Machine Gun [Import, Original recording remastered]

Commodores | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 22, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Polygram UK
• ASIN: B0000243X7
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #173,876 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Machine Gun

2. Young Girl Are My Weakness

3. I Feel Sanctified

4. The Bump

5. Rapid Fire

6. The Assembly Line

7. The Zoo (The Human Zoo)

8. Gonna Blow Your Mind

9. Theres A Song In My Heart

10. Superman

Editorial Reviews

Unavailable in the U.S. this is the legendary Motown soul group's 1974 album, one of their earliest from when Lionel Richie was their lead vocalist. 10 tracks, including their very first U.S. top 100 single, the top 30 hit 'Machine Gun', plus 'I Feel Sanctified'. 1998.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Motown's answer to EWF and the Ohio Players...., May 2, 2004

By 

The Fancy One "blackprincess" (Westchester County, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Machine Gun (Audio CD)

During the early to mid-'70s, funk bands ruled the R&B world. This was not lost on Motown, and they wanted an act that covered the down and dirty funk/R&B bases like Maurice White's Earth, Wind and Fire, the Ohio Players and Funkadelic did. They discovered the Commodores, a sextet straight out of the Dirty South (Tuskegee, Alabama) in a New York City nightclub, and they found their answer.

MACHINE GUN was the group's second album on Motown (their first one was recorded in '72 but never released), and signaled that this group was an important force to be reckoned with. Featuring the amazing keyboard wizardry of Milan Williams, this album kicks off with the title cut and grabs you from start to finish! The three lead vocalists' voices (that's right, not just Lionel's) are wonderfully soulful and earthy, especially drummer Walter "Clyde" Orange's voice!! That brotha, all 5'4" of him, is SOUL PERSONIFIED!! Lionel did go on to become the most famous of all the Commodores, but Clyde was the FUNKIEST by far.

I especially loved "Gonna Blow Your Mind", "The Bump", "Young Girls Are My Weakness", "I Feel Sanctified" and "The Assembly Line" (the last of which has been sampled by hip-hoppers time and time again, and musically similar to a later tune that Lionel Richie wrote on his own, the popular "This Is Your Life"). Lots of syntheziers and horns (courtesy of Lionel on alto sax and William King on trumpet) drive this CD and you'd never guess back then that these guys could come funkier than this...but they did, even more so because their follow up album to this, CAUGHT IN THE ACT, is even better!

The only weak spot on this CD is the Richie-penned "Superman" - this was technically the first recorded tune Lionel Richie wrote by himself, and the music is good. But the lyrics - well, the nicest thing I could possibly say about them is that THANK GOD Richie got better as the years went on.

Pick this up today and believe me when I say, the mighty, mighty Commodores existed long before "Brick House", "Three Times A Lady" and "Still" and why they will always be a funk band first and foremost in my book. This CD is living proof! Get it!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Those Funky Commadores!, July 22, 2004

By 

Andre' S Grindle "Funk Meister" (Bangor,ME.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Machine Gun (Audio CD)

Before the sellout years the Commadores were a chunky,horn
heavy funk band who debut with this album,containing two fine
instrumentals in the hit title song and "Rapid Fire".The quircky
"Zoo (The Human Zoo)" points to the bands good sence of humor.
Further more this album contains no ballads at all and is filled
with sweaty horns,yoweling vocals from Lionel Riche and alot
of staccato clavinet spats!But BOY do times change!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is some Phunk 4 ya!!, May 16, 2003

By 

Jon L. Capogrossi "Kapp" (Arcadia, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Machine Gun (Audio CD)

This was the first album ever realeased by the Commodores. After hearing various songs from it played on "The History of Funk" radio show here in the SF Bay Area, I dug up this album a few years ago in a record shop because it's THAT FUNKY.

It's now on CD for all to hear and get down to. Keyboardist Milan Williams was the real breakout artist on this album..."Rapid fire" is one of the illest, funkiest synthesizer jams ever made. The title track was a breakthrough of early synthesizer use for it's time as well, and was the album's only actual hit at the time of it's release, despite it's later "shameful" use in the movie Boogie Nights but...I'm telling you, almost every song on this album is funky and great. "Assembly Line" has a classic breakbeat with "Ho's!" that has been sampled/scratched by untold hip hop DJ's and producers over the years...If you're any kind of Hip Hop fan you'll go "Oh Yeah, so that's where that's from!" as soon as you hear it. "Blow Your mind" is also real funky. "Superman" and "Song in my heart" is where you can hear Lionel Ritchie's earliest gospel oriented strong singing. All in all, this is a "lost classic" of sorts. Almost all the songs here have a happy funky 70's sound, yet almost none of these songs have ever made it onto any Funk or Old school compilations. Trust me, it's a great slab of 70's funk, especially "Rapid Fire"