By Grubman Indursky & Schindler (216.139.153.109) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 01:09 pm:

I would've loved to have negotiated their deals with Atlantic Records. That company robbed them blind !! I love their music, good stuff. Mark Adams, hands down is probably one, if not THE greatest funk bassist I've ever heard. I had the pleasure of meeting them once in the early 80's, just before the core group split up. Arrington is probably one of the nicest guys you ever want to meet. Anybody know what Mark Adams is up to? Maybe I can help them retrieve some of that money Atlantic withheld for them for so many years. I'm NOT scared of Liar Cohen either. ..... Ooops, I meant Lyor Cohen ...... same thing really.

By Rich (69.72.3.242) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 01:56 pm:

I most definitely love Slave. Their first 6 albums are great (well maybe not 'Hardness') as are Arrinton's first two. You are dead-on, Mark Adams is a tremendously funky bassist, one of the few who like Larry Graham, Bootsy Collins & Billy Nelson can't get unfunky, even on ballads. Yeah ... what is Mark Adams up to?

By DyvaNaye (209.212.74.216) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 02:09 pm:

'They meet my approval...yes indeed baby...they were they ones for me..ooooooo...'
Slave was the shizzzzznit!
Stevie Arrington - the man. Bass Odessey.
"Just a Touch of Love' will always be my favorite SLAVE song. That album kicked butt.

By Wonder B (81.51.160.70) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 02:11 pm:

Rich, add Louis Johnson to the list and I'm wit ya all the way!!! Love M.Adams and those bass players... LOL
If we talk about soul, James Jamerson is high in my top 5!
A couple of years ago, Slave gave a free concert in NYC but I haven't heard much about thme since...

Wonder B

By Handsome (170.118.158.14) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 02:11 pm:

What's Up!

I'm a Slave fan too...I still have my copy of the first lp with Side & Son od Slide on it!

And yes Dyva...Just a Touch of Love was da bomb!

Handsome

By Don (68.75.49.78) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 02:15 pm:

Hey GI&S,

Slave was one of thee best Funk Rock band I'd ever heard and people always talk about George Clinton. I think is hog wash. Cause these guys and gals surpassed him by a long stetch of the imagination and too we're ahead of their time.

I can't recall them touring my hometown, unless I took me a nap while sleeping underneath a rock.

Last time I heard the original band leader Steve Washington joined Clinton's camp in the mid 80's and made a less of an splash of an impact. I don't know what he's up to thesedays. I followed the group onward until their "Snapshot" and "Inside Out" radio play hit record success on to their spin-off group Deja Vu aka Deja and Steve Arrington or w: The Hall Of Fame. I heard Arrington is an pastor of an church.

I was never happy with Alantic and Rhino's Best and Greatest Hits compliations, nothing just a bunch of crap that was thrown together and compiled. The only lp I have left on them is their Concept album. It's a bit worn. The only song I can play is "Coming Soon". I had an old tape I dub from radio of a few tunes from an lp they released from the mid 80's. One tune I recall was called "OOH".

I heard from the grapevine they did an concert in either Ind or Oh recently last week I believe?

By Don (68.75.49.78) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 02:30 pm:

Louis is no match with Mark.

By Grubman Indursky & Schindler (216.139.153.109) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 02:54 pm:

Wonder B & Don, FYI, from what I know there are a couple of touring groups using the Slave name . Mark "Drac" Hicks is using the name in one faction, and another former original member (not sure of which one) is using it. Steve Washington is very pissed off about that, but there's really nothing he could do about it. (I think no one bothered to trademark the name)

About Louis being no match with Mark ? Hmmm ? Louis, and Larry Graham on separate occasions, asked Mark how did he get that sound. True story.

Louis is another funky ass player. They don't call him Thunder Thumbs for nothing.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 02:59 pm:

Grubman:
Hey, Slave was sooooooo bad I conned my school buddy out of his copy of their first album when I was in the sixth grade!!!

Seriously, though - these young brothers led by Steve Washington, Drac, and later Steve Arrington laid down some serious funk grooves (Drac's guitar solo on "Slide" would have made Hendrix proud). Gotta love "Screw Your Wig On Tight" and "Watching You".

I have the Rhino anthology which doesn't do the band justice - Atlantic/Cotillion should just reissue the entire Slave catalog and call it a day.

