Destination: Sun (1979)
Sun had high hopes for its fourth album, Destination: Sun, which came out in 1979. The Dayton funksters had enjoyed two hits — “Wanna Make Love” in 1976 and “Sun Is Here” in 1978 — but they had yet to come out with a blockbuster album that would go double or triple platinum and give them supergroup status. Unfortunately for Sun, Destination: Sun wasn’t that album. The infectious funk single “Radiation Level” wasn’t the hit it should have been, and the LP didn’t receive very much attention. But while Destination: Sun isn’t a masterpiece (except for “Radiation Level”), it’s a generally enjoyable record. Catchy funk items like “Deep Rooted Feeling (Stand Up)” and “Pure Fire” didn’t make Sun as big as the Commodores or the Bar-Kays; nor did the soul ballad “Baby, I Confess” or the perky, Earth, Wind & Fire-ish “Hallelujah Spirit” (which is somewhat similar to EWF’s “Sing a Song”). But they’re still decent. The weakest tune on the LP is “I Want to Be With You (Forever),” a pop/R&B ballad that tries to emulate the Commodores’ “Three Times the Lady” and ends up being much too mushy for its own good. Nonetheless, Destination: Sun has more plusses than minuses, and it’s a shame that the record didn’t enjoy more attention. (AMG)
Tracks:
1. Radiation Level
2. Pure Fire
3. I Want to Be With You (Forever)
4. Everybody Disco Down
5. Light of the Universe
6. Deep Rooted Feeling
7. Baby, I Confess
8. Hallelujah Spirit
**Listen**
Sun – Destination: Sun (1979)
Julio 13, 2009 a 5:31 pm (Funk)
Mutiny – Funk Plus The One (1980)
Julio 13, 2009 a 2:28 am (Funk)
Funk Plus The One (1980) (CD Edit 1994-Japan Release).
Mutiny continued to emulate Parliament/Funkadelic on their second album, Funk Plus the One; unfortunately, Jerome Brailey’s band didn’t do it as convincingly this time. While Mutiny’s previous release, Mutiny on the Mamaship, was quite focused and inspired — unoriginal, but definitely inspired — the grooves aren’t as memorable on Funk Plus the One. This isn’t to say that Funk Plus the One is a bad album. Unremarkable cuts like “Anti-Disco” and the rock-influenced “Reality” are catchy enough. Also decent is “Semi-First Class Seat,” one of the few Mutiny tunes that isn’t terribly George Clinton-minded; the song finds the funksters getting into Slave/Steve Arrington/Aurra territory for a change. But while Mutiny on the Mamaship truly burned, this LP merely simmers. Although Mutiny had a small following, Funk Plus the One wasn’t the big commercial breakthrough that Brailey was hoping for. Not surprisingly then, Columbia dropped the band after this uneven album.(All Music Guide).
Tracks:
01. Will It Be Tomorrow?
02. Anti-Disco
03. Don’t Bust the Groove
04. Romeo, Take
05. Reality
06. Semi – First Class
07. One on
08. The Ballad of Captain
09. Will It Be Tomorrow? (Reprise)
10. I’m Ready
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Mutiny – Mutiny On Mama Ship [1979]
Julio 13, 2009 a 2:20 am (Funk)
Mutiny On Mama Ship (1979).(CD Edit 1994-Japan Release).
Review:
By Wellington Wigout
Rating: 10 (of 10)
Record Company: Columbia
Released: 1979
‘Mutiny On The Mamaship’ was Jerome Brailey’s first album following the break-up with Clinton. Every track is a remarkable effort, not only because of Jerome’s drumming. The record belongs right into the top 10 LPs of all-time.
