Review Summary: A Huge Disappointment
Mercury dropped the Players after "Jass-Ay-Lay-Dee" and they signed with Arista. Anyone hoping they would be revitalized well forget it.
Ugh. I was a huge Players fan throughout the 70's and had all their Mercury albums. I did not buy this one because I had heard it was really bad. Now that I have been able to hear these tunes I am glad I did not waste the money.
The Ohio Players try our disco and right off the bat it is apparent they are no "Chic". In fact the title cut almost sounds like it incorporates every cheesy disco sound into one song. It is so bad that although it is disco through and through it was not even a hit in Clubs at the time. It is not just the disco sound that will turn you off it is that the band sounds tired. Even Sugar's vocals sound dispirited and depressed.
There are 6 songs, 4 of which are various worn out disco songs in which every once in awhile a flash of the old Players will be heard in a verse of brief moment but it does not last long. Of the other 2 songs "Don't Say Goodbye" is a weak attempt at a bluesy ballad. Sugar incorporates the George Benson styled scatting he used in Angel to no effect this time and it just fizzles. The other which I guess would be the best of a very tepid bunch of songs is "Take De Funk Off Fly" which oddly enough rips off Bootsy Collins and Silver Conventions "Fly Robin Fly" (If you don't believe me give it a listen). Still at least it is interesting and has hints of the funk the Players just 5 years earlier were famous for.
