Customer Reviews

Gap Band 3

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Just like the album Gap Band IV that followed it (see my review below), this 1980 release was another winner from the Wilson brothers and an iconic album of the early 80s. It was also produced by Lonnie Simmonds and gave us hits & old favourites like "Yearning For Your Love" (the title gives the sentiment away and it's a truly beautiful ballad), "Burn Rubber On Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)" - with that revving motorcycle intro - and "Sweet Caroline"; another sweet ballad.

The album opener, "When I Look In Your Eyes", is a bright and bouncy number and "Are You Living" reminds me of Earth Wind & Fire at their best. The fun track "Humpin'" is reminiscent of their 1979 hit "I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance (Oops, Upside Your Head)", from the album The Gap Band II. "The Way" is a funky little surprise and with "Gash, Gash, Gash", I think the guys were just having fun. It's potentially very infectious fun but probably a matter of taste more than anything else. You might need to be a reall funk lover to fully appreciate it, I think.

All said and done, another fine classic from a fine band. They have quite a number of greatest hits albums out these days and one of those is always worth picking up. That said, so many of their album cuts are pretty awesome too, particularly in their earlier days, so I'd say get the original albums if at all possible.

I love this album. I remember getting it when I was a kid. I was all so taken by "Yearning For Your Love". Especially, when they performed it on Soul Train. That song is still one of the funkiest slow jams ever. And the whole album you could just listen to all the way through and never feel like you want to pick up the needle and put it on another track. Some of my favorites are : Sweet Caroline, The Way, When I Look In Your Eyes,Humpin' and of course the big hit. But Nothing Comes To Sleepers But A Dream is one of the most emotional tracks on the album. This was GAP at their best.

I can't stop listening to this album,it is blazing! After listening to this Cd,I started collecting all the Gap Band's Records,CDs & Tapes. I have nearly every Gap Cd compilation ever released & I'm becoming a Gap Band Addict without hesitation! All the Gap's Classic Albums play like a Greatest Hits Collection,that's just how good they are. It's really hard to decide which album is my all-time favorite since they're all Timeless Funk Grooves. Gap I,II,IV & V were Jammin' On The One but I think Gap III is their most accomplished & best arranged album. It has so many Sizzling Funk & Dance Grooves as well as some Killer Slow Jamz. All the cuts featured here can be considered as the Gap's Best Material. Contemporary R&B pales in comparsion when played alongside the Gap Band's Classic Gems. The Gap Band's Sound & Style had a Significant Impact on many modern artists & their music will never go out of style because their Blend of Funk,Soul,Disco,R&B and Pop is still relevant today. Charlie Wilson as the Gap Band's Inimitable & Immensely Talented Lead Vocalist could belt out ballads like no other and Throw Down the Funk with the best of them. His Vocal Style is Often Imitated Today and Charlie remains one of the Most Influential Voices of this Generation. If you're thinking about purchasing this album but are not sure let me break it down for you. The Gap Band III is Neck-Snapping,Bass-Slapping Good Fun. It's an exciting venture into the world of Funk and the ultimate way to experience the Gap Band. Gap III is an Excellent album,plain & simple and every track is worth your money. So lay back & chill as the Gappers 'put the peddal to the metal' and take you on One Funkdafied Ride!

Track Listings:
1.When I Look In Your Eyes
2.Yearning For Your Love
3.Burn Rubber On Me
4.Nothin' Comes To Sleepers
5.Are You Living
6.Sweet Caroline
7.Humpin'
8.The Way
9.Gash Gash Gash

Man,this album still sounds fresh today. These grooves still have the power to move your mind,body & soul. I find it so fascinating that after all these years,these Jamz haven't lost their touch & still Blows the Mind. The Gap Band III never misses a beat. Each cut displays the Gappers'Depth,Range & Musical Diversity. I love this CD so much I'm detailing every song because every track struck a chord with me.

