Welcome to Part One of our Big Break Records Big Round-Up!  Today, we're looking at a pair of releases from 1979 which have newly received the BBR remastered and expanded treatment!

Chameleon was the brainchild of Azar Lawrence, the saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist who had played in the bands of Miles Davis, Gene Harris, Freddie Hubbard, Elvin Jones, and McCoy Tyner.  Like so many of his jazz contemporaries, Lawrence began to explore the connections between the various strains of jazz and R&B in the 1970s; his first album as a leader, 1974's Bridge Into the New Age, featured future Philadelphia International and Motown vocalist Jean Carn(e).  As a sideman, he also accompanied Marvin Gaye, Deniece Williams, and Phyllis Hyman.  Inspired by his friend Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire, Lawrence envisioned a self-contained band that could bring to life his most expansive musical visions.  Joined by co-producer Fred Wesley, leader of James Brown's The J.B.'s, Lawrence formed Chameleon for Elektra Records.

Big Break has recently reissued Chameleon's only long-player.  The album, and the group, featured Lawrence on vocals, saxophone and percussion; Michael E. Stanton on keyboards; Delbert Taylor on vocals, horns and percussion; Gerald Brown on bass, percussion and vocals; Earl Alexander on vocals and guitar; and Ronald Bruner on drums and percussion.  Every member of the band contributed as a songwriter, making for a true fusion of pop, R&B, funk, disco, and of course, jazz.  The swaggering and brassy "Get Up" set the danceable tone of the LP; both "Get Up" and the exuberantly rhythmic disco of "We'll Be Dancin'" were released in 12-inch extended versions, which are included on BBR's reissue.  The impassioned "I Feel You Here" and dreamy, smooth "For You" offered ballad respites from the uptempo action; the instrumental "Mysteryoso" likely sated the wishes of jazz fusion fans.

Unfortunately, Chameleon was pigeonholed into the fusion genre and failed to catch on to the mainstream R&B and disco audiences; plans for a second album were scuttled, according to Azar Lawrence in Christian John Wikane's illuminating liner note essay.  All twelve tracks, including the two bonus 12-inch single versions, have been remastered for this reissue by Nick Robbins and reissue producer Wayne A. Dickson.

The eponymous Elektra debut of the vocal quintet Five Special also first arrived in 1979.  The label had been late to embrace disco, but groups like Chameleon and Five Special signaled its immersion into the dance genre.  Five Special was produced and primarily written by Ron Banks, of The Dramatics, while the group itself featured Ron's brother Bryan Banks as well as Steve Boyd, Mike Petillo, Steve Harris, and Greg Finlay.  Five Special had first recorded in 1976 under Ron's aegis for Mercury Records, moving to Elektra three years later.  The single release of "Why Leave Us Alone" predated the release of the Five Special LP by a couple of months, featuring Rick Gianatos' shimmering disco mix.  (That version has been included as a bonus track, along with an instrumental of the song.)

Recorded in Detroit and Los Angeles, and having some of the hallmarks of the lush Philadelphia Sound, Five Special was an auspicious album debut.  "Why Leave Us Alone," with its blend of throbbing beats, rich harmony vocals and plush orchestrations, was joined on the LP by floor-fillers such as "Do It, Baby" and "It's Such a Groove (Part II - Whatcha Got for Music!" along with more relaxed offerings like the bright "It's a Wonderful Day" and beautiful, Stylistics-esque ballad "You're Something Special."  Five Special offered the best of both worlds on "Baby," with its silky introduction ceding to a pulsating groove.

Five Special reached No. 20 on the U.S. R&B Albums chart, and the infectious "Why Leave Us Alone" gave the group its biggest hit when it reached No. 9 R&B/No. 55 Pop/No. 34 Disco.  The group went on to record two more albums for Elektra.  Christian John Wikane persuasively tells the band's story in his liner notes, drawing on a fresh interview with Rick Gianatos, and Wayne Dickson and Nick Robbins have seen to the exemplary sound quality throughout.

Both Chameleon and Five Special, housed in Super Jewel Boxes, are available now from Big Break and Cherry Red at the links below!

Chameleon, Chameleon: Expanded Edition (Elektra 6E-190, 1979 - reissued Big Break WCDBBRX 0363, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Get Up
2. Wishing a Dream
3. Unfair Affair
4. Game of Life
5. We'll Be Dancin'
6. Come Into My Life
7. I Feel You Here
8. Mysteryoso
9. For You
10. Get Up (12-Inch Disco Version) (Elektra 12-inch single AS-11424, 1979)
11. We'll Be Dancin' (12-Inch Disco Version) (Elektra 12-inch single AS-11424, 1979)

Five Special, Five Special: Expanded Edition (Elektra 6E-206, 1979 - reissued Big Break WCDBBRX 0338, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Why Leave Us Alone
2. It's a Wonderful Day
3. Do It Baby
4. It's Such a Groove (Part II): Whatcha Got for Music!
5. Baby
6. Rock Dancin'
7. You're Something Special
8. Why Leave Us Alone (Special Disco Mix by Rick Gianatos) (Elektra 12-inch single AS-11408, 1979)
9. Why Leave Us Alone (Instrumental) (Elektra single E-46032, 1979)