Customer Reviews

Machine Gun

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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!

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!

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"

Hey if you generally only know The Commodores for their Commodores and the hit "Easy" then 'Machine Gun' will blow you away!The Commodores in 1974 were a very different kind of band.Having opened for the Jackson 5 for many years the band had got their rhythm section cooking and fasioned a very chunky funk sound filled with the fattest wah-wah possible,clapping drums,the RAPID FIRE clavinet riffing and SHRIEKING synthesizer bursts of Milan Williams and horns with punch-you-out impact!And from the classic title song,it's equal masterpiece "Rapid Fire" on through "Young Girls Are My Weakness","I Feel Sanctified","The Bump" and the MESSED UP "Gonna Blow Your Mind" and "Superman" this album NEVER LEAVES the territory of that heavy,nasty,catchy RAW uptempo 70's funk!The band do take a little break from the nonstop funk barrage for the dancable soul of "The Assembly Line","There's A Song In My Heart" and the quirky "The Zoo (The Human Zoo)" with it's light latin refrain.Aside from the now almost impossible to find Caught in the Act and Hot on the Tracks this is BAR NONE the most full on funky album The Commodores ever made.While 'Machine Gun' has plenty of variety and plenty to sing along with you won't find one ballad or smooth groove here whatsoever.And you won't be complaining either!

this is some funk 4sho young kids hearing this who grew up off lionel richie's solo stuff won't believe he had some funk up in his bones at one time get this and plus this whole cd has 2 of the original funkadelics eddie hazel and billy bass nelson in this no wonder the commodores were funky they've been maggotized.

Folks, this is the Commodores first album and it's also THE BEST. This was the time when the Commodores DEFINED funk and dance music, when funk and dance/disco was just a NEW sound. If this was released at the PEAK of the Commodores glory years, it could've easily been the ALBUM OF THE YEAR. It's that good!

who says alabama ain't funky well this debut by the commodores is funky and should be given more props and folks will see loinel had a funky side to him way before he started shopping at hallmark. I would get this if you love funk and here's a secret the reason this was so funky is because it featured original p funkers billy bass nelson and the late eddie hazel.

It's like a little bit of early Kook & The Gang, some Sly & The Family Stone, and some Ohio Players. This is a solid funk and soul album from beginning to end. It has a few great instrumental tracks, the oft-sampled Assembly Line, and my favorite "Young Girls Are My Weakness", which is a gritty funk track.