 Power Station in 1985 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | New York City, New York, USA |
| Genre(s) | Rock |
| Years active | 1985, 1996-1997 |
| Label(s) | Capitol/EMI |
| Associated acts | Duran Duran, Chic |
| Former members | |
| Michael Des Barres Robert Palmer John Taylor Andy Taylor Tony Thompson | |
Power Station was a 1980s supergroup made up of singer Robert Palmer; bassist John Taylor and guitarist Andy Taylor of Duran Duran; and former Chic drummer Tony Thompson. Bernard Edwards, also of Chic, was involved on the studio side as recording producer. For a short time he also functioned as Power Station's manager. The band was formed in New York City late in 1984 during a break in Duran Duran's schedule that became a lengthy hiatus. Power Station was named after The Power Station recording studio where their album was conceived and recorded.
The group began as something of a whim—it was a one-time gathering of friends to provide backing to model and would-be singer Bebe Buell who wanted to record a cover of the 1972 T. Rex song "Get It On". Both Taylors were eager to branch out from the synthesizer-heavy pop of Duran Duran and play some Led Zeppelin-flavored rock'n'roll; the participation of their idols from Chic lent the project a horn-inflected funk vibe that meshed surprisingly well with the crunching guitars and booming drums.[1]
Soon the project evolved into the idea of a revolving supergroup; a tentative name for the band was Big Brother. The original plan for the one-album project was for the three musicians (Taylor, Taylor and Thompson) to provide musical continuity to an album full of material, with a different singer performing on each track. Those who were approached included Mick Jagger, Billy Idol, Mars Williams and Richard Butler (of The Psychedelic Furs), and Mick Ronson.[2]
The group then invited eclectic soul singer Robert Palmer to record vocals for the track "Communication". When he heard that they had recorded demos for "Get It On", he asked to try out vocals on that song as well. Before long, they had decided to record the entire album with Palmer. The group was quickly signed with Capitol Records.
history
On February 16, 1985, the band performed "Some Like It Hot" and "Bang A Gong" on the Saturday Night Live television show. It was the only time that Robert Palmer performed live with the original line-up.
In March 1985, the band issued the album Power Station, produced by Bernard Edwards with some informal assistance from Nile Rodgers. It reached number 12 in the UK and number 6 on the US album chart.
The album is sometimes referred to as Power Station 33⅓ as the sleeve for the original vinyl record release bore that subtitle, indicating the speed of a record turntable. Later compact disc issues used CD as a subtitle instead. The album's cover graphics and color scheme, which were also used in the videos, were based on sexy sketches by John Taylor.[3]
Three singles were released from the album, two of them major hits. The first, "Some Like It Hot", reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and number 6 on the USA Billboard Hot 100. (The music video featured the transsexual model Caroline Cossey, credited as "Tula".) The second single was "Get It On (Bang a Gong)" and it went to number 22 in the UK and number 9 in the US, while competing against the Duran Duran single "A View To A Kill," which was a number one for Duran Duran. A third single, "Communication", was not as successful; it barely reached the Top 40 in the US, and disappeared after hitting number 75 in the UK.
The band also released a collection of the band's three music videos called "The Power Station Video EP".
The group's unexpected success led to two incompatible results: the band decided to do a summer tour in America, and Robert Palmer decided to record a solo album to take advantage of his sudden name recognition. This inevitably led to Palmer's departure from the band. (Tony Thompson, Andy Taylor and Bernard Edwards from Power Station contributed to Palmer's very successful 1985 solo album Riptide.)
Power Station went on to tour with singer/actor Michael Des Barres (formerly of Silverhead, Checquered Past and Detective). Des Barres also performed with them at the enormous Live Aid charity concert in Philadelphia that summer.
Des Barres' friendship with actor Don Johnson led to the band's guest appearance on an episode of the TV drama Miami Vice. Similarly, his friendship with producer Joel Silver led to Power Station writing a song called "We Fight for Love" for the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film Commando (1985). The track was originally titled "Someday, Somehow, Someone's Gotta Pay." An EP containing the song plus some live songs from their tour was planned for release that same year, but was scrapped by their record company.
The band folded late in 1985, as its members turned to other projects: John Taylor returned to Duran Duran, while Andy Taylor chose to leave Duran Duran in favour of a solo career. Tony Thompson was to take the place of John Bonham in a re-formed Led Zeppelin, but he was nearly killed in a 1986 car accident before that reunion could get off the ground. The reformed Led Zeppelin only played one gig at the Philadelphia Live Aid concert in 1985. Palmer continued his revitalized solo career.
Reunion and reissues
The band reunited ten years later with its original members, including Palmer. However, personal issues forced bassist John Taylor to withdraw from the project before the album was complete. Bernard Edwards (former Chic bassist) stepped in and completed the album Living In Fear (1996) in his stead, and was prepared to tour with the group, but then died suddenly of pneumonia during a trip to Japan. The group decided to press on, and toured first with bassist Guy Pratt and then Manny Yanes and second guitarist Luke Morley instead, to moderate success. The group disbanded shortly after.
EMI released a new version of the album Power Station on February 21, 2005, to commemorate the album's 20th anniversary. The package includes the original eight-song album, seven bonus tracks and a 40-minute eight-chapter DVD. Among the bonus tracks on the album is the track "Someday, Somehow, Someone's Gotta Pay" (from the Commando OST), sung by Michael Des Barres.
In 2002, EMI Music issued The Best of The Power Station as part of their Ten Best Series. The final track is a previously unreleased live version of "Dancing in the Street," recorded at the Hartford Civic Center in 1985 and sung by Michael Des Barres.
Both Robert Palmer and Tony Thompson died late in 2003.
Personnel
- Robert Palmer - Vocalist
- Andy Taylor - Guitarist
- John Taylor - Bassist
- Tony Thompson - Drummer
Other Members
- Michael Des Barres - Tour Vocalist (1985)
- Bernard Edwards - Bassist (1995)
Discography
Albums
- The Power Station (1985) #6 US
- Living In Fear (1996)
- Best Of (2003)
- The Power Station: 20th Anniversary Edition (2005)
Singles
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 | US MSR | US Dance | UK singles | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | "Some Like It Hot" | 6 | 34 | 17 | 14 | The Power Station |
| 1985 | "Get It On (Bang a Gong)" | 9 | 19 | - | 22 | The Power Station |
| 1985 | "Communication" | 34 | - | - | 75 | The Power Station |
| 1996 | "She Can Rock It" | - | - | - | 63 | Living In Fear |
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