From Tomi Jenkins via Facebook - September 10 at 11:41am

BRING IT!!!

Are they all still together??

funkpill said:

Are they all still together??

I believe they are (...of those that are still alive).

Cool.

Larry in NFMG Studio ( Nu Foundation Muzik Group ) ... though not mentioned if it's for a Cameo session lol

Aaron Mills Project

Anthony Lockett ~ Love 1-0-1 Anthony Lockett

Charlie Singleton hiphopera

Gregory Johnson

Nathan Leftenant

TC Campbell

TOMI JENKINS Tomi Jenkins

Nate, Jheryl (Jerhyl) Bright and Charlie onstage recently

Nathan Leftenant & Jerhyl Bright in Wolff Bros. Studio playing horns on the New Theme Song

for the Atlanta Falcons titled "We Are Atlanta". Nathan also did the horn arrangement.

THAT would be my "dream project" for them 'bout now. If they could get ALL of em back on board....this thang could be fun as HELL.

But if it's gon be like that last 3-4 albums......ummm...not so much. The roster just plummeted after '81 or so...until there was just 2-3 members.

Then again, I guess for us hardcore fans, anything from these dudes is better than not.

Tomi explained to me nearly 2 years ago now that he and Cameo were working on what would be a double album, some of which would be all new material, and some of it would include re-recordings of some of their classic hits updated and rearranged for today. I assume this is the same project of which he was speaking (...hope so, anyway).

JamFanHot said:

...But if it's gon be like that last 3-4 albums......ummm...not so much. The roster just plummeted after '81 or so...until there was just 2-3 members.

Then again, I guess for us hardcore fans, anything from these dudes is better than not.

I'm one of those rare individuals that LOVED every album they put out, even the one's that flew under the radar.

Please let this be true, get the wind at our backs and the Cameosis in our hearts again!

JamFanHot said: The roster just plummeted after '81 or so...until there was just 2-3 members.

Lee Hildebrand's Billboard-book explains somewhat about that on page 35/36 :

"...Having achieved headlining status, Cameo performed an average of four concert dates a week during 1980, when it played to an estimated 1.6 million people and lugged 40 tons of lightning, sound and stage equipment on three semis across 100,000 miles..."

"...The economic burden of carrying such a large entourage forced Blackmon to pare the group down to five ( himself, Johnson, Jenkins, Nathan Leftenant and Singleton ) in 1982. He'd already moved the band and his production company, still known as New York City Players, to Atlanta, where he established his own Polygram-distributed label, Atlanta Artists..."

( Larry himself has explained this a number of times during interviews, along with the problem of having to keep providing food on the tables of all members )

"...Charter member Johnson was gone by the next year's Style-album..."

Billboard

[Edited 9/16/10 3:34am]

Sounds interesting.

PDogz said:

Tomi explained to me nearly 2 years ago now that he and Cameo were working on what would be a double album, some of which would be all new material, and some of it would include re-recordings of some of their classic hits updated and rearranged for today. I assume this is the same project of which he was speaking (...hope so, anyway).

See, that's exactly the type of shit I don't want. Fuck today's sound. That's what people need to be getting away from.

Yeah....that's what I was bein nostalgic for, too.

Thanks, Shango....knew that about the band (the explanation)...always respected Larry for bein intelligent & honest abou it.

Still, I'm with Andy on this one. Regardless of the reasons, I doubt many here would disagree that the creative & musical forces of the band were diminished witht he smaller roster.

It would be GREAT if this project could be a Cameo reunion ala "TAPOAFOM"...but not gonna happen. Still sound like fun even if there's just the main 3-4 guys.

I'd be happy if Larry could get at least get those horn blasts back in the mix (circa Ugly Ego).

vainandy said:

PDogz said:

Tomi explained to me nearly 2 years ago now that he and Cameo were working on what would be a double album, some of which would be all new material, and some of it would include re-recordings of some of their classic hits updated and rearranged for today. I assume this is the same project of which he was speaking (...hope so, anyway).

See, that's exactly the type of shit I don't want. Fuck today's sound. That's what people need to be getting away from.

I think the point he was making was "updated & rearranged" by using the digital technology that's available today, with the benefit of 20+ years of hindsight as their guide to how they would have recorded some of those old hits now. He was pretty clear that it would still be the CAMEO sound.

I also asked him how much control he and the band had over their back catalog in regards to having it all remastered, and he said that he and Cameo have no control over, or connection to, any of their of their back catalog of albums (which was part of the reason for re-recording some of their old hits, along with all new music).

PDogz said:

Tomi explained to me nearly 2 years ago now that he and Cameo were working on what would be a double album, some of which would be all new material, and some of it would include re-recordings of some of their classic hits updated and rearranged for today. I assume this is the same project of which he was speaking (...hope so, anyway).

The re-recording of classic hits scares me. Have they not heard Slide 88 by Slave?

Cameo needs to make new music with the better technology of 2010 - but they need to make age appropriate songs. Their audience grew older too. We don't want "updated and rearranged for today".

My hope is that they embrace their age - and the musical stylings they have grown to enjoy as adults. 1986 was the last time Cameo was relevant. That was a long ass time ago.

Know your audience. Maybe there were some eight year kids in '86 that knew Cameo's Word Up. They would have known nothing of Secret Omen, Alligator Woman, She's Strange, etc... Those kids are now 32 years old. I do know their whole catalog and I'm 42. The guys in the band are all older than me.

Music played on the radio today is targeted at the 18-24 year old age group. So I hope Cameo is not even thinking about "trying to sound" like that.

Timeless music can be made with this recipe: Live drums, percussion, electric bass guitar, acoustic guitar, direct-mic'd electric guitars, real horns, lyrics written without slang (which can immediately date a song), piano or electronic keys that avoid the 80's synth idea of replacing horns.

There is so much talent in that band that producing new GREAT music should be easy once they all get together. Larry's voice is enough establish them as Cameo. All they need to do is keep it real and as organic as possible and I'd bet their funk, and soulfulness shines through.

[Edited 9/16/10 22:33pm]

Can't wait!!!!!

I remember seeing a ad in Billboard magazine quite some years ago when a company was selling the Cameo publishing catalog for 1.4 million dollars. I had heard they had pawned the songs to Polydor and didn't repay the loan. That was a cheap price back then. I know they hate that now.

daytonohioplayer said:

I remember seeing a ad in Billboard magazine quite some years ago when a company was selling the Cameo publishing catalog for 1.4 million dollars. I had heard they had pawned the songs to Polydor and didn't repay the loan. That was a cheap price back then. I know they hate that now.

I would LOVE to read more about that story.

Wasn't there meant to be a DVD which the band were putting out with some classic old performances?