oduced
and arranged by Mike Theodore, the album featured another collection of
astrologically titled, Coffey penned instrumentals. To be honest, the
astrology orientation seemed little more than a marketing tool geared to
attracting the public's interest in the subject. Coffey could easily
have named these nine tunes after Detroit cars, or toothpaste brands and it
wouldn't have made any difference. Creatively Coffey's fourth studio
set wasn't a major departure from earlier releases, but this time around he
seemed to be firing on all cylinders (note my subtle nod to Detroit),
bringing some of his strongest performances to the sessions.
Admittedly, if you were buying a Coffey album changes are you already knew
what to expect. Talk about an artist with a unique sound
... Regardless, anyone who doubted Coffey's talents and
versatility needed to sit down with this album and a good pair of
headphones. Exemplified by tunes like 'Capricorn's
Thing', 'The Sagitarian', and 'Virgo's Song' there was no doubt the man
could play. If you were going to start exploring Coffey's
catalog, this would be a dandy place to start.
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Dennis Coffey
Band members Related acts
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- Dennis Coffey -- lead guitar
supporting musicians 1971-72 - Jack Ashford -- drums, percussion
- Bob Babbit -- bass
supporting musicians 1972 - Jack Ashford -- drums, percussion
- Bob Babbit -- bass
- Jack Ashford -- percussion - George Bohannon -- horns - Bobby Bryant -- horns - Gene Cipriano -- horns - Joe Clayton -- percussion - Gary Coleman -- vibes - Vincent De Rosa -- horns - King Errisson -- percussion - Charles Findley -- horns - Ed Green -- drums, percussion - James Gadsin -- drums, percussion - Lloyd Hilderbrand -- horns - Dick Hyde -- horns - James Jameison -- bass - Ronald Langinger -- horns - Arthur Mabe -- horns - Clarence McDonald -- keyboards - Melvin Melovin -- keyboards - Marlin Ragin -- wah-wah guitar - Joe Sample -- keyboards - Bud Shank -- horns - Stephanie Spruill - percussion - Ernie Watts -- horns - Art Wright -- rhythm guitar
supporting musicians 1976 - Gary Schunk -- piano - Eddie Willis -- guitar - John Trudell -- trumpet
supporting musicians 1977 - Marcus Belgraves -- trumpet - Brandy -- vocals - Lorenzo Brown -- percussion - Roderick Chandler -- bass -
Maurice Davis -- trumpet - Larry Nozero -- flute, sax - Rudy Robinson -- keybaords - Stu Sanders -- trombone - Garry Schunk -- keyboards, synthesizers - Johnny Trudell -- trumpet - Eddie Willis -- rhythm guitar
backing musicians (1978) - Brandye -- vocals - Michale Calhoun -- drums, percussion - Carolyn Crawford -- vocals - Charles Clark - vocals - Roderick Chandler -- bass - Greg Coles -- bass - Delores Davis -- vocals - Maurice davis --horns - Steve Gersky -- horns - Cleveland Horne -- vocals - Jerry Jones -- drums, percussion - Carl Raets -- horns - Lee Nathan Marcus -- drums, percussion - Bruce Nazarian -- rhythm guitar - Larry Nozero -- horns - Jerome Podgajski -- percussion - Rudy Robinson -- keyboards - Jerry Sanders -- vocals - Stuart Sanders -- horns - George Schunk -- keyboards - Bozzy Troja -- horns - Johnny Trudell -- horns -
Eddie Willis -- rhythm guitar
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- C.J. and Company - The Royaltones
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Genre: rock Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Evolution Company: Sussex Catalog: SXBS
7004 Country/State: Detroit, Michigan Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: SOLD Catalog ID: SOLD 6188 Price: SOLD $10.00
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Dennis Coffey is a major mystery to me. Without any doubt one of the most talented guitar players in rock history, since the early 1960s he's appeared on thousands of records and released about a dozen solo albums, yet as a result of personal choices to shun the spotlight, some lousy albums, and haphazard marketing, he remains unknown to most music fans.
