Leo's Sunshipp is one of those remarkable one-offs that pepper R&B history.
The group’s name sounds far more cosmic than it is. Those expecting a P-Funk
rollercoaster ride will be sorely disappointed, as this is more a glide down
the jazzy, soulful byways of mid-70s Leon Ware or Marvin Gaye. The group was
so named because all three of its main protagonists – Kenny Stover, Johnny
Simone and Alvin Few – were born between 22 July and 22 August, in the star
sign of Leo. It was the 70s, after all. The group’s Marvin Gaye feel ran deeper than
mere admiration; Stover and Simone had been backing vocalists for Gaye, for whom
Stover’s brother, Elgie, had a long-standing working relationship. Hooking up with
Few, Leo’s Sunshipp began to record an album, of which four tracks were completed
before, tragically, lead vocalist Simone fell ill and died. Stover blocked the album’s
release and moved on to sing with Finished Touch. And that could have been it,until
Lyons Records took the four tracks, added four instrumental/alternate mixes and
We Need Each Other, the group’s only release, came into being. Of the handful of
finished tracks, I’m Back for More has had the biggest afterlife, being covered by
Marlena Shaw, Al Johnson and Tavares; it is the epitome of a smooth groove. The
Simone-written Give Me the Sunshine was the album’s lead track and clear
standout. Owing a rather large debt to Roy Ayers Ubiquity’s then-two year-old
Everybody Loves the Sunshine, it is perfect summer day soul, with Clarence Bell’s
synthesiser finding the sweet spot over veteran arranger David Blumberg’s string
arrangement. Madame Butterfly features the vocal skills of Wonderlove backing
vocalist Shirley Brewer and late-period Supreme Susaye Green; Get the People is
infectious, bongo-driven R&B with more impressive arrangements.
The material’s vibrancy is, of course, bittersweet because the listener knows what
was to happen next. Leo’s Sunshipp may have been huge, or they may have
churned out a welter of albums to an increasingly uninterested audience. We will
never know. Because of its circumstance and its unfinished nature, We Need Each
Other remains an underground classic.
Leo's Sunshipp - We Need Each Other 1978
01 - Leo's Sunshipp - Give Me The Sunshine (vocal).mp3
02 - Leo's Sunshipp - I'm Back For More (vocal).mp3
03 - Leo's Sunshipp - Get Down People (vocal).mp3
04 - Leo's Sunshipp - Madame Butterfly (mini-tro).mp3
05 - Leo's Sunshipp - Madame Butterfly (vocal).mp3
06 - Leo's Sunshipp - I'm Back For More (mini-tro).mp3
07 - Leo's Sunshipp - Give Me The Sunshine (mini-tro).mp3
08 - Leo's Sunshipp - Get Down People (mini-tro).mp3
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