I am partial to Knights of the Sound Table.

Which one should I get? Only have the lame ass 20th Century masters

badujunkie said:

Okay , these might be a few options since i'm not aknowledged with your specific taste .
This , because Cameo started around the P-Funk era and slowly evolved their own sound .
Starting from where they started ( in the 70's ) would be interesting .
I personally started collecting in the 80's and Style was my 1rst C-record and grown on me very much .
It's hard to choose cause in the early 80's they had this strong bigband-sound with blazing horns . The album-opener Knights By Nights , as Hobbitch and Sowhat mentioned is one of the best examples of that mighty C-sound .
But there was a crucial change after that album in the form of Alligator Woman . The band had trimmed down from a 10-piece to a 5-funk unit and a more synthesised newwave-funk sound was introduced by the Soul Army .
It was an essential move , because Larry had forseen some economical problems and took drastic changes by moving his funk-base to ATL , which , as we've all seen has grown out to one of the soulfullest area's in the US .
Anyway , Style was a clear follow-up from the sound which they started with Alligator Woman .
The next year they got more crossover recognition ( especially in the UK ) with She's Strange . It's ( imo ) a great variety of solid uptempo and slow-jams ( with a cool jazz-soul edge )

If you want to start to have an overall view , then i could suggest to you the Anthology double-cd :





1. Rigor Mortis
2. Post Mortem
3. Funk Funk
4. Find My Way - (TGIF version)
5. It's Serious
6. We All Know Who We Are
7. Insane
8. I Just Want To Be - (12" version)
9. Sparkle
10. Shake Your Pants
11. We're Goin' Out Tonight
12. Why Have I Lost You - (version 2)
13. Keep It Hot
14. Feel Me

DISC 2:
1. Freaky Dancin'
2. Don't Be So Cool
3. Just Be Yourself
4. Flirt
5. Alligator Woman / Secrets Of Time
6. Style - (single version)
7. She's Strange
8. Talkin' Out The Side Of Your Neck
9. Hangin' Downtown
10. Attack Me With Your Love
11. Single Life
12. Word Up
13. Candy
14. Back And Forth
15. Skin I'm In - (single version)
16. I Want It Now - (single version)



Next choice could be their compilation of 12-inches .
The liner-notes inside the booklet are interesting , because it explains how Cameo's electric-sound evolved during the 80's .
And the mixes are slammin' ... great that Mercury took that direction of concepts . They did some more groups , including the Gap Band .





I Just Want To Be - (Original 12" Extended mix)
2. Word Up - (Original 12" Club mix)
3. Shake Your Pants - (Original 12" Club mix)
4. She's Strange - (Original 12" Club mix)
5. Candy - (Original 12" UK mix)
6. Back And Forth - (12" Larry Blackmon mix, previously unreleased)
7. Single Life - (Original 12" UK mix)
8. Attack Me With Your Love - (Original 12" Club mix)
9. Rigor Mortis - (Original 12" mix)
10. Room 123 (She's Strange) - (Original 12" Rap mix)



If you dig ballads , then this might be cool too .
Cameo is mainly known for their funk , but they've done some fine slowjams .
Sometimes with a lil' jazz-edge like mentioned earlier .



1. Why Have I Lost You - (version 1)
2. Sparkle
3. It's Over
4. Feel Me
5. We All Know Who We Are
6. Hangin' Downtown
7. Love You Anyway
8. Don't Be Lonely
9. I Owe It All To You
10. I'll Always Stay
11. I Never Knew
12. Why Have I Lost You - (version 2)

Their 70's to mid-80's albums are my most fave ones .
After Word Up , there are incidental tracks on various albums which i dig .
You can also take a peek at some Cameo-clips on YouTube which go from 1980 until 1995 .

Goodluck & may the wind B @ your back & the Cameosis in your heart 4ever .
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[Edited 8/28/06 14:13pm]

Damn, thanks for the breakdown! V. helpful

badujunkie said:

Glad i could help Badu .
Wish i could show y'all a rerun of their overwhelming show i saw in 1987 .
Besides the hits of that current time they did some firing classic stuff .
1 of the best shows ever which i saw .
Larry always stated : "We respect the stage"... DANG , they did aaiight .
The audience was blown away by this outrageous funk-opera . Respek .
Peace .

100MPH said:

I saw Cameo open up for Rick James way back in the Summer of 1982

Sowhat said:

That's even better .... ENVY U

Thanks...that was actually my very first concert, One Way opened up,
Cameo was the middle act, and Rick closed the show.

How is Cameo "Gold" ?

Sowhat said:

Okay , hats off ... i'm out

DAAANG! what they played ? Wild Night ? , Give Me One More Chance ? , Can I ?
... was Kevin McCord in the band ? ... that's a DANGEROUS funkcat .

U took any snapshots ?
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[Edited 8/28/06 15:05pm]

Cameosis. Most definitely.

FuNkeNsteiN said:

ca-me-ooooo-sis!

What does vainandy say??

badujunkie said:

That's a hard choice. Probably "Knights Of The Sound Table"....no, "Feel Me"....no, "Knights Of The Sound Table". Hell, one of those two, I can't decide.
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[Edited 8/29/06 17:11pm]

Hobbitch said: