silverchild said:

TD3 said:

I'd be surprised it they go that deep but who knows, I guess we shall find out...

But then I was surprised they even agreed to do 'Unsung'.

They probably won't go that deep, but there's so much stuff that went on with this group. Ricky, Edmund, and Foster had the worst fates. I'm a little surprised as well, but they definitely deserved a special. They certainly weren't on the level of the Jacksons, the Osmonds or the DeBarges, but they stood their own. It is even more interesting that their first and only pop hit was "Boogie Fever" back in 1975, but they have such a rich musical legacy that has gone criminally overlooked. Their first three albums before the whole "disco fever" phrase are classics.

um, no. having been a little girl at the time, foster sylvers was my preteen crush and i loved, loved, loved the sylvers. every time they were on tv - bandstand, soul train, wonderama, mike douglas, dinah shore - i was all up in the screen. you hear me? all up in it!

boogie fever wasn't their only pop hit. from wiki:

In 1976, following the recording of their next album, Something Special ... [it] was the family’s biggest selling LP, reaching 13 on the Billboard album charts. Produced by Perren, the LP spawned another smash million-seller, "Hot Line" (#5 on Billboard Hot 100) as well as “High School Dance” (#17 on Billboard Hot 100).

lord knows i had that album, and the one before it, showcase that had boogie fever, storybook girl and that's what love is made of on it. when i was even younger, i remember 'wish that i could talk to you'. that's what got me started on them.

kibbles said:

silverchild said:

They probably won't go that deep, but there's so much stuff that went on with this group. Ricky, Edmund, and Foster had the worst fates. I'm a little surprised as well, but they definitely deserved a special. They certainly weren't on the level of the Jacksons, the Osmonds or the DeBarges, but they stood their own. It is even more interesting that their first and only pop hit was "Boogie Fever" back in 1975, but they have such a rich musical legacy that has gone criminally overlooked. Their first three albums before the whole "disco fever" phrase are classics.

um, no. having been a little girl at the time, foster sylvers was my preteen crush and i loved, loved, loved the sylvers. every time they were on tv - bandstand, soul train, wonderama, mike douglas, dinah shore - i was all up in the screen. you hear me? all up in it!

boogie fever wasn't their only pop hit. from wiki:

In 1976, following the recording of their next album, Something Special ... [it] was the family’s biggest selling LP, reaching 13 on the Billboard album charts. Produced by Perren, the LP spawned another smash million-seller, "Hot Line" (#5 on Billboard Hot 100) as well as “High School Dance” (#17 on Billboard Hot 100).

lord knows i had that album, and the one before it, showcase that had boogie fever, storybook girl and that's what love is made of on it. when i was even younger, i remember 'wish that i could talk to you'. that's what got me started on them.

Wow! "Wonderama" brings back memories. It use to come on here in cali on Sunday mornings & I remember walking on the empty Mike Douglas show set. When i was working in the same studio with Janet Jackson where the show was taped.

[Edited 6/20/11 21:28pm]

kibbles said:

silverchild said:

They probably won't go that deep, but there's so much stuff that went on with this group. Ricky, Edmund, and Foster had the worst fates. I'm a little surprised as well, but they definitely deserved a special. They certainly weren't on the level of the Jacksons, the Osmonds or the DeBarges, but they stood their own. It is even more interesting that their first and only pop hit was "Boogie Fever" back in 1975, but they have such a rich musical legacy that has gone criminally overlooked. Their first three albums before the whole "disco fever" phrase are classics.

um, no. having been a little girl at the time, foster sylvers was my preteen crush and i loved, loved, loved the sylvers. every time they were on tv - bandstand, soul train, wonderama, mike douglas, dinah shore - i was all up in the screen. you hear me? all up in it!

boogie fever wasn't their only pop hit. from wiki:

In 1976, following the recording of their next album, Something Special ... [it] was the family’s biggest selling LP, reaching 13 on the Billboard album charts. Produced by Perren, the LP spawned another smash million-seller, "Hot Line" (#5 on Billboard Hot 100) as well as “High School Dance” (#17 on Billboard Hot 100).

lord knows i had that album, and the one before it, showcase that had boogie fever, storybook girl and that's what love is made of on it. when i was even younger, i remember 'wish that i could talk to you'. that's what got me started on them.