Having long labored behind the scenes as a member of Motown's fame (and largely anonymous) house band (recall virtually any
mid-1970s Temptations track and you'll hear him), in 1971 guitarist Dennis Coffey
release his second solo collection. Credited to The Detroit Guitar Band (drummer Jack Ashford, bassist Bob Babbit and guitarists Ray Monette and Joe
Podorsek), Coffey quickly scored a contract with Buddah's newly formed Sussex subsidiary.
Produced by Mike Theodore, "Evolution"
featured ten brief instrumentals. Covering the full musical spectrum, the material ranged from hardcore funk
('Getting It On' and 'Impressions Of'), to fusion-styled atmospherics
('Garden of the Moon' and 'Wind Song') that foreshadowed the direction Jeff
Beck and others would take in the mid-1970s. Technically the album served as a showcase for Coffey's legendary array of guitar effects.
Propelled by fuzz pedals, wah-wah pedals and scores of sustainers, the nine Coffey-penned originals were all interesting, but the highlight was his cover of Led
Zeppelin's 'Whole Lot of Love'. Two hit singles
helped push the parent LP album to # 36 on the US Billboard album charts. 1.) Getting It On (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - - 1972's "Getting It On' b/w '' (Sussex catalog number SUX )
2.) Whole Lot of Love (instrumental)
- 1971's
'Scorpio' b/w 'Sad Angel' (Sussex catalog number SUX 226) provided Coffey with a top-10
hit
(side 2) 1.) Impressions Of
(instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) -
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Genre: rock Rating: 4 stars **** Title: Electric Coffey Company: Sussex Catalog: SXBS
7021 Country/State: Detroit, Michigan Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: 6188 Price: $20.00
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Credited to
"Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band" with the release
of 1972's "Electric Coffey" namesake Dennis Coffey
seemingly fell into a creative and marketing groove. Pr
Curiously
Sussex marketing doesn't seem to have done a great deal to promote the
album. As far as I can tell they didn't even float a single off the
album. The album still managed to break into the top-200 US
charts, peaking at # 189. 1.) Capricorn's Thing (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 2:12 rating: **** stars Say
what you will, but the man could play fuzz guitar !!! If you
have a need to hear some screaming, fuzz lead guitar, then this is a tune
for you. Given
Coffey had previously a massive hit with the single 'Scorpio' who could
blame him for returning to the creative well for 'Son of
Scorpio'? The unexpected Latinesque break was certainly
impressive (helping explain why the tune's been repeatedly sampled), while
Bob Babbit;s bass solo was
equally impressive. Still, the song wasn't nearly as good as the
original. 'Love
Song for Libra ' was notable for sporting the album's prettiest melody
(actually one of the nicest things Coffey's ever recorded). Another album
standout performance.
In
spite of the dumb title, 'The Sagitarian' actually sported one of the
album's best melodies - kind of a mix of a blaxploitation slice of funk and
a strong Motown melody. Very nice. Lovely slice of breezy pop that probably would have made a dandy single with the addition of a vocal to the mix.
(side 2) 1.) Guitar Big Band (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 3:34 rating: **** stars Another strong melody powered by Coffey's instantly recognizable lead guitar. How in the world did he get that sound? 2.) Twins of Gemini (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 5:3 rating: ** stars ''Twins of Gemini' started out with what was almost a country tinge, befor eabruptly shifting into a jazzy mode ... not my favorite performance, but so what? 3.) Virgo's Song (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 2:27 rating: **** stars Sporting some of Coffey's most melodic playing, 'Virgo's Song' was my pick for the album's standout tune ... 4.) Lonely Moon Child (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 3:23 rating: **** stars The closer 'Lonely Moon Child' was given it allowed Coffey a chance to showcase both acoustic and electric guitar. Add a nice bass line, a touch of Hammond B-3, and some of those special, cheesy '70s synthesizers ... one of the album's highlights.
