Slave: What Happened?

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1978 - The Concept: very funky,catchy tunes, great horns, solid rhythm section, very listenable.

1979 - Just a Touch of Love: weak, saccharine R&B, very little funk left, sounds like something you might hear on hold while waiting to speak with a utility company operator.

What happened to this band between 78 and 79? I guess I don't understand this as a natural musical evolution. Explain/discuss.

― webcrack (music=crack), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 20:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Kool and the Gang's "Celebration"? (Or was that later??)

― chuck, Tuesday, 27 April 2004 20:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Or cocaine, maybe?

Still, isn't *Showtime* (1981, with a hockey arena on the cover!) still their best album? Or have I been mistaken for a quarter century?

― chuck, Tuesday, 27 April 2004 20:22 (twenty-two years ago)

webcrack=oncrack

― Andy K (Andy K), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 20:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey, even if you don't have the same feelings towards the respective albums I do, you can't deny that there is a serious shift in musical direction there. I'm curious as to what brought this about.

― webcrack (music=crack), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 20:29 (twenty-two years ago)

"Just A Touch of Love" = the bassline to one of the best De La club cuts ever!

― Nate in ST.P (natedetritus), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 20:41 (twenty-two years ago)

A lot of funk bands and jazz people made a similar shift to relatively smooth R&B around that time. It could be any number of factors -- label pressure, new technology, desire to not run the same sound into the ground, etc. I like a lot of that late '70s/early '80s crap -- Raydio, George Benson's Give Me the Night, Patti Austin, Patrice Rushen, whatever -- so you'll hear no complaints from me.

― Andy K (Andy K), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 20:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I like a lot of that late '70s/early '80s crap -- Raydio, George Benson's Give Me the Night, Patti Austin, Patrice Rushen, whatever

Nate's 1979 comp to thread!

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 20:44 (twenty-two years ago)

In a very, very good way, mind you.

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 20:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Slave spawned so much goodness from '79 on. Not just the actual Slave records, but Aurra ("Are You Single", "Make Up Your Mind") Steve Arrington ("Weak at the Knees," "Dancin' in the Key of Life"), Young & Company ("I Like What You're Doing to Me")... I suppose you're not as likely to fall for this stuff if you hate drum machines and keyboards and would much rather hear big fat actual horn sections.

― Andy K (Andy K), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 20:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, I don't hate the drum machines and keyboards per se, but I do prefer the fat actual horn sections, ergo my initial comments re: the two albums. I got into Slave initially from listening to my brother play their first couple of albums, so when I picked up Just a Touch of Love it was not really what I expected.

― webcrack (music=crack), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 20:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I suppose you're not as likely to fall for this stuff if you hate drum machines

Except they didn't use drum machines (not on most of the tracks you mention anyway)..but that's me being pedantic. Those Aurra, Young & Co. cuts are amongst my all-time favourites as are a considerable number of the later Slave tracks. I totally prefer the sweetened disco-funk to the earlier brassy funk (although the 'Stone Jam' LP is a nice compromise between the two styles with a super-tough production sound..the later 'Show Time' LP has some classic songs on it but suffers imo from a flabby unappealing drum sound).

As to what brought it about (the shift)..well obviously the (commercial) decline of funk and the rise of disco. Most of those big funk bands went more disco because that was what was likely to sell records and keep them in record contracts.

― David (David), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 21:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I find the first couple of albums fairly weak actually, with the exception of the odd classic like 'Slide'. Not many hooks there..too much pedestrian (imo) funk.

― David (David), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 21:05 (twenty-two years ago)

four years pass...

The 1st couple of albums are terrific! Some cracking guitar solos too amongst the awesome funk.

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Sunday, 12 April 2009 19:24 (seventeen years ago)

If any euros want to check out Slave, a whole load are on Spotify , apart from the 1st album (which is awesome) but The Concept is on there and I urge all funk fans to check it out.

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Sunday, 12 April 2009 19:26 (seventeen years ago)

As to what brought it about (the shift)..well obviously the (commercial) decline of funk and the rise of disco. Most of those big funk bands went more disco because that was what was likely to sell records and keep them in record contracts.

Unfortunately. But equally unfortunate is the fact the disco fans wont check out the funk stuff and other people who only know of them due to disco(stand up kool & the gang for example) wont check out the terrific funk albums they made as theyre too embarrassed to check out a band they perceive as "disco".

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Sunday, 12 April 2009 19:29 (seventeen years ago)

Listening to http://www.goodgroove.org/discoboogie/dbguest35/Slave_TheConceptTMB.jpg on Spotify now. I could never find this album (pre-internet days) and the CD was OOP, so I was so chuffed to finally hear it via Napster in 2000.

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Sunday, 12 April 2009 19:31 (seventeen years ago)

What happened to this band between 78 and 79?

I may not have the chronology right but IIRC steve washington left for aurra & steve arrington took over singing duties

― m coleman, Sunday, 12 April 2009 21:38 (seventeen years ago)

"Steppin' Out" is sort of o_0 ... I think JT's entire solo career is sort of one big ripoff of it.

― Nurse Detrius (Eric H.), Sunday, 12 April 2009 21:41 (seventeen years ago)

this album from the early 80s is the funkin BOMB!

http://souledoutrecords.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/slave_showtimetmb.jpg

― m coleman, Sunday, 12 April 2009 21:41 (seventeen years ago)

fucking love Slave and the offshoots. what about Steve Arrington's "Way Out"?!?!?! that's the joint. i like both "versions" of Slave, but they were one of the most consistent of those early 80's disco/funk/r&b bands, most of their albums are worth picking up and they're cheap as hell too.

― pipecock, Monday, 13 April 2009 03:52 (seventeen years ago)

errrrrrrrr no one thinks they fell off in 1979. wtf.

― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Monday, 13 April 2009 10:05 (seventeen years ago)

ie - just a touch of love = mega classic.

― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Monday, 13 April 2009 10:05 (seventeen years ago)

one year passes...

Mark Adams, one of the baddest bassists, RIP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91pg54SDTJE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kIruyYi8w0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSBmZG2TMq4

Some of the best Slave songs are not on YouTube.

― Andy K, Thursday, 17 March 2011 12:50 (fifteen years ago)

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