I think silverchild meant to say, "Boogie Fever" was the Sylvers only number 1 hit song.

=============================

[Edited 6/20/11 17:40pm]

TD3 said:

kibbles said:

um, no. having been a little girl at the time, foster sylvers was my preteen crush and i loved, loved, loved the sylvers. every time they were on tv - bandstand, soul train, wonderama, mike douglas, dinah shore - i was all up in the screen. you hear me? all up in it!

boogie fever wasn't their only pop hit. from wiki:

In 1976, following the recording of their next album, Something Special ... [it] was the family’s biggest selling LP, reaching 13 on the Billboard album charts. Produced by Perren, the LP spawned another smash million-seller, "Hot Line" (#5 on Billboard Hot 100) as well as “High School Dance” (#17 on Billboard Hot 100).

lord knows i had that album, and the one before it, showcase that had boogie fever, storybook girl and that's what love is made of on it. when i was even younger, i remember 'wish that i could talk to you'. that's what got me started on them.

I think silverchild meant say, "Boogie Fever" was the Sylvers only number 1 hit song.

=============================

[Edited 6/20/11 16:48pm]

Right, I meant that. Plus, out of all of their work, that song is the one everyone remembers across the board. Many believe that The Sylvers were simply a novelty act after "Boogie Fever", which is just unbelievably absurd. Sure they didn't have a breakout hit as big as "Boogie Fever", but they were still visible on the charts and in the public. I remember my family had the Something Special LP in the record collection as well as their classic first 3 records.

The Sylvers were mega teen black idols. They were on the cover of every black teen magazine & were more better looking then The Jacksons, who were there main competition. they were also more gifted & talented then The Jacksons (with the exception of MJ) & had better harmony. The Jacksons was terrified of them.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

The Sylvers were mega teen black idols. They were on the cover of every black teen magazine & were more better looking then The Jacksons, who were there main competition. they were also more gifted & talented then The Jacksons (with the exception of MJ) & had better harmony. The Jacksons was terrified of them.

My mother and aunts were big Sylvers/Jacksons fan. I think they had each and every Right On! and other publication, where the covers graced the guys' faces. Even though my mom had a thing for Marlon and Jackie, she loved Ricky, James and Foster...when he got alittle more older after the success of "Hot Line" and "Boogie Fever". Both families were big teen black idols, but The Sylvers definitely had something that the Jacksons didn't have. The choreography, harmonies, and musicianship blended perfectly together. Foster was a monster on the bass and Leon was certainly talented as a producer and songwriter. The Jacksons of course had Michael and Jermaine holding down the fort, but it seemed like showmanship and image was what fueled them onstage. The Sylvers just blended perfectly, but their move from R&B/soul to disco-influenced material was just sketchy. They still had great ballads during their disco period (i.e. "Forever Yours", "New Horizons", and "Storybook Girl"), so the R&B sound of their earlier stuff wasn't really blown away. But yeah, I wish they could've got more attention and had longevity, but times were different.

A lot of folks say the two black familys before (the Burkes aka The Five Stairsteps) and after (The Sylvers) were better than the Jacksons. The Jacksons just had the Motown machine behind them.

I like all three groups music though.

Also, any news on who else is coming along with the Sylvers on Unsung.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

A lot of folks say the two black familys before (the Burkes aka The Five Stairsteps) and after (The Sylvers) were better than the Jacksons. The Jacksons just had the Motown machine behind them.

I like all three groups music though.

Also, any news on who else is coming along with the Sylvers on Unsung.

True. The Five Stairsteps is another group that had it popping off at a time, but quickly left the scene. That was a badass group, from when they were little, snapping their fingers and wearing the formal outfits to when they were just grown and fonky as hell. WOW! I listen to their Very Best Of collection alot.

The only reason why The Jackson 5 kept it going is really because of the Motown machine, but they had a little bit of a decline too from about '72-'77, but they were still on top of every group of course.

silverchild said:

LittleBLUECorvette said:

A lot of folks say the two black familys before (the Burkes aka The Five Stairsteps) and after (The Sylvers) were better than the Jacksons. The Jacksons just had the Motown machine behind them.

