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Thread started 01/03/18 4:31am

mrwiggles

Bill Summers & Summers Heat

Anyone else here a fan their early 80s stuff? Call It a What You Want, We Call It The Box, etc.
I never see a lot on this group even though he's well respected in jazz circles I enjoyed his foray into some contemporary funk and R&B.
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Reply #1 posted 01/03/18 9:12am

SoulAlive

It’s surprising that there isn’t a ‘best of’ compilation by them.I love songs like “Call It What You Want”,”Jam The Box”,”Seventeen” and others.
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Reply #2 posted 01/03/18 2:13pm

SoulAlive

"Call It What You Want" (1980)

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Reply #3 posted 01/03/18 2:14pm

SoulAlive

"Jam The Box" (1981)

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Reply #4 posted 01/03/18 2:18pm

SoulAlive

In 1982,they went into a funky New Wave direction for the song "Seventeen",which got alot of airplay here in the Bay Area

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Reply #5 posted 01/03/18 4:14pm

Comser

Seventeen was my song....1982 was my year for old school jams...to name a few....
Cutie Pie - One Way
Must Be The Music - Secret Weapon
Gigolo - O’Bryan
Let It Whip - Dazz Band
Love Come Down - Evelyn King
High Hopes - SOS Band
The Message - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Flirt - Cameo
Freaky Behavior - Bar-Kays
A Night To Remember - Shalamar
I Want To Do Something Freaky To You - Saint Tropez
Last Night - Stephanie Mills
Nasty Girl - Vanity 6
777-9321 - The Time
Attack Of The Name Game - Stacy Lattisaw
Apache - Sugarhill Gang
Genius Of Love - Tom Tom Club
Murphy’s Law - Cheri
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Reply #6 posted 01/03/18 4:48pm

SoulAlive

I would love to see Bill Summers and Summers Heat on some of these funk fest shows that feature several funk bands.
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Reply #7 posted 01/03/18 8:33pm

mrwiggles

Yes all of that early 80s funk of which Clinton referred to as "brand x". I was pretty much all over it. Skyy had Jam The Box too, but I believe Summers Heat did it first, I could stand corrected.
Bill Summers have that band a crisp sound. Lots of bass drum kick in the mixes. They changed up for the London Style album which seemed to be the end of the run. Although, I really dug that one.
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Reply #8 posted 01/04/18 12:46am

SoulAlive

That's correct.Bill Summers album came out in early 1981,while the Skyy album didn't come out until the fall of '81.

mrwiggles said:

Skyy had Jam The Box too, but I believe Summers Heat did it first, I could stand corrected.
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Reply #9 posted 01/04/18 3:34am

mrwiggles

SoulAlive said:

That's correct.Bill Summers album came out in early 1981,while the Skyy album didn't come out until the fall of '81.





mrwiggles said:


Skyy had Jam The Box too, but I believe Summers Heat did it first, I could stand corrected.


I often wondered what the story was behind the, both doing essentially the same song. Skyy is another band that if often under appreciated in funk circles. They had quite a few good albums, with some funk in the grooves.
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Reply #10 posted 01/04/18 10:23am

SoulAlive

I agree,Skyy is a top-notch band too.They had a good run.

..
[Edited 1/4/18 16:08pm]
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Reply #11 posted 01/04/18 4:10pm

SoulAlive

Comser said:

Seventeen was my song....1982 was my year for old school jams...to name a few....
Cutie Pie - One Way
Must Be The Music - Secret Weapon
Gigolo - O’Bryan
Let It Whip - Dazz Band
Love Come Down - Evelyn King
High Hopes - SOS Band
The Message - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Flirt - Cameo
Freaky Behavior - Bar-Kays
A Night To Remember - Shalamar
I Want To Do Something Freaky To You - Saint Tropez
Last Night - Stephanie Mills
Nasty Girl - Vanity 6
777-9321 - The Time
Attack Of The Name Game - Stacy Lattisaw
Apache - Sugarhill Gang
Genius Of Love - Tom Tom Club
Murphy’s Law - Cheri


It’s amazing how many great jams we had back then!
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Reply #12 posted 01/05/18 4:15pm

SoulAlive

mrwiggles said:

They changed up for the London Style album which seemed to be the end of the run. Although, I really dug that one.


Never heard that album.The last I heard of them was in 1982 when they released the ‘Seventeen’ album.That one took them in a New Wave direction....lots of synths.
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Reply #13 posted 01/06/18 2:08am

SoulAlive

"We Call It The Box",from 1981,is another favorite

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Reply #14 posted 01/06/18 2:16am

SoulAlive

Image result for bill summers and summers heatImage result for bill summers and summers heatImage result for bill summers and summers heatImage result for bill summers and summers heat

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Reply #15 posted 01/06/18 4:15am

mrwiggles

OK, looks like I struck a nerve with you SoulAlive. I'll be pulling out some old Summers vinyl this weekend and giving it a spin. London Style had a couple of slow-cooked, mid tempo grinders on it with one of his strong female vocals leading. Mtume style. I can't find that one anywhere now. I can recall buying the Seventeen cassette the day it was released.
With the US Funk Mob seemingly in moth balls by that time, was looking for some good hard grooves and Summers Heat was giving me my fix. I can barely recall what was on that album other than the title track. She's only 17, he's only 35 lol.
[Edited 1/6/18 4:19am]
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Reply #16 posted 01/06/18 10:55am

SoulAlive

I have the 'Seventeen' album on vinyl,gonna pull it out later and listen to it.As I recall,much of it is very New-Wavish,with lots and lots of synths and drum machines.I also have the 'Jam The Box' album,which I think is superior.

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Reply #17 posted 01/14/18 7:34pm

SoulAlive

I wish their catalog could be upgraded/reissued.They only had what....4 albums? A label like Big Break Records should reissue the albums.

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