Customer Reviews

Cameosis

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4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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This was Cameo's breakthrough album back
in the summer of 1980 with it's classic line-up
of original musicians and singers!
1979's "Secret Omen" had the hits "I Just Want To Be"
and "Sparkle" which opened the doors and set
the stage for this one, but "Cameosis"
took it home for them, going Platinum!

Every cut on here is bangin' from the
opening title track, "Cameosis",
to the ober-funk of "Shake Your Pants",
to the sly sexy funk of "Please You"..just perfection!
But it doesn't end there!...(Oh No!)
Then there's the smooth feel-good mid tempo
"We're Going Out Tonight" that is bouncy
and will have you singing along in no time!
It's followed by the Earth, Wind & Fire-esque
"I Care For You", which was one of those
blue-light house party bump-n-grind
slow jams that us youngstaz of that time
(I was 16), used to like to get our mack on to!
Then, the funk kicks back in with the playful
"(We're) On The One!"..which was like a funked-out
roll call, much like Graham Central Station's
1975 classic "The Jam" was!
But it wasn't over!..this was followed by one of
the tour de force R&B ballads of all time
in my opinion! Their classic re-working of a song
they first did on their 1977 album
"We All Know Who We Are"...

"Why Have I Lost You" is just one of the most
underatted slow jams of all time and should
be held right beside E,W & F's "Reasons" &
"Can't Hide Love", Heatwave's "Always & Forever"
and any of the Isley's classic ballads from the 70's!
As a young man of 16, I was feeling the sting of my first
love & loss and I played the grooves off of that song
along with E,W&F's "After The Love Is Gone" all that summer!

Another thing that made this album such a funk classic
was not only for the arrangements and precision execution
by the musicians, but for the beautiful vocals of
Tommy Jenkins, Aaron Mills and the falsetto brilliance
of the late great Wayne Cooper, whose falsetto was
almost like a female's natural soprano voice in
it's tone and texture!
He absolutely made his mark on Cameo's early sound
as a lead and background vocalist and songs like
"Why Have I Lost You", "We're Going Out Tonight"
and "We All Know Who We Are" are his testimony!

Sadly, he was one of the first wave of black openly
gay men to die from a then unnamed and unknown AIDS
about a year and a half after this album was released.
Ironically, right as Cameo was beginning to take off!
In my opinion, Wayne Cooper, Phillip Bailey
and the late great Bobby Debarge of the group Switch,
who also was claimed by AIDS, were the
purest, most expressive falsetto voices ever known!
Phillip is still doing his thing today, though diminished.
But for my money, 1980's "Cameosis" & "Feel Me",
1981's "Knights Of The Sound Table",
1982's "Alligator Woman" and 1986's "Word Up"
are their definitive offerings!
Just buy any one of those and you'll be sure
to catch a chronic case of CAMEOSIS!!---OWW!

This album was pre Larry's red fish cod get up, and as far as I'm concerned, Cameo at it's absolute brilliantly best! I remember my big brother who is ten years older than I am playing this record(back then we had records y'all!!) incessantly. The cut I remember vividly was We're Going Out Tonight, which to me is one of the sexiest, sassiest cuts to date. At the tender age of nine years old, I "Shook My Pants". That cut was the jam that brought everybody out on the floor at the basement parties my older brother and sister had back in the day!! This album in my opinion epitomizes what a funk ensemble should be because everybody played with excellence and played their position. If you remember the good ole days of funk music, you should have this in your musical libray.

