Stevie Wonder - Master blaster (Jammin')

There are not a lot of true music legends, either in general or on ERV, but Stevie Wonder certainly qualifies.  Born as Stevland Hardaway Morris, and blind since shortly after birth, Wonder started in the music industry at 11 (!) and was given the name Little Stevie Wonder by Motown producer Clarence Paul.

While many acts count their top 40 songs or albums, one indication of Stevie Wonder's success is the amount of #1s.  Wonder has ten #1 songs and three #1 albums.  In the 1970s, his music - an upbeat fusion of soul, pop, and R&B - dominated the charts (and was critically acclaimed, to boot).  For example, Wonder has four albums in the Rolling Stone top 500, including three in the top 60. 

His 1980 LP, Hotter Than July may not quite reach the career peaks of his 1970s efforts, but it is still an extremely good record.  The album would peak at #3 and go platinum, while "Master Blaster (Jammin')" would reach #5 on the singles chart.  The song was heavily influenced by Wonder's friendship with reggae legend Bob Marley.  The title is a nod to Marley's 1977 song "Jamming" and the lyrics, envisioning a world at peace, were also likely influenced by Marley.

Wonder continued to have significant commercial success through the 1980s, albeit with a somewhat more commercial sound.  Although his production has decreased in the years since, he remains active in the industry as of this writing, and remains a true living legend.

Rick James - Give It To Me Baby

Although he was a funk artist, Rick James lived like a rock star. Huge highs, crashing lows, drugs, and horrific personal behavior defined much of James' life.  The resulting portrait is complicated, but there is little doubt that James was a major star who wrote some of the finest funk of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Rick James (given name: James Johnson) was born in Buffalo and was interested in music from a young age.  In his teens, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy to avoid the draft, but he deserted in 1964 and fled to Toronto.  While there, he became involved in the local music scene and became friends with Levon Helm (The Band), Neil Young, and Joni Mitchell. His band (The Mynah Birds) did well enough to sign a recording contract with Motown, but the entire thing fell apart after James was for imprisoned for desertion.

After working in the industry for years, James finally got his big break with Motown in 1978.  His solo LP, Come and Get It became a huge hit, launching James' career and helping to revitalize the Motown label.  However, it was his 1981 Street Songs album that became his biggest success - reaching #3 on the album charts, and providing two top 40 hits - "Give It To Me Baby" (#40) and "Superfreak" (#16).

Drug use and changing tastes caused James' success to decline during the 1980s, though he did receive a bump when MC Hammer sampled "Superfreak" in his 1990 smash  "U Can't Touch This." Unfortunately, James' personal problems (i.e., drugs) prevented him from capitalizing on this. James was introduced to a younger audience again in 2004, when he was featured on a Chappelle's Show segment Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories: Rick James, which is worth watching, in our view.

"Give It To Me Baby" was the first true video that James recorded and was the first single released off Street Songs.  It's a fantastic example of Rick James at the peak of his powers - nearly out of control, charismatic, and seriously captivating.

Sadly, Rick James died of a heart attack in 2004. He was 56.

Rufus & Chaka Khan - Ain't Nobody

Rufus were a successful funk act during the 1970s with six top 20 albums, as well as ten top 40 singles.  However, changing tastes and lead singer Chaka Khan's desire to go solo (a story as old as time) resulted in the group's decline at the end of that decade.  In fact, although Chaka Khan's 1978 LP Chaka made her an emerging star, the singer remained in the band for an additional two albums to fulfill her contract.

All of this made Khan's appearance on 1983's Stompin' at the Savoy – Live album somewhat surprising.  The album and documentary were meant to be a commemoration of Rufus, and Khan was not required to participate.  Fortunately, she opted to assist with the project.