I like all three groups music though.

Also, any news on who else is coming along with the Sylvers on Unsung.

True. The Five Stairsteps is another group that had it popping off at a time, but quickly left the scene. That was a badass group, from when they were little, snapping their fingers and wearing the formal outfits to when they were just grown and fonky as hell. WOW! I listen to their Very Best Of collection alot.

The only reason why The Jackson 5 kept it going is really because of the Motown machine, but they had a little bit of a decline too from about '72-'77, but they were still on top of every group of course.

I'd say the J5 decline was in 73, in 72 they still had 4 top ten singles (one each by Jackson 5 and Jermaine, Mike had 2.)

LittleBLUECorvette said:

silverchild said:

True. The Five Stairsteps is another group that had it popping off at a time, but quickly left the scene. That was a badass group, from when they were little, snapping their fingers and wearing the formal outfits to when they were just grown and fonky as hell. WOW! I listen to their Very Best Of collection alot.

The only reason why The Jackson 5 kept it going is really because of the Motown machine, but they had a little bit of a decline too from about '72-'77, but they were still on top of every group of course.

I'd say the J5 decline was in 73, in 72 they still had 4 top ten singles (one each by Jackson 5 and Jermaine, Mike had 2.)

Well yeah...I stand corrected. Looking Through The Windows was a sucessful release for them, but Skywriter was pretty devastating, in terms of sales and popularity here in the US. The Jacksons really didn't get back on the wagon until their self-titled Epic records debut in '76.

[Edited 6/20/11 21:11pm]

Are we now at the one hit wonder status of Unsung?

Coming up next on Unsung: Oleta Adams, Bobby McFarren and the I Will Survive chick.

sosgemini said:

Are we now at the one hit wonder status of Unsung?

Coming up next on Unsung: Oleta Adams, Bobby McFarren and the I Will Survive chick.

Damn, I ain't heard that name is ages, hahahahah. Sound like an old 1936 plantation name.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

A lot of folks say the two black familys before (the Burkes aka The Five Stairsteps) and after (The Sylvers) were better than the Jacksons. The Jacksons just had the Motown machine behind them.

I like all three groups music though.

Also, any news on who else is coming along with the Sylvers on Unsung.

The Isley Brothers had them all beat but that would put all of them at a disadvantage.

sosgemini said:

Are we now at the one hit wonder status of Unsung?

Coming up next on Unsung: Oleta Adams, Bobby McFarren and the I Will Survive chick.

WHO?!

Timmy84 said:

sosgemini said:

Are we now at the one hit wonder status of Unsung?

Coming up next on Unsung: Oleta Adams, Bobby McFarren and the I Will Survive chick.

WHO?!

Gloria Gaynor? I believe she had a Behind the Music special. I would love to see The Five Stairsteps and The Undisputed Truth...

silverchild said:

Timmy84 said:

WHO?!

Gloria Gaynor? I believe she had a Behind the Music special. I would love to see The Five Stairsteps and The Undisputed Truth...

Colonel Abrams and Lillo Thomas deserve a mention too.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

silverchild said:

Gloria Gaynor? I believe she had a Behind the Music special. I would love to see The Five Stairsteps and The Undisputed Truth...

Colonel Abrams and Lillo Thomas deserve a mention too.

Yep. This may be out of the loop alittle, but what about Angela Bofill, Loose Ends and Michael Henderson?

LittleBLUECorvette said:

silverchild said:

Gloria Gaynor? I believe she had a Behind the Music special. I would love to see The Five Stairsteps and The Undisputed Truth...

Colonel Abrams and Lillo Thomas deserve a mention too.

Yeah Gloria had a BTM special. I remember it but I think she seems bitter about something idk... I like to see on the Five Stairsteps though. The Undisputed Truth would be a good one. Joe Harris (the founder and lead singer) was on Rose Royce's episode...

Timmy84 said:

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Colonel Abrams and Lillo Thomas deserve a mention too.

