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A killer start to the 80s for the Dazz Band – with great tunes in a funky mode as well as more measured group soul numbers – and it all adds up one of their best albums ever! Tunes like the opener "Shake It", plus "Shake It Up" and "Magnetized" bring the funkier vibes – with a vamping guitar, thumping bass groove, punchy horns, and top notch vocals from the group – while tunes like the title track and "Beyond The Horizon" have a more soaring arrangement of horns and some strings,still with an impeccable core groove. It's not as smoothed out in the production booth as some of their later grooves of the 80s – a total gem! Other titles include " Skate Lovers", "Carry On", "Do It Again", "Do It Again", "Sooner Or Later" and "Beyond The Horizon".

Dazz Band keep it plenty live on this early 80s gem – a killer set from the group's hit run for Motown! The set's got a bouncy groove that's very much in the best Motown funk style at the time – lots of bass at the bottom, and plenty tight on production – but never as smooth or commercial as work from a few years later. The group balance things out well with a few mellower cuts – numbers that still have some sort of a groove, but one that's a bit more laidback, and which shows they're not just a funk-driven outfit. Titles include the massive hit "Let It Whip" – plus "Gamble With My Love", "Just Can't Wait 'Till The Night", "Shake What You Got", "Keep It Live", and "Let Me Love You Until".

Dazz Band keep it plenty live on this early 80s gem – a killer set from the group's hit run for Motown! The set's got a bouncy groove that's very much in the best Motown funk style at the time – lots of bass at the bottom, and plenty tight on production – but never as smooth or commercial as work from a few years later. The group balance things out well with a few mellower cuts – numbers that still have some sort of a groove, but one that's a bit more laidback, and which shows they're not just a funk-driven outfit. Titles include the massive hit "Let It Whip" – plus "Gamble With My Love", "Just Can't Wait 'Till The Night", "Shake What You Got", "Keep It Live", and "Let Me Love You Until". CD also features the bonus track "Let It Whip (12" version)".

Titles include "Cheek To Cheek", "On The One For Fun", "Stay Awhile With Me", "Nice Girls", and "A Love Song".

The Dazz Band may be wild and free in the title, but the album's tighter than ever – a lean, focused approach to the Dazz Band sound – done here with loads of 80s production and instrumentation in the mix! The rhythms are heavy with drum machine lines – often mixed with keyboard bits and swirled together with a sound that's even more crossover than some of the group's earlier work. Vocals often take a back seat to the grooves – but on the ballads they shine through nicely, and remind us of the group's roots. Titles include "The Beat That's Right", "Wild & Free", "Love MIA", "Sunglasses", "Something You Said", and "Time Will Heal A Broken Heart". CD features bonus tracks – "Wild & Free (ext dance rmx)", "Last Chance For Love", "Love MIA (house mix)", and "A Place In My Heart".

A killer start to the 80s for the Dazz Band – with great tunes in a funky mode as well as more measured group soul numbers – and it all adds up one of their best albums ever! Tunes like the opener "Shake It", plus "Shake It Up" and "Magnetized" bring the funkier vibes – with a vamping guitar, thumping bass groove, punchy horns, and top notch vocals from the group – while tunes like the title track and "Beyond The Horizon" have a more soaring arrangement of horns and some strings,still with an impeccable core groove. It's not as smoothed out in the production booth as some of their later grooves of the 80s – a total gem! Other titles include " Skate Lovers", "Carry On", "Do It Again", "Do It Again", "Sooner Or Later" and "Beyond The Horizon". CD includes the bonus track single version of "Invitation Of Love".

