We previously filled you in on Robinsongs' recent releases from The Whispers, Midnight Star, and Shalamar.  Today, we're looking at the Cherry Red imprint's 2018 reissues dedicated to three more vintage R&B groups: The Bar-Kays, Crown Heights Affair, and Lakeside.

As One/Nightcrusing/Propositions/Dangerous brings together The Bar-Kays' four Mercury Records albums originally released between 1980 and 1984 on a 2-CD set.  The band had gotten its start at Stax Records and had just scored a hit single on Stax Records ("Soul Finger," No. 3 R&B/No. 17 Pop) when tragedy struck on December 10, 1967.  Four members of the band - Jimmy King, Ronnie Caldwell, Phalon Jones, and Carl Cunningham - perished in the same plane crash that took the life of Stax star Otis Redding.  Trumpeter Ben Cauley was the lone survivor of the crash, and bassist James Alexander - who had been on a different plane - determined to carry on in honor of their fallen comrades.  In addition to backing Isaac Hayes at Stax, the reconstituted group recorded for the label through 1974.  When Stax shuttered, The Bar-Kays (now sans Cauley, who departed the ranks in 1971) moved onto Mercury Records and re-established themselves in a funk-disco mold.  This collection contains the band's fifth through eighth albums for Mercury, all produced by Stax veteran Allen A. Jones.

As One followed the group's most successful album, Injoy (previously reissued by Robinsongs), and as such, adhered to its template with brass-infused funk and mellow soul ballads.  "Boogie Body Land," building off the previous LP's "Move Your Body Boogie," made it all the way to the R&B top ten, and As One reached No. 6 R&B.  1981's Nightcruising, as the title would indicate, placed its emphasis on dancefloor grooves, but also introduced electronic sounds into the mix, reflecting the era in which it was recorded.  The single "Hit and Run" became a top 5 R&B smash, and "bubbled under" the Hot 100.  The album matched its predecessor's chart peak but actually remained on the charts longer.  The techno-funk sound all but dominated the final two albums in this set, Propositions (No. 9 R&B) and Dangerous (No. 7 R&B).  The lusty "She Talks to Me with Her Body" was the standout hit from the former, while the Michael Jackson-influenced "Dirty Dancer" and Prince-inspired "Sexomatic" both charted top 20 R&B from the latter.  Charles Waring has provided the liner notes and Alan Wilson has remastered all four albums.

Funk band Lakeside may be best-known today for the 1980 hit "Fantastic Voyage" but the group actually had a long run of success on the SOLAR label.  Two recent releases compile the band's first six SOLAR albums as two 2-CD sets (three albums per package).  Lakeside joined Dick Griffey's label in time for their sophomore release; their first, eponymous album for ABC Records had been produced by Motown's Frank Wilson and featured Funk Brothers Jack Ashford and James Jamerson among the additional musicians.  Shot of Love/Rough Riders/Fantastic Voyage captures Lakeside on the ascendant, blending dirty funk grooves with swooning soul balladry.  SOLAR star Leon Sylvers co-produced the first two albums on this set with Griffey and the band, but it was Fantastic Voyage that truly launched the Ohio group into the stars.  The title track became the group's only entry on the Billboard Hot 100 (at a respectable No. 55) but, moreover, it catapulted the album to No. 2 R&B/No. 16 Pop on the albums charts.  Eugene Dozier, known for his work with Philadelphia International, contributed orchestral arrangements to Fantastic Voyage.

A change in SOLAR's distribution from RCA to Elektra led to the unusual circumstance of two Lakeside albums being released within days of each other - the first two albums on Your Wish Is My Command/Keep on Moving Straight Ahead/Untouchables.  Your Wish, with genie-themed imagery on both the cover and the music, included an unusually soulful cover of The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" that reached No. 5 R&B; the album peaked in the R&B top ten but couldn't match the pop showing of its predecessor, making only No. 58 on the Billboard 200.  Three days (!) after the release of Your Wish, Lakeside released Keep on Moving Straight Ahead.  It was the final album which SOLAR owed RCA, but the label brass opted to hold onto it for eleven months - presumably to undercut the Elektra-distributed Your Wish.  Predictably, RCA's gambit didn't pay off, and the album underperformed.  Lakeside, undeterred, was soon back in the studio for the final album on this set, Untouchables.  This time, the band took on gangster personas, yielding another top ten R&B winner, "Raid," and a top 40 hit with "Turn the Music Up."  Untouchables also became Lakeside's second best-selling album on the Billboard 200 with its peak of No. 42.  The band remained at SOLAR through 1990, a period which will perhaps be covered by a future Robinsongs release.  Both titles offer five bonus tracks apiece, drawn from 7-inch and 12-inch single versions.  Christian John Wikane has written the detailed liner notes, and Alan Wilson has remastered.