In addition to the live songs, the group recorded four new studio tracks for the double album, one of which was "Ain't Nobody."  This led to a dispute with their label, as the band wanted the song to be the lead single, while label executives were less enthusiastic about the track.  Warner Bros. finally relented after the song's composer (Rufus keyboardist Hawk Wolinski) threatened to sell the rights of "Ain't Nobody" to Quincy Jones for the upcoming Michael Jackson album Thriller.  (Some readers may have heard of this album, as it was somewhat successful.)
 
"Ain't Nobody" would go on the become a big hit, reaching #22 on the charts (and #1 on the R&B charts).  The song became an eighties dance mainstay, and won a Grammy to boot.  However, in spite of this, the video received little airplay on our favorite video music channel.

Rufus disbanded after the album, and have rarely played together since.  Chaka Khan remained successful as a solo artist, though she only had one top 40 hit post-Rufus: "I Feel For You."

Cool trivia fact:  Khan's 1984 hit "I Feel For You" is a cover of a Prince song.  It was originally on Prince's self-titled 1979 LP.

Kool & the Gang - Misled

This is  Kool & the Gang's second appearance on ERV, as "Get Down On It" was posted back in 2013 (and has a solid if brief summary of the band).

Unlike the funk and R&B that characterized most of Kool & the Gang's work, "Misled" is a catchy pop gem with an excellent guitar hook.  Additionally, the video is the perfect stealthy Halloween type that we love at ERV.  From the creepy guys in robes to the Indiana Jones-inspired later scenes, the whole thing is steeped in pure 1984 awesomeness.  The ghostly white dancer and that amazing blue jacket round out the major characters in the video.

The song ended up being a big hit, and reached #10 on the charts, which surprised us.  To be fair, the 1984 Emergency LP also spawned "Fresh" and "Cherish," so it isn't as if there wasn't a lot of Kool on the radio back in the day.  However, we don't remember seeing the video on MTV, which is kind of a shame.

While Kool & the Gang did have a few hits after "Misled," they had mostly faded from view by the late 1980s.  However, they remain active in the industry as of this writing.

Ray Parker, Jr. and Raydio - A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)

Ray Parker, Jr. formed Raydio in 1977 with with Vincent Bohnam, Jerry Knight, and Arnell Carmichael.  The group's smooth pop/funk quickly led to success, with "Jack and Jill" and "You Can't Change That" as strong examples of their style.

First among equals bands, where there is one dominant member, often have trouble staying intact and Raydio was no exception.  By 1980, the group was called Ray Parker, Jr. and Raydio; this only lasted around a year before Parker left Raydio to go out on his own.

"A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)" was off the last Raydio LP of the same name, and the success of the song and album likely encouraged Ray Parker, Jr. to go solo.  The single reached #4 on the charts, while the album peaked at #13 and went gold.

While the song picked up a significant amount of airplay on pop and adult contemporary radio, we don't recall ever seeing it on MTV.  The combination of the soft pop sound and MTV's initial positioning as a new wave/rock video channel probably account for this.  However, the vid is an awesome timepiece -- from the time Parker gets out of his Porsche, we were hooked.  Smooth, relaxed love advice never sounded so good (at least in 1981).

As regular readers will know, Parker's solo career go off the a strong start, with "The Other Woman," featured in our All Hallows Even celebration of 2014.  However, his career was inconsistent from there, though he did score a #1 hit in 1984 with "Ghostbusters."

David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes

What better way to continue the Halloween celebration than with a song from the Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) album.  Many critics view Scary Monsters as the last great David Bowie record, and while that is somewhat debatable, it was a classic Bowie album; odd, artistic and interesting.  In addition, it had more than a bit of funk added to the mix.

A discussion of David Bowie could fill a blog, making it hard to do justice to him in a few sentences.  The lazy narrative is that he is a musical chameleon, shifting his style to capitalize on emerging trends in popular music.  While there is some truth to this, we have always thought of Bowie (especially in the 1970s through Scary Monsters period) as more of a restless artist, indulging in whichever tickles his fancy.  Although the results were inconsistent, there were more highs than lows.