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By Grubman Indursky & Schindler (216.139.153.109) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 03:55 pm:

Kev,

Slave was a "the band", but like so many groups before and after them, egos and the oh-so-ever-present, money issues, got in the way of them making great music. Unfortunately Kev, there will NEVER be a reunion of the original lineup. If that were to happen, you would have to call the police before they members meet, and tell them "there's going to be huge blood bath at this location, get here before it happens !!!" Sad, but true.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 03:58 pm:

Damn.
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By zebop (172.134.171.192) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 05:57 pm:

I agree about that Rhino Anthology, it didn't even have "Party Lites" on it. Now that's a pretty song.

By Grubman Indursky & Schindler (216.139.153.109) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 06:20 pm:

Zebop,

Rhino last year released a 2nd Best of ......with "Party Lights" It's called "PARTY LIGHTS ...... MORE OF THE BEST" Here's the song listing.

1. � Party Lites (Adams/Arrington/Carter/Webster) - 4:54

� 2. � Just a Touch of Love [#] (Adams/Arrington/Hicks/Turner/Webster/Young) - 7:05

� 3. � Are You Single� performed by Aurra - 6:33

� 4. � Son of Slide
(Adams/Bradley/Dozier/Hicks/Lockett/Miller/Washington/Webster/Wilho) - 5:27

� 5. � Thank You (Adams/Arrington/Jones/Miller/Washington) - 5:39

� 6. � Starting Over (Adams/Hicks/Jones/Miller/Turner/Young) - 4:27

� 7. � Spice of Life (Oh Yes, You're the Best) (Adams/Arrington/Carter/Douglass) - 4:57

� 8. � You Meet My Approval� performed by Arrington, Steve Hall of Fame - 5:34

� 9. � Baby Sinister (Adams/Bradley/Dozier/Hicks/Lockett/Miller/Turner/Washington/Webster) - 6:49

� 10. � I'll Be Gone (Adams/Miller/Webster/Wheatley) - 4:31

� 11. � For the Love of U (Adams/Arrington/Carter/Carter/Miller/Webster) - 5:07

� 12. � Feel My Love (Adams/Arrington/Hicks/Jones/Turner/Washington/Webster) - 4:31

� 13. � Everybody Slide [#] (Adams/Arrington/Bradley/Carter/Dozier/Hicks/Jones/Lockett/Miller) - 6:25

� 14. � Homeboy� performed by Steve Arrington - 4:40

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 06:59 pm:

Grubman:
WHAT!!!! SON OF SLIDE is FINALLY on CD!!!
Thank God payday is tomorrow!
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By zebop (205.188.117.14) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 07:28 pm:

Thanks for the heads up Grubman, that looks like a nice set.

By Richard Felstead (195.92.168.176) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 08:40 pm:

Slave and all their related offshoots are just da bomb. I love em to bits.

Just a touch of love is an anthem in the UK, amongst others.

You need a damn decent system for those bass lines though !!! When I mean a good system, hell, I mean a good system.

I have a 600 watt sub woofer at home(NHT) which I can only put on at a certain time of the day when the neighbours are out and the Mrs isn't home, or all hell breaks loose :-((

This baby can cause structural damage if you're not careful.

Not my fault they don't appreciate good music when they hear it. :-))

Slave does it for me every time.

By Juicefree20 (151.205.100.23) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 09:11 pm:

SLAVE - AN OVERVIEW

YESSSSSSS! Slave was my favorites from 1979-1983. The first time I heard Slide, it was early '77 & I was like YEAH!!!! That crazy bicycle horn & the silly line: "I'll let my grandmother check that out".
Their first LP titled SLAVE (1977), also had You & Me, Screw Your Wig On Tite & the ballad The Happiest Days. The original lineup was: Mark Adams, Tim Dozier, Floyd Miller, Mark "Drac" Hicks, Steve Washington (The Fearless Leader), Tom Lockett, Carter Bradley, Danny Webster & Ray Turner. The bassline & Dracs screaming rock like guitar solos dominated their sound.

Their next LP: THE HARDNESS OF THE WORLD came out in late '77 & contained: Baby Sinister, The Party Song, Volcano Rupture & the ballad: We Can Make Love. They added a new member, Orion Wilhoite for this LP.
In the Summer of '78, they released THE CONCEPT LP. It contained Stellar Fungk, Just Freak & not much else. The most noteworthy thing about this LP is that Starlena Young & Steve Arrington made their first appearances with the group. To me, the music was missing that spark & I figured that it was about over for them. The producer for the above LPs was Jeff Dixon & the engineer was Jimmy Douglass. Then came what I call Slaves' Trilogy, as these were their finest LPs & what made their legacy in the funk annals

In late '79, I heard this song with one of the funkiest basslines & the background singing was bad. Then this somewhat odd sounding voices started singing & I was like, Ohh oh. Steve's voice was so different, that it took me aback at first. I was afraid that people would be put off by his voice. But that jam was pumping & it all meshed together perfectly. That jam is as fresh today as it was in the fall of '79. Steve Arrington (The Invade)became primary lead singer & drummer.

