Prior to
James "JT" Taylor
adding pop flavor vocals, which help garner a handful of top selling albums, this was
Kool & the Gang's
most successful album, spawning three bonafide R&B hits. Produced by
Robert Bell
, and featuring
Donal Boyce's
incredulous vocals, these songs have held up well. The fast, chugging
"Jungle Boogie"
was a club favorite, while
"Funky Stuff,"
with its "whoa whoa whoa" hook, was slower and spacier than
"Jungle Boogie."
The band formerly known as the
Jazziacs
got their first R&B number one with
"Hollywood Swinging,"
a slightly faster than mid-tempo song with whistles, festive ambiance and lead vocals by keyboardist
Ricky West
. All three hits were inspired by
Manu Dibango's
"Soul Makossa,"
and were recorded in one night at a studio in midtown Manhattan. The title cut flash backs to their prerecording jazz days, when they dazzled New Jerseyites with their playing skills. ~ Andrew Hamilton