System (the) - The Pleasure Seekers

Name: The System
Album: The Pleasure Seekers
Year: 1985
Style: Synth, R&B, 
Similar Bands: Stevie B, Color Me Badd, Nu Shooz, Scritti Politti, Generationals, Billy Ocean
"One-Word" Review:80's synth pop club floor scene
Based Out Of: NYC
Label: Mirage, Atlantic, Warner

Cover, Sleeve, Record

Back, Sleeve, Record

The Pleasure Seekers (1985)

1. The Pleasure Seekers 4:39 (single)
2. It Takes 2 4:12
3. Big City Beat 3:25
4. Love Won't Wait For Lovin' 4:47 /
5. This is For You 4:57 (single)
6. My Radio Rocks 3:43
7. Did In By A Friend 3:11
8. I Don't Run From Danger 4:45

Album Rating (1-10): 6.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Mic Murphy - Vox, Produced, Wrote, Arranged (Kleeer, Flowchart, Sass, Howard Johnson, Lenny White, Chaka Khan, Howard Jones, Nona Hendryx, Natural Selection, Tom Jones, Mtume, more)
• David Frank - Keys, Produced, Wrote, Arranged (Kleeer, Orch on the Half Shell, Linear, Carole Davis, Rick James, Mtume, Robert Palmer, Scritti Politti, Chaka Khan, Phil Collins, Steve Winwood, Billy Squire, Billy Idol, Nona Hendryx, Aztec Camera, Ashford & Simpson, Phoebe Snow, Natalie Cole, Sheena Easton, Vanessa Williams, Marc Anthony, Eric Clapton, Michael McDonald, Katy Sagal, Dionne Farris, Notorious BIG, 98 degrees, Destiny's Child, Christina Aguilera, Vitamin C, O-Town, Victoria Beckham, S Club, Pussycat Dolls, Jordin Sparks, Brie Larson more)
• Paul Pesco - Guitar (Madonna, Hall & Oates, John Blackwell Project, Dave Weckl, C+C Music Factory, Joan Baez, Chaka Khan, Norma Jean, Michael Bolton, Force MDs, Eddie Murphy, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, George Benson, Pointer Sisters, Sheena Easton, Jellybean, Whitney Houston, Steve Winwood, Fat Boys, Gregory Hines, Stephanie Mills, Don Johnson, Cyndi Lauper  more
• Audrey Wheeler - Vox (Unlimited Touch, Blue Moderne, Jellybean, Robin Gibb, Kurtis Blow, Fat Boys, Debbie Harry, Jermaie Stewart, Boogie Boys, Little Steven, Blow Monkeys, Melba Moore, Billy Ocean, Millie Jackson, Donny Osmond, George Benson, Eddie Murphy more)
• Denise Chaplin - Vox
• Jimmy Maelen - Percussion (Roxy Music, Peter Gabriel, James Taylor, Alice Cooper, John Lennon, The Jacksons, Talking Heads, Ambergris, Shobizz, Hollywood Vampires, Latin Dimension, BJ Thomas, more)
• Tom Lord-Alge - Engineer, Mixing
• Chris Lord-Alge - Mixing
• Acar Key - Assistant
• Dennis King - Mastering
• Bob Defrin - Art Direction
• Steve Fraser - Mic's hair
• Roy Volkmann - Photos

Unknown-ness: I have heard of this band; only saw their name on a sleeveless 45, but never heard anything by them. From the cover, it looks like it will have a Fun Boy Three vibe, so even though it is 85- which is apparent by the clothes, I'm going to guess it is on the tail end of new wave, but dancey.

Album Review: The album has a computer-generated 80's radio friendly r&b dance sound...everything sounds synthetic, and the beats have lots of 80's Casio effects processed in. The style has been adopted by some of the current Caribbean-yacht rock synth bands of today, but it also sounds like late 80's Stevie B Miami dance music.

This was basically a duo, hiring session musicians to fill in the rest, but were at the forefront of using synth as the spotlight sound. They gained notoriety for having their music in film & TV, on Miami Vice, Coming to America, Beverly Hills Cop, and they were in Real Genius. They worked with Scritti Politti, Phil Collins and Chaka Khan and their songs were used by musicians like Tupac Shakur and the Notorious BIG. They went back & forth being together and splitting apart as a duo, and have their own recording studio.


Stand Out Track: The Pleasure Seekers

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