‘Go Away From Here’ is a groovy song, featuring enormous bass-playing and a wailing guitar in the background. The song deals with Brailey’s Parliament/Funkadelic split up. Then there is ‘What More Can I Say’. Another heavy bass track, focusing more on the beautiful vocals this time. Horns and keyboards play a dominant role here, too. ‘Lump’ (guess, who’s the lump) is one of Romeo’s classic cuts. It’s a pun-filled track (’Lump, Lump can you move your rump, Lump can you cut the Funk’), adapting hand-claps and a great rhythm guitar line. Jerome uses his high-pitched trademark voice for the first time here. ‘Funk ´N´ Bop’ is another hand-clap heavy cut, that brings you more Clinton disses (’Sworn to fun, loyal to none’). The horn arrangements here are hilarious too. Up next it’s my favourite song on the album. ‘Burning Up’ is a traditional funk track featuring great lead and backup vocals. ‘Voyage To The Bottom Of The P’ is an obscure cut concentrating on the whispered vocals and on the guitar that is played in the background. ‘Everytime You Come Around’ is a beautiful ballad that comes along with great singing. The guitar is pretty visible here as well. The last track is ‘Romeo’, a weird keyboard track, featuring some high-pitched vocals and a thunderous bass-line again. There is absolutely no filler on this album. The Japanese rerelease of the LP contains ‘Sneakin’, a rap/rock/funk-track with Body Count star Brian Champion on vocals.
Tracks:
1. Go Away From Here
2. What More Can I Say
3. Lump
4. Funk-n-Bop
5. Burning Up
6. Voyage ToThe Bottom Of The “P”
7. Everytime U Come Around
8. Romeo
9. Sneakin’
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Crown Heights Affair – Dance Lady Dance [1980]
Julio 13, 2009 a 2:06 am (Post Disco, Soul)
Crown Heights Affair.
Like Earth, Wind & Fire and Kool & the Gang before them, Crown Heights Affair artfully bridged the gap between funk and disco, guaranteeing their records new life via sampling by successive generations of rappers and DJs. Originally dubbed New Day Express, the group formed in Brooklyn, NY, in 1967, originally comprising lead vocalist Philip Thomas, guitarist William “Bubba” Anderson, bassist Arnold “Muki” Wilson, keyboardist Stan Johnson, and drummer Raymond “Sugar Ray” Rock. Crown Heights Affair’s roster soon expanded to include saxophonist Darryl Gibbs, trumpeter James Baynard, and trombonist Julius Dilligard, Jr., and in 1973 they signed to RCA, releasing their self-titled debut LP the following year. While a hit in New York, the first single, “Super Rod,” failed to earn attention across the rest of the country, and when the follow-ups “Leave the Kids Alone” and “Special Kind of Woman” met the same fate, the group was left without a label. At that point Johnson, Gibbs, Baynard, and Dilligard all resigned from Crown Heights Affair, with Howie Young joining on keyboards, Tyrone Demmons coming in on trumpet, and siblings Bertram and Raymond Reid playing saxophone and trombone, respectively. This lineup signed to De-Lite, home to kindred spirits Kool & the Gang, and in 1975 Crown Heights Affair issued its sophomore effort, Dreaming a Dream, with an extended disco mix of the title cut cracking the R&B Top Five and the pop Top 50; “Every Beat of My Heart” and “Foxy Lady” soon followed, further establishing the group’s growing reputation among clubgoers. Percussionist Skip Boardley joined the lineup with 1976’s Do It Your Way; although the first single, “Dancin’,” was a rather shameless knockoff of Isaac Hayes’ classic “Theme from ‘Shaft’,” sales were again respectable, even if the LP’s second single, “Do It the French Way,” failed to generate much attention. 1978’s Dream World was buoyed by De-Lite’s new international distribution deal with Polygram. Virtually overnight Crown Heights Affair emerged as major fan favorites in the U.K., with the singles “Galaxy of Love” and “I’m Gonna Love You Forever” both reaching the British pop charts. While the title cut to 1979’s Dance Lady Dance was another British hit, the album flopped stateside, prompting Crown Heights Affair to recruit producer Bert DeCoteaux, known for hits with Sister Sledge; the resulting Sure Shot remains a minor masterpiece, highlighted by the disco classic “You Give Me Love,” a Top Ten U.K. pop hit during the summer of 1980. But the general public’s interest in disco soon took a nosedive, and Crown Heights Affair spent the next two years on hiatus. Minus keyboardist Young, the group resurfaced in 1982 with Think Positive, a failed attempt to update their sound to current tastes. After one final effort, 1983’s Struck Gold, Crown Heights Affair split. Bert Reid went on to enjoy some success as a producer, helming Denroy Morgan’s underground smash “I’d Do Anything for You” as well as sessions for Unlimited Touch (“I Hear Music in the Streets”), Raw Silk (“Do It to the Music”), and Barbara Tucker (“Stay Together”). As vintage Crown Heights Affair grooves found their way onto latter-day hip-hop and R&B records, Reid also collaborated with producer/DJs Little Louie Vega and François Kevorkian. He died in New York City on December 12, 2004. (All Music Guide).
