Soulfunkjazz’s Blog

La Flavour – Mandolay (1980)
La Flavour began humbly in Massillon, Ohio in 1967. Twin brothers Pete and Steve Nervo (guitar and drums) joined with schoolmates Craig DeBock (guitar and sax) and Gino Milchak (bass guitar) to form the core of what would actually become several bands. Instead of following the path set by the British Invasion, the boys began playing soul tunes and early Motown, eventually getting gigs at local dances and sockhops. This early version of the band first called themselves “The Noblemen”, then “The Blues Soul”.
By the mid-1970s, the boys had progressed into one of the hottest dance bands in the area, and eventually began traveling as the show band “Ragweed”. Eventually, they came to the attention of top entertainment booking agent John Sansone from Buffalo, NY, who took over the booking for the band and decided to re-name them “Flavour”. The boys became “LaFlavour” with the release of the album “Mandolay” in 1980, which was mostly written and produced by Mark Avsec (of Donnie Iris and Wild Cherry fame). Two singles from the album made the Billboard charts, with Mandolay reaching #7. With a certified success under their belts, La Flavour was signed to MCA records, who thought it wise to separate their “show” image from their “recording” image.
MCA changed the band’s name to “Fair Warning”, and the boys and Mark Avsec recorded a second album, this time of catchy pop/rock tunes. “Fair Warning” included a sure-fire hit single written by Avsec titled “She Don’t Know Me”. However, an upcoming band from Jersey called Bon Jovi were recording their first album at this time, and the song was selected for them. This move more or less ruined the chances of the song being pushed as a single for Fair Warning, and since the success of “Mandolay” had come on the heels of the disco/dance craze, Fair Warning was not as well received, and MCA eventually shelved the album and the project.
Meanwhile, the show group LaFlavour was taking the country by storm in the big showrooms – the nightclubs and hotels across the country using live entertainment to do big business in the ’80s. Since dance music was essential to the atmosphere in these rooms, La Flavour proved to be the perfect act to insure a full house. Since they were now internationally famous for their hit Mandolay, having LaFlavour on the bill was even a bigger draw. Plus, by this time the boys had developed to perfection a novelty in their act which proved to be their crowning jewel: the comedy-oriented floor shows featuring two simple muppet-style puppets, Franklin and Nick. (Extract, www.laflavour.com)
Tracks:
01. Mandolay
02. Only The Lonely (Have A Reason To Be Sad)
03. Can You Dance
04. Can’t Kill The Beat
05. Roller Shake
06. When The Whistle Blows (Anything Goes)
07. To The Boys In The Band
08. Mandolay (Remix)
09. Mandolay (Remix Instrumental)
10. Mandloay (Remix Radio Edition)
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