The Best Dance Album In The World... Ever!

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I think this was the first one I bought on release (or rather had it bought for me). I would have been 12 years old and heavily into music at this point. Whilst it's not one of my favourites out of the series, it does rank highly with me as this was, quite literally, everything that was being played on the radio that I was lapping up!

CD2 is a bit all over the place at the start. Dance music goes out the window in favour yet again of RnB and Rap. Not all bad, but still a bit of a curveball, stay on target!

Step By Step. Produced at Peak Top Studios, D'dorf, Germany. ℗ 1999 Multiply Records. Licensed courtesy of Multiply Records. Jessica Michael Music (ASCAP)/Wamdue Music (ASCAP). Produced for Wamdue Productions. ℗ 1998 Strictly Rhythm Records. Licensed from Universal Music Licensing Division. This is the beginning of the long running Best Dance Album In The World Series. While some may disagree, I believe it does indeed live up to that name, or at least for the first five releases. The series began here in 1993 and is still going today, although with huge gap years recently. Warner Chappell Music Ltd/Windswept Pacific Music Ltd. ℗ 1999 Progress Records Ltd, under exclusive license to Mercury Records Ltd. (London). Licensed from Universal Music Licensing Division.

I think part of it must have been down to the extreme commercialisation of dance music that had happened since 1998 and this was kind of where it really really took root. EMI Music Publishing Ltd/All Boys Music Ltd/BMG Music Publishing Ltd. ℗ 1999 Zomba Records Ltd. Licensed courtesy of Jive Records. Rive Droite Music Ltd. Produced and mixed for Metro Rive Droite Music Productions. ℗ 1998 Warner Music UK Ltd. Licensed courtesy of Warner Music UK Ltd. Much like the 2002 release, this one had a lot going for it and things were heading in the right direction. However, many off-genre songs and questionable choices lower the overall quality. This was the last release for six years before they brought out that hideous revival in 2009.Looking at the other options out there at the time, the Dance Zone ones were equally guilty of much the same things! ICM/Hanseatic. ℗ 1999 Mercury Records Ltd. (London), licensed from Subversive Records Ltd./ Sony Music Entertainment (Germany) GmbH. Licensed from Universal Music Licensing Division. Serious Worldwide Publishing/Chrysalis Music. ℗ 1999 Incentive Music Ltd. Licensed courtesy of Ministry Of Sound. I think I must have a serious soft spot for 1995 dance as my favourite 'dance zone' album is also from 1995 (Level 5). This is undoubtedly the best in the series, at least in my opinion. Both CD's in this album seem to focus purely on dance music other than a few slower songs here and there. This is really the defining release with the quality of both CDs being top-notch and never faltering.

Universal Music Publishing Ltd. ℗ 1999 Bliss Corporation, under exclusive license to Warner Music UK Ltd.. Licensed courtesy of Warner Music UK Ltd.. Skint Music Publishing/Frankly Music. ℗ 1999 Multiply Records. Features the sample "Does It Feel Good" performed by B.T. Express courtesy of Roadshow Music Corporation and written by W. Hall (Jnr) courtesy of Frankly Music.I used to rate this one a lot higher, as it was one of the better more recent albums in the series. However, listening to The Best Club Anthems 2002/Summer have really affected my perspective of this, because while a lot of it is great, there are still some questionable choices. This album is a mixed bag, containing a good CD while the other was very flawed mainly for including off-genre music. This is where the series sadly started to really dip in quality. Here we have an album to represent 1996 and you would think that there would be a lot of actual dance music right? Guess again. Too much competition out there at the time, and the album clearly lost sight of it's IP 'the best dance album in the world ever..."

Peer Musik. ℗ 1999 BMG Berlin Musik GmbH/Laustrak. Sample of "Mambo No5" performed by Perez Prado. ℗ 1959 BMG Entertainment/RCA U.S. Issued under license BMG Entertainment International UK & Ireland Ltd.Quite a mixed bag to be honest, but it is not a terrible album at all. This one clearly represents songs from the year 2000, and while we have a CD dedicated to actual dance and trance, the other is more pop focussed with only a few dance hits here and there. If both discs had been more consistent, it would be a great album. Again theres enough on the compilation to save it, but also a whole bunch which have me diving toward the 'skip' button. The first CD is weaker, but the good provides us with Make Luv, Round & Round, Loneliness, Like A Prayer, Touch Me, American Dream (especially), Rapture and Lazy. Everything else is either nonsense or questionable, such as including Groovejet from 1999, or songs that have already been seen in the series. Warner Chappell Music Ltd/Windswept Pacific Music Ltd. Produced for Sunship Productions. Recorded at Roundhouse Studios and Sunship Studios. ℗ 2000 Wildstar Records Ltd. Licensed courtesy of Wildstar Records Ltd.