Tracks:
1. Dance Lady Dance
2. The Rock Is Hot
3. Number One Woman
4. Come Fly With Me
5. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
6. Empty Soul Of Mine
7. Take A Chance
8. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me (Remix)
9. Dance Lady Dance (Dub Mix)
**Listen**
B.T. Express – Do It ‘Til You’re Satisfied & Function At The Juction (1974-1977)
Julio 13, 2009 a 1:53 am (Funk, R&B, Soul)
Review:
Do It (‘Til You’re Satisfied).
Do It (‘Til You’re Satisfied) features two million sellers by the New York natives; the title track and “Express” are funky, irresistible disco gems. Produced by Jeff Lane and mixed by Tom Moulton, the two dancefloor classics features hypnotic basslines, handclaps on alternate beats, and the coolest congas on the planet, all combined with masterfully mixed guitars, saxophones, flutes, strings, Barbara Joyce Lomas’ blaring lead, Louis Risbrooks’ bass vocal retorts, and Richard Thompson’s support vocals. Lane was never able to repeat the tightness of the two tracks on subsequent albums or even on this one. “If I Don’t Turn You On” and “Do You Like It” come close, but “Once You Get It,” “Do It,” “This House Is Smoking,” and “Mental Telepathy” do not. Good, because of the two classics, but a greatest-hits collection would be even better.
Function At The Juction.
When lead vocalist Barbara Joyce left B.T. Express after its third album, Energy to Burn, the Brooklyn combo didn’t search for another female singer — instead, it decided to carry on as an all-male outfit. Joyce was an appealing, talented singer, but losing her was hardly a fatal blow for B.T. Express. Unlike the Commodores, L.T.D., or Earth, Wind & Fire, B.T. Express never went out of its way to push a superstar vocalist — its 1970s albums were about the overall sound of the band, not any particular singer. Function at the Junction was B.T. Express’ first post-Joyce LP, but it isn’t much different from the New Yorkers’ three previous albums. With Jeff Lane (the guy who produced Brass Construction in the 1970s) producing, B.T. Express continue to mine the same funk-disco waters on club-friendly tracks like “Expose Yourself,” “We Got It Together,” and “Funky Music.” Overall, this is a decent record, although it is mildly uneven and falls short of the excellence of B.T. Express’ previous releases. And that isn’t because of Joyce’s departure; Columbia was bringing in more and more outside songwriters, which made its post-1976 albums inconsistent and less focused. Columbia assumed that those outside songwriters would be an asset, but they turned out to be something of a distraction. Nonetheless, Function at the Junction has more pluses than minuses, and is worth hearing if you’re among B.T. Express’ hardcore fans.(All Music Guide).
Tracks:
Do It (‘Til You’re Satisfied)
01. Express
02. If It Don’t Turn You On (You Oughta Leave It Alone)
03. Once You Get It
04. Everything Good To You (Ain’t Always Good For You)
05. Mental Telepathy
06. Do It (‘Til You ‘re Satisfied)
07. Do You Like It
08. That’s What It Want For You Baby
09. This House Is Smokin’
Function At The Juction:
10. Funky Music
11. Expose Yourself
12. Scratch My Itch
13. Eyes
14. We Got It Together
15. Sunshine
16. The Door To My Mind
17. Star Gazer
18. How Big Can You Dream
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