Kc And The Sunshine Band Part 3

[Neomi Bensch]

DoIt Good [T.K., 1974]

Keyboard player (and now vocalist) H.W. Casey and bassman Richard Finch made so much moolah for T.K. prexy Henry Stone that he told them they could spend as much as $3150 on their own LP. What they come up with is the real Miami sound--the sensual Latin accents that really are sensual in New Orleans sound altogether more hyped-up here. "Queen of Clubs" was a smash in the Queen's clubs, while "Sound Your Funky Horn" and "I'm a Pushover" have creased America's soul charts, which makes three hooks right here. A weirdo and a sleeper. B+

K.C. & the Sunshine Band [T.K., 1975]

No matter what you label them, these otherwise meaningless dance tunes are as bright and distinct as the run of disco mush is dull--when it comes to formula, always opt for top forty, which compels innovation, over Muzak, which forbids it. The horns and vocals are less candidly soulful here than on their debut, and the result is an album that's poppier, lighter--almost airy. And though the songs do all sound alike, that doesn't mean they are. Far from it. A-

Part 3 [T.K., 1976]

I don't know how many KC albums the record lover need own. One may well be enough, but zero is certainly too few. This is less consistent than the second and more predictable than the first, but it's a close question: Casey and Finch are remarkably inventive within their unique little ambit. Like the others, this sounds so samey you think the riffs will never kick in--and then they do. B+

Do You Wanna Go Party [T.K., 1979]

The slight shifts in rhythmic and compositional strategy are dubious. But this band is like the Ramones--the hooks sneak up on you. What can I say? Not only do I love the title cut, but I find myself humming everything else on the record--the slow one, the cover version, the one in Spanish. B+

Greatest Hits [T.K., 1980]

Bubblegum funk, kvetch some. Right, bubblegum funk, kvell I--beats cocktail funk, avocado-and-sprouts-sandwich funk, TV-dinner funk. Thank God there's nothing suave or healthy or mass-produced about it--just sweet and silly. I need say no more because anybody reading this already knows what they sound like: except maybe for their brothers in crime the Bee Gees, nobody since the Beatles has concocted a sound more broadly familiar. They didn't sustain, and they could have been chewier, but if you've always thought they might be fun to play at parties, or feared that nothing so ebullient could escape oblivion, this is the investment you've been waiting for. A-

The Best of KC and the Sunshine Band [Rhino, 1990]

Just for fun, I pushed some buttons on my CD changer and played only the five songs that aren't--or weren't, rather--on the old 11-cut version, which suffered a tragic early death. And when they came up, they sounded almost as infectious, ebullient, catchy, dancy, et cetera as the hits. Explain to the historically minded that they were an important minor band and this is all that's left of them. Then have fun. A-

Nobody ever gives KC and the Sunshine Band any props. It's hard for me to hear one of their tunes and on start tapping my foot. And that's what those songs were for....they were funky and they were fun.

Get Down Tonight came on the other day and I was reminded of that solo instrument that kicks the song off. When I was a kid, I assumed it was a guitar. It bends like a guitar, but after listening to it, it doesn't sound like a guitar. I wondered if it was maybe a clavinet? KC played a clav didn't he? But you can't do bends on those, can you?

I thought it was guitar. Tracks recorded, recorder was then set from 30ips to 15ips, guitar part overdubbed. Then reset back to 30ips to knock the guitar up high and fast at playback. That's the way I always heard the story.

I know exactly the sonority to which you refer! I've long wondered what it was, too. I kinda thought it was some kind of synth patch with a very sharp Attack and very little Sustain and Decay... But I can't be sure.

I'm afraid I'm among those who could never quite see the charms of KC & pals... the tune sent shudders of recognition up my spine as it unfolded. I had to hit the skip button and go back to my program of Dillards, Dillard & Clark, and Sons of the Pioneers.

I love funk. I never much warmed up to disco. It's like you take everything that's good about funky dance music -- including all the funk -- and remove it and then what you have left over is... well... what we got for those 4 or 5 years.

That's a guitar, recorded slow & speeded up again for playback. Of course, to do it live you'd have to use a synth - but the story goes that they did it with a guitar in the studio, and if you listen to the phrasing that's really what it sounds like.

The more I think about it the less I believe it's a guitar. I actually think the phrasings sound like something you'd do on a keyboard. But I'm not settled on it by any means. I'm interested in the different thoughts I'm reading.

