HEATWAVE-TOO HOT TO HANDLE.

dereksmusicblog ♦ June 7, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment

HEATWAVE-TOO HOT TO HANDLE.

Having spent several years playing London’s club circuit, Heatwave signed to Epic Records in 1975. What would was a three year period where Heatwave released three albums, two of which were certified platinum and one gold. This remarkable run started with 1976s Too Hot To Handle, which reached number eleven in the US Billboard 200 and number five in the US R&B Charts, resulting in the album being certified platinum. Next came 1977s Central Heating, which was also certified platinum, reaching number ten in the US Billboard 200 and number two in the US R&B Charts. The last in this trio of commercially successful albums was 1978s Hot Property, which reached number thirty-eight in the US Billboard 200 and number sixteen in the US R&B Charts, resulting in Heatwave’s first and only gold disc. Then in 1979, disaster struck. Lead-singer Johnnie Wilder was paralyzed in a car accident, resulting in him being hospitalized for a year. Sadly, after this tragedy, Johnnie had to quit Heatwave, becoming co-producer. After this, Heatwave never enjoyed the same success, releasing just three more albums, the last of which was The Fire in 1978. While tragedy struck for Johnnie Wilder in 1979, Rod Temperton’s career was reaching new heights. He’d written the songs for Heatwave’s first three albums. One man who was impressed by Rod’s talents was Quincy Jones. He hired Rod to write two tracks on Michael Jackson’s 1979 album Off the Wall. These two tracks were the title-track Off the Wall and Girlfriend. Off the Wall went on to be certified eight times platinum, selling over twenty-million copies worldwide. Suddenly, Rod Temperton was one of the most in-demand songwriters. He’d come a  long way from touring the London clubs honing Heatwave’s sound. However, all that was still to come. Before that came the release of Heatwave’s debut album Too Hot To Handle, which I’ll tell you about, having firstly told you the background to the album.

Heatwave had been signed to Epic Records in 1975, with Barry Blue hired to produce their album. Rod Temperton had written the nine tracks that would become  Too Hot To Handle. They’d be delivered by American brothers Johnnie and Keith Wilder. The rest of the band would provide a fusion of funk and disco on the album. This included keyboard player Rod Temperton, plus a rhythm section of drummer Ernest Berger, bassist Mario Matese and guitarist Eric Johns provided a fusion of funk and disco. They recorded Too Hot To Handle at London’s Audio International Studio. Once these nine tracks were recorded, Heatwave would release their debut album. Little did they know just how popular Too Hot To Handle would be.

When Too Hot To Handle was released in 1976, the album reached number eleven in the US Billboard 200 and number five in the US R&B Charts, giving Heatwave their first platinum album. Over in the UK, Too Hot To Handle only reached number forty-six. The two singles released from Too Hot To Handle are some of Heatwave’s most successful and memorable tracks. Boogie Nights reached number two in the US Billboard 100, number five in the US R&B Charts and number thirty-six in the UK. This lead to the single being certified platinum in the US, gold in Canada and silver in the UK. Always and Forever reached number eighteen in the US Billboard 100, number two in the US R&B Charts and number nine in the UK. The success of Too Hot To Handle and its two hit singles must have exceeded the members of Heatwave’s wildest dreams. After all, having both Too Hot To Handle and the single Boogie Nights certified platinum was no mean feat. However, what made Too Hot To Handle both critically acclaimed and such a huge commercial success? That’s what I’ll tell you, when I tell you about the music on Too Hot To Handle.

Opening Too Hot To Handle is the title-track Too Hot To Handle, which like the other eight tracks was written by Rod Temperton. Blazing horns, the rhythm section and chiming guitars give way to Keith Wilder’s vocal. He delivers the vocal in sharp bursts, before tight, sharp soaring harmonies augment his vocal. Quickly, his vocal become sassy, with stabs of braying horns, percussion and the funky rhythm section accompanying. The cascading harmonies that accompany Keith are peerless. They’re key to the track’s sound and success, getting Too Hot To Handle of to a glorious start.

A flourish of harp, jazz-tinged guitar and marauding bass combine, before tight harmonies enter. Quickly, Boogie Nights then starts to reveals its beauty. Keith’s joyous vocal is augmented by harmonies, before Clarke Peters adds a deep, punchy and memorable vocal hook. Meanwhile, the rhythm section, guitars and percussion combine, providing a backdrop where disco and funk are fused seamlessly. Later, Rod Temperton’s keyboards play an extended solo, his keyboards weaving their way along the arrangement. However, it’s Keith’s lead vocal and some of the best harmonies on Too Hot To Handle that make this such a classic track. No wonder the single would be certified platinum in the US, and has become a bona fide disco classic.

Following up a true disco classic, and one of Heatwave’s best ever tracks, isn’t easy. So, changing the style and sound is a good idea. On Ain’t No Half Steppin,’ Heatwave merge their soulful vocals with a funky arrangement. Johnnie Wilder takes charge of the lead vocal, while as usual, the harmonies are soulfulness personified. Rasping horns, sweeping, swirling, lush horns and the funky rhythm section provide the backdrop for Johnnie’s vocal. Here, Rod Temperton’s keyboards  have a bigger part to play. Noticeably, the arrangement is full of contrasts, with the lushness of the strings provide a contrast to the blazing horns and funky rhythm section. Johnnie’s vocal is laden with emotion, while sharp backing vocals respond to his call. Although different in style from the previous track, they both have one thing in common…their quality.

