Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell) would be imprisoned for tax evasion.Shortly after the nightclub's closing, cocaine and money were found in its walls. For one last night however, Studio 54 was the place to be. Imagine the scene, as the night grew longer and the music played on and on. By the time Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" dropped, the dance floor was packed and the party had started. Listen to the playlist here: The End of Modern-Day Gomorrah |