© Scott R. Blackerby August, 2024
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Genre: rock Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Goin' For Myself Company: Sussex Catalog: SXBS
70 Country/State: Detroit, Michigan Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: 6189 Price: $10.00
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Again produced by Mike Theodore, 1972's "Goin' for Myself" was an obvious effort to replicate the debut's unexpected success. Like the debut, the all instrumental set served as a showcase for Dennis Coffey's guitar pyrotechnics. Highlights included the single 'Taurus', 'Ride Sally Ride' and 'Midnight Blue'. Unfortunately, elsewhere the LP came off as little more than shopping center muzak - check out truly lame covers of 'Never Can Say Goodbye', 'It's Too Late' and 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'.
The album spun off a small hit in the form of the single:
- 1972's Taurus' b/w "Can You Feel It" (Sussex catalog number SUX 233)
Peaking at # 90 the set failed to measure up to the debut artistically or commercially. 1.) Taurus (instrumental)
(Dennis Coffey) - 3:00 (side 2) 1.) Bridge Over Troubled Water (instrumental)
(Paul Simon) - 5:03
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Genre: rock Rating: 2 stars ** Title: Instant Coffey Company: Sussex Catalog: SRA
8031 Country/State: Detroit, Michigan Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: still in shrink wrap (opened) Available: SOLD Catalog ID: SOLD 6182 Price: SOLD $10.00
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Co-produced by Dennis Coffey and Mike Theodore, 1974's "Instant Coffey" was a bit different from earlier releases. As on the earlier albums, all seven tracks were instrumentals, but this time around Coffey seemed interest in demonstrating his versatility. Sadly, Coffey seems to have decided the way to display those skills was by recording a series of largely forgettable numbers that were more suited for throwaway film soundtracks that commercial radio. Even more bizarre was the fact his trademarked guitar was largely absent from these selections. The general caliber of the material was on a par with a crappy Guinness tax scam album. Wish I could be more charitable to this collection, but it simply isn't among Coffey's best releases.
"Instant
Coffey" track listing: 1.) Sonata (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 11:13 rating: ** stars Clocking in at over eleven minutes, 'Sonata' was just plain strange. Offering a weird mix of classical, disco, and adult contemporary jazz (including a seemingly endless Herbie Mann-styled flute solo), this was basically the kind of stuff you were forced to listen to while on hold waiting for customer service. Coffey's guitar solo didn't kick in until about halfway through the song and while his performance was good, by that time you'd basically run out of patience with the song. 2.) Moon Star (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 7:33 rating: ** stars 'Moon Star' sounded like a piece of incidental music written for a 'B' action movie. 3.) Theme from Enter the Dragon (Lalo Schifrin) - 3:52 rating: * star The lone cover, 'Theme from Enter the Dragon' was a piece of incidental music written for a 'B' action flick.
(side
2) Compared to side one, the breezy instrumental 'Chicano' seemed like a godsend. Not only was Coffey's guitar highlighted, but the song actually had a tight and catchy melody. Course you had to deal with the irritating flute solo ... 2.) A Time for Love (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 6:10 rating: * star 'A Time for Love' started out with kind of bluesy vibe but quickly fell victim to a dread MOR flute solo. 3.) Kathy (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 3:56 rating: * star Geez, 'Kathy' would bore your grandmother to tears. Simply dreadful disco-lite fluff. Total crap. 4.) Outrageous (The Mind Excursion) (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 7:28 rating: *** stars Well, at least 'Outrageous (The Mind Excursion' was funny. Total acid-tinged freak-out complete with discordant sax solo, that would not have sounded out of place on Coffey's 1969 "Hair and Thangs" psychploitation debut. I'll give it an extra star for the bizarre factor.