"Ashes to Ashes" was the lead single off Scary Monsters, and plays like a requiem for the 1970s.  The video was rumored to be the most expensive music video made to that point (at £250,000; this was still a year before MTV).  Bowie wanders about in a Pierrot costume with strange color effects and odd characters (including many Blitz Kids).  The video is iconic in Britain, and some critics believe that it accelerated the New Romantic movement that would dominate the British charts for most of the early 1980s.

The song would go on to become a #1 hit in the U.K., but it barely dented the U.S. charts at #101.  Scary Monsters also did better in the U.K. (#1) though it did reach #12 on the U.S. album charts.

Bowie would of course go on to significant commercial success in the 1980s and would remain active in the industry until his untimely passing in January of 2016.

Cool trivia fact: Rolling Stone ranks Scary Monsters at 443 on its list of the 500 greatest albums ever.

Digital Underground - The Humpty Dance

By mixing old school beats with goofy lyrics, Digital Underground (DU) created a cool and unique sound that led to one big hit, though by all rights they could have been much more successful.  The group was led by Greg Jacobs, who went by Shock G -- though in DU he played a character called Humpty Hump.

Jacobs grew up in Tampa, Florida, but formed Digital Underground after relocating to Oakland, California in 1987.  The group's sound relied heavily on old school samples, especially from Parliament Funkadelic and Sly and the Family Stone.  (Not coincidentally, both acts were sampled for "The Humpty Dance.")  DU's debut LP, 1990's Sex Packets became a hit, reaching #24 on the charts.  However, this proved to be Digital Underground's biggest success, though the band continued to record and perform through 2008.

Needless to say, "The Humpty Dance" was DU's biggest hit at #11.  The video became a mainstay on MTV for a time in 1989 (the song and video came out prior to the LP).  The crazy lyrics, and Humpty Humps' Groucho Marx glasses and vintage clothes created a visual image completely different from anything else on MTV at the time.  Unfortunately, this momentum proved hard to maintain.

Although Digital Underground soldiered on for years, Jacobs (Shock G) was no one trick pony, as he also has worked as a solo artist and producer.  He remains active in the industry as of this writing.

Cool trivia fact:  None other than Tupac Shakur got his start as a member of Digital Underground, starting in 1991.  In addition, G Shock produced several early Tupac songs.

Cool trivia fact #2:  Digital Underground is not a one hit wonder, as 1991's "Kiss You Back" reached #40 on the charts.

Commodores - Lady (You Bring Me Up)

A nearly perfect 1981 time capsule (right down to the short shorts and high socks), "Lady (You Bring Me Up)" captures the Commodores at the end of the Lionel Richie era, when they were still one of the biggest acts in pop/funk.

The group formed while at the Tuskegee Institute in the late 1960s, and signed with Motown Records in 1972.  They quickly rose to become one of the most popular acts in 1970s and early 1980s pop/funk; between 1975 and 1981 they had 10 top 30 LPs and 15 top 40 singles.  As many reader will know, the Commodores sound evolved over time, becoming more pop and less funk.  This migration to pop was driven by singer/songwriter Lionel Richie, which created tension in the band and ultimately led to Richie leaving in 1982.

In the aftermath of Richie's departure, the Commodores soldiered on as a working band, but without a ton of major commercial success.  Lionel Richie would of course go on to become a major pop star, before going into semi-retirement in 1987.

"Lady (You Bring Me Up)" became a #8 hit in 1981, while the In the Pocket LP would peak at #13.

Cool trivia fact:  The Commodores had great difficulty picking their name, and ultimately chose it by picking a name out of the dictionary.  This led the band to joke that they almost became known as the Commodes.

Cool trivia fact #2:  The group is looking at a Billboard magazine at the start of the video, and eagle eyed readers may notice the back page advertisement for Van Halen's Fair Warning album (our favorite Van Halen LP), which was released in April, 1981.

