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| The Brothers Johnson |
| Guitarist/vocalist George Johnson and bassist/vocalist Louis Johnson formed the band Johnson Three Plus One with older brother Tommy and their cousin Alex Weir while attending school in Los Angeles. Finding no luck on their own they took jobs backing other artists most notably Billy Preston. After writing two tunes for Preston the guys moved on eventually landing in Quincy Jones' camp. Jones hired the talented duo (by now Tommy & Alex had moved on to other options) to aid in his 1975 "Mellow Madness" album. The brothers not only played on the album but wrote four tunes for "Q." They eventually toured Japan with Quincy. Touring was nothing new, for by 1975 they had toured with Preston, Ray Charles, The Supremes and a few other major R&B acts. The next year Jones helped the boys secure a recording contract with A&M Records with the provision that "Q" produce the project. "Look Out For #-1" would be the first of many successes for the brothers. The first single was the #-3 pop, #-1 R&B smash "I'll Be Good To You," which is a smooth funk cut that laid the groundwork for their trademark 'sound.' Sensing the guys club appeal the second single, "Get The Funk Out Ma Face," was marketed to the emerging disco market. It hit #-11 on the Club play lists and #-4 R&B. Their remake of the Beatles' classic "Come Together" comes with a soulful twist. Aside from this remake, the Brothers co-wrote every other song on this album, including the untarnished instrumental "Tomorrow," which later became a number one single from Quincy Jones' "Back On The Block" album. Potentially viewed as something of a warm-up for Quincy Jones before producing Michael Jackson's wildly successful "Off The Wall" and "Thriller" albums, the Brothers Johnson's first two releases brought George and Louis Johnson to a mass audience of their own. (Louis, in fact, would go on to play bass on those first two sessions by the King of Pop.) As with the Jackson discs, Jones creates a seamless mix of pop and funk on the Brothers sophomore release 1977's "Right On Time," helping to create the group's second chart-topper "Strawberry Letter 23" as well the equally effervescent, minor R&B hit "Runnin' For Your Lovin'." With Earth, Wind & Fire's airy dancefloor hits in mind, the Brothers also deliver polished funk tracks like "Right On Time" and "Never Leave You Lonely," as well as more pop-friendly material like "Free Yourself, Be Yourself" and "Love Is." And with one of the best jazz arrangers in the business behind the board, the Brothers couldn't forgo some instrumentals here as well, specifically the breezy, funk-in-a-quiet-storm number "'Q'" and the less intriguing, synthesizer jam "Brother Man." The Brothers third album, "Blam!!," demonstrates that funk can be sleek and gritty at the same time. This 1978 classic is full of definitive examples of sophisti-funk; if you're a lover of that style, tracks like "Ain't We Funkin' Now" (a major hit), "Mista' Cool," "Ride-O-Rocket," and the title song are required listening. Equally strong are the mellow ballad "It's You, Girl" and the pop-jazz instrumental "Streetwave," both of which were well-received by quiet storm enthusiasts. The person the Brothers Johnson can thank for this album being so consistent is producer Quincy Jones, who really knew how to bring out the best in the guys. "Light Up The Night" marked the end of an era for the Brothers Johnson — it was the last of four albums that Quincy Jones produced and it was the last time a Brothers Johnson album was truly excellent instead of merely decent. Jones gave them something their subsequent albums lacked — consistency. Even though they recorded some decent material after 1980 they never had the commercial success they had with Jones at the helm. The album gets off to an impressive start with the major club hit "Stomp!" (#-1 Club, #-7 Pop and #-1 Black playlists), and the tracks that follow are equally memorable. From the sleek sophisti-funk of "You Make Me Wanna Wiggle," "This Had to Be" (which was co-written by Michael Jackson and employs him as a background vocalist), and the title song (their second 12" single) to the tender R&B/pop ballads "Treasure" and "All About The Heaven," this is without a doubt their best and their brightest. Released in 1981, "Winners" was the first Brothers Johnson album that Jones didn't produce, and it was also their first disappointing album. This isn't to say that "Winners," which they produced themselves, is a disaster; most of the material is decent. "In the Way," "Caught Up," "Do It for Love," and the single "The Real Thing" (a number 11 R&B hit) are pleasant, likable songs, but they aren't great songs. The 12" single of "Dancin' Free" failed to even chart on the club scene. None of the songs are terrible, but none of them are in a class with their "Q" produced hits. Two more disappointing hit-less albums came and went, 1982's "Blast" and 1984's "Out Of Control." Disco had died, pop (and more importantly) /R&B music had shifted and the Brothers were decidely out of sync. The next several years saw the Brothers return to studio session work from which they had started. They can be heard on recordings by Donna Summer, Streisand, Earl Klugh, Lee Ritenour, Pointer Sisters, Michael Jackson and Aretha Franklin both collectively and indivdually. Re-emerging from what had turned into a four-year hiatus, the Brothers Johnson hoped to repeat earlier successes with 1988's "Kickin'." Unfortunately for the duo their smooth brand of slick R&B had been severely scaled back in favor of new flavors and grooves. The lead off for the album was the single of the Irene Cara co-penned "Kick It To The Curb." The single bombed despite its catchy melody, and set a sour scene for the rest of the record, which is a shame because there was certainly follow-up material aplenty on board. "Ball Of Fire" and "Real Love" falls well into that territory. Elsewhere, the band covers Curtis Mayfield's "We Must Be In Love" with aplomb and try their hand at something completely different on the sparse closer "Party Avenue." Overall, however, while there isn't really anything to criticize on "Kickin'," nor is there much to recommend it either. Since that last release in 1988 the Brothers have kept a very low profile. They've mainly stuck to the occasional studio gig and the occassional live performance. New generations have been turned on to the magic of George and Louis through various samples of their hits and countless re-issues and re-packagings of their finest works. Our thanks for the disco nuggets they gave us during their brief and spotty careers. |
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