The JUST A TOUCH OF LOVE LP (1979)was their first "COMPLETE" LP. It contained songs such as: Are You Ready For Love featuring Starlena Young & making his Slave debut, Curt Jones (Aurra), Funky Lady, Foxy Lady, Roots, Shine, the ballad Thank You & the funky, funky jam, Warning, which had one of the funkiest basslines ever pressed to vinyl. Mr Mark Adams (The Hansolor) was one of the first that I can recall using that octave slide on the bass. That brother was bad & it's a shame that he's not recording.

They kicked it up a notch further with their STONE JAM LP (1980),which was their only Gold Record. None of their singles went Gold. This LP was produced by Steve Washington & Jimmy Douglass. There were changes in the guard as Drummer Tim Dozier, keyboardist Carter Bradley & percussionist Orion Wilhoite left the group. Making their first credited debuts were Charles Carter(Sax), Jennifer Ivory (co writer) & producer Jimmy Douglass (background vocals).

The change was obvious, Marks' bass was even more prominent & the vocals improved even more than that of the previous LP. The music was ambient, almost soothing hard core funk, that hit with a velvet fist. This LP was a smoker, not a trace of filler in these grooves. This LP had smokers like: Feel My Love, Dreamin', Let's Spend Some Time, Sizzlin' Hot, Never Get Away, Stone Jam, The classic, Watchin You & one of the most under rated, gorgeous ballads ever: Starting Over (featuring Curt & Starlena). You just put this LP on & listened.

The final LP of the trilogy is SHOWTIME (1981). This was another strong LP & had the instant funk classics: Snap Shot, Party Lites, Smokin', Wait For Me, Steal Your Heart, Funkentown & another underrated gorgeous ballad: For The Love Of U, which was probably his best rendition of a ballad ever.

Unfortunately, this album showed a fracture within the group. Gone was Steve Washington, who took Starlena Young & Curt Jones & formed Aurra (who later became Deja'). Also gone were: Mark "Drac" Hicks, Ray Turner, Tom Lockett. Added were: Delburt Taylor (keyboards & trumpet), Roger Parker (drums, perc), Sam Carter (keyboards, perc) & Kevin Johnson (lead, rhythm guitar). This LP was totally produced by Jimmy Douglass. The groove of Watching You was so strong that, producer Jimmy Douglass ripped it off completely & had a hit with Inside out by Odyssey the very next year. Unfortunately, after this LP, things completely fell apart, as we shall see.

Slaves next LP was VISIONS OF THE LITE(1982)& was a pretty weak affair. It had the songs: Do You Like It, Intro (Come To Blow Your Mind) & my favorite: I'll Be Gone. Defections hurt the groups' sound dramatically & the spark & direction was gone. Jimmy Douglass was no longer their producer (I wonder if the Inside Out affair had something to do with that). The most fatal blow was the loss of Steve Arrington, who created his group: Steve Arrington's Hall Of Fame. He took Charles Carter (Saxes, Kybds), Sam Carter (keybds)& Roger Parker (drums) with him.
In fact, when Way Out came out, we thought that it was Slaves' new record, until we got our copy from the record pool. On the Konglather label, no less.

They released their Bad Enuff LP in '83. This contained Steppin' Out & the closest to their classic sound, Steppin' Out.

Slave continued on, releasing NEW PLATEAU (1984) which contained OOh & a pretty nice ballad, Forever Mine. The group members at this point were three of the originals: Mark Adams, Danny Webster & Floyd Miller, Keith Nash, Aubrey Rivers, Larry Houston, Kenny Anderson & Wayne Foote. Oddly, former defectors, Curt Jones & Charles Carter did arrangements & Jimmy Douglass was producer again.

By the time they released MAKE BELIEVE in 1987, Slave was down to a the basic quartet of Mark, Floyd, Danny & Keith. Charles Carter (Keys, Sax) still lent a hand along with Tony Shockency (keys prog & sampling), Armenta Richardson, Vincent Owens & Dane Woodward (vocals). This LP was a so-so affair. I liked the ballad Lonely Girls the best. They had a few ok songs such as: Holiday, You Take My Breath Away, You & I Like Your Style. They simply didn't sound like Slave anymore.

