Back is the final studio album by the American band Ohio Players, released in 1988.[1][2] The first single was "Sweat".[3] It was Ohio Players' only album for Track Record Company.[4]
| Back | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Genre | Funk | |||
| Label | Track Record Company | |||
| Producer | Ohio Players | |||
| Ohio Players chronology | ||||
| ||||
The band supported the album by headlining a SOS Racisme show during the New Music Seminar and with a North American tour.[5][6] "Sweat" and "From Now On (Let's Play)" were minor chart successes.[7]
Production
editThe album was produced by Ohio Players; the band was made up of five members for the reunion.[8] Some of the tracks incorporated hip hop-influenced sounds.[9] Herbie Hancock contributed to the album, after Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner had guested on Perfect Machine.[10][11] "I'm Madd!" is about the dangers of drunk driving.[12]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [13] |
| Los Angeles Times | [14] |
The Los Angeles Times wrote that "the OPs attempt to reconcile their greazy, yowl 'n' growl attack with the stacks of microchips that go into creating le funk moderne."[14] Spin determined that the band "sound as good as ever, sweet and nasty funk played just right."[10] The Christian Science Monitor called the album "a continuation and expansion of the jazzy powerhouse funk style that popularized the Ohio Players in the mid-1970s."[12] The New York Daily News praised the "live, groove-oriented sound."[15] The Washington Post deemed the sound "hypnotic rhythms geared to maximum danceability, fueled by the dual guitars of Chet Willis and Leroy 'Sugarfoot' Bonner."[16]
AllMusic concluded that, "while the Players deserve credit for trying something different and attempting to be relevant to the hip-hop/urban contemporary scene of the late 1980s, Back simply wasn't strong enough."[13]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Get 2 the Good Part" | |
| 2. | "Sweat" | |
| 3. | "From Now On (Let's Play)" | |
| 4. | "Show Off" | |
| 5. | "Just to Show My Love" | |
| 6. | "I'm Madd!" | |
| 7. | "Vibe Alive" | |
| 8. | "Rock the House" | |
| 9. | "Just a Minute" | |
| 10. | "Reputation" | |
| 11. | "Try" |
References
edit- ^ Bream, Jon (6 May 1988). "Quick Spins". Star Tribune. p. 25E.
- ^ "Ohio Players Biography by Jason Ankeny". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ Gliatto, Tom (19 Apr 1988). "And funk-popsters...". USA Today. p. 1D.
- ^ Goldmine Record Album Price Guide. Penguin Publishing Group. 2019. p. 483.
- ^ Watrous, Peter (21 July 1988). "Sexy Soul and Gold Lame". The New York Times. p. C26.
- ^ Nager, Larry (21 Jul 1988). "Re-Souled". The Cincinnati Post. p. 4B.
- ^ "Ohio Players". Dayton Daily News. 11 May 1989. p. 6C.
- ^ Holman, Rhonda (4 Nov 1988). "Ohio Players Back on Charts, Tour with 'Back'". The Wichita Eagle. p. 1B.
- ^ Thompson, Dave (2001). Funk. Backbeat Books. p. 174.
- ^ a b Cullman, Brian (Aug 1988). "Spins". Spin. Vol. 4, no. 5. p. 76.
- ^ "Ohio Players Stage Unlikely Comeback". St. Joseph News-Press. Los Angeles Daily News. 2 Sep 1988. p. 3D.
- ^ a b Duncan, Amy (15 Aug 1988). "Slimmed-down Ohio Players jazz/funk group is back - on Track". Arts. The Christian Science Monitor.
- ^ a b "Back Review by Alex Henderson". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ a b Waller, Don (19 June 1988). "If they weren't exactly innovators on the '70s funk scene...". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 60.
- ^ Farber, Jim (29 May 1988). "Back from Obscurity". City Lights. Daily News. p. 24.
- ^ Himes, Geoffrey (September 9, 1988). "Ohio Players: They're 'Back' ... in the Groove". The Washington Post.