© Scott R. Blackerby August, 2024
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Genre: rock Rating: 2 stars ** Title: Back Home Company: Westbound Catalog: WB
300 Country/State: Detroit, Michigan Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: 225 Price: $20.00
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Dennis Coffey is an amazingly talented guitarist, but his albums tend to be haphazard affairs covering a wide array of genres that range from stunning to simple dreck. 1977's self-produced "Back Home" was no exception to the rule. Recorded in Detroit, but mixed by Tom Moulton at Philadelphia's Sigma Studios, the mostly instrumental set found Coffey and company taking stabs at a variety of genres including anonymous discofied numbers ('Free Spirit'), adult contemporary light jazz ('Free Spirit') and funk ('Funk Connections'). It was never less than competent and occasionally even intriguing and entertaining, but the overall feeling was of someone aimlessly casting around for a niche. Bottom line was that Coffey deserved far better than this set.
"Back Home" track listing: 1.) Funk Connections (instrumental) - 5:08 rating: *** stars A stomping funk instrumental, 'Funk Connections' found Coffey's instantly recognizable lead guitar backed by an arsenal of poppin' bass, burping synthesizers, and some blazing horns. Nice enough and could probably get you up and moving if you were in a club, but nothing particularly original. 2.) Back Home (instrumental) - 5:31 rating: ** stars Opening up with a jazzy piano and flute segment (echoes of Herbie Mann), before morphing into a more conventional funk number, the title track sounded like something that might have been written for a mid-'70s blaxploitation flick. That wasn't meant as a criticism since this track probably had the album's best melody. 3.) Free Spirit (instrumental) - 5:46 rating: ** stars While it showcased more of Coffey's guitar, including some nice fuzz guitar moves, 'Free Spirit' also featured a disco-feel complete with extended Larry Nozero flute solos and irritating, anonymous female backing vocals. As much as I love Coffey's playing, it lost out to the dreaded disco moves. 4.) Our Love Goes On Forever (instrumental) - 5:58 rating: ** stars Technically 'Our Love Goes On Forever' wasn't an instrumental since Brandy was featured on vocals, though her performance was limited to mouthing the title a couple of times and lots of wordless harmonizing in the background. Musically this one was a rather faceless slice of adult contemporary light jazz (it had a very mid-'80s corporate feel). Commercial, but soulless, for some reason it was tapped as a single. - 1977's 'Our Love Goes On Forever' b/w 'Back Home' (Westbound catalog number WB 55402)
(side
2) 'High On Love' continued in the adult contemporary, light jazz vein. Pretty, but not particularly memorable and Coffey was largely absent from the song. 2.) Boogie Magic (instrumental) - 5:47 rating: ** stars Roderick Chandler's bass and the horns captured the spotlight on the funky instrumental 'Boogie Magic'. Coffey also chimed in with a bit of his vaunted wah-wah guitar. 3.) Wings of Fire (instrumental) - 7:39 rating: ** stars Released as a 12 inch dance single, 'Wings of Fire' found Coffey returning to a synthesizers and horns powered disco-fied sound. Did nothing for my ears. - 1977's 'Wings of Fire' b/w 'Wings of Fire' (Westbound/Atlantic catalog number DSKO 94)
For anyone interested, Coffey has a website at: http://www.denniscoffeysite.com/
© Scott R. Blackerby August, 2024
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Genre: rock Rating: 2 stars ** Title: A Sweet Taste of Sin Company: Westbound Catalog: WT
6105 Country/State: Detroit, Michigan Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: promo copy; timing strip on cover (not shown in picture) Available: 1 Catalog ID: 2576 Price: $15.00
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Nah, I won't even try to convince anyone that 1978's "A Sweet Taste of Sin" was a great album. It wasn't. That said, there were a couple of saving graces. Unlike many of Coffey's earlier releases, this one showcased vocals on most of the tracks. The liner notes credited seven singers including Brandye, Charles Clark, Dolores Davis, and Coffey himself (the latter apparently the voice that occasionally chanted the 'Calling Planet Earth' title.. No idea who any of the other folks were ... professional, but hardly earth shattering performances. Unfortunately way too much of the album found Coffey and company falling victim to the dreaded disco trap. Tunes like 'Another Time, Another Place, 'Love Encounter', and the closing section of 'Closing Planet Earth' were simply throwaway dance fodder. Probably not the album to start exploring Coffey's solo catalog.