The last LP I have of theirs is SLAVE 88. As usual, Mark, Keith, Danny & Floyd were there. Coming back to the fold were: Charles Carter, Mark "Drac" Hicks & Sam Carter. Helping out on a few songs were: Billy Beck (Keys), Roger Parker (drums), Al McSpadden, Buzz Amato (keys), Bobby Gaines (guitar), Armentia Jackson & Sheena Lee Damico (vocals). The magic was gone, only Slide 88 was close to the old sound, but nowhere close enough. There was a Jazz tinged song, Barbara Jean Blvd & the mellow, Because Of You. Sadly, it was over.

As for Steve Arrington, the Hall Of Fame LP (1983)contained instant classics like: You Meet My Approval, Way Out, Weak At The Knees & Nobody Can Be You. The Positive Power LP (1984) gave us Hump To The Bump & 15 Rounds. Dancing In The Key Of Life LP (1985) gave us Feel So Real, Dancing In The Key. He also had the funky Jammin' National Anthem & Homeboy & the sad ballad Willie Mae.

I thank Slave for the run that they gave us. Those 3 classic LPs will always remain as some of the best that Funk has to offer!
With much love!!!!
Juice

By einnod23 (24.90.13.48) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 09:14 pm:

Actually, put the entire catalog out and call it a day (especially Showtime).

By Juicefree20 (151.205.100.23) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 09:22 pm:

By the way, it would be good to hear someone explain just what happened with these brothers. I'd heard that there was some tension about the Rock solos of Drac & issues of leadership with Steve Washington. It was also said that Steve Arrington wanted to take his music in a more spiritual & positive direction. I have heard that he had become a preacher. What in the world put such a wedge between these Musically tight brothers? What a waste, together they could have rivaled any funk aggregation. Instead we're left to ponder, what if & what could have been. If I could ask them one question, it would be WHY? Why the division, why the split, why the rancor? Very little has ever been said about this for public consumption. What happened here?

By CORNBREAD (66.185.84.74) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 10:37 pm:

Can anyone confirm if we are talking of the same person, namely Jeff Dixon who was the producer of Slave's album titled "The hardness of the world".

There was a Jeff Dixon who converted to Rastafarianism and called himself Free-I. He was previously a radio jock in Jamaica, West Indies. Free-I was killed along with Peter Tosh and another fellow years ago in Tosh's house.

Are we talking about the same Jeff Dixon ?

By Wonder B (217.128.156.120) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 01:34 am:

Grubman, Louis is iundeed a funk bas player of the highest caliber... I just don't rate anybody over anybody... but if you don't put LOuis in that category then you should scrap that category LOL
I interviewed him a couple of years ago and what he did for the 6 hours I spent at his house was just mind bohggling... he never stopped playing while talking...
Don, have you seen Louis live (not on a Brothers Johnson show)? If you have I am not syaing that Mark or LOuis or Larry or whoever you might want to mention is the best but give the man some credit... he'll blow your bass woofer anytime... LOL
That said, the concert in NY I was talking about was by the Mark Adams version of Slave..

Wonder B

By Juicefree20 (151.205.100.23) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 01:54 am:

Larry was an innovator with that thumping bass. Louis continued in that tradition. Marks innovation was that sliding octave, best displayed in the intros of Slide & Just A Touch Of Love. I would be hard pressed to choose between the three of them as they are all great in their own right. What I will say is that Louis was fast as lightning with some of those licks & Larry popping those strings sounded like a kick drum, straight out of church. There's room in my collection & my heart for all three of them. You can't go wrong with any of the three!

Juice

By Wonder B (217.128.156.122) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 03:03 am:

Well said Juice! LOL By the way those who bought the George Duke Live in Japan 1983 DVD which I talked about a couple of weeks ago, can see why Louis technique or stage presence is innovative.. Solo after solo he works out the crowd into a frenzy, but his string bursting on 'Silly Fightin' is down right ridiculous (as in good! LOL)

Wonder B

By Wonder B (217.128.156.122) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 03:11 am:

Juice, by the way great post and great reviews of all these albums, but if you stopped at Slave 88 I think you are missing two quite good albums...
Namely, "Funk Strikes Back" from 1994 and "Masters of the Fungk" from 1996... I have all their albums and let me tell you those two are not the worst by far... Mark Adams bass is featured and mixed prominently throughout both CD's... I think you should try to listen to them (tell me what you think)...

Wonder B

By Rich (69.72.3.126) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 09:23 am:

Juice, appreciate the reviews. I gotta agree about your "trilogy" comment. It just don't get no better. There are so many great cuts off Showtime & Just a Touch of Love that I don't play much becuase they're on vinyl. Stone Jam, thankfully is on CD in its entirety.

