Midnight Star's debut album, The Beginning (1980), showcases a blend of R&B and funk, distinct from their later synth-funk sound.
While it features some enjoyable uptempo tracks like "Keep The Spirits High" and "You're A Star," some reviewers found it uninspired and repetitive.
"Follow The Path" is often cited as the standout track, a mid-tempo, semi-religious song with strong vocals and musicianship. The album, while not a disaster, is considered by some to fall short of the quality found in their later, more popular releases like Victory.
'You're A Star" is the funkiest tune here as well as one of the more individual.On "Keep The Spirits High","Set Me On Fire" and the closer "Two In Love"-all unbridled uptempo funk it is clear what variety of funk Midnight Star favored at this point-a heavily produced dancable approch with alot of rhythm guitar,echoplexing and synthesizer flourishes;more often then none not a stripped down musical approch.
That's not a bad thing since many of the songs hold up well to the concept.
The bands first hit "Make It Last",like the rest of this album doesn't sound remotely like anything Midnight Star are currently associated with-a very early Rick James-ish late 70's Motownish dance-funk number.
Like The Dazz Band,Cameo,The SOS Band and other 80's era synth funk bands Midnight Star got their start in this far more traditional vein.
The electro sounds wouldn't start to appear until 1982's 'Victory' LP but standing as a good sampler of Midnight Star's potent,if slightly derivitive funk beginings this will do very nicely.
And one wonders what would have happened if the Calloways had decided to have the band stick with this sound and never develope into the synth-funk that would later make them famous.
Track listing
1. Keep The Spirit High - 4:57
2. You're The Star - 5:08
Written-By – Calloway
3. Follow The Path - 4:30
Written-By – Lipscomb
4. Set Me On Fire - 4:47
5. Make It Last - 7:00
Written-By – Watson
6. Searching For Love - 6:08
Written-By – Watson
7. Two In Love - 6:27
Companies, etc.
- Produced For – Mid-Star Productions
- Manufactured By – RCA Records
- Distributed By – RCA Records
- Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Dick Griffey Productions
- Copyright © – Solar Records
- Copyright © – RCA Records
- Mastered At – Capitol Mastering
- Pressed By – RCA Records Pressing Plant, Indianapolis
- Recorded At – Studio Masters
- Mixed At – Conway Studios
- Mixed At – Westlake Studios
Credits
- A&R [A&R Coordination] – Dina Andrews, Marge Meoll
- Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Keyboards, Backing Vocals [Background Vocals] – William Simmons
- Art Direction, Design – Henry Vizcarra
- Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals [Background Vocals] – Kenneth Gant
- Concertmaster – Charles Veal, Jr.
- Engineer – Bob Brown, Buddy Brundo, Peter Chaikin
- Engineer [Mixing] – Steve Hodge
- Executive-Producer – Dick Griffey
- French Horn – David Duke
- Guitar – Jeffrey Cooper
- Illustration – Shusei Nagaoka
- Keyboards – Michael Boddicker
- Lead Vocals – Belinda Lipscomb
- Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums, Percussion – Melvin Gentry
- Lead Vocals, Organ [Fender Rhodes], Piano [Acoustic], Strings [Arp Strings], Synthesizer [Mini-Moog, Polly Moog, Oberheim, Prophet] – Bo Watson
- Lead Vocals, Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Mellophone, Flute, Percussion, Strings [Arp Strings] – Reggie Calloway
- Mastered By – Wally Traugott
- Percussion – Harvey Mason
- Photography By – Scott Hensel
- Producer – Harvey Mason, Leon Sylvers
- Tenor Saxophone, Flute – William Collette
- Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Piccolo Flute – Jerome Richardson
- Trombone, Bass Trombone – William Reichenbach, George Bohanon
- Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Jerry Hey, Kenny Mason, Oscar Brashear
- Valve Trombone, Trombone [Slide], Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Vincent Calloway
Notes
Released: 1980
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Soul, Funk, Disco
Length: 39:04
Label - Solar
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