Slave - New Plateau '1984

Tracks list

Tracklist:

1. Jungle Dance (04:53)
2. E.Z. Lovin' U (03:42)
3. K.O.G. (04:26)
4. Ooohh (04:23)
5. The Word Is Out (05:02)
6. Share Your (L.O.V.E.) (04:52)
7. Forever Mine (04:22)
8. Motorway (03:29)


 moreFormed in 1975, Slave were an outgrowth of Dayton acts Black Satin Soul
and the Mystics. Unlike most groups, Slave's catalysts were brass players,
namely trumpeter/leader Steve Washington and trombonist Floyd Miller. The two
brought in saxophonists Tom Lockett, Jr. and Orion "Bimmy" Wilhoite, bassist
Mark "Mr. Mark" Adams, drummer Tim "Tiny" Dozier, keyboardist Carter "C.B."
Bradley, and guitarists Mark "Drac" Hicks and Danny Webster. Miller, Webster,
and Dozier originally split lead vocals. Washington was the lone member not
originally from Ohio. He had moved from his native East Orange, New Jersey, to
the Buckeye State to complete high school while living with his uncle, Ralph
"Pee Wee" Middlebrooks of Ohio Players. Taking their name from a word emblazoned
on a shirt Miller wore to a band practice, Slave worked on writing and
performing original material, and at a studio in New Jersey recorded a demo.
Jeff Dixon, a programmer at a radio station in Newark, enjoyed the result enough
to book more studio time for the band and took on roles as producer and manager.
The group cut enough additional tunes to have an album's worth of songs to shop
to labels.

Atlantic subsidiary Cotillion won out, signed Slave in January 1977, and had the
label's in-house recording engineer Jimmy Douglass remix their songs (some of
which had been re-recorded). That April, Slave entered Billboard's R&B LPs
chart, and it eventually peaked at number six (number 22 pop), propelled by
"Slide," a number one hit on the R&B chart that crossed into the pop chart and
topped out at number 32. Slave was certified gold in mid-June, by which point
the musicians -- joined by additional keyboardist Ray Turner -- were already
working on a follow-up with the intent of reaching an even broader audience. Out
by the end of the year, Hardness of the World generated charting singles with
"The Party Song" and "Baby Sister" -- the former a number 22 R&B hit -- and
peaked on the R&B album chart at number 31.

The most consequential of the band's almost innumerable lineup changes took
place over the course of their third and fourth full-lengths. First, Steve
Arrington, a Dayton-raised percussionist who had been performing with the
Escovedo family (Coke, Pete, and Sheila), was installed as drummer, replacing
Tim Dozier, and quickly became one of Slave's songwriters and a primary vocalist
as well. The Concept, the first album of the Arrington era, put Slave back near
the Top Ten of the R&B chart in 1978 with help from "Stellar Fungk," a layered,
driving cut that became a number 14 R&B hit. More personnel moves occurred
afterward. Orion Wilhoite and Carter Bradley exited, and saxophonist Charles
Carter, guitarist/vocalist Curt Jones, and vocalist Starleana Young entered the
picture. Next album Just a Touch of Love, released in 1979, was driven by the
number nine R&B hit title song, a freewheeling introduction to Young as a second
vocalist and addition to the songwriting team. Stone Jam and Show Time, issued
respectively in 1980 and 1981, added two more Top Ten R&B singles with "Watching
You" and "Snap Shot," and also went Top Ten on the R&B chart. Stone Jam brought
the band their second gold album certification.

During this period, Steve Washington produced a one-off Arrington solo single
for the Salsoul label ("Summertime Lovin'") and established the group Aurra as a
showcase for the departing Jones and Young, who were also joined from the start
by Carter and Tom Lockett, Jr. Before the making of Show Time, Washington and
Lockett also left Slave to concentrate full-time on Aurra, leaving Arrington --
who declined an invitation to join the new act -- to lead Slave. The new members
on Show Time were Sam Carter (keyboards, percussion, vocals), Kevin Johnson
(guitar), Delbert Taylor (flügelhorn), and Roger Parker (drums, enabling
Arrington to truly front the band).

Arrington left Slave in 1982, the year he played drums on Odyssey's Jimmy
Douglass-produced "Inside Out" (a single reminiscent of Slave's "Watching You")
and more significantly launched Steve Arrington's Hall of Fame with Charles and
Sam Carter and Roger Parker among the players. Slave continued that year with
original member Danny Webster as main vocalist, and with the addition of drummer
Ronny Cochran and keyboardist Marvin Wheatley made the self-produced Visions of
the Lite. Created without the involvement of both Arrington and Douglass (who
had also co-written some of the band's best-known material), Visions of the Lite
contained a pair of charting singles and "I'll Be Gone," one of their more
beloved deep cuts. Douglass returned to assist in the making of Slave's last two
recordings for Cotillion, 1983's Bad Enuff and 1984's New Plateau, albums that
placed another handful of singles on the R&B chart. Most popular was the number
22 hit "Shake It Up."

Slave then signed with Ichiban, and from the mid-'80s through their mid-'90s
breakup released six relatively low-profile albums with their second label. As
always, their lineup fluctuated from session to session. Unchained at Last and
Make Believe, issued respectively in 1985 and 1987, were their last LPs to
chart. These sets were followed by Slave 88 (1988), Rebirth (1990), The Funk
Strikes Back (1992), and Masters of the Fungk (1995), some of which overlapped
in material and contained updated versions of their hits. Mark Adams and Mark
Hicks died separately in 2011. Following them were Orion Wilhoite and Danny
Webster, who each died in 2020. © Andy Kellman



Slave - New Plateau.rar - 201.6 MB

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