For me Mark Adams & Mark Hicks were like the 2nd coming of Billy Nelson & Eddie Hazel, and somehow P-Funk ends up with Stevei Washington & his computer chip connection. Those brothers were baaaaaad.

Regarding the first three albums, I agree their debut is the best of the three but, I do love "Coming Soon" from 'The Concept' and "Can't Get Enough of You" from 'Hardness' ... both personal favorites.

I too remember when "Slide" came out, everytime the radio played it, I was ready to hear it again. An audio file of this should be hyperlinked to every dictionary under the word Slammin'.

Hey juice, maybe you could paste your head onto that first album cover, got the world on your back.

By 1Wicked (24.126.64.72) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 10:02 am:

Juice: Your overview was excellent. I don't understand what happened to Slave during the "Showtime" period. I saw them with Aurra in '81-'82...and it was an excellent show. They were basically in & out of each other's sets like interchangeable parts...with different people up front. (So..Jones, etc. were not defectors...it was a two headed monster strategy a la Parliament and Funkadelic.)

BTW...Mark is one helluva bassist, but Stevie Washington is no slouch either !

By Wonder B (81.51.160.196) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 10:06 am:

1Wicked, you are right about that too! LOL
Those who would like to check Steve Washington's chops on bass should take a listen to CIVIL ATTACK the LP he did with Sheila Brody-Washington-Horne (from P-Funk fame) on the SALSOUL label... the song on the phone features a good bass break which sounds a lot like Slave...

Wonder B

By Grubman Indursky Shindler (216.139.153.109) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 11:04 am:

Zebop, you're very welcome! Enjoy !

Kev, looks like I have to pick up a copy my damn self !! LOL

Wonder B, I misread Don's post. I wouldn't put Louis over Mark, they're both "da bomb" ! Yes, I agree with you wholeheartedly, Louis is one of the funkiest bass players. I know him very well myself. Notice how much he like to laugh ? That's what I love about the guy !

Steve Washington is no slouch on the bass is right !! Check out "Hey Good Lookin'" from George's "R&B Skeletons In The Closet" CD ...nuff said !!!

Anybody remember Aurra's first Dream/SalSoul self-titled release from 1980 ? Can you recall a track called "When I Come Home"? Talk about a fat bassline !!! Jesus !!!

Wow!! It's to nice to see all these Slave fans !!

By Common (209.2.55.169) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 11:14 am:

Everyone's already got it covered. All I can say is that I just love these guys & Steve! They're one of funk's best.

Peace!

By LTLFTC (67.167.135.143) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 11:27 am:

Speaking of Steve Arrington; around 1980-81, Guitar World magazine had a feature on a guy named Arthur Rhames. This guy supposedly played guitar like John McLAughlin, sax like Coltrane and piano like McCoy Tyner. A year or two later, I saw Arthur pictured and credited as guitarist on the first Steve Arrington solo lp and bought it expecting to be blown away, but there were only one or two brief gtr solos; tasty , but even I could have played 'em.
Writers and musicians such as Greg Tate and Vernon Reid have talked about this guy like he was the second coming. There is one solo lp under Arthur's name, but all the clips of it I've heard, he's playing sax-real good, but....

Anyway my question is, does anyone here have any first hand knowledge of how awesome this guy really was or any other info? All I know for sure is that he was working as a security guard before dying of AIDS in '87. Any additional info-was he the real deal?

Steve K

By Grubman Indursky Schindler (216.139.153.109) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 11:37 am:

Steve, a friend of mine knew Arthur very well. He told me Arthur would, literally, get up out of bed and pick up his guitar and practice .......everyday. He was a real nice guy from what I understand. Not much info on him unfortunately.

By peedee (199.196.144.16) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 11:48 am:

I SAW THE BASS PLAYER AND A HAND FULL
OF FOLKS CALLING THEMSELVES SLAVE
HERE IN DC ABOUT 4 MONTHS AGO
MARK STILL IS AN AWSOME BASS PLAYER
AND STEVE ARRINGTON IS PREACHING IN OHIO
I ASKED HIM ABOUT A POSSIBLE REUNION TOUR
AND HE INVITED ME TO HIS CHURCH
SO I GYESS HE IS NOT INTERESTED.

By Don (68.75.185.245) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 01:12 pm:

Don Here,

I'm still not satisfied with the selections of this second installment of Slave's Best Of, I'm sorry y'all, it just isn't cuttin' it.


