Disco Gardens

Performer: Shalamar
Distributor: MSI Music Distribution

Notes: Uptown Festival was Shalamar's first album, but Disco Gardens was Shalamar's first worthwhile album. To say that there was a world of difference between the two might be an understatement. Much of Uptown Festival had a robotic, impersonal quality, and it was obviously the work of a manufactured studio act. But when Shalamar introduced its Jody Watley/Jeffrey Daniels/Gerald Brown lineup on its second album, Disco Gardens, it started feeling like an honest-to-God group with a real identity. This decent-to-excellent album had a pearl of a hit single in "Take That to the Bank," and almost as appealing are the irresistibly funky "Tossin', Turnin', Swingin'" (which should have been a hit single as well) and the catchy "Shalamar Disco Gardens." Although Howard Hewett had yet to join the group, Shalamar had developed a recognizable soul-pop sound. Disco Gardens turned out to be Brown's only album with Shalamar, and in 1978, the arrival of his replacement, Mr. Hewett, would be the icing on Shalamar's cake. ~ Alex Henderson

When R&B impresario Dick Griffey, owner of the S.O.L.A.R. label and booking agent of the classic TV dance-party SOUL TRAIN, wanted to put together a singing group to capitalize on the growing disco trend, he didn't need to look any further than show regulars and dance partners Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniel. (The third member of Shalamar, Howard Hewett, was married to a SOUL TRAIN dancer.) The good-looking trio had strong, soulful voices and great dance moves--it's been said that Daniel created the "Moonwalk"--and had several high-charting hits between 1978 and 1984, after which both Watley and Daniel left for solo careers. Hewett defected for a successful solo run in '86. Although the latter-day group, with vocalists Delisa Davis and Micki Free, won a Grammy, Shalamar never quite recovered the popularity or hit-making power of their disco heyday, and the band folded in 1990.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25