CAMEOSIS IS THE JAM! This album was hittin' back in the summer of 1980 and to this day it is still groovin'. The music of today just can't compare. They don't make albums like this anymore! This album is among the most amazing of Cameo's career.
The Album's Sound is a Solid & Sensational mixture of Soul & Funk Styles. Song Selections vary from Sizzlin' Funk Slammers to
Sweet Slow Jams. And it's a formula that works well for Cameo on this album. It's the perfect balance of musical styles and it features such percolating jams as 'Cameosis','Shake Your Pants' & 'Please You'. It also contains the Melodic,Midtempo Dance Smash,'We're Going Out Tonight' and the emotional funk ballad,'Why Have I Lost You?'. If ever there was a Sentimental & Stunning Slow Jam,This is definately it. It's just a Classic Song,Period. Out of all the Funky Jamz & Groovez this disc has to offer,I would say that my favorite would be the Throbbin' Funk Cut,'Please You' because it's just down & dirty,Sweat Til U Drop Funk. That Joint is Raw Funk Sexuality with no shame and a Relentless Groove that's just Nasty! But seriously, if you're looking for a Classic Funk Album to Vibe to then without question this is the CD for you!

Cameo had been making heavy funk in the late 70's very well and kept the large horn funk band style going on this 1980 release.The sound is crisp,well produced and GROOVES LIKE CRAZY!It's a mixture of funk somewhere between EWF and George Clinton and Chicago/Philly style ballds.The first two songs are grooves-the title cut throws funky power and the heavy horns right in your face and,well as most know "Shake Your Pants" takes that same style to the point where you must obey-it's the most P-Funk-ish piece on the album."On The One" takes the feel of the title track-direct funk right on the money."Please You" is a more subtle,romantic groove but great slow grinding funk.All the ballads are great too but if I had to pick a favorite it would be the closing track "Why Have I Lost You,correctly implying the lonliness can play tricks with your mind if you not in touch with yourself and does so with great Impressions/Teddy Pendergrass vocalizing and arrangements.'Cameosis' is the epidomy of what a great classic funk album should be-great jams,great grooves,great smooth groove ballads and above all great TUNES.This is classic Cameo-the sound that made them.And while I enjoy their electronic 'Word Up' era too I feel about it as I do with Kool & The Gang-both bands had a funky and poppier period but both produced some crackerjack music however the music hits you.I am truely thankful this impressive album is still in print on CD.I think every true funk and R&B fan should hear it.

every time I hear the mystic melody of 'Please You' that directly takes me back to 1980.. those happy times were gone maybe but Cameo's sound still keeping me positive. all the tight jams and hard-hitting slow jams are here to enjoy. but 'Please You'... not from this world. it's unusual..

This is what is missing in r&b today a band with tight sound, we have mint condition but they have not been out for a while. Cameosis is hitting on all cylinders, the fast jams are banging and the slow jams get you in the mood. Where going out tonight is a true r&b cut from the arrangements to the strings i highly recommend this for any true fan if you have it on vinly or cassette get the cd you will be happy you did.

I was 13 years old when I got my first Cameo Album. When I got to college in '85 I had collected all of their albums to date. 2 weeks before I left school in '89 my record collection was stolen. Listening to samples on this site has brought back some fond memories. It does not get any better than this.

"Cameosis" was one of the last of the classic soul albums before the decline of true soul music that just recently ended. A winner from start to finish that MADE the Summer of 1980 for those of us who were there. "Cameosis, Shake Your Pants, I Care For You, We're Going Out Tonight" make this a CD you could listen to all the way through without skipping a song, but "Why Have I Lost You" (actually Cameo's second version of this song) has to be heard to be beleived! This is what sweet ballads are all about (check out Tomi Jenkins's incredible ending to this )! This was a "turntable hit" that was popular in Black neighborhoods at the time, but was (stupidly) never released as a single.

This is Cameo as they should be remembered from 1980. Tight horns, vocals, percussion, and ryhthm section. This is the same description I can use for E,W&F, but these brothers also hit you with a massive dose of funk. 'Cameosis' was one of 2 albums released by Cameo during 1980, with the classic 'Feel Me' following later in the year. If you're like me, you'd love to see the record company release a special 2 on 1 disc featuring BOTH of Cameo's landmark albums from 1980, but stop dreaming, you'll have to make it yourself like me!

Being a Cameo fan since the 70's I have most if not all of their albums. This one is a standout amoungst the rest. Such hits like "Cameosis" and "Why have I lost you" were chart buster for the group. Love that Cameo Funk!! AAAHHHHOOOO