I don't even know where to begin with this album. 1987 was a year of magic, sweet syth beats, and funk apparently. Sadly, there are not any full sources of info on this so I present to you a story that is probably fictional but based on truth.
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Back in 1987, in and around the fabled land of London, two men had a vision for a new 80's pop group with strong roots in funk. Richie Stevens and Lorenzo Hall came together under the name Well Red and their mutual love for posing in dark leather jackets. Howver, they needed more, the funk could not be contained.
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At the same time, for reasons that are their own, many other up-and-coming as well as established musicians were in the same neighborhood. Gail Ann Dorsey (eventual bassist for Bowie), Clenn Nightingale (guitarist for Boy George), Guy Barker (whose trumpet had graced numerous other bands since the 70's, go look him up), and even the dreaded George Clinton (yeah, that one) just to name a few were apparently ready to rock. Were they in between contracts? Were some of them just looking for their big break? These are stories lost to the ages perhaps.
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How Virgin Records managed to get them all together is lost to the ages. So too are the reasons such a powerful setup did not explode. Perhaps it was a case of the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe the world just was not ready for this stuff. I don't know. What I do know: this album surprised me. I am not saying I judged this book by its cover, but I totaly was not expecting the rich instrumental feel and playful riffs coming out my speakers. Where I might expect a midi-type trumpet and casio bossa nova, I got bright and brassy horns and funky grooves. While I did not really pay attention to the lyrics, the vocals are not too shabby either.
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The sound quality on this bad boy leads me to believe it was rarely if ever played. Nary a scratch, pop, or fizz was to be heard. The dust jacket is in pretty good shape and I would gladly include it in my collection on aesthetics alone. There is a warning on the outside about it being for "promotional use only" which again raises the question of where did these records come from?
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I would say this record probably would not appeal to everyone. For me, I like about half the songs but enjoyed the listening experience. As I said, 80's style funk is totally new to me and was a fun surprise. There are definite times I could see coming back to them and even sprinkling some Well Red in with a general playlist might be fun. Try out the samples from two of my favorite tracks below or don't. Mine is just one opinion.
Well Red -
Motion
1987
I don't even know where to begin with this album. 1987 was a year of magic, sweet syth beats, and funk apparently. Sadly, there are not any full sources of info on this so I present to you a story that is probably fictional but based on truth.
​
Back in 1987, in and around the fabled land of London, two men had a vision for a new 80's pop group with strong roots in funk. Richie Stevens and Lorenzo Hall came together under the name Well Red and their mutual love for posing in dark leather jackets. Howver, they needed more, the funk could not be contained.
​
At the same time, for reasons that are their own, many other up-and-coming as well as established musicians were in the same neighborhood. Gail Ann Dorsey (eventual bassist for Bowie), Clenn Nightingale (guitarist for Boy George), Guy Barker (whose trumpet had graced numerous other bands since the 70's, go look him up), and even the dreaded George Clinton (yeah, that one) just to name a few were apparently ready to rock. Were they in between contracts? Were some of them just looking for their big break? These are stories lost to the ages perhaps.
​
How Virgin Records managed to get them all together is lost to the ages. So too are the reasons such a powerful setup did not explode. Perhaps it was a case of the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe the world just was not ready for this stuff. I don't know. What I do know: this album surprised me. I am not saying I judged this book by its cover, but I totaly was not expecting the rich instrumental feel and playful riffs coming out my speakers. Where I might expect a midi-type trumpet and casio bossa nova, I got bright and brassy horns and funky grooves. While I did not really pay attention to the lyrics, the vocals are not too shabby either.
​
The sound quality on this bad boy leads me to believe it was rarely if ever played. Nary a scratch, pop, or fizz was to be heard. The dust jacket is in pretty good shape and I would gladly include it in my collection on aesthetics alone. There is a warning on the outside about it being for "promotional use only" which again raises the question of where did these records come from?
​
I would say this record probably would not appeal to everyone. For me, I like about half the songs but enjoyed the listening experience. As I said, 80's style funk is totally new to me and was a fun surprise. There are definite times I could see coming back to them and even sprinkling some Well Red in with a general playlist might be fun. Try out the samples from two of my favorite tracks below or don't. Mine is just one opinion.