Eruption

Eruption
featuring
Precious Wilson

    Precious Wilson was born in Spanishtown, Jamaica in 1957. Her parents uprooted her and moved to England in 1964, then to Connecticut and then back to England when she was a teenager in the early 1970's. While in the U.S. Wilson had taken to singing gospel music in her local church and discovered her love of singing and the fact that her voice was actually quite good.
     Back in London in 1974, Precious, along with lead guitarist Greg Perrineau, bassist Morgan Perrineau, keyboardist Gerry Williams, and drummer Eric Kingsley formed the group Silent Eruption. The group performed in local clubs and practiced whenever possible. Within a year they were good enough to enter and win the 1975 RCA Soul Search Contest. The prize was a chance to record for RCA Records. They had one 7" single release in 1976, "Let Me Take You Back In Time." While the song received little media attention it did arouse the ears of mega-producer Frank Farian.
     In 1977 Farian signed the group and changed their name to the shortened Eruption. Afterwards he signed an agreement with Hansa Records to issue their forthcoming releases. Work was begun on their first album which would contain cover versions of previous hits and original numbers written by the band members. When "Eruption featuring Precious Wilson" was released in 1978 the reaction was favorable throughout Europe. Ariola America was the U.S. arm of Hansa Records and quickly seized the opportunity to issue the album in the U.S.
     The sizzling cover of the Ann Peebles classic "I Can't Stand The Rain" was rush released on a 12" single and immediately shot to the top of the club charts and then crossed over to #-18 on the radio charts. The crisp horns, Precious' wailing vocals and the thunderous sound effects were tailor-made for dance floors. The song has since become one of disco's all-time classics and is easily recognizable even today.
     A second 12" single was released from the album in late 1978. "Party Party" was remixed, but with it's dated bump sound and lack of a strong break it paled in comparison and failed quickly. However in listening to it recently it was Wilson's voice that stood out and given the right mix it might have done better.
     The following year they released "One Way Ticket" which, when issued here in America, received a remix by Rusty Garner for the 12" single. The song did well in the club charts but failed to move into the lucrative Top 40 lists. The song with it's simple melody and catchy lyrics would be the final Eruption single released here in the U.S. to feature Precious Wilson.
     In 1979 Precious left the group to pursue a solo career. Kim Davies was brought in to replace Wilson and the group soldiered on. They released a final album in 1980 "Fight Fight Fight" produced one more hit for the group. The import 12" single of "Runaway" found it's way to America and progressive jocks enjoyed spinning it but no label wanted to distribut it. The group disbanded shortly afterwards.
     Precious went on to make two hugely successful albums in Europe, "We Are On The Race Track" and "All Coloured In Love," both on the Hansa label. In the mid-1980's her single, "I'll Be Your Friend" on Jive Records underlined her appeal on the dance and soul circuit. She followed up this success with the title track to the blockbuster movie "Jewel Of The Nile."
     In 1986 she became involved in the fight against drug abuse. An anti-drug disc was recorded at Abbey Road Studio: "It's A Live In World." In 1987 she teamed up with premier producers, Stock, Aitken and Waterman for one of the strongest disco recordings of 1987, "Only The Strong Survive."
     1990 was the year that Precious made her debut as an actress in the musical "Blues In The Night." She, along with Stephanie Lawrence, Miquel Brown and Ewen Cummins were the principle characters. She received rave reviews.
     More recently, she has appeared as a guest vocalist on the album of techno eccentrics Messiah. Together they achieved a Top 20 single hit in the U.K., with their version of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love." Precious also co-wrote her second track on the Messiah album, entitled "Peace And Tranquility." Precious has been working on new material and is continuing to establish her song-writing skills for her forthcoming album. Her superb vocal talent, coupled with her stylish performances will undoubtedly ensure that the new single due to be released shortly, will be the chart hit she deserves. We honor her and the boys for their contributions to disco history and their enduring classic.