OHIO PLAYERS Angel '77 LP OOP Original GF ASD

OHIO PLAYERS, THE ANGEL 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 * Boisterous / 1177 S1977 MERCURY LPTITLE: ANGELARTIST: OHIO PLAYERS, THECONDITIONVINYL: NEAR VG+ TO VG+COVER: VG+Click here for info on grading and abbreviationsOUT OF PRINT GATEFOLD SLEEVE ORIGINAL PRESS TRACKS: Disc: 11.AngelBeck, Jones, Middlebrook ... 7:272.Merry-Go-RoundBeck, Jones, Middlebrook ... 4:133.Glad to Know You're MineBeck, Jones, Middlebrook ... 3:494.Don't Fight My LoveBeck, Jones, Middlebrook ... 4:135.Body VibesBeck, Bonner, Jones ... 7:126.Can You Still Love Me?Beck, Jones, Middlebrook ... 4:507.O-H-I-OBeck, Jones, Middlebrook ... 3:088.FaithBeck, Jones, Middlebrook ... 5:31Review by Craig Lytle There are three elements that can always be found on the Ohio Players' albums that were released during their heyday: funky tracks, hyped ballads and sexually suggestive album covers. This LP is no different, featuring three releases in "Body Vibes," "O-H-I-O" and "Merry Go Round." The first and last peaked at 19 and 77 respectively on the Billboard R&B charts. The second of the three is an uptempo cut, in which the song's title is the only lyric; it is repeated in a whispery chant in the verse and the word itself is sung throughout the chorus. This formula proved successful as the single cracked the Top Ten at number nine inside of 18 weeks. It was also the last Top Ten single for the Dayton, Ohio funk aggregate. "Angel," the title track, and "Can You Still Love Me" were not released, but are classic Ohio Players compositions. "Angel" is a mid-tempo number honed with dancing rhythms and piercing horns that Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner shrouds with his trademark baritone, complemented by superb background vocals. Bonner maintains that same vocal appeal on "Can You Still Love Me," leaving room for falsetto-flavored background vocals that are creatively arranged. 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