The S.O.S. Band - Take Your Time (Do It Right)

Long time reader(s) of ERV will know that we have a soft spot for early 80s funk, and "Take Your Time" is one catchy song.  We debated putting it up, since it is not a promotional video, but then we thought of all the positives:

1. It is a Soul Train clip ...
2. ... which means that Don Cornelius introduces the band.  Was there a cooler, more debonair dude ever?  (Maybe, but you have to think that Mr. Cornelius is in the discussion)
3. The song has a xylophone in it.  Funkiest xylophone ever?  (Maybe, but you have to think that this xylophone is in the discussion)
4. We totally love how much Bruno Speight (guitar) and John Alexander Simpson (bass) are grooving to the song (around 1:43 for the best example ... bopping in time)
5. The guitar line has to be on the short list of best funk guitar lines ever (see 2:55)
6. The band looks like they were some kind of funky navy ... or they had been watching too many Adam and the Ants videos

So there you go ... some readers may know that this was off the first (and self-titled) S.O.S. album, from 1980.  The album sold well, driven by "Take Your Time," which hit #3.  While the S.O.S. band did not have another top 40 hit on the main charts, they had a string of R&B hits, four of which showed up on the Billboard 100.  Most of these songs were produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis; the band worked with them starting in 1983.

Although there have been some personnel changes, the S.O.S. band continues to perform to the present day.

Cool trivia fact:  S.O.S. stands for Sound of Success.  The band was originally called Santa Monica (although they were from Atlanta, Georgia, as Mr. Cornelius points out), but they changed their name prior to their first album.