"A
Sweet Taste of Sin" track listing: 1.) A Sweet Taste of Sin (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey - Mike Theodore) - 5:16 rating: *** stars Nice, if slightly anonymous funky ballad. Not sure who was playing the burping bass line, but it was killer. It was tapped as a single:
7" format - 1978's 'A Sweet Taste of Sin' b/w '' (Westbound catalog number WT 55415) 2.) Another Time, Another Place (Dennis Coffey - Mike Theodore) - 6:03 rating: ** stars As mentioned above, 'Another Time, Another Place' found Coffey and company straying too close to disco madness for their own good. coffey had wored on a number of disco-ish albums for Westbound, so he should have known better, but this one succumbed to all the production tricks that made the genre so irritating. 3.) Love Encounter (Dennis Coffey) - 5:03 rating: ** stars Kicked along by a seemingly endless repetition of the title, 'Love Encounter' was a thoroughly mindless slide of disco that made acts like Silver Convention sound positively engaging.
(side 2) 1.) Someone Special (Dennis Coffey - Cleveland Horne) - 3:51 rating; *** stars Thankfully 'Someone Special' avoided a disco groove in favor of a smooth, easy going ballad. On any other album it wouldn't have been anything special, but on this album if made for one of the better performances. 2.) You Know You You Are (Dennis Coffey - James Epps - Lawrence Perry) - 4:48 rating; *** stars There's a thin line between disco and funk and luckily 'You Know You You Are' fell on the funky side. In fact this one sounded a bit like something out of the Funkadelic/Parliament catalog, Again, not a great tune, but better than most of the collection. 3.) Gimme That Funk (Dennis Coffey - Cleveland Horne) - 4:58 rating; *** stars Don't let the title fool you. In spite of Coffey turning in his best guitar solo o the album, 'Gimme That Funk' was way more disco that funk. That probably explains why it was released in 7" and 12" dance mixes.
7" format - 1978's 'Gimme That Funk' b/w 'Someone Special' (Westbound catalog number WT 55416) 12" format - 1978's 'Gimme That Funk' b/w 'Someone Special' (Westbound catalog number LV 6) 4.) Calling Planet Earth (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 5:04 rating: **** stars Yeah, it was the lone instrumental, but 'Calling Planet Earth' was my pick for the album's best performance. Well, the first four minutes of the tune. Stretched out over nine minutes it quickly became repetitive to the point of irritation. I'm sure there are lots of folks who will disagree, but I'm saying that based on the fact it had the LP's best melody and featured the biggest dollop of Coffey's instantly recognizable guitar.
7" format - 1978's 'Calling Planet Earth' b/w 'Calling Planet Earth' (*Westbound catalog WT 45414) 12" format - 1978's 'Calling Planet Earth' b/w 'Calling Planet Earth' (*Westbound catalog DSKO-117)
© Scott R. Blackerby August, 2024
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Genre: rock Rating: 2 stars ** Title: Under the Moonlight Company: Orpheus Catalog: D1-75617 Country/State: Detroit, Michigan Grade (cover/record): NM/NM Comments: still in shrink wrap (opened); punch hole Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $15.00
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A guy like guitarist extraordinaire Dennis
Coffey is so talented I'm going to check out pretty much anything he
records. In my eyes his recording reputation is sterling though that's
not to say everything he touches it wonderful - witness some of my previous
reviews.