The second single from Too Hot To Handle was Always and Forever. Like Boogie Nights, it’s one of Heatwave’s best singles, thanks to Johnnie’s vocals and Rod Temperton’s beautiful lyrics. However, whenever I hear the track, I’m reminding of the last dance at small town discos, where couples would smooch drunkenly and hopefully to a track like this. Having said that, it’s a beautiful, moving song, with Johnnie’s best vocal on the album. The arrangement builds and builds, becoming dramatic and emotive. From just the keyboards, gentle rhythm section and lush strings, the Hammond organ enters. They accompany Johnnie’s heartfelt vocal. Tender harmonies accompany Johnnie, as the arrangement and his vocal grows in power. Key to this are swathes of strings, bursts of rasping horns and the rhythm section, who later add to the track’s drama. For just over six minutes, Heatwave produce a track that’s not only beautiful and romantic, but one of the highlights of Too Hot To Handle.

Super Soul Sister sees Heatwave take a detour into funk, with a harder, much funkier track. Similarly, Johnnie’s vocal has an edge, accompanied by the rhythm section, punchy blazing horns and of course, some tight, punchy harmonies. While percussion and keyboards play their part in the track, it’s the rhythm section, chiming guitars and braying horns that are key to the track’s success. The other vital ingredient is Johnnie’s and the harmonies. Together, they’re mixed together by producer Barry Blue, resulting in a track that’s not just funky, but dramatic and compelling.

What I’ve always enjoyed about Too Hot Too Handle is the sheer variety of music. There’s everything from funk, disco and soulful tracks like All You Do Is Dial sees Heatwave. To me, it’s a track that allows Heatwave to showcase their considerable vocal talents. Here, Johnnie’s delivers a heartfelt lead vocal accompanied by some of the best harmonies on the album. Producer Barry Blue does his part, producing an arrangement that has a lovely understated sound. Guitars, keyboards and the rhythm section combine with percussion before Johnnie’s vocal enters. His vocal is full of feeling, while the harmonies are equally emotive and beautiful. Lush cascading strings and a sultry horns add the finishing touches as the arrangement grows, revealing its beauty and charms.

Lay It On Me sees a combination of the soulful and funky sides of Heatwave. The rhythm section and keyboards produce a funky backdrop that has a slightly harder edge. A burst of percussion signals the entrance of Heatwave’s harmonies, before Johnnie unleashes an impassioned vocal. His vocal is accompanied by dancing strings, percussion, Rod’s keyboards and bursts of horns. Meanwhile, the rhythm section of drummer Ernest Berger, bassist Mario Matese and guitarist Eric Johns provide a backdrop that’s both soulful and funky. This contrasts and compliments the strings, percussion and of course those peerless vocals. The end-result is a track where Heatwave seamless combine soul and funk, resulting in a track where they’re able to display their considerable vocal talents.

Rod Temperton’s keyboards, percussion and guitars combine as Sho’nuff Must Be Luv begins to reveal its subtleties and charms. Quickly, a beautiful love song unfolds. Johnnie’s tender, emotive vocal enters, accompanied by some slow strings. The rest of Heatwave add heartfelt harmonies, while bursts of rasping horns, lush strings provide the perfect accompaniment to this quite beautiful love song. So good is this track, that you’re spellbound by its beauty and Heatwave’s heartfelt delivery of Rod Temperton’s lyrics.

Closing Too Hot To Handle is Beat Your Booty where Heatwave seem determined to end the album on a high. The track sounds like a cousin of Boogie Nights, or something the Jacksons would have released. Johnnie’s like a cheerleader, encouraging the rest of Heatwave to greater heights. They respond to him, producing a track that’s funky, with punchy harmonies accompanied by flourishes of keyboards, a driving rhythm section and percussion. As the track progresses, the  more the drama builds and the catchier the track gets. Key to this is the rhythm section, Johnnie’s vocal and those punchy harmonies. Together Heatwave succeed in ending their debut album Too Hot To Handle with a track that’s almost Too Hot To Handle.

While Heatwave may seem to many people as a band that were an “overnight success,” that’s far from the case. They spent several years touring London’s clubs honing and refining their sound. Eventually, they established a lineup that would see them achieve success beyond even their wildest dreams, between 1976 and 1978. Too Hot To Handle was the album that started this successful run of albums. On Too Hot To Handle, Heatwave blend soul, funk and disco, resulting in the album being certified platinum in the US, and spawning two hugely successful singles. These were Boogie Nights, a disco classic, that was certified platinum. Always and Forever a beautiful love song, was very different, and showed a different side to Heatwave and their music. It too, has become a classic track. However, one man played a huge role in Heatwave’s success, Rod Temperton. He was much more than the group’s keyboard player. More importantly, he wrote every song on Heatwave’s first three album. He was obviously destined for much greater things. Three years after the release of Too Hot To Handle, Quincy Jones hired him to write two tracks for Michael Jackson’s classic album Off the Wall. Rod’s contributions to the twenty-million selling album were Off the Wall and Girlfriend. By the time Off the Wall was released, tragedy had struck for Johnnie Wilder. Tragically he’d been paralyzed in a car accident, spending a year hospitalized. In some ways this spelt the end for Heatwave. Although they released three further albums, they never found the same success. Indeed, they only released three more albums, with just 1980s Candles and 1982s Current featuring most of the original members. By 1988, when Heatwave’s final album The Fire was released, only Keith Wilder remained of the original members. Sadly, the group were a shadow of the group you can hear on Too Hot To Handle. For me, Too Hot To Handle is Heatwave’s greatest album, closely followed by 1977s Central Heating. Both albums were rereleased by Edsel Records, part on Demon Music in 2010. This will allow you to discover or rediscover both of Heatwave’s platinum selling albums Too Hot To Handle and Candles, where Heatwave fuse soul, funk and disco seamlessly. Standout Tracks: Boogie Nights, Always and Forever, All You Do Is Dial and Lay It On Me.

HEATWAVE-TOO HOT TO HANDLE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdfN-vWWSQk