In 1977 Dayton, Ohio funk band, SLAVE, unleashed an interFUNKtionally acclaimed self titled debut album, that would later become a standard by which a lot of funk music produced thereafter, would be judged by . This 8 selection 'REMBRANDT' of a recording contained the worldwide smash single, and only single culled from this album, "Slide". For ANY aspiring musician, "Slide" is widely considered to be a .....
"Learn How To Play The Right Lead Guitar Solo, Learn How To Properly Play A Bass Guitar Groove , Learn How To Correctly Play Rhythm Guitar Parts, Learn How To Properly Arrange Horn Parts & Perform Them, and Learn How To Properly Play The Drums In Synch Without Throwing Off Your Bandmates, 101" .... mantra.
"Slide" exemplified, as many funk oriented songs in it's long and storied history, the essense and beauty of a tight groove, on point musicianship, as well as the true meaning of a STELLAR sonic recording.
"Slide" by the way, went to #1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Chart, and the album peaked at #22 on Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart.
Let's now meet the individual members of the first incarnation of this venerable, but OH SO NECESSARY funk collective, and they are, in alphabetical order by their last names :
~ Mr. Mark "Bass Dog" Adams {Bass Guitar}
~ Mr. Carter Bradley {Keyboards}
~ Mr. Tim "Tiny" Dozier {Drums, Percussion, Lead Vocals}
~ Mr. Mark "Drac" Hicks {Lead & Rhythm Guitar, Background Vocals}
~ Mr. Thomas Lockett, Jr. {Tenor & Alto Saxophones}
~ Mr. Floyd Miller {Lead & Background Vocals, Trumpet, Trombone, Percussion}
~ Mr. Stephen Washington {Trumpet, Percussion, and Background Vocals}
~ Mr. Danny Webster {Lead & Background Vocals, Lead & Rhythm Guitar}
~ and last, but certainly not least, Mr. Orion "Bimmy" Wilhoite {Alto & Tenor Saxophones}
{All Songs Were Written By SLAVE and produced by Jeff Dixon
Let's go back in time and check out some of the highlights of an album that, 34 years later, STILL holds up to ANYTHING that's remotely considered music in 2011 ..... and please don't get me started on today's sad state of affairs in R&B, I want to keep this review positive as much as possible ! :-(
"Slide" ~ True funk fans worldwide should by now know the classic intro of Mark Adams' uniquely styled and strummed bass riff, Mark Hicks' Count Dracula's silver screen laugh, and what sound like, a C minor chord of the Fender Rhodes electric piano. .... {Funk keyboardists, help a brother out here with my non-keyboard playing ass :-( ..... can any one of you tell me what key those chords are played in, thank you !} ..... Hicks' CLASSIC vocal intro of "They call me Drac, ha ha here I come baby, I ain't going to bite cha, uh ha I just want cha to hang onnn ! ....alright !' ......
Now if that doesn't give you ANY indication of what's about to jump off ?!?! You don't deserve your Funk Stripes ! Your Interplanetary Funkmanship Card should be revoked !!! ..... YOU SHOULD BE HIT WITH THE BOP GUN !!!
I mean c'mon now ! :-( ... How could anyone NOT notice Adams' funky and chugged along bass lines ?, Danny's funky guitar licks ?, Tiny's solid drum performance ?, the tight and cool, and at times, haunting horn parts ?, the magnificently placed percussion parts ?, the ultra slick and sleek Fender Rhodes parts ? .... and the "MALL OF AMERICA IN MINNEAPOLIS-esqe" Mark Hicks' guitar solo ?!?!?!?! How could ANYONE not be affected by that ?!?!?!?! The notes of that guitar solo ALONE should be engraved on Mount Rushmore !!
Even Larry Blackmon had to pay homage to one of Slave's "Greatest American Funk Songs", by covering it on Cameo's 1994, Way 2 Funky/Raging Bull Records release, "In The Face Of Funk" .... but Blackmon cleverly titled it, "Slyde" ... and yes, all original Slave members are credited as songwriters ..... Blackmon knows better !!
Rather than waiting to hear both versions at the end of this review, as I normally would have you do, I'm going to be a nice guy this time and let y'all check it now ! :-) ....... Nah ! y'all don't have to thank me, just enjoy the music ! :-)
Slave's original 1977 version
Cameo's version of Slave's "Slide"
"Screw Your Wig On Tite" ~ The funk just keeps rolling along, particularly on this Danny Webster led vocal throwdown ! Besides Adams doing what he did best, and that was to keep the bass line dead locked in the groove, the horns did their thing on what I think is one of their finest performances to date.