Apollonia 6 - Sex Shooter

The Apollonia 6 story begins where the Vanity 6 story ends.  (And another shout out to long time reader Sam, who requested the Vanity 6 video more than two years ago).  As we mentioned in the earlier post, Vanity left Vanity 6 (and Prince) in order to go out on her own.  This created a problem for Prince, as not only was he writing material for Vanity 6, but Vanity was supposed to be the female lead in Prince's upcoming movie at the time (you may have heard of it -- Purple Rain).

A casting call ensued, and Patricia Apollonia Kotero was chosen for the role.  Prince liked her middle name, and just like that Apollonia was the new lead singer of Apollonia 6 (still named after the number of breasts in the band ... really).  Additionally, Apollonia became the female lead in Purple Rain.

While Apollonia was quite beautiful, she did not have the strongest singing voice, and Prince seemed to lose interest in her (and the concept of a girl band) soon after Purple Rain.  There may or may not have been a romantic falling out, as well.  As a result, only one album was released, the eponymous 1984 LP.  "Sex Shooter" became a minor hit, reaching #85 on the charts, but Apollonia is probably best-known for the movie, and her duet with Prince, "Take Me With You," a top 40 hit from 1985 (and the last single from Purple Rain.)

Apollonia also had a falling out with Prince, and went out on her own in 1985, primarily as an actress.  She later went to film school, and we believe that she still runs her entertainment company, Kotero Entertainment.

In addition to the primary video for "Sex Shooter," we also found the performance clip from Purple Rain; in the interests of completeness both are below.

Cool trivia facts:  "Take Me With You" was originally intended to be an Apollonia 6 song, but was a late addition to Purple Rain.  In additional, "Manic Monday" (later a big hit for The Bangles) and "Glamorous Life" (later a hit for Sheila E.) we both originally written as Apollonia 6 songs.

Cameo - Candy

So here's a handy tip from your friends at ERV:  If you see an eighties video and it features a red codpiece, then you're probably watching something by Cameo.  (This is especially true if the song is funky.)

We previously featured Cameo's smash "Word Up," which was the group's breakthrough song.  The second single off the Word Up LP was "Candy," and it would be the only other Cameo song to break the top 40 at #21.  In contrast, the band had a string of charting R&B songs from 1976 through the early 1990s.  Cameo had a remarkably long and interesting career, and managed to change with the times during the 1970s and 1980s.  It's a shame that they didn't have more crossover success, but that's the way it goes, sometimes.

The video for "Candy" was directed by Zbigniew Rybczyński, using Times Square, New York (circa 1986) as the backdrop.  It was technically advanced for the time, with multiple images appearing one after another.  And yes, many of the images are wearing a red codpiece, starting 9 second in.  In our view, the video captures the energy, funkiness and strangeness of Cameo; we're fans of it.

As we mentioned on the "Word Up" post, Cameo had continued R&B success until the early 1990s, then faded from view.  Frontman Larry Blackmon remained in the industry as an A&R executive, though there have been occasional Cameo releases in recent years.

The System - Don't Disturb This Groove

By combining two seemingly disparate musical styles -- synth pop and soul -- The System created some very interesting music in the 1980s and pointed the way forward towards the modern dance and electronic era.

The duo formed in New York in 1982 and was comprised of Mic Murphy (vocals and guitars) and David Frank (keyboards).  The group's interesting musical style and strong production values caught the attention of many industry insiders (especially in the dance segment), but failed to break through to the general public.  In fact, The System only had two charting singles -- 1983's "You Are in My System" (#64) and "Don't Disturb This Groove," which went to #4 on the charts (yes, that makes The System an official one hit wonder).

Although their success as a band was modest, Murphy and Frank remained active in the New York studio scene as performers, and Frank transitioned to helping with arrangements and production.  [Frank contributed to Chaka Khan's "I Feel For You," Phil Collins' "Sussudio," and Mtume's "Juicy Fruit."  He also worked on Scritti Pollitti's Cupid and Psyche 85 LP.]

