OHIO PLAYERS Fire Orig '75 GF LP ATCQ Breaks ASD

OHIO PLAYERS, THE FIRE LPCategory / Style / Moods: R&B * R&B * Funk * Urban * Pop-Soul Disco Moods * Summery * Sexual * Aggressive * Happy * Confident * Joyous * Playful * Fun * Sexy * Energetic * Party/ Celebratory * Exuberant * Earthy * BoisterousIP / 9.77 S1975 MERCURY US LPTITLE: FIREARTIST: OHIO PLAYERS, THECONDITIONVINYL: VG+COVER: VG- PSOCClick here for info on grading and abbreviationsGATEFOLD SLEEVE ORIGINAL PRESS TRACKS: Disc: 11.FireBeck, Bonner, Jones ... 4:332.TogetherBeck, Bonner, Jones ... 3:063.Runnin' from the DevilBeck, Bonner, Jones ... 4:474.I Want to Be FreeBeck, Bonner, Jones ... 6:525.SmokeBeck, Bonner, Jones ... 5:586.It's All OverBeck, Bonner, Jones ... 4:147.What the HellBeck, Bonner, Jones ... 5:368.Together/FeelingsBeck, Bonner, Jones ... 1:12TRACKS / SAMPLED BY Fire: (Mercury 1975) * "Fire" A Tribe Called Quest - "Money Maker" RBL Posse - "Sorta Like a Psycho" Shaq ft Keith Murray - "Newark to C.I." * "Far East Mississippi" Chop Shop - "Hurt Me" Style - "Just a Little Something" Review by Alex Henderson After greatly increasing their visibility with Skin Tight, the Ohio Players became even more visible with Fire -- an unpredictable masterpiece that boasted such explosive horn-driven funk jewels as "Smoke" and the wildly addictive title song. The Players were always best known for their hard-edged funk, but in fact, there was much more to their legacy. "I Want to Be Free," the almost innocent "Together," and the remorseful "It's All Over" demonstrate that their ballads and slower material could be first-rate soul treasures. The influence of gospel imagery and the black church experience had asserted itself on Skin Tight's "Is Anybody Gonna Be Saved," and does so once again on the intense "What the Hell" and the hit "Runnin' From the Devil." Without question, Fire was one of the Ohio Players' greatest triumphs -- both commercially and artistically. Biography by Jason Ankeny With their slinky, horn-powered grooves, impeccable musicianship, and eye-popping album covers, the Ohio Players were among the top funk bands of the mid-'70s. Emerging from the musical hotbed of Dayton in 1959, the group was originally dubbed the Ohio Untouchables, and initially comprised singer/guitarist Robert Ward, bassist Marshall "Rock" Jones, saxophonist/guitarist Clarence "Satch" Satchell, drummer Cornelius Johnson, and trumpeter/trombonist Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks. In late 1961, a relative of Ward's founded the Detroit-based Lupine Records, and the group traveled north to the Motor City to back the Falcons on their hit "I Found a Love"; the Ohio Untouchables soon made their headlining debut with "Love Is Amazing," but when Ward subsequently exited for a solo career, the group essentially disbanded. At that point, the nucleus of Middlebrooks, Jones, and newly added guitarist Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner returned to Dayton; there they recruited saxophonist Andrew Noland and drummer Gary Webster, the latter a somewhat elusive figure whose true involvement in the group's convoluted history has never been definitively answered -- some sources credit him as a founding Untouchable, others even as the band's early leader. In any case, by 1967, with the subsequent addition of singers Bobby Lee Fears and Dutch Robinson, the newly rechristened Ohio Players were signed as the house band for the New York-based Compass Records, backing singer Helena Ferguson on her lone hit, "Where Is the Party," before issuing their solo debut, "Trespassin'," which hit the R&B charts in early 1968. Although the Players' trademark bottom-heavy, horn-driven sound was already blossoming, their follow-up, "It's a Cryin' Shame," flopped, and as Compass teetered on the brink of bankruptcy they exited the label. (Their early Compass sides were later packaged as First Impressions.) The Players then landed on Capitol, where 1969's "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" was a minor hit; an LP, Observations in Time, soon followed, with covers of "Summertime" and "Over the Rainbow" offering a strong hint of the stylistic detours to follow. In 1970 the group disbanded, however; Fears and Robinson both mounted solo careers, while the remaining members again decamped to Dayton, eventually re-forming with keyboardist Walter "Junie" Morrison, trumpeter Bruce Napier, and trombonist Marvin Pierce.This exquisite piece of retro music history is a vinyl sound recording (not a CD). Visit the A Sound Deal store for information on grading, shipping, abbreviations and general info.Add me to your favorites for red hot sales bulletins and sneak previews of upcoming products. Click here for more info on grading and abbreviationsCombine Items to Save $$$! Click here to check the store for more!©A Sound Deal