Yeah Gloria had a BTM special. I remember it but I think she seems bitter about something idk... I like to see on the Five Stairsteps though. The Undisputed Truth would be a good one. Joe Harris (the founder and lead singer) was on Rose Royce's episode...

They need to do one on F-N BloodStone, Billy Stewart and my mans JOE TEX!!

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Timmy84 said:

Yeah Gloria had a BTM special. I remember it but I think she seems bitter about something idk... I like to see on the Five Stairsteps though. The Undisputed Truth would be a good one. Joe Harris (the founder and lead singer) was on Rose Royce's episode...

They need to do one on F-N BloodStone, Billy Stewart and my mans JOE TEX!!

Ugh Joe keeps getting dogged. I agree on Bloodstone. The group that "almost" made it but never did despite a hit here and there.

Black Ivory would be a good one too, but I know there are not a lot of vintage clips of them.

silverchild said:

Black Ivory would be a good one too, but I know there are not a lot of vintage clips of them.

A lot, is there any? They can get Larry Blackmon.

The Moments / Ray, Goodman and BRown would be a good one too.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

silverchild said:

Black Ivory would be a good one too, but I know there are not a lot of vintage clips of them.

A lot, is there any? They can get Larry Blackmon.

The Moments / Ray, Goodman and BRown would be a good one too.

Yep there are a couple. The most obvious is their performance on the SOUL! show.

silverchild said:

LittleBLUECorvette said:

A lot, is there any? They can get Larry Blackmon.

The Moments / Ray, Goodman and BRown would be a good one too.

Yep there are a couple. The most obvious is their performance on the SOUL! show.

I think an Unsung episode of SOUL! would be great too.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

silverchild said:

Black Ivory would be a good one too, but I know there are not a lot of vintage clips of them.

A lot, is there any?

They sing a couple of songs on SOUL! If you go to the PBS 13 website, it's the episode called Youth something.

I wanna see some more 80s rap ones like the Fat Boys Unsung.

I found an Uncle Scrooge Comic (Gold Key) dated February 1979, that had an ad for an album of theirs called "Forever Yours" is that considered a good one, or one of their disco type releases, it showed several guys in glitter sparkle flared jumpsuits with big Afros except for one younger dude with a more round soul glow type afro. And a girl with a 1970s mushroom hair do.

Adorecream said:

I found an Uncle Scrooge Comic (Gold Key) dated February 1979, that had an ad for an album of theirs called "Forever Yours" is that considered a good one, or one of their disco type releases, it showed several guys in glitter sparkle flared jumpsuits with big Afros except for one younger dude with a more round soul glow type afro. And a girl with a 1970s mushroom hair do.

Good Album: Songlist

[img:$uid]http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j220/gowes/TheSylvers-ForeverYours-1978.jpg[/img:$uid]

TD3 said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Prince was always mistakened 4 one of The Sylvers. Loved there harmony. I hope the real story is told this time. Unlike Shalamars which Jody Watley cleared up later.

I don't know how, the Sylvers men were never that short after 11 years of age. After Shalamar's Unsung, I stopped watching the show all together.

I'll try to check this out.

As I've mentioned before about Unsung, I'm not interested in watching the trainwreck. There's a fine line between telling someones story and exploiting their pain and misfortune for entertain-ment sake; I want to know about the music and the process.

Wishful thinking, I'm sure.

I watched the ones they did on Denise Williams and Teena Marie just this weekend. I was pleased with the fact that they really concentrated more on the individual (artistic choices) the ladies made rather than any kind of "down and out" sensationalism. Although they did touch lightly on Teena's lean years when she chose to be a stay at home mom, it pretty much ended with her being painted successfully, and they didn't re-edit the ending (yet) to approach the topic of her death. I wonder if it might just be that some artists are just such tragic figures (like we see in the Debarge and Donnie Hathaway episodes) that it feels practically impossible to tell their stories without going down the whole' and they had inner demons' route? After all, their musical processes, output, and creative end product are usually so incredibly affected by their state of being. It almost seems that in some cases, not addressing their difficulties of some of these artists would have an elephant in the room kind of vibe to it and make their episodes feel kinda tepid.