ODYSSEY-ODYSSEY.

dereksmusicblog ♦ November 4, 2011 ♦ Leave a comment

ODYSSEY-ODYSSEY.

Back in December 1977, Odyssey had a major hit on their hands with a disco classic Native New Yorker, a track which, thirty-four years later, is still a hugely popular dance-floor classic. Back then, having loved the tracks I’d heard from the album, I decided to try and find a copy of the album. However, the album hadn’t even entered the charts in the UK, so finding a copy wasn’t an easy task. I tried all the record stores in the large town I lived in, but to no avail.

Fast forward four years, and I’m now living in a tiny village of one thousand people, and on a shopping trip the next town, I decided to have a look at the latest albums that had been released. Having decided upon what to buy, I spy a pile of cheaply priced albums. My friend and I decided to crate dig, sensing maybe, there might be a few hidden gems there. This was indeed the case, and having picked a small pile of albums, saw it sitting there, a copy of Odyssey’s debut album Odyssey. Not only that, but it was for the princely sum of one pound. Quickly, I added the record to my now growing pile of goodies. Getting the album home, I’m delighted with my purchase, adding it to my quickly growing collection. All goes well, until a few years later, disaster strikes.

By then, I’d moved house a few times, and in the process, amassed a large collection of albums and CDs. I’d bought a new high-spec hi-fi, one without a turntable. For the first time in my life I was turntable-less. One problem though, was I was lacking in place. Having updated most of my vinyl albums to CD, i decided with sadness, to sell my treasured vinyl. With a heavy heart, I let them go, receiving a fair price, which I promptly invested in more albums. However, there were a few albums that I didn’t have on CD, with Odyssey’s debut album Odyssey one of them. I had a compilation of their best songs, but now that album. Imagine my delight when I noticed it had been rereleased and remastered. Immediately, I bought a copy, and quickly, reacquainted myself with it. 

Immediately, I’m transported back to December 1977, when I first heard the familiar opening bars of Native New Yorker, sung by sisters Lillian and Louise Lopez and former New York City police officer Tony Reynolds. Native New Yorker, like many of Odyssey’s later singles, proved more popular in UK than the US, reaching number five in the UK, while it reached number twenty-one in the US Billboard 100 and number six in the US R&B Charts. However, the album fared much better in the US, reaching thirty-six in the US Billboard 200 and sixteen in the US R&B Charts. In the UK, the album failed to chart. When the follow-up to Native New Yorker, Weekend Lover was released, it only reached number thirty-seven in the US R&B Charts and fifty-seven in the UK. 

After that, the group had a number of successful singles in the UK between 1977 and 1982. In July 1980, Use It Up and Wear It Out gave the group their only number one single, staying at number one for four weeks. Despite the single’s huge success  failed to even chart in the US Billboard 100. 

Following on from their debut album Odyssey, the follow-up album 1978s’ Hollywood Party Tonight failed to chart in the UK, and in the US only reached number 123 in the US Billboard 200 and seventy-two in the US R&B Charts. After that, Odyssey’s albums like their singles, became popular in the UK. Their third album, Hang Together released in 1980, reached number thirty-eight in the UK, proving more popular than in US, where it only reached number 181 in the US Billboard 200 and sixty-six in the US R&B Charts. 

Building on their new-found success in the UK, 1981s’ I’ve Got the Melody reached number twenty-nine in the UK and 175 in the US Billboard 200 and sixty-two in the US R&B Charts. 1982 saw Odyssey release two new albums Happy Together and The Magic Touch of Odyssey. Although the former reached number twenty-one in the UK, the group’s popularity was beginning to wain. The album only reached number twenty-three in the US R&B Charts. It was the last of Odyssey’s albums to chart in the US. Their second album of 1982 only reached number sixty-nine in the UK, and never charted in the US. Joy, released three years later in 1985, reached number sixty-nine in the UK and was the last album the original album of Odyssey released. Since then, the line-up has changed a number of times, and sadly, Tony Reynolds died in February 2010. Then, much to my surprise, I noticed that Odyssey had released a new album in 2011, entitled Legacy. It however, failed to chart in the UK and US. However, it’s an album that was released thirty-four years ago in 1977, Odyssey, that I’ll now tell you about.

Odyssey opens with the disco classic Native New Yorker, which has that familiar introduction that transports me back to December 1977. Michael Brecker’s saxophone slowly plays, accompanying lush strings, chiming guitars, keyboards and a punchy rhythm section before the Lopez sisters sing the lead vocal. Her voice is warm, with a joyous sound as she sings about the sights and bright lights of New York City, accompanied by the other two members of the group, singing tight harmonies and beautiful, subtle backing vocals. Meanwhile, the arrangement is fast, full and fantastic. So much is going on, all of it good, with a fast, funk laden bass, accompanying the lushest of strings, while Michael Brecker’s saxophone and Richard Tee’s piano playing are two of the tracks highlights. Of all the tracks Odyssey recorded, this was their masterpiece, a timeless dance-floor classic, that sounds as good today as it did in 1977.

Ever since Native New Yorker was released, I’ve always wondered why Ever Lovin’ Sam was the B-side to Native New Yorker. Surely, this track would’ve been a potential single? It opens with grand flourishes of piano before softening, when the vocal enters with a prominent bass line. The vocal has a similar joyous sound to Native New Yorker, although the tempo is much slower. Later, bursts of horns cut in, with the lushest of strings joining shortly after. When drums play a prominent part, the tempo lifts, with the song swinging deliciously along. Here, the lyrics about a younger woman having a relationship are sung with passion and joy, with the rest of the group contributing some soft, gentle backing vocals. It’s a catchy song, a tale of love against the odds, with another excellent vocal and arrangement.