Some may compare those horn lines to another Ohio based group who's initials are "O.P.", but I don't hear them way funk fans ! I hear horns lines that are distinctly Orion's, Tom's, Steve's, and Floyd's very own ! They're crispy clear, solid, melodic, and wonderfully arranged, as well as it's performance. In other words, THOSE BROTHERS THREW DOWN !!! Kudos fellas !!!! :-)
"Party Hardy" ~ They just don't let up !! They just don't let up !!!! ..... and we wouldn't want them to either !!! .... The funk is in full throttle with it's '70's blaxploitation movie theme song "feel". It's tempo incorporates a frenetic "speed car chase" theme, as Adams' 'in your face' and brilliantly executed bass line, showers you in lowered octaved excursions.
This song is EXACTLY what the titled states, it "Party Hardy"! The rhythm guitar chanks, the funky horned quarter noted stabs, and Tiny's backbeat all fall into place with the 'collective group' lead vocal, and adlibs. The electric piano performed parts does it thing to keep the melody lock, stocked, and barrelled. This one jam to played excruciatingly LOUD !!!
"You and Me" ~ Like the Energizer bunny, it's keeps going, and going, and going ! Y'all know what I'm talking ;-) The horns get to strut their stuff, once again, on this funk 'n roller. Hicks' guitar solo, though not played with the same fervor as the one in "Slide", takes a 'less is more approach', but nonetheless, it kicks. He lets certain notes marinate, before cooking them in his Dayton Six String Soul Stew !
The, once again, 'group collective' lead vocal parts in the choruses, are sung in a children's context. The rhythmically cool guitar parts, the shaker, the sustained Fender Rhodes performed chords, and Tiny's oh so tight drumming, make this song one of those jams you'd want to listen to over, and over, and over, and over ..... again !
Some may compare those horn lines to another Ohio based group who's initials are "O.P.", but I don't hear them way funk fans ! I hear horns lines that are distinctly Orion's, Tom's, Steve's, and Floyd's very own ! They're crispy clear, solid, melodic, and wonderfully arranged, as well as it's performance. In other words, THOSE BROTHERS THREW DOWN !!! Kudos fellas !!!! :-)
"Party Hardy" ~ They just don't let up !! They just don't let up !!!! ..... and we wouldn't want them to either !!! .... The funk is in full throttle with it's '70's blaxploitation movie theme song "feel". It's tempo incorporates a frenetic "speed car chase" theme, as Adams' 'in your face' and brilliantly executed bass line, showers you in lowered octaved excursions.
This song is EXACTLY what the titled states, it "Party Hardy"! The rhythm guitar chanks, the funky horned quarter noted stabs, and Tiny's backbeat all fall into place with the 'collective group' lead vocal, and adlibs. The electric piano performed parts does it thing to keep the melody lock, stocked, and barrelled. This one jam to played excruciatingly LOUD !!!
"You and Me" ~ Like the Energizer bunny, it's keeps going, and going, and going ! Y'all know what I'm talking ;-) The horns get to strut their stuff, once again, on this funk 'n roller. Hicks' guitar solo, though not played with the same fervor as the one in "Slide", takes a 'less is more approach', but nonetheless, it kicks. He lets certain notes marinate, before cooking them in his Dayton Six String Soul Stew !
The, once again, 'group collective' lead vocal parts in the choruses, are sung in a children's context. The rhythmically cool guitar parts, the shaker, the sustained Fender Rhodes performed chords, and Tiny's oh so tight drumming, make this song one of those jams you'd want to listen to over, and over, and over, and over ..... again !
"The Happiest Days" ~ This time out, the fellas takes the groove down just a tad and serves up a '70's soul ballad that'll have the love lights dimmed, wine poured, and fire place lit. What stands out to me, are the group harmony background vocals, as they will remind one of the Philly styled Delphonic, Blue Magic, and Stylistics phrasings .... but once again, served up Dayton style ! ;-)
Adams' bass guitar performance is very smooth and sensual, as is the accompanying Fender Rhodes electric piano runs, and chordal performed parts. Orion's, Tom's, Steve's, and Floyd's horn parts are placed just right in the song as they do not dominate or smother the rhythm section's performance. This is a ballad that should be programmed on any radio station's "Quiet Storm" format. If you have radio show, whether it be terrestrial or internet, give this one a twirl, and just see how your listening audience will react positively towards it.
On June 14, 1977, "SLAVE" was certified Gold by the R.I.A.A. {The Recording Industry Association of America} with sales of over one millions copies at that time.
Funk fans, this debut recording by the Number One Band In The Land was just the beginning in a long line of now classic albums that will forever be a part of funk music's greatest landscape. The follow up album to this landmark recording was released later in 1977. You see funk fans, that was a time when artists were able to release two albums in one year, and a new band like Slave at the time, was nearly unheard of.