"When I Look In Your Eyes"-A Slinky,Disco-Funk Vamp that seduces you to head for the dancefloor & strut your stuff to the sound of Charlie Wilson's Vocal Scatting.
"Yearning For Your Love"-Breath-Taking. Mind-Blowing. Truly one of the best Funk Ballads put out on Wax. Charlie Wilson brings this song to life with his Soul-Exuding Performance. You can just feel the Emotion & Expression he sings with,deep down in your gut.
"Burn Rubber On Me"-Simmering Funk. Funk On Fire. Funk in Full Throttle. 'Nuff Said.
"Nothin' Comes To Sleepers"-Such a realistic song about life. It speaks the truth so frankly & honestly it hurts. Charlie's vocals,full of loneliness & desolation resonates with me on a personal level because I've lost someone I really loved. Anyone who's been through a breakup knows how painful it is & can easily relate to this song's lyrics. Music is always the best therapy & Charlie & the rest of the gap gang provide the perfect musical backdrop with this Introspective Classic. Charlie's Vocals are accompanied only by Bass & Piano.
"Are You Living"-Aspirational & Energetic Dance-Oriented Funk with a melodic Earth,Wind & Fire Riff.
"Sweet Caroline"-Charlie creates another mellow & heartfelt slow jam. His crooning simply melts your heart.
"Humpin'"-A Loud & Proud Rambunctious Romp of Burstin'-With-Fun-Funk. A Funkin',Humpin'Good Time. The Gappers cook up a Stanky Groove.
"The Way"-Melodic & Hypnotic Uptempo Tune with an Infectious Hook.
"Gash Gash Gash"-A Jam with Many Pockets & Electronically-Altered Vocals. Smokin'.

"Gap Band III" not only offers up the classic "Burn Rubber On
Me" but indicates the Wilson brothers have far more to offer then
just ordinary funk the catchy EWF-inspired pop-R&B of "Are You
Living",the Stevie Wonder-ish ballad "Nothing Comes To Sleepers"
and the Doobie Brothers-style pop of "The Way" indicate what a
great band can do with influences of their generation.And of course "Gash,Gash,Gash" is more of the Gap's trademark funk.An
underrated album act for sure "Gap III" is surely ammong the pick
of that litter.Just LISTEN!!!

This album came out at a great time. One of the greatest slow jams Yearning For Your Love. The funky bass and Charlies's voice. The band is one of the baddest (good) funk bands. Don't forget Humpin. I blast this song in my car. People look at me. They know it is one of the best songs they have ever heard. The begining note and then "You ready Calhoun, Yeah!" Then the drums start. Wheare all the Humpin people at?

THIS ALBUM WAS THE STUFF THE GAP BAND WAS IN HIGH GEAR IN BEGINNING OF THE 80S THEY PICK UP WHERE PARLIAMENT LEFT OFF THE BALLADS WERE HOT BUT ''HUMPIN'' WAS THE MAIN REASON WHY I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE GAP BAND IT IS BADDDEEESSSTTT SONG I HAD EVER HEARD I HEARD A GUY BLASTING IT IN MY OLD NEIGHBORHOOD IN EARLY 80s I WAS 8 or 9 BUT I WAS HOOKED SO FUNKY IT SOUNDED LIKE STEVIE WONDER DOING A RAP IT MAKES ME HOT AND THINK ABOUT EVERY WHITE WOMAN I WANT TO ROMANCE BURN RUBBER ON ME WAS THE JAM TOO WHEN I NOTICE THAT CHARLIE SUNG LIKE STEVIE WONDER I SAID TO MYSELF THE GAP BAND CANT GO WRONG I WOULD NOT TRADE THIS FOR A MILLION DOLLARS THE GAP BAND AND STEVIE WONDER MY TOP FAVORITES

Already four albums into their career by this fifth release,since their numetrically titled album titles started with their debut Mercury release a year earlier, this album definately shows that with a sense of enthusiasm even a huge workload of two albums and a tour all in one year would'nt necessarily interfere with their creative output. Somehow or other The Gap Band had developed enough commercial momentum and a strong enough musical personality (something like a lighter weight version of P-Funk) to bypass the anti disco freeze out that was causing a lot of difficulty for other artists in their field and achieve a huge measure of success in their day. You could almost say that this is where there reputation as funk era survivors (along with Cameo) begun where they stuck with their guns so well that big popular success just plain didn't matter. Not only that they kept up the concept of the funk album as being a diverse medium that emphasized songcraft and rhythmic diversity outside just dance grooves. In the end this is one of their finest and most consistant releases.