In 1989, The System went on hiatus, and Frank moved to LA and opened the Canyon Reverb recording studio, which became quite successful.  He is perhaps best known as the co-writer and co-producer of Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle."  Murphy briefly pursued a solo career in the early 1990s.

The System has also periodically re-formed in the ensuing years, and has released material in 2000, 2009, and 2013.

Prince - Uptown

"Uptown" is the answer to a great trivia question -- it was the first single released off Prince's classic Dirty Mind album.  The song was named after the bohemian uptown neighborhood of Prince's hometown (Minneapolis) and touches on themes of tolerance and bigotry, which would be recurring concepts for Prince.

Long time readers will recall that we have previously posted videos of "Dirty Mind" and "Controversy" on ERV, as these videos may also be less well-known to our readers.  Due to the fact that Prince was not an overnight success, his early material did not get the exposure that it deserved, in our humble opinion.  As an example, "Uptown" certainly qualifies as a rare video and I don't recall ever seeing it on MTV back in the day.

The "Uptown" video appears to have been shot at the same time as "Dirty Mind," using the same set and audience.  This was a common occurrence in the days before MTV, when videos were used as promotional tools.  From a sound perspective, "Uptown" is more of a straight up dance number, in contrast to the electric funk of "Dirty Mind."  Again, this is typical Prince, as his ability to write songs in different musical styles really differentiates him from most other artists.

Released in September, 1980, "Uptown" was not a huge hit, but did chart, reaching #101 on the singles charts.  This was also sadly typical of Prince in this period, as he only had one top 40 single (1979's "I Wanna Be Your Lover") prior to the 1999 album.  Of course, that LP changed everything, and catapulted Prince into superstardom for the remainder of the decade (and beyond).

Ladies and gentlemen, for your audio and video pleasure ... His Purpleness.

Jeffrey Osborne - Stay With Me Tonight

"Stay With Me Tonight" is a classic pop funk tune from the 1980s that clicks right from the start.  The funky bass line, synthesizer melody and eighties drums combine to shape a really strong song.  It is not surprising that it was written by Raymond Jones, the keyboardist from Chic who built a second career as a songwriter.

Singer Jeffrey Osborne (no relation to Ozzy) developed a solid career as a funk musician.  Born in Providence, Rhode Island, he rose to fame as the lead singer of L.T.D., who are best known for "(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again," a #4 hit from 1977.  Osborne left the group to go solo in 1980 and landed 6 top 40 hits between 1982 and 1987.

"Stay With Me Tonight," was a solid success, reaching #30 on the pop charts and #4 on the R&B charts in 1983, while the album of the same name peaked at #25, and eventually went platinum.  The vid appears to have been shot in NYC and plays like an eighties time capsule, complete with roller skates (0:13), old school video editing, and a neon-decorated club where the fashions of the day are on display.  We have to say, in spite of the dated look, the clip still has a certain coolness about it that suits Osborne and the song.

Although Osborne's commercial success faded after the 1980s, he remains active in the music industry as of this writing.

EPMD - Strictly Business

Although they never became a household name, EPMD was a hugely influential East Coast rap act.  The duo from Long Island, NY formed in 1986 and took their name from the two MCs -- Erick Sermon (Easy Erick, E Double, E) and Parrish Smith (Parrish Mic Doc, PMD).  Some sources state that the group started as EEPMD, and then shortened the name to make it easier to pronounce.

EPMD's first album, 1988's Strictly Business, was a breath of fresh air in the rap scene.  Instead of using dance or electronica as the basis for their music, EPMD relied heavily on old school funk, with a dose of rock and pop thrown in for good measure.  This, combined with their strong but laid back rhyming translated to a sound that was trailblazing,

While none of the singles from the album charted on the Billboard pop charts, the album reached #80 and went gold.  Over time, it has been recognized as a classic, and was even ranked #453 on Rolling Stones' list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.  Respect.