Today, if a new band, particularly one of color, should so ever have the nerve to suggest to their record company to release two albums in one year ? ... just see how fast they'll be laughed at by the company's executives, or worse yet, dropped by the label right then and there. Slave was able to do that back then ... and what I'd like to know is how they pulled that off, even by 1977 standards.
I'd like to do something different here at Ran Man's Reviews that's never been done before in it's long and storied 7 month history. I'd like to feature EVERY Slave album cover and at least one song from that album !
"The Hardness Of The World" album peaked at #67 on Billboard's Top 100 Albums Chart in 1977
"Baby Sinister" peaked at #74 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles & Tracks in 1977
"The Concept" peaked at #78 on Billboard's Top 100 Albums Chart in 1978
"Stellar Fungk" peaked at #14 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles & Tracks Chart in 1978
"Just A Touch Of Love" peaked at #92 on Billboard's Top 100 Albums Chart in 1979
"Just A Touch Of Love" peaked at #9 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles & Tracks Chart in 1979
"Stone Jam" peaked at #53 on Billboard's Top 100 Albums Chart in 1980 : Certified Gold by the R.I.A.A. on March 30, 1981
"Watching You" peaked at #6 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles & Tracks Chart in 1980
"Showtime" peaked at #46 on Billboard's Top 100 Albums Chart in 1981
"Snap Shot" peaked at #6 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles & Tracks Chart in 1981
"Visions Of The Lite" peaked at #177 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums Chart in 1982
"I'll Be Gone"
"Bad Enuff" peaked at #168 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums Chart in 1983
"Turn You Out {In & Out}"
"New Plateau" 1984 Cotillion Records
"Ooooh" peaked at #41 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles & Tracks Chart in 1984
"Unchained At Last" peaked at #56 on Billboard's Top R&B Albums Chart in 1986 {Ichiban Records then based out of Atlanta, Georgia}
"Thrill Me" peaked at #84 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles & Tracks Chart in 1986
"Make Believe" peaked at #44 on Billboard's R&B Albums Chart in 1987 {Ichiban Records then based out of Atlanta, Georgia}
"Holiday"
"Slave 88" Album Did Not Chart {Ichiban Records then based out of Atlanta, Georgia}
" Shine"
"Rebirth" 1990 Ichiban Records
"The Way You Dance [Alternate LP mix] (1990)"
"Funk Strikes Back" 1992 Ichiban Records/The Orchard
"Stellar Fungk : The Best of Slave Featuring Steve Arrington" 1994 Rhino/Atlantic Records peaked at #44 on Billboard's Top R&B Albums Chart
"Masters Of The Fungk" {Did Not Chart}
So as we can see, and hear, Dayton, Ohio created one of the world's top R&B/Funk bands ever to record and grace the world's stages. Let's take a peek at some of sights of Dayton that created some of world's greatest R&B/Funk bands.
Dayton's City Logo
The Official City Flag of Dayton
Here's what Dayton looked like in the year 1870
Here's what Dayton looks like today
Here's the logo of Dayton's minor league baseball team, The Dayton Dragons .... Being that I'm not from Dayton, {I'm a New York City boy}, how is this team ? Are they good, bad, so-so, mediocre, or do they outright suck ?
Daytonians, you tell me ! ;-)
Here's the logo of one of Dayton's Performing Arts Center's, the Wright State University Nutter Center
Here's the logo of one of Dayton's ... I can't say for sure if they're one of the city's finest restaurants ... but here's the logo of one of their eateries. ... I'll say it like that just to be safe.
Now, I would move to the city ..... well, at least visit to attend this event ... I say visit because I hear it's crazy in Dayton when it gets dark :-( ....... relax Daytonians, don't get offended, New York City is no better !!! :-(
And here's one of Dayton's finest concert venues ! Gilly's. From what I know, a lot of local and national talent performed there.
OK Daytonians !! Now, I love me some Bar-B-Que ! Now tell me, how's their BBQ ? Good, bad, so-so, mediocre, or do they outright suck ? .... because the BBQ in NYC is lousy !! :-(
To the people outside of Dayton, don't think your city is exempt from crime and high unemployment, they got their fair share of that too ! ... Don't believe me ?! ... Take a look at this ! .... This broadcast originally aired in 2010, I don't know if things improved, or got worse. Daytonians, you tell me ! :-(
Ahhh, I hope you enjoyed that little tour of Dayton, Ohio ! :-) ..... I sure did ! :-) .... and don't worry, I'm not going to quit my day job ! :-(
On a more serious note, I'd like to lovingly dedicated this review and group career retrospection to the spirits of Mr. Mark Adams and Mr. Mark Hicks .... May Their Souls Rest In Peace .... "Thank You Guys, For The Music"
Musically Yours,
Ran Man