Wonder B, I guess that it seems like I'm dissing Louis-not so. When Q was producing BJ, by the third lp and onward till their last lp with Q, their production and live sound was overblown into a big orchestration thing. It seems that Qunicy was probally concitrating on what Maurice White was doing in his productions.

You know B, some of it wasn't bad if Jones had've broke down some of the big band thing. It may have worked for Rufus & Chaka. I dug their stuff but sometimes it's a like or dislike meaning of the musical integraty somewhat. The last time you posted about something about Bass Players, I think Stu did it, i'm not sure. Anyway, we had a somewhat of a debate and not a nasty one-Thank Goodness. I went back and listened and there was something there and I want to thank U for making me realize the error. Although Q coulda done something in the music department meaning the sound, cause they we're still a funk band.

I'm not knocking Q, I think collectively they came up with some great concepts but...(?)

Not taking away from Louis and others but Midwest musicians have more of an edge, and anyone can tell. It don't mean I won't give the man a big long heartfelt clap of his performance.

Why is George taking the BJ Name and taking all the credit for himself. I was watching Access Hollywood and heard George in a threat harsh tone at louis for wanting their name and to cut Lou out. When I heard that George lost points with me, period. Later on I seen George on a Motown Variety Show that use to air a few yrs back. George's name was announced "LAdies and Gentleman The Brother's Johnson f/ George Johnson!". That was a stupid headliner George gave himself.
It should've said George johnson of The Johnson Brothers.

I know this is suppose to be a tribute to Slave I haven't forgot. Their Concept album, I assume it was S. Washington last lp with his former bandmates I assume? When I listen to "Coming Soon" it is a beautiful song it feels sad when I hear it, even I choke-up.

Yeah WonderB, I heard of the Steve Washington collabration with former Bride (of Funkenstein) Shelia Horn - Washington - Brody's record. It was alright, it had it's moments. I heard another 2nd unoffical record release that never came out. Shelia's this session was produced by a NY production duo. Their name escapes me. Then their was a house/funk/house/funk demo that was I think was suppose to released, but nothin' ever happened either. I can't go into detail. I'm not impressed with her latest CD can be purchased on TheFunkStore.com. I like 2-3 cuts.

Steve is a bad funkee bassist.

I was surprised!

By Rich (69.72.4.191) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 01:47 pm:

Funny how when we start talkin 'bout THE FUNK, the same names post-up, time & time again. Wait a minute - where's SlyFan?

Don, there indeed is something real raw emotionally speaking about 'Comin Soon'. BTW, which cuts on 7 Roses did you like. I have much respect for Moon & the Funk Sto', but the reviews all sound the same. Like they just change the song titles & artist names. But I guess thats what everbody does.

By Grubman Indursky & Schindler (216.139.153.109) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 01:57 pm:

Don FYI,

Stone Jam was the last album Steve Washington participated on. I found it very interesting how Slave moved on without him and scored even higher with Showtime. I bet Washington scratched his head in bewilderment when he heard it all over the radio in 1981.

By Wonder B (81.249.168.109) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 02:39 pm:

Still Stonejam is my favourite Slave LP, but it's all a matter of personal taste! LOL

Don I'm down with you after your explanation... I thought (but it's easy on the net to be misled when reading some post) you were dissing Louis...
I agree with you on Quincy's subject too. They olost a bit of the rawness needed for Funk into all the orchestration although it made up for the rich sound... but some funkateer friends find their sound overproduced or not nasty enough... if you see what I mean...

I wouldn't have defended him (Louis) that much if I hadn't seen him live back in 81 and he blew me away with his bass solo at the end of the show...
And after interviewing him I went a notch further. Yes He told me about the feud with his bro' and he was sad about it but hey... what can you do...
It seems though that they got over it when they toured again a couple of years ago... they even had their daughters as back up singers... I have a flyer of their gig at BB King's restaurant in NYC, but I wasn't in town when they played... so I don't know exactly how it sounded...
From what he told me Louis also had a hand on a LOT of the guitar playing on the Bros Johnson's albums, especially the nasty sound on "Get The Funk Outta Ma Face", where he uses his slap technique on guitar... he demonstrated it in front of me and it was crazy! LOL I would have left the skin of my fingers if I had even tried to pull out one note like he played it LOL
Louis is also a martial arts devotee with a black belt and in fact he used to teach some moves and how to apply a martial arts mind to bass playing for the students of his bass academy... quite interesting!