Released in 1989, "Under the Moonlight" marked Coffey's first new studio album in three years and served as his debut on Charles and Beau Huggins' Capitol affiliated Orpheus Records. Based in New York City, the label specialized in urban jazz acts like Freddie Jackson, Melba Moore and Rob White. At first it seemed a little strange to me that Coffey would sign with a New York City based label; particularly one with a urban jazz orientation, but when you listened to "Under the Moonlight" the linkage became clear. Coffey, like everyone else, had bills to pay and you certainly couldn't fault him for being willing to throw his creative lot in with a musical niche that was raking in big money for it's purveyors. And that's what you have here. Exemplified by tracks like 'Sunrise and 'Yesterday's Girl' Coffey churning out a series of ten, mostly instrumental, urban jazz performances. Featuring all original material (two tracks co-written with Mario Resnio), anyone expecting to hear Coffey's Motown-styled soul or psych influences should just turn away. Those influences were long gone on this album. The spotlight was obvious on Coffey's guitar work and the performances were all professional and pleasant, but sadly they were seldom exciting. This was music as a product and it wasn't a stretch to picture all of these tunes being used on as elevator music, or on call waiting application. If I had to pick a favorite - well tough call since none of them bowled me over, but pushed to make a decision, maybe the bouncy closer 'In The Pocket', 'Mr. Slick' or the lite-funk 'Breakout' ? There's a market and fan base out there for this genre, but it doesn't register with me. "Under the
Moonlight" track listing: 1.) Sunrise (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 4:38 rating: *** stars The opening instrumental served to showcase the strengths and weakness across the whole album. Spotlightening Coffey on acoustic guitar, 'Sunrise' was a pretty ballad featuring razor clear sound. Hearing it on a quality stereo is a treat. It makes for excellent study music, or background music while you are waiting on a sales assistant to pick up the phone line. The down side is the song had about the same energy and excitement as whitening your teeth. Technically it was perfect, reflecting the kind of sound urban jazz radio stations made a fortune selling. It just wasn't very inspiring. 2.) Where Did Love Go? (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 4:47 rating: ** stars To be honest, I found the bass line on 'Where Did Love Go?' to be more interesting than Coffey's jazzy guitar work. Late-'80s background music ... 3.) Yesterday's Girl (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 5:13 rating: *** stars Well the title sounded like it might have a touch of Motown in it - nah. It was probably the album's most melodic offering with Coffey showing a touch of his lightening fast finger work, but again little more than call waiting background music. 4.) Breakout (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 4:58 rating: *** stars Lots of thumb poppin' bass work on the quasi-funky 'Breakout'. Hum, funk for folks who finish dinner by 6:30 ... 5.) Under The Moonlight (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey - Mario Resio) - 4:59 rating: *** stars The first of two tracks co-written with Mario Resio, the title was also the album's lone non-instrumental, though Coffey's guitar probably deserved equal billing with the anonymous female singers. A slinky, slightly funky slinky ballad this one was okay, but again didn't really generate a great deal of energy. Imagine The Silver Convention singing urban jazz.
(side 2) 1.) Images (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 5:21 rating: *** stars 'Images' was no different anything on side one, but perhaps because I was starting to be lulled into a sense of comfort, the track allowed me focus on Coffey's smooth playing - technically he was a stunning player, just sailing through the notes. 2.) Mr. Slick (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 5:21 rating: *** stars Picking up the tempo and injecting a touch of spunk into the proceedings, 'Mr. Slick' was one of the album's better performances. How's he play those speed of light runs? 3.) Tuff Enuff (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 5:08 rating: ** stars The album's funkiest performance, 'Tuff Enuff' could have been a hit if it had been stripped of the deadening '90s production feel. 4.) Got To Have You (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey - Mario Resio) - 5:00 rating: ** stars Coffey had a knack for playing melodic leads, but if the song wasn't anything special, his efforts were for naught. And that's the case with the ballad 'Got To Have You'. This was also the second vocal performance, though the anonymous female singers really didn't make much of an impression. 5.) In The Pocket (instrumental) (Dennis Coffey) - 5:04 rating: **** stars Finally a track where Coffey seemingly started to breakaway from the urban jazz conventions ... 'In the Pocket' exhibited a bubbly melody and a of the fun and enthusiasm that marks the best of his catalog.
© Scott R. Blackerby August, 2024
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