The second single from the album was Weekend Lover, which deserved to do much better than its peak of number thirty-seven in the US R&B Charts and fifty-seven in the UK. It’s another hook-laden melodic track, with one of the best vocals on the album accompanied by a lush, sweeping arrangement, that has elements of funk within it. Weekend Lover has a hesitant opening before strings sweep grandly in accompanied by a slow, careful bass, drums and percussion. They accompany the thoughtful, yet still joyous lead vocal that questions the future of their relationship with a married man, but has succumbed to its forbidden charms. Meanwhile, like the previous two tracks, a melodic, catchy arrangement unfolds. Chiming guitars, lush sweeping strings and punchy rhythm section join with percussion to create an arrangement that veers between slow and hesitant to a faster, fuller style, with just a little funk  making its presence felt. Likewise, the vocal veers between soft and melodic to a louder, stronger, passion laden style. By the end of this lovely, catchy and hook-laden track, I’m left shaking my head, wondering why such a great track failed to do much better when released as a single back in April 1978.

You Keep Me Dancin’ closed side one of the album. It’s a slow, tender song with a really sad sound, because of the way the vocal is delivered and an arrangement that features strings at its heart. The rhythm section, tight harmonies, percussion and chiming guitars combine before the lead vocal enters. She sings about a relationship that gradually, faded away. When the lush, sad strings combine with percussion, slow rhythm section and subtle backing vocals, it’s a potent combination, one that’s been designed to tug at your heartstrings. The track combines sadness and drama, so much so, that you end up feeling sad and sorry for the lovelorn character in the song. Having succeeded in tugging at your heartstrings, with this quite different, but very beautiful, sad song the perfect way to close side one of the album.

Side two of Odyssey opens with The Woman Behind the Man, by far the weakest song on the album. It has a slight reggae sound and feel, with Odyssey singing about creationism. Birdsong and snatches of a conversation open the track, before slow, melodic keyboards enter, accompanied by more birdsong, strings and acoustic guitar. The lyrics which later mention historical figures, are sung in a reggae style. Quickly, the tempo increases, but if anything, the song gets worse. Neither the vocal, nor the arrangement, have anything to commend them. It’s a faux reggae song that should’ve been omitted from the album. Take my advice, program your CD played to miss this track out.

Easy Come, Easy Go/Hold De Mota Down has a Latin influenced sound when the track opens. It’s an improvement on the previous track, opening with a fast piano solo, driving rhythm section, percussion and blazing horns before the lilting vocal enters. The tempo is quicker, the sound infectious, full of drama and percussion created by drums, piano and percussion. Later, grand, swirling strings enter, providing another layer of sounds and a contrast to the drama. Chiming, screaming, guitars combine with the piano, percussion and rhythm section to combine an uptempo, uplifting and carefree sound, made all the better by a jubilant, blissful vocal. This is a much better infectious slice of Latin influenced music.

A piano opens Golden Hands, playing quickly, before the rhythm section, strings and guitar combine to produce a dramatic sound. After the drama dies down, the tempo is slower when the vocal enters, singing about a young boy who is determined to fight his way out of poverty, one way or the other. The lyrics aren’t the best on the album, and are stilted, somewhat wooden even. Thankfully, the arrangement is better. It quicken, filling out, sweeping along with drums and piano used to inject drama, while bass, guitars and percussion combine. Meanwhile the vocal is good, veering between a tender to more powerful style, accompanied by bursts of rasping horns and sweeping strings. Sympathetic and subtle backing vocals accompany the lead vocal, and like the lead vocal and arrangement are sound good, but are let down by some weak lyrics.

Odyssey closes with Thank You God For One More Day. Grand, dramatic strings, piano, rhythm section and guitars combine with a joyful lead vocal as Odyssey give thanks to God for granting them each day. The arrangement is quick, fulsome and has a joyous, gospel influenced sound, with rasping horns, driving rhythm section, lush, sweeping strings and backing vocalists combining to achieve this. It’s a track that’s catchy and has an infectious, feel-good sound. My only criticism are the lyrics. Like the previous track, they’re slightly weak and aren’t the best on the album. However, it’s a good track to close side two of the album, thanks to the joyous sound of the track.

I hadn’t heard this album for many years before reacquainting myself with it recently. However, one thing that hasn’t changed, is my opinion of the album. I’ve always thought that it’s an album of two contrasting sides. Side one was a much better side, with four great songs, while side two has one good song, two average ones and one really poor one. When I had the original album, I used to tend to play side one much more than side two. Mind you, side one opened with the brilliant Native New Yorker, the excellent Ever Lovin’ Sam and the equally good Weekend Lover and Even You Keep Me Dancin’. After that, things go slightly downhill, except Easy Come, Easy Go/Hold De Mota Down. Apart from that track, side two is pretty average, with The Woman Behind the Man being easily, the worst track on the album. 

It’s always seemed to me that Odyssey were a group who could release some wonderful singles, but couldn’t quite release an album of great songs. There always seemed to be a couple of tracks that just let the rest of the album down. This was the case on their debut album Odyssey, released in 1977. Part of the problem was the group tried to change styles too often. On the album were a disco classic Native New Yorker, the Latin influenced Easy Come, Easy Go/Hold De Mota Down, the reggae tinged The Woman Behind the Man and the gospel influenced Thank You God For One More Day, I’ve always thought that Odyssey were at their best when they produced dance-floor friendly tracks, like their disco classic Native New Yorker.  It’s just a pity that all the tracks on Odyssey weren’t as good as Native New Yorker. If they were, what an album it would be. Standout Tracks: Native New Yorker, Ever Lovin’ Sam, Weekend Lover and Even You Keep Me Dancin’.

ODYSSEY-ODYSSEY.