The final pair of three-for-one releases hails from Crown Heights Affair.  The Brooklyn funk band made its debut in 1974 on RCA Victor with a self-titled album before one-half of the eight-man line-up departed.  With a new group in place, the band moved to New York indie De-Lite Records, home of Kool & The Gang, and launched the series of albums that would send them into the stratosphere.  The first of Robinsongs' two releases features Dreaming a Dream (1975), Do It Your Way (1976), and Dream World (1978).  The title track of Dreaming a Dream was featured in both instrumental and vocal versions on the album; the instrumental made a splash on the R&B charts, reaching No. 5.  The follow-up "Every Beat of My Heart," featuring string arrangements by Meco Menardo, cracked the Hot 100 at No. 83, reached the R&B top 20, and impressively placed at No. 2 Disco.  The album's final single "Foxy Lady" (retitled from "Foxy") fared even better with on the Hot 100 with a No. 49 slot, and notched the group another R&B hit.  Do It Your Way went on to yield another success ("Dancin'," No. 15 R&B/No. 42 Pop) though Dream World ultimately fell commercially short with lead single "Say a Prayer for Two" narrowly missing the R&B top 40.  However, the album established the band in the U.K. when "Galaxy of Love" became a top 25 Pop hit and "I'm Gonna Love You Forever" made the top 50.

The band's story continues on the collection of Dance Lady Dance (1979), Sure Shot (1980), and Think Positive! (1982).  The roster had remained consistent since Do It Your Way - William Anderson (guitar), Arnold "Muki" Wilson (bass), Raymond Rock (drums), Philip Thomas (vocals), Howie Young (keyboards), Bert Reid (tenor sax), Raymond Reid (trombone), and James "Ajax" Baynard (trumpet) but Dance welcomed a new addition to the brassy unit, vocalist Skip Boardley.  Note that the songs "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" and "Come Fly with Me" are not the familiar songs of those titles.  The title track of Dance Lady Dance rewarded the group with their first R&B top 20 placement since "Dancin'," but for Sure Shot, they went in a new direction.  The band enlisted veteran producer-arranger Bert "Super Chart" DeCoteaux for a set of completely band-written songs, and Bert Reid even rapped on the admonition to "Use Your Body and Soul."  Another track, "You Gave Me Love," was inspired by a poem written by Reid's mother; it caught on in the U.K. and went to the top ten.  (In the U.S., it made No. 12 Dance but stalled at No. 74 R&B.)  DeCoteaux's stay was short-lived, however, and William Anderson and Ray Reid took the reins for Think Positive!.  Pop-oriented, electronic sounds and raps were both more a part of the mix.  "Somebody Tell Me What to Do" made the R&B top 40 but missed the albums charts; the next year's Struck Gold would prove to be CHA's final De-Lite release.

Christian John Wikane tells the band's story and brings it up to the present day in compelling fashion via his liner notes for both titles; Alan Wilson has remastered all six albums.  No bonus tracks have been appended.

Look for all of the above titles at the links below!

Bar-Kays, As One/Nightcruising/Propositions/Dangerous (Robinsongs/Cherry Red ROBIN20CDD, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1:

As One:

1. Boogie Body Land
2. Say It Through Love
3. Work It Out
4. Body Fever
5. As One
6. Take the Time to Love Somebody
7. Open Your Heart
8. Deliver Us

Nightcruising:

9. Nightcruising
10. Hit and Run
11. Feels Like I'm Falling in Love
12. Freaky Behavior
13. Touch Tone
14. Unforgettable Dream
15. Traffic Jammer
16. Backseat Driver

CD 2:

Propositions:

1. Propositions
2. Tripping Out
3. Anticipation
4. (Busted)
5. Do It (Let Me See You Shake)
6. She Talks to Me with Her Body
7. I Can't Believe You're Leaving Me
8. You Made a Change in My Life

