"Candles" by HEATWAVE (November 2010 UK Big Break Records (BBR) Expanded Edition CD Reissue and Remaster with Nine Bonus Tracks) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…We’re The Syndicate Of Soul…Gonna Take Control…"

Like many Soul and Funk fans, I’ve been noticing Big Break Records (BBR) and their steady stream of interesting reissues turn up in the racks of better record shops in the West End of London (Sister Ray, Sounds Of The Universe and Reckless).

"Candles" was the kind of early 80's album that boasted 2 or 3 great tracks and the rest was filler – like so many records of the time. But what lifts this reissue above the ordinary is the wad of bonus tracks attached – and especially the truly fabulous remastered sound. Here's the posin' details…

Released 25 November 2010 in the UK - "Candles: Expanded Edition" by HEATWAVE on Big Break Records CDBBR 0024 (Barcode 5013929032422) offers the 1980 LP with nine Bonus Tracks and breaks down as follows (79:34 minutes):

1. Gangsters Of Groove [Side 1]

2. Jitterbuggin' 

3. Party Suite 

4. Turn Around 

5. Posin' 'Til Closin' [Side 2] 

6. All I Am 

7. Dreamin' You 

8. Goin' Crazy 

9. Where Did I Go Wrong 

Tracks 1 to 9 are the album "Candles" first released in December 1980 in the USA on Epic FE 36873 (charted at number 24) and then February 1981 in the UK on GTO Records GTOLP 0047 (charted at number 29).

BONUSES:
10. Gangsters Of The Groove (Single Version) [4:02 minutes, Edit]
11. Jitterbuggin' (UK Single Version) [4:00 minutes, Edit]
12. Where Did I Go Wrong (US Single Version) [3:47 minutes, Edit]
13. Posin' 'Til Closin' (UK Single Version) [3:40 minutes, Edit]
14. Turn Around (US Single Version) [3:59 minutes, Edit]
15. Find Someone Like You - a non-album B-side to "Gangsters Of The Groove" 7" single credited on the record as "Someone Like You" [3:58 minutes]
16. Wack That Axe - a non-album B-side to the UK 12" single of "Jitterbuggin'" [3:45 minutes]
17. Gangsters Of The Groove (UK 12" Remix) [5:48 minutes – album version is 4:22 minutes]
18. Posin' 'Til Closin' (UK 12" Version) [5:10 minutes – album version is 5:00 minutes]

In one of those new rounded-corner jewel cases, the booklet has 12-pages of colour photos, album sleeves, GTO and Epic singles and informational liner notes by HAYDEN JONES. The albums credits also include the bonus tracks – it’s very well done. But the big news is the sound…

The original tapes have been digitally remastered by ALAN WILSON at Western Star Studios and he’s done a truly stunning job. Every instrument is full on – and not in a loudness-for-loudness sake kind of way – the remaster is clear, muscular & an absolute blast to listen to.

The record’s big secret was soul/funk songwriter ROD TEMPERTON – he penned 5 of the album’s 9 tracks and more famously went on to write “Rock With You”, “Off The Wall”, “Baby Be Mine”, “The Lady In My Life” and “Thriller” for Michael Jackson. Temperton had been with them in the beginning in 1977, but by this time had long since left, but was still sufficiently involved with the group to arrange and contribute much of this album.

His signature winner “Gangster Of The Groove” opens the proceedings very nicely – it’s soul/disco/funk genius – an irresistible floor-filler even to this day. The problem with the album is that it never reaches that dizzy height again. “Posin’ Til Closin’” and “Turn Around” are good funky tunes and “Dreamin’ You” features that superb bass playing of Derek Bramble, but the soppy Lynsey De Paul cover “All I Am” is hard to listen to now. The finishers “Goin’ Crazy” and “Where Did I Go Wrong” are good too, but never really great. The 12”-only B-side "Wack That Axe" however is a superb bonus track.

The liner notes dedicate the release to band-member and co-producer Johnnie Wilder, Jnr. who died in 2006 – his brother Keith fronts a form of the band to this day. It has to be said that BBR have done his memory proud.

To sum up - "Candles" by Heatwave is a 3-star album given a 5-star treatment by Big Break Records (BBR) - and if you have any affection for it, then you need this superb remaster in your life.

The quality way this CD has been presented is going to make me investigate more of their releases. And at just under seven quid from many online retailers, it's cheap too. Recommended.

PS: Big Break Records (BBR) CD Remasters 

I've reviewed to October 2015

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. I Hope We Get To Love On Time - MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS (1976)

11.  I Miss You - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (1972) [known as "Harold Melvin The Blue Notes" in the UK]

12. Black & Blue - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (1973)

13. Love Is The Message - MFSB (1973)

14. Universal Love – MFSB (1975)

15. All The Faces Of... - BUDDY MILES (1974)

16. For The First Time – STEPHANIE MILLS (1975)

17. I Can See Clearly Now - JOHNNY NASH (1972)

18. In Philadelphia - O'JAYS (1969)

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. Summernights – SILVER CONVENTION (1977)

29. Smoked Sugar - SMOKED SUGAR (1975)

30. Soul Master – EDWIN STARR (1968)

31. Involved - EDWIN STARR (1971)

32. Switch - SWITCH (1978)

33 Watercolors – THE WATERS (1980)

34. Just As I Am - BILL WITHERS (1971 Debut LP on Sussex/A&M Records)

35. Heartbeats – YARBROUGH & PEOPLES (1983)

“Give Me The Night” by GEORGE BENSON (2009 Japan Warner Brothers SHM-CD (Super High Materials) Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This review is part of my "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters Soul, Funk & Jazz Fusion" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00LQKMC6I

"...Remember The Days When We Never Had A Dime..."

