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"...It's Flowing Around Me..."
Hailing out of Los Angeles – the family of Oren, Julia, Luther and Maxine Waters (Oren is the lead) are the great unknowns of backing vocals.
Statistics would have you believe they've been heard by more souls on the planet than any other set of voices. How? They're the backing singers on Carole King's "Tapestry" in 1971, The Bee Gee's "Saturday Night Fever" in 1977 and Michael Jackson's "Thriller" in 1982 - to name but a famous few.
Before that there was sessions with Phil Spector on the most played record ever - "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" by The Righteous Brothers and onwards into the Seventies with artists as diverse as Pacific, Gas & Electric and Merry Clayton. Since then there's been Bobby Womack, Whitney Houston, Neil Diamond, Paul Simon, Patti LaBelle, Adele, Rod Stewart and even Bruce Springsteen. Which brings us to this release…and its pre-history.
They started their own American career in 1975 simply as WATERS – their self-titled debut on Blue Note Records BN-LA370-G. Then in 1977 went as THE WATERS for another self-titled start on Warner Brothers BS 3062. Which brings us to album-door number three - "Watercolors" with Producer David Rubinson on Arista AB-4253 in May 1980. The singing family foursome is now literally the subject of an Oscar-nominated movie - "Twenty Feet From Stardom" – hence the timely reissue on Big Break Records of the UK. Here are the details...
1. Dance With Me [Side 1]
2. Heart Lead The Way
3. I Can Make You Smile
4. Throw A Little Bit Of Love My Way
5. Party People [Side 2]
6. Come To Me
7. Dance The Night Away
8. Let Him Prove It
BONUS TRACKS:
9. Dance With Me (Single Version)
10. Heart Lead The Way (Single Version)
As none of their LPs had British releases, oversees fans in Blighty will dig this release. UK issued August 2014 "Watercolors" by THE WATERS on Big Break Records CDBBR 0277 (Barcode 5013929057739) is an Expanded Edition CD Reissue and Remaster with two Bonus Tracks (50:10 minutes).
Tracks 1 to 8 are the May 1980 album with two bonus cuts added on – the March 1980 single mix of "Dance With Me" (Arista AS-0493) and the promo-only May 1980 single mix of "Heart Lead The Way" (Arista AS-0517). The 12-page booklet has wonderfully detailed liner notes by NYC-based writer and music journalist Christian John Wikane and a fabulous remaster by BBR's resident tape maestro Wayne A, Dickson.
It's a typically mixed bag as Soul albums go – it opens with the half-hearted "Dance With Me" – a search for a Disco hit – but things improve out of all proportion with the album's true nugget – "Heart Lead The Way" – a really gorgeous falsetto vocal ballad (lyrics above). The album version stretches to 5:47 minutes and features sublime note-topping by Oren with the 3 siblings backing him to perfection (nice Bass too by Robert Russell and Sax solo by Don Myrick). Hardly surprising it was the second single off the album – although it appears to have been issued only a promo because I have never seen a stock copy. Things get all pop with "Party People" - but again their strength lies in the ballad – "Come To Me" and "Throw A Little Love My Way" being sweet examples.
"Watercolors" is so typical of Soul, Funk, Disco and RnB LPs of the Eighties - a good album rather than a great one bolstered up with the obvious single sides to draw in punters. But with little promotion outside of the singles by either the label or the band (The Waters were touring and working with Neil Diamond on "The Jazz Singer" in 1980, a huge record) – it tanked and is something of a unfairly forgotten artifact now.
But "Watercolors" has those superb ballads on it and a warm-as-a-blanket remaster. Very nice – and I urge you to see the film as soon as possible…
Other Big Break Records (BBR) CD Remasters I've reviewed:
1. Is It Still Good To Ya – ASHFORD and SIMPSON (1978)
2. Stay Free – ASHFORD and SIMPSON (1979)
3. Central Heating – HEATWAVE (1977)
4. Hot Property - HEATWAVE (1979)
5. Candles - HEATWAVE (1980)
6. Turnin' On - HIGH INERGY (1977)
7. Harvest For The World - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (1976)
8. Go For Your Guns - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (1977)
9. In The Heart – KOOL & THE GANG (1983)
10. Let Me Be Your Angel – STACY LATTISAW (1980)
11. I Hope We Get To Love On Time - MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS (1976)
12. I Miss You - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (1972) [known as "Harold Melvin The Blue Notes" in the UK]
13. Black & Blue - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (1973)
14. Love Is The Message - MFSB (1973)
15. Universal Love – MFSB (1975)
16. All The Faces Of... - BUDDY MILES (1974)
17. For The First Time – STEPHANIE MILLS (1975)
18. I Can See Clearly Now - JOHNNY NASH (1972)
19. Back Stabbers - O'JAYS (1972)
20. Ship Ahoy - O'JAYS (1973)
21. Down To Love Town – THE ORIGINALS (1977)
22. Ebony Woman - BILLY PAUL (1970 and 1973)
23. 360 Degrees Of Billy Paul - BILLY PAUL (1972)
24. War Of The Gods - BILLY PAUL (1973)
25. Platinum Hook – PLATINUM HOOK (1978)
26. Love For What It Is - ANITA POINTER (of The Pointer Sisters) (1987)
27. Live: Stompin' At The Savoy – RUFUS and CHAKA KHAN (1983)
28. Madhouse – SILVER CONVENTION (1976)
29. Summernights – SILVER CONVENTION (1977)
30. Smoked Sugar - SMOKED SUGAR (1975)
31. Spinners – SPINNERS (1973)
32. Soul Master – EDWIN STARR (1968)
33. Involved - EDWIN STARR (1971)
34. Switch - SWITCH (1978)
35. Watercolors – THE WATERS (1980)
36. Just As I Am - BILL WITHERS (1971 Debut LP on Sussex/A&M Records)
37. Heartbeats – YARBROUGH
& PEOPLES (1983)
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