I've got a love/hate thing with disco. It's taken me a couple of decades to be able to admit to that. There really was a lot of crap disco. All I have to do is listen to Chrome on XM to be reminded of that. But it also gave us Brothers Johnson, Rick James, Chic....a bunch of good stuff. It wasn't all Village People and Sylvester.

I'm to a point where I can no longer deny that I like this stuff and be honest. And I think KC kept a tight groove. It had no special meaning. The lyrics are just filler to keep the song from being an instrumental. But, those songs felt good. They were meant to be fun and be danced to, and I think they had that down in spades.

..........."Recalling the evening he laid down the vocal track for "Get Down Tonight", Casey said, "I couldn't believe it, it was such an incredible sound. I remember they must've played it back a hundred times and I just couldn't believe it". What gives the track its distinctive sound (aside from its thunderous rhythm section) is the electronically speeded-up guitar throughout, making it sound like no record before or since...."

......."It is a guitar we slowed the tape down ... good luck with your band and your musi however it cna be played on a keyboard as that is what we use in concert......Thanks for asking have a great day KC...."

Jim Cox, here in LA, has an old Clavinet. I worked with him a few weeks ago and I asked him what the big kickstand looking piece of metal was sticking out the top. He said it was the modulation bar, one of only a handful that were manufactured, and he played a couple of licks with it. I remarked how cool it sounded and looked. He agreed, but said that, unfortunately, the Prophet came out a few weeks later with a mod wheel. The rest is history.

KC once said in an interview that he was irritated by the fact that they slapped a label (disco) onto what was really Rhythm & Blues. He always felt that Rhythm & Blues is what he played, and what should've gotten the credit.

I always think of disco as that four-on-the-floor beat with the ever-present hi-hat, and the octave bass line that became so cliche. KC and the Sunshine Band's rhythms were always a little more creative than that (at least what I heard of them). Same with the Bee Gees. They were making danceable music that was club-friendly, and because of the time (and thanks to "Saturday Night Fever"), was lumped in with "disco". But their tracks were actually very unique, and sounded unlike anything else at the time. Unfortunately, when "disco" went down, they went down with it, which was a bit of a shame, 'cause they made some good records.

Word. I was always fond of "Boogie Nights". Still have the 45 somewhere. Years ago, it got cracked in a straight line, from edge to center, but I managed to snap it back in place; it plays, albeit with the annoying, inevitable POP.

KC and the Sunshine Band are perhaps one of the best known bands of the disco era, charming fans the world over with their fun, upbeat and cheerful sound and their catchy hooks and brilliant lyrical stylings.

In 1973, Harry Wayne Casey, an employee of the now defunct Florida based TK Records decided to form a band. Originally called KC and the Sunshine Junkanoo Band, it comprised of Casey, the Miami Junkanoo Band and some studio musicians from the label he was working at.

The Junkanoo band sprun from a cultural tradition called the Junkanoo parade which occurs in the Bahamas and cities across the USA with Caribbean-American populations. It takes place on Boxing Day each year and the style of music is also performed at other celebrations throughout the year. This influence on KC and the Sunshine Band could be part of what sets its musical style apart from other disco bands.

Before long, Casey was introduced to Richard Finch, who was a skilled sound engineer working at TK records. Within weeks, a songwriting partnership had been formed and the pair wrote for other artists before eventually assembling KC and the Sunshine Band as it would come to be recognized.

While they were in the process of recording these, a song titled Rock Your Baby which was written by Casey and Finch but recorded by George McCrae became a number one hit in 51 countries, and Queen of Clubs, a track recorded by KC and the Sunshine Band with vocals from McCrae became a hit in the UK, prompting a tour of the British isles in 1975.

As a fashion designer I met a lady call Judy Sanchez who created jewellery from the Bacano leaf and natural materials which I really loved. She was friends with Minshall and in 1989 Minshall was going to give a workshop at the UWI in masking. I was invited to take part in these workshops. WELL! that made my world to meet him and to be a part of it.

On the second night I contacted Judy and said mas camp is not working for me! I wanted to make, not sit and chat. She told me she would contact me later. When I got the phone call from her she suggested I do some of the more intricate painting of the jewellery for the band at my workshops and I agreed. No looking back after that! I was passionate about making mas now and loved every moment of it. I also started sewing some of the squares for the band (the squares were an accessory for the costume wearer).

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