Of course I Luuuurve Mark Adams too! LOL Can't get enough of the bass! LOL

Wonder B

By Grubman Indursky Schindler (216.139.153.109) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 03:00 pm:

Wonder B,

Louis Johnson is a very, somewhat, mysterious cat. I read on another message board he's currently living in Minneapolis. Is that true ? One thing I noticed about Louis, and I'm sure you picked up on this or maybe Louis himself told you, he's a very spiritual guy.

A lot of The Bros. Johnson's song titles have biblical references to them. He told me titles like "Caught Up" "All About The Heavens" (from the "Light Up The Night") are spiritually based.

George's daughter has her own group and shopping their material. I forgot the group's name. They were written up in Billboard not too long ago. She look kinda hot BTW ;o)

By Juicefree20 (68.161.24.39) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 05:44 pm:

I recall seeing a show a few years ago, where George Johnson was playing with his group. The official explanation for Louis' abscense was that he had a school & was teaching bass. I don't know if that was the real, but that's what George had to say about it. According to him, everything was now cool between them.

Rich, I guess that I'll have to give those LPs another listen. I just might have missed something.

Don, that Coming Soon emotion sounds quite similar to the reaction I had when I first heard Willie Mae by Steve Arrington. The arrangement & lyrics were so damn sad. My Ex-DJ partner has the LP now, for some reason, that song was just too sad for me to listen to.

For those who know, just what was the cause for this obviously huge blowout with the fellas?

Juice

By Juicefree20 (68.161.24.39) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 05:54 pm:

Hey Rich, that cut & paste is a great idea. Gotta see if I have the scan.

Juice

By Wonder B (80.11.231.193) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 07:11 pm:

Grubman, LOuis is indeed living in Minneapolis... he moved up there from L.A because he found a new love who lives there... no other explanation...
Indeed Louis is a religious person... rememeber the LP 'PASSAGE' he did put out in the middle of the 80's??? The lyrics were all taken from the Bible although the musical background was funk!

George's excuse for Louis not being there is a load of B.S (to me!) since he wouldn't miss a show to give lessons although that's what he did (does?) at his Bass Academy...

Wonder B

By Don (68.75.174.191) on Saturday, April 03, 2004 - 12:57 am:

Rich, I misquoted. I had some notes in front of me when I posted earlier today, while at the same time I got distracted. No Shelia's 7 Roses CD is tha bomb! Although a couple of cuts on 7 Roses I may have heard some earlier carnations of songs from her 2nd & 3rd unreleased record releases. Two of them, from what I remember, sound like "Hey Soldier", "Peace" and I think "Can't Fall".

"No Ordinary Man" and "What About You" are nice ballads especially coming from her.

Her and her then husband Steve Washington wrote some bad azz'd songs with Clinton. I was impressed with their songwriting partership on Jimmy G and The Tackheads that came out on Capitol in 1985. And y'all know something. It worked.

By Rich (12.76.102.155) on Saturday, April 03, 2004 - 09:12 am:

The credits on that Jimmy G album give me the impression that it was as much a Stevie Washington album as it was anything else. Very good effort all around, with Steve & Shiela's "All or Nothin' a personal favorite.

Huh?!? upon further study, I would guess that five of these cuts are Steve's, with Stevie laying down nearly all of the music himself. I wonder if his initial approach (or impression) was possibly that he was doing an album of his own produced by GC & Steve on himself ... only to have the cuts end up on several different projects, one being George's brother Jimmy's. Hmmm!

so ... Steve Washington's P-Funk/Solo album would be Pleasures of Exhaustion, Clockwork, Break My Heart, All or Nothin, Slingshot, Family Funk, Hey Good Lookin & Do Fries Go With that Shake.

Possibly Adnrodgynous View & Story Teller, released on the Inc Thang album, were also done all around the same time.

By Don (68.75.171.154) on Saturday, April 03, 2004 - 09:18 am:

Correct.

By LTLFTC (67.167.135.143) on Saturday, April 03, 2004 - 11:07 am:

Speaking of Jimmy G., was "Break My Heart" as big a radio hit elsewhere as it was in Mid-Michigan ? I know the lp didnt do very well saleswise (immediate bargain bin purchase). WXLA (AM) used to play that song constantly.

Steve K

ps Yeah, Rich , the funk does bring a certain community together here doesnt it ,heheheh?

By Allen (24.31.32.197) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 11:12 am:

Great thread folks,

Recently during a conversation with Danny Lemelle of The Stone City Band, I mentioned to him that I was probably unknowingly influenced by Slave and Steve Arrington when I wrote the music for Square Biz.