One of the things this album emphasizes is how it borrows from different subgenres of funk and soul to find it's sound and all the songs are strongly crafted and melodic. "When I Look In Your Eyes" is a great example of this,it has a past paced,live band oriented disco-funk sound with some great organ work and some strong horn lines. A Similar thing happens on the very EWF sounding "Are You Living" and "The Way",both excellent funk tunes-the latter having a jazzy fender rhodes and slow drum sound very much in keeping with what period Michael McDonald/Doobie Brothers were doing. The sleek EWF sound returns on the midtempo ballad "Yearning For Your Love",showcasing the Gap Band had a destinct ballad style that also shows up strong on the beautiful,jazzy and rather poetic "Nothing Comes To Sleepers" and "Sweet Caroline",a sounthern country-soul style midtempo number that owes a lot to the style of their ex boss Leon Russell.

Of course this album is home to three defining funk grooves;"Burn Rubber On Me" typifies their 80's funk style with the fuzzed out moog bass and reverbed lead guitar. "Humpin" does bring to mind their more P-Funk 70's funk sound only with a more stuttering beat,in both cases a precurser to current hip-hop in a way and the more straight forward closer "Gash Gash Gash"-just a faced paced jam where everything hits some sort of bassy note more or less. This is one classic funk album from an era which a lot of people don't exactly associate with anything more than an occasional single. But this serves as a potent reminder of the diversity and creative spirit of the popular funk album hadn't fallen out of commision along with the disco era. Even though this was likely market primarily as a singles vehicle with it's uptempo tunes this album really says a lot more for the sucessful continuation of an era that a lot of people assumed was complete.

THIS unbelieveable album is as fresh today as when it was released in 1980!!. The grooves are so galactic!!. With both ballards and funk, this effort by THE GAP BAND is perfect from start to finish. To me this is the ultimate GAP BAND album which will suit all musical ears and the funk addict as well.
THE funky songs are: "WHEN I LOOK IN YOUR EYES", a lively fantasy!, the classic "BURN RUBBER ON ME/WHY YOU WANNA HURT ME", this scorching song is in a class by itself!!. "ARE YOU LIVING", positive and lively!. "HUMPIN" is prefect for any party!. "GASH GASH GASH", is another ball of serious fire!.
Check out these killer ballards...the groovey "YEARNING FOR YOUR LOVE" is my absolutly favourite GAP BAND song ever!! awsome vocal and stunning instrumental arrangements!. Then the meditative "NOTHIN' COMES TO SLEEPERS" you are hearing the truth!!. "SWEET CAROLINE" flows oh so well. "THE WAY",another great cut!.
I highly recomend this stunning masterpiece to all who is into R&B and funk, this album will excite, this album will delight, this album will stand the test of time itself!!.and when we are dead and gone, this album will still be very much ALIVE!!.

Besides Rick James, Prince, Lakeside, and Cameo, my Uncle Jay inadvertently turned me on to The Gap Band as well. He is first and foremost a jazz devotee from the Monk/Davis era but as the seventies came to an end he could not, as a music lover, help but dive a little into some of the R&B/Soul/Funk music that was on the rise.
It was 1981 and most of the aforementioned artists were not only making a name for themselves but were also making some of the best music of their careers. Not necessarily by the record label's standards, they would reach that rung on the ladder a couple of years later. The exception's would be Lakeside with their groundbreaking release "Fantastic Voyage" and Rick James' "Street Songs". Those two albums were, unfortunately, the high point in both act's careers.
Gap Band III is top notch from beginning to end. There is no need to "FWD" or "SKIP" through any of the masterpieces included on this classic Gap Band collection.
I was lucky enough to have seen them live in Phoenix, Az. around 1987. The opening acts were Klymaxx and Doug E. Fresh. The Gap Band were a real band playing real instruments and so was the all female group Klymaxx. This was the end of an era and I doubt if any of us in attendance saw it coming. Looking back on it, Doug E. represented the growing trend where rap, DJ's, and turntables would soon rule the black music charts.
My Uncle Jay was also into Frankie Beverley & MAZE which I never got into.
I turned him on to "Waiting for a Girl like you" by Foreigner...
Anyway, if any part of this personal review caught your interest then "The Gap Band III" is definitely worth checking out.
After you check it out and it becomes one of your favorites too, you can thank me later. Enjoy!
p.s. My favorite tracks are "When I Look In Your Eyes", "Yearning For Your Love", "Are You Living", and "The Way".