For the blog, we went with the title cut, which nicely represents EPMD's sound and solid use of grooves.  While Eric Clapton's cover of "I Shot the Sheriff" is the main sample, pieces of "Jungle Boogie" (Kool & the Gang) and "Auto Man" (Newcleus) are also used, as is an earlier EPMD song "It's My Thing."

EPMD remained successful within the rap scene until their 1993 breakup, and had a second successful stint in the late 1990s before a second breakup.  They appear to be together again as of this writing.

Ray Parker, Jr. - The Other Woman

Well, it's that time of year again at ERV, when we kick back and jam on some Hallloweeny videos, including the awesome rare clip below.  Regular readers will recall that we love Halloween at ERV, and post a trio of videos each year that capture the holiday spirit, without resorting to to the laziness of "Thriller" or "Ghostbusters."

Speaking of "Who ya gonna call," Ray Parker, Jr. kicks of the All Hallows Even videos this year with his underrated funk pop song, "The Other Woman."  Ray Parker's early success was with his band Raydio, who had four top 50 LPs and 5 top 40 singles between 1978 and 1981.  The group was textbook pop funk, and are recommended by ERV.

Raydio broke up in 1981, as Parker wanted to go out of his own, and "The Other Woman" was his first solo single, off the 1982 album of the same name.  The song was a hit, reaching #4 on the charts (we have to admit that this surprised us; we did not think that it had done this well).  While Parker scored a #1 hit with "Ghostbusters" in 1984, in general his solo career was uneven, and he faded from view after 1990.  However, he remains in the industry and appears to be active as of this writing.

The video for "The Other Woman" fits perfectly into our theme, with vampires, skeletons, graveyards, a spooky saxophone player, and the ubiquitous Frankenstein butler.  Oh, and there is definitely a Blacula reference (how freaking cool is that?)  The video may not make a ton of sense, but it gets a thumbs up from us.  It's also a great way to start this year's All Hallows Even celebration -- we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Note that Ray Parker, Jr. and Raydio's "A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)" was posted on ERV in March 2016.

Morris Day and The Time - Jungle Love

With his larger-than-life persona, humor, and style Morris Day was the perfect frontman for The Time.  He was also a tremendous foil for Prince in Purple Rain, but had a tough time translating that to continued commercial success.

The Time began as a Prince side project and provided an outlet for some of his funkier music as he transitioned to rock and pop.  He created the group in 1981, and filled it with talented members of the Minneapolis funk scene, including Morris Day, a childhood acquaintance (who also co-wrote "Partyup" on the Dirty Mind LP).  Most of The Time came from a preexisting R&B act called Flyte Time, which included Jellybean Johnson on drums, Jimmy Jam and Monte Moir on keyboards, and Terry Lewis on bass.  With Morris Day and Jesse Johnson (guitars), the group was complete.

Though The Time released three top 50 albums in the early 1980s, there were issues with Prince from the start.  First, Prince played all of the music on their albums and required that Morris Day sing the songs note-for-note as Prince intended.  There were also problems concerning the pay and the treatment of the band; by 1984 The Time had broken up.

"Jungle Love" may be The Time's best-known song; it reached #20 on the singles chart in 1984.  It is a straight up funk jam that is captured quite well in Purple Rain.  Though it is not the rarest of the rare, it has become something of a forgotten classic.

There have been several Time reunions, starting in 1990 for the Graffiti Bridge movie soundtrack.  The group is currently together, and has been working under the name The Original 7ven since 2001.

The Whispers - Rock Steady

The Whispers are an old school R&B act that formed in Los Angeles in 1964.  The band began regularly charting on the R&B charts (and occasionally hitting the singles charts) in 1969.  Their fortunes took a turn for the better in 1979, when the disco-influenced "And the Beat Goes On" went to #1 on the R&B charts and broke the top 40 at #19 on the singles charts.

"Rock Steady" was from the group's 1987 LP, Just Gets Better with Time.  This was the Whispers eighteenth studio album, and it became the second highest charting album of their career at #22  - only the band's self-titled 1979 album charted higher, at #6.

