Machine Gun (Commodores album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[edit] Overview

Machine Gun is the first album from the Commodores, released in 1974 on the Motown label. Although pop audiences were not exactly responsive to this issue, R&B audiences met this album with open arms. Machine Gun is relentlessly funky, with no ballads to be found. The tracks are spectacular from beginning to end, and the hauntingly explosive title track kicks things off. Milan Williams' strobing clavinet highlited throughout the track sounds like gunfire, and led to Motown head Berry Gordy naming the song "Machine Gun."This track peaked at #7 on the R&B, while reaching a disappointing #22 on the pop charts. Not that the Commodores would care much about pop. They wouldn't have crossover appeal for another four albums. This album was all about the funk.

The second single to be released, "I Feel Sanctified," reached #12 on the R&B charts, and basically tells of a man spiritually blessed by his girl's love. The bottom of this track is ripped out with Ronald LaPread's stellar bassline, while Lionel Richie and William King's horns punctuate the melody. And the acapella intro with a three-way harmonization is majestic. "The Bump" was a radio and dancehall staple, with Richie and Walter Orange calling to all the females to "...do the bump, do the bump, baby!" "The Assembly Line" and "The Zoo (The Human Zoo)" are both socially charged songs explaining the plight of those who try to make a difference in society. "The Zoo" has a very quirky intro, with Williams playing a melody resembling one commonly found at a circus, before exploding into the insane verse.

The remaining songs, classified as filler, are equally funky, with Richie providing the point of view of Superman in the song of the same title. Thomas McClary's guitar work should not be overlooked, as it is essential to each and every track.

[edit] Track Listing

1. "Machine Gun" (Milan Williams)
2. "Young Girls Are My Weakness" (William King/Ronald LaPread)
3. "I Feel Sanctified" (Commodores/Jeffrey Bowen/B.Miller)
4. "The Bump" (Milan Williams)
5. "Rapid Fire" (Milan Williams)
6. "Assembly Line" (Gloria Jones/Pam Sawyer)
7. "The Zoo (The Human Zoo)" (Gloria Jones/Pam Sawyer)
8. "Gonna Blow Your Mind" (Thomas McClary/Walter Orange/Milan Williams)
9. "There's A Song In My Heart" (Lionel Richie)
10. "Superman" (Lionel Richie)

[edit] Trivia

• On the track "Machine Gun", there seems to be a dog barking intermittently throughout.
• Although the song "Machine Gun" was a relative hit in the U.S., it was a major hit in Nigeria. At the end of the broadcast day, national television stations would actually play this song following the Nigerian national anthem.