This bought to mind the continuity and how one idea begets another and so on. I also wondered has the retardation of music lately damaged that process. It took me over twenty years to find the similarities in "Snapshot" and "Square Biz"... but it's there.

Arringtons daring melodic approach has stood the test of time, and to this day he hasn't been equaled in his sense of exploration.

I think Mark used a Kramer Bass on some of their recordings. The metal neck produced a unique sound.

By Don (68.75.58.195) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 01:48 pm:

Hi LTLFTC, the last time we posted back & forth to one another was with regards to an Pat Lewis Thread. I'm glad she's doing better. To follow up on your comment, in your first paragraph. Jimmy G's was gettin' some serious airplay here in Chi-Town. From AM to FM, it all depends on which stations one tuned into? I found me a copy at an local drugstore in their lp rack.

By Wonder B (80.15.154.38) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 03:25 pm:

Allen I had never thought about the connections between Square Biz and Snapshot but I'll give it a spin...
Anyway Square Biz can stand on it's own feet because it's one hell of a funk song and that bass line is close to my favourite among the ones you played... (remember when we had that conversation a while ago???) GIGOLETTE from the OZONE LP Send It... My favourite instrumental Funk track (on the promo version of this track)... this one would make Sir Nose dance in a cinch... LOL
Allen you did some helluvah piece of work with that one LOL

Wonder B

By Juicefree20 (141.149.53.204) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 06:07 pm:

Hey Allen, in that case, then Snap Shot got its similarity from you, as Square Biz came out several months before Snap Shot. Doesn't matter, those two kept my crowd skating in '81. I miss those folks! I miss the Stone City Band as well, I liked their LP.

Juice

By Wonder B (81.250.181.165) on Monday, April 05, 2004 - 08:49 am:

JUICE you should have put an 's' to LP ... LOL The Stone City Band did 3 or even 4 LP's I gotta check my collection! (from the top of my head I can already name three, In'n Out, The Boys Are Back, Out From The Shadow...)

Wonder B

By Grubman Indursky Schindler (216.139.153.109) on Monday, April 05, 2004 - 11:52 am:

Anybody STILL TO THIS DAY feeling Mark Adams' bass work on Odyssey's "Inside Out" ?

By Wonder B (81.50.20.153) on Monday, April 05, 2004 - 08:15 pm:

It's funny cos' I always loved the bass on that Odyssey track Grubman, but for some reason I never made the connection with Mark Adams... I have the 12" version so there are no liner notes, but now that you mention it, it all becomes much clearer!!!

Wonder B

By Juicefree20 (68.161.49.152) on Monday, April 05, 2004 - 08:49 pm:

Hey Wonder, I only had their first LP. As far as Marks bass on Inside Out, it should be great. Slave's producer, Mr Jimmy Douglass took the entire Watching You track & used it for Inside Out.

Juice

By Don (68.77.40.21) on Monday, April 05, 2004 - 09:17 pm:

I remember all the songs and spin-off groups that we all have commented here. This is a great thread in my opinion. Any more info anyone?

By sly fan (67.115.74.66) on Monday, April 05, 2004 - 09:32 pm:

Damn...hard call..Mark Adams and Louis Johnson....STOMP made me a believer on general principal but Mark did kill it on "Inside Out"...

I was always curious about the overdub thing with "Inside Out/Watching"..

Both songs are equally funky..Although, "Inside" had a sexier vibe happening..

By Juicefree20 (68.161.49.152) on Monday, April 05, 2004 - 10:07 pm:

I always wondered how Mark & the fellas felt about Inside Out. Even more surprising is who actually held the rights to Watching You. Usually, when such a blatant ripoff happens, the artist(s)/song is recorded for the same label. However, Watching You was recorded on Atlantic, whereas Inside Out was recorded on RCA. I know that Watching You was credited to the group members. Looking at the Inside Out 12", the song is credited to one "J. Rae" Major Toms Music, BMI & Luzuli Music, ASCAP. Furthermore, the song was prodced by Jimmy Douglass, the producer of Slave. Who was "J. Rae" & what happened to the groups writing credit on Inside Out? Something smells here! I'd love to hear the explanation about this situation.

Juice

By Don (68.75.59.129) on Tuesday, April 06, 2004 - 08:22 pm:

I was talking to a friend and I told him alot of funk addicts old and new with whom I speak with always keep telling me that Federation of Tackheads are their favorite cover. For it's simplicity. Yeah, we'd take strolls, uh, around dah way. Fans'll say they luv dem pics on Jimmy's lp. And I'd always say "Yeah...Really?".