The video is a pretty standard performance piece, although the mustaches of Wallace (Scotty) and Walter Scott are prominently featured.  Sadly, "Rock Steady" was the last big hit of the Whispers' career, although they continue to record and perform to the present day.

Cool trivia fact:  "Rock Steady" was co-written by L.A. Reid and Babyface, who also produced the Just Gets Better with Time album (it was one of their first projects together).

Jesse Johnson - I Want My Girl

Best-known as the guitarist for Morris Day and the Time, Johnson signed a solo deal with A&M Records when the group broke up in 1984.  His first album, Jesse Johnson's Revue came out the following year, and  reached #43 on the album charts.

Johnson's material was typical of the Minneapolis pop/funk sound of the day; a less charitable author might call it Prince light.  Still, it is very listenable music, though it does not break any new ground.

For the blog, we went with "I Want My Girl," a slow jam classic.  The song only reached #76 on the pop charts, but did top out at #7 on the R&B charts.  Johnson released two more charting albums in the 1980s, and had 4 top 100 singles led by 1986's "Crazay," with Sly Stone, which hit #53.

As his solo career faded , Johnson became involved in movie soundtracks and album production -- his credits include records by Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson.  Although Johnson has taken several hiatuses (is that a word) from the music industry, he appears to be active as of this writing.

The Brothers Johnson - Stomp!

"Stomp" is a real toe-tapper and a somewhat forgotten classic by the Brothers Johnson -- who really were brothers.  The song is also an excellent example of early 1980s dance/funk, sometimes called sophistifunk, for sophisticated funk.

The Brothers Johnson were centered around George and Louis Johnson and began as a backing band before signing with A&M Records in 1975.  The group immediately became successful, and had four consecutive platinum LPs between 1976 - 1980.  They also scored four top 40 hits (and had eleven top 40 singles in the R&B charts).

Part of their success was likely due to having the smarts or good fortune to work with Quincy Jones.  Mr. Jones produced the band's first four albums, co-wrote a few songs, and helped the group collaborate with songwriters such as Rod Temperton and Michael Jackson.  We should all be so lucky.

The video for "Stomp" is pretty standard pre-MTV stuff, and shows the brothers playing and driving in their car while people dance.  The song seems to be channeling old Kool & the Gang; we particularly dig the bass solo at 2:30.  "Stomp" ended up being the band's last big hit at #7, while the album Light Up the Night reached #5.  After a less successful album in 1981, the brothers split up, although they have reunited several times through the years.

Midnight Star - No Parking On The Dance Floor

One of several successful acts on S.O.L.A.R. Records, Midnight Star had 12 top 40 R&B songs during the 1980s, although only one of them (1984's "Operator") broke the pop top 40.  The band was formed at Kentucky State University in the mid-1970s and was led by the Calloway brothers (Reggie and Vincent).  In fact, Reggie's production skills played a central role in the band's success.

As an aside, S.O.L.A.R. (Sound of Los Angeles Records) was the re-formed Soul Train Records.  The label started as a partnership between Dick Griffey and Don Cornelius (Soul Train's creator and MC).  However, Cornelius quickly realized that he did not have the time for the TV show and a record label, and backed out of the project.  Griffey remained with S.O.L.A.R., but the change was amicable, allowing S.O.L.A.R. to leverage Soul Train's connections.  While Shalamar was the most successful act on the label, Midnight Star, Klymaxx and The Whispers (among others) had some success as well.  The label eventually closed in 1992, a victim of changing tastes.

For the blog, we went with the title cut from the 1983 LP, No Parking on the Dance Floor.  This album was Midnight Star's most successful LP, reaching #27 on the charts.  The single did not do as well, and only reached #43 on the dance charts (and #81 on the pop charts).  However, the song is an eighties funk/dance classic, complete with a Roland SVC-350 Vocoder.  We also dig the video, which highlights 1983 fashion trends.