A pair of killers – back to back on a single CD! First up is the killer debut from the Dazz Band – issued way back when they were named Kinsman Dazz, and when "dazz" was a reference to the fact that the group could play both dance music and jazz! That jazzy element is definitely in place here – as the set's got lots of hip instrumental touches over the core funky grooves – produced with some great help from Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson, who bring in a bit of Earth Wind & Fire vibe – and set to some larger arrangements from Patrice Rushen, who ups the jazzy quotient too! But the core sound of the group is what really drives the album – a well-crafted batch of Ohio funky numbers that step along with the best of their generation – on titles that include "Makin Music", "Forget About Lovin You", "Get Down With the Feelin", "Stand In Your Way", "And I Mean", and "Dazzberry Jam". On the Dazz album, Kinsman Dazz are even funkier here than before – showing off their Ohio roots, and pointing the way towards the classic Dazz Band sound they'd forge in the 80s! Rhythms are very tight throughout – but still often touched with the jazzy elements that made the group so great in their early years – echoing a bit of an Earth Wind & Fire sound, as Philip Bailey's on board to help a bit with arrangements and background vocals. The whole thing's great – a super-tight record without any filler at all – and titles include "I Searched Around", "Love Design", "Keep On Rockin", "Can't Get Enough", "Dancin Free", and the wonderful "Catchin Up On Love", a spacey harmony track with a really anthemic sound!

Two sweet reggae covers – both of them great! Derrick Harriott takes on the Dazz Band classic "Let It Whip" – but gives the tune a sweet rolling groove that's quite different than the original – still a "whip" in the beat, but with a gentle vibe that really unlocks a new sort of energy in the cut! "Juicy Fruit" is a tune you might know from Mtume – but it gets a stepping remake here that's mighty nice – a bit rougher around the edges than the original, yet in ways that somehow make the lyrics even more charming than ever!

A warm, easygoing and sprawling 2CD set from the Expansion and Jazz FM team – the third and best yet in their Funky Sensation series – with both hits and relatively underappreciated numbers! It's wonderful stuff all the way – and well chosen by Mike Vitti & Ralph Tee – with full-length treasures by Roy Ayers, Rick James, Cameo, Rene & Angela, Willie Hutch, Dazz Band, Charles Earland, Teen Marie and The Gap Band to name but a few. What we love about the Funky Sensation series is the sort of informal, unfussy vibe. It's not so much about shining a lot on particular labels, producers or well-defined scene – and very much about simply putting together some sensationally funky, jazzy and soulful music, nearly all of it from the mid 70s to early 80s, together in a generous double-sized set! 26 tracks on 2CDs – and over 150 minutes of music. Includes "Running Away" by Roy Ayers, "Circles" by Atlantic Starr, "Now That We Found Love" by Third World, "So Fine" by Howard Johnson, "Man Power" by Lalomie Washburn, "I Believe In Miracles" by The Jackson Sisters, "I Need Your Lovin'" by Teena Marie, "I'l Be Good" by Rene & Angela, "Get It Up For Love" by Tata Vega, "Outstanding" by The Gap Band, "Let The Music Play" by Charles Earland and many more.

Man, these guys never seem to miss – and always come up with some great little tunes that snap along in a really compelling way! This album might be easy to overlook in favor of the band's bigger classics, but it's a stone winner all the way through – with a number of tunes that groove on beautifully with tight hooks, skipping beats, warm vocals, and that beautifully compressed production style that always gave Heatwave a sound that slide perfectly into an AM soul radio groove. And sure, there's a few hooks here that feel like they're "borrowed" from some of the bigger hits – but they work wonderfully as a reprise of greatness, and keep us half stepping into the album even more. Titles include "Razzle Dazzle", "Eyeballin'", "Raise A Blaze", "First Day Of Snow", "One Night Tan", "All Talked Out", "Disco", and "Therm Warfare". The Big Break UK remastered edition ahs 5 bonus tracks: "Birthday (7" Version)", "Eyeballin' (US 12" Disco Version)", "One Night Tan (US 7" Version)", "Therm Warfare (UK 7" Version)" and "Birthday" (US 12" Version)".

Anthony and crew were one of the few groups who actually got better when they moved from the raw indie scene to the slicker major label one – as you'll hear perfectly on this set of some of their best work for the Veep/DCP/United Artists label. Teddy Randazzo handled all the arrangements and production, and his breathy uptown style works perfectly with the band's soulful harmonies. Titles include "Hurt So Bad", "I'm On The Outside (Looking In)", "Take Me Back", "Two People In The World", "Tears On My Pillow", "The Diary", and "Going Out Of My Head".