Originally released on LP in July 1980 on Warner Brothers K 56823 in the UK and BSK 3453 in the USA - George Benson's "Give Me The Night" was a huge record at the time (it peaked at No. 3 in both countries). And like Michael Jackson's "Off The Wall" from 1978 before it - its fusion of soul, funk and jazz was popular everywhere - crossing over every rock barrier like never before (it was Grammy nominated and won too).

Yet except for a few remastered tracks on the excellent George Benson 2CD "Anthology" set from 2000 on Rhino - the entire album has been languishing around for over two decades now on one of those awful Eighties CDs with dullard murky sound. Until now...

Released 24 June 2009 in Japan-only on Warner Bros WPCR-13453 (Barcode 4943674090396) - this 24-bit remastered version is an audiophile CD on their SUPER HIGH MATERIALS format (42:51 minutes). An SHM-CD is playable on all machines and is simply a better form of the compact disc. And coming from an era that is probably the most derided in history by music lovers - especially when it comes to bombastic sound and ham-fisted production excesses - this SHM-CD version is a beautifully relaized remaster - it really is.

1. Love X Love

2. Off Broadway

3. Moody’s Mood

4. Give Me The Night

5. What’s On Your Mind [Side 2]

6. Dinorah, Dinorah

7. Love Dance

8. Star Of A Story (X)

9. Midnight Love Affair

10. Turn Out The Lamplight

It doesn't say who did the 24-bit transfer - but whoever did has produced the most awesome result because the sound quality is just glorious. Of course the album always had the immaculate production values of QUINCY JONES and the stunning array of top session men to thank for its polish anyway - but this newly upgraded version is just wonderful. It's neither falsely loud nor brash nor clinically clean - there's air around the instruments - it's just warm and there. You hear all the instrumentation - especially the bass and rhythm sections. The wildly underrated funky-as-James-Brown instrumental "Off Broadway" is just stunning now - as is David Wolinski's brilliantly soulful and sleek "Midnight Love Affair".

The jewel case is standard and there's the black and gold obi strip inside; the SHM CD itself feels slightly heavier to ordinary CDs - more substantial - it seems to hold better as it plays in the tray somehow - steady. The 8-page booklet is disappointingly the same as US/Euro issues (has session details though) and the extra foldout page of info about the album that you get in these Japanese issues is - well in Japanese - so its kinda useless.

Gripes - no Euro/USA issue so it costs as an import - and it wouldn't have taken much to include the edited single mixes of "Give Me The Night" and "Love X Love" as bonus tracks. But this reissue is not about ramming the disc chock-full of extras - it's about the best sound - and on that front they've achieved their goal with absolute knobs on.

With 6 of it's 10 killer songs written by Britain's ROD TEMPERTON and the immaculate production values of veteran sound man QUINCY JONES - "Give Me The Night" practically set up the template for the album that would literally take over the world three years later - Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (Quincy produced and Temperton wrote 3 of its 9 songs including the title track).

OK - in 2014 this version is now expensive (use Barcode 4943674090396 to locate the correct issue on Amazon) and it's probably even awkward to obtain - but it's got stunning sound quality - and if that's your brief - it's recommended big time.

"Give Me The Night" is also a part of the Japanese-Only 2009 "Warner Bros. Jazz & Fusion SHM-CD Collection" series - in alphabetical order the other 19 titles are:

1. Breezin' - GEORGE BENSON (1976)

(Warner Bros. WPCR-13452)

2. Larry Carlton - LARRY CARLTON (1978)

(Warner Bros. WPCR-13446)

3. Sleepwalk - LARRY CARLTON (1982)

(Warner Bros. WPCR-13448)

4. Strikes Twice - LARRY CARLTON (1980)

(Warner Bros. WPCR-13447)

5. Amandla - MILES DAVIS (1989)

(Warner Bros. WPCR-13443)

6. Doo-Bop - MILES DAVIS (1991)

(Warner Bros. WPCR-13444)

7. Live Around The World - MILES DAVIS (1996)

(Warner Bros. WPCR-13445)

8. Siesta - MILES DAVIS and MARCUS MILLER (1982)

(Warner Bros WPCR-13442)

9. Tutu - MILES DAVIS (1986)

(Warner Bros WPCR-13441)

10. Teasin' - CORNELL DUPREE (1974)

(Warner Bros. WPCR-13457)

11. Between The Sheets - FOURPLAY (1993)

[Featuring Bob James, Lee Ritenour, Nathan East and Harvey Mason]

(Warner Bros. WPCR-13460)

12. Fourplay - FOURPLAY (1991)

(Warner Bros. WPCR-13459)

13. Word Of Mouth - JACO PASTORIUS (1981)

(Warner Bros. WPCR-13454)

14. Rit - LEE RITENOUR (1981)

(Warner Bros. WPCR-13456)

15. The Captain's Journey - LEE RITENOUR (1978)

(Warner Bros. WPCR-13455)

16. Magnetic - STEPS AHEAD [feat Michael Brecker] (1986)

(Warner Bros. WPCR-13458)

17. More Stuff - STUFF (1977)

(Warner Bros. WPCR-13450)

18. Stuff - STUFF (1976)

(Warner Bros. WPCR-13449)

19. Winelight - GROVER WASHINGTON, Jr. (1980)

(Warner Bros. WPCR-13451)