Dangerous:

9. Dangerous
10. Dirty Dancer
11. Make Believe Lover
12. Dance, Party, Etc.
13. Freakshow on the Dance Floor
14. Lovers Should Never Fall in Love
15. Loose Talk
16. Sexomatic

Lakeside, Shot of Love/Rough Riders/Fantastic Voyage (Robinsongs/Cherry Red ROBIN28CDD, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1:

Shot of Love:

1. Shot of Love
2. Hold On Tight
3. One Minute After Midnight
4. Time
5. Given In to Love
6. It's All the Way Live
7. Visions of My Mind

Rough Riders:

8. Rough Rider
9. All in My Mind
10. If You Like Our Music (Get Up and Move)
11. I Can't Get You Out of My Head
12. Pull My Strings
13. I'll Never Leave You
14. From 9:00 Until

CD 2:

Fantastic Voyage:

1. Fantastic Voyage
2. Your Love Is on the One
3. I Need You
4. Strung Out
5. Say Yes
6. Eveready Man
7. I Love Everything You Do
8. Say Yes (Reprise)

Bonus Tracks

9. It's All the Way Live (7" Version)
10. Pull My Strings (7" Version)
11. From 9:00 Until (7" Version)
12. Fantastic Voyage (7" Version)
13. Your Love Is On the One (7" Version)

Lakeside, Your Wish Is My Command/Keep On Moving Straight Ahead/Untouchables (Robinsongs/Cherry Red ROBIN29CDD, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1:

Your Wish Is My Command:

1. Your Wish Is My Command
2. Something About That Woman
3. I Want to Hold Your Hand
4. Special
5. Magic Moments
6. The Urban Man
7. I'll Be Standing By
8. The Songwriter

Keep on Moving Straight Ahead:

9. Keep on Moving Straight Ahead
10. It's You
11. Be My Lady
12. It's Got to Be Her
13. We Want You (On the Floor)
14. Back Together Again
15. Anything for You

CD 2:

Keep on Moving Straight Ahead (continued):

1. All for You

Untouchables:

2. Raid
3. Turn the Music Up
4. So Let's Love
5. Real Love
6. Alibi
7. Untouchable
8. Tinsel Town Theory (a.k.a. The Hollywood Story)
9. So Let's Love (Reprise)

Bonus Tracks

10. Keep on Moving Straight Ahead (12" Version)
11. We Want You (On the Floor) (7" Version)
12. Raid (7" Version)
13. Turn the Music Up (Instrumental Mix)
14. Turn the Music Up (7" Version)

Crown Heights Affair, Dreaming a Dream/Do It Your Way/Dream World (Robinsongs/Cherry Red ROBIN23CDD, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1:

Dreaming a Dream:

1. Dreaming a Dream
2. Foxy
3. Every Beat of My Heart
4. Na, Na, Hey, Hey
5. Dreaming a Dream (Vocal)
6. I Am Me
7. Feeling Tall
8. You Smiled
9. Picture Show

Do It Your Way:

10. Searching for Love
11. Love Me
12. Dancin'
13. Music Is the World
14. Far Out
15. Sexy Ways
16. French Way

CD 2:

Dream World:

1. Galaxy of Love
2. I Love You
3. Say a Prayer for Two
4. Dream World
5. Things Are Going to Get Better
6. I'm Gonna Love You Forever
7. Cherry

Crown Heights Affair, Dance Lady Dance/Sure Shot/Think Positive (Robinsongs/Cherry Red ROBIN24CDD, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1:

Dance Lady Dance:

1. Dance Lady Dance
2. This Rock Is Hot
3. Number One Woman
4. Come Fly with Me
5. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me
6. Empty Soul of Mine

Sure Shot:

7. You Gave Me Love
8. I Don't Want to Change You
9. Sure Shot
10. You've Been Gone
11. I See the Light
12. See Your Body and Soul

CD 2:

Sure Shot (continued):

1. Tell Me You Love Me

Think Positive:

2. Somebody Tell Me What to Do
3. Love Rip Off
4. Heart Upside Down
5. Think Positive
6. I Got Sometin' for Ya
7. Wine and Dine You
8. Your Love Makes Me Hot
9. Let Me Ride on the Waves of Your Love