"Ugly Ego/Secret Omen" by CAMEO – October 1978 and July 1979 US Albums on Chocolate City Records featuring Larry Blackmon (February 2015 UK Cherry Red/Robinsongs Compilation - 2LPs Remastered onto 1CD – Alan Wilson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...I Get Excited And I Go Insane..."

A very cool and timely reissue lumping together two of Cameo's best Funk outings on Chocolate City Records from that halcyon decade - "Ugly Ego" from 1978 and its follow-up "Secret Omen" from 1979.

While "Ugly Ego" managed a 16 placing on the USA Billboard R&B charts - the hugely popular "Secret Omen" went into the Top 5 (peaked at No. 4) and spawned two top-ten hit singles in the shape of "I Just Want To Be" and "Sparkle". This superb sounding CD reissue by Robinsongs of England (part of the Cherry Red Group) does those two funky monsters a solid. Here are the codpiece details...

UK released February 2015 - "Ugly Ego/Secret Omen" by CAMEO on Robinsongs CDMRED648 (Barcode 5013929164833) gives fans 2LPs on 1CD and breaks down as follows (74:14 minutes):

1. I'll Be With You [Side 1]
2. Insane
3. Give Love A Chance
4. I Want You
5. Ugly Ego [Side 2]
6. Anything You Wanna Do
7. Friend To Me
8. Two Of Us
Tracks 1 to 8 are their 4th album "Ugly Ego" - released October 1978 in the USA on Chocolate City CCLP 2006 and February 1979 in the UK on Casablanca CAL 2038

9. Energy
10. I Just Want To Be
11. Find My Way
12. Macho [Side 2]
13. The Rock
14. Sparkle
15. New York
Tracks 9 to 15 are their 5th album "Secret Omen" - released July 1979 in the USA on Chocolate City Records CCLP 2008 and October 1979 in the UK on Casablanca CAL 2058

Licensed from Universal - ALAN WILSON has done the remaster - and the audio is fantastic - full of power, presence and detail. LARRY BLACKMON (he of the codpiece) - the founder member of the group and principal songwriter - also produced both albums and the band's Funk Sound is dominated by his distinctive Cameo groove. The 8-page inlay is a fairly basic affair with two-page liner notes by Mojo's Lois Wilson, artwork for both LPs and track lists with reissue credits. Nothing to write home about but does the job nonetheless.

Proceedings open with the slappy bass and brass-driven funk of "I'll Be With You" and you're immediately hit with two things - the great groove and the remaster. You're also thinking that while Parliament, Funkadelic and The Ohio Players get all the Funk plaudits - Cameo somehow seem locked in the Pop Soul Eighties thing where they're forever associated with "Word Up" and not wicked anthemic Funk like "Insane". Proving he's a dab hand at lurving your loins as well as lubricating them - the ballad "Give Love A Chance" is excellent bedroom fodder while the Isley Brothers guitar of Eric Durham on "I Want You" ends Side One on a great hard groove. Another slick multi-vocal beat is "Anything You Wanna Do" - fab brass punches punctuate a wicked Bass and Guitar beat.

If "Ugly Ego" felt like a purist Funk outing - it's obvious from the crowd-pleasing opener "Energy" on "Secret Omen" that this LP was aimed at making the group a genuine chart presence. Stuff like "I Just Want To Be" with its weird vocal beginning and synth jabs is so commercial yet Funky. "Macho" and "Sparkle" - the other two big tunes on here - are the same - crowd-shouters and people-pleasers ("Sparkle" has a fabulous lurve groove). Album winner for me goes to "The Rock" where Cameo come over all Earth, Wind & Fire but in a good way.

A brilliant little reissue that makes two long-out-of-print albums available again on a quality CD pitched at mid-price. Soul, Funk and Disco lovers should dig in...

Other Robinsongs 2LPs-on-1CD releases include:

1. Step Into Your Life/Prime Time - ROY AYERS & WAYNE HENDERSON
2. Light Of Life/Injoy - BAR-KAYS
3. It's Just Begun/Phase Two - THE JIMMY CASTOR BUNCH
4. Fever/Electric Lady - CON-FUNK-SHUN
5. Wildflower/Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing - HANK CRAWFORD
6. We All Have A Star/Inherit The Wind - WILTON FELDER (of The Crusaders)
7. Routes/Three Piece Suite - RAMSEY LEWIS
8. Love Is Where You Find It/Love For Love - THE WHISPERS
9. 'Nard/Funky Beat - BERNARD WRIGHT