Solar

[Kamasu_Jr]

Disco, Funk and Soul music label founded by Dick Griffey in Los Angeles. Why are some records or discs on SOLAR so expensive. For instance, albums by Dynasty and Midnight Star can cost quite a few dollars. The Whispers Anthology is outrageous. Was SOLAR Records that popular and influentual? Of course it was! The SOLAR sound is often compared to Motown. I just wanna hear some other comments. And I know, I shoulda put this on the main forum.

[daddyacey]

The SOLAR period was the third major BLACK "independent" label based on the MOTOWN model to cross over nationally other than PIR. If you LISTEN to any of the tracks that came out of SOLAR , you can hear the precise musicianship,production, and artistry that started in DETROIT , continued and tweeked in PHILLY and perfected in L.A. Listen to the individual parts in any Salsoul/PIR production , any Solar production, the mothers blew they ass off.
Aint hardly no 120BPM thump thump thump thump in those tracks from The Whispers ,Dynasty ,Midnight Star, Lakeside , Shalamar , that can be classed as "Disco". That shit is funky hands down. MOTOWN was 60's -70's funk with strings and orchestration. Gamble and Huff took that a step further. No assembly line shit in PIR tracks. They laid it down.....straight up. Orchestrated classy FUNK. You could dance to it so they called it DISCO. SOLAR took the same FUNK to another level. More electronic ,hardly no horns or strings ,it was the refined MOTOWN sound developed by Gamble and Huff and converted with class to the electronic sound of the 80's. In line with the technology of the instrumentation of the time.IT was the evolution , of the FUNK and R&B genre and the LAST of the great independent outlets of the genre. Lawd have mercy ,those were the days. THAT was music.!!!!!!

[Ngroove]

Hmmm...I actually found my Whispers Anthology [[the one with the fast tracks disc and the slow songs disc from SOLAR / Capitol) for only $12 at a flea market, besides the "Outrageous" probably belongs to Lakeside anyways hahahaha!!!

Tis' OK...I LOVE SOLAR! Sound of Los Angeles Records! Like Motown once had its Motown sound, backed by Funk Bros back in the day, SOLAR had its own recognizeable, distinctive sound, many masterminded by Leon F Sylvers III.

Myself, have on CD:

- Shalamar: Greatest Hits [[SOLAR 30th Anniverary Edition)
LOVE: Second Time Around, A Night To Remember, Make That Move, In The Socket, My Girl Loves Me, This Is For The Lover In You

- Dynasty: Greatest Hits [[actually found it in a mall, regular price, three years or so ago)
LOVE: I've Just Begun To Love You, Check It Out, Groove Patrol, Love In The Fast Lane, Strokin'

- The Deele: Eyes of A Stranger
LOVE: Two Occassions, Shoot-Em-Up Movies

- Dance With You: the Best of Carrie Lucas
LOVE: Gotta Keep Dancing [[Keep Smiling), Fashion, Show Me Where You're Coming From, Is It A Dream

- Babyface: Tender Lover
LOVE: Tender Lover, It's No Crime, Whip Appeal, Where Will You Go

- Babyface: A Closer Look
LOVE: remixed Mary Mack, remixed I Love You Babe

- Whispers: Anthology
LOVE: And The Beat Goes On, It's A Love Thing, Emergency, Tonight, Keep On Lovin' Me, Some Kind Of Lover, Rock Steady, Say Yes

[marv2]

Disco, Funk and Soul music label founded by Dick Griffey in Los Angeles. Why are some records or discs on SOLAR so expensive. For instance, albums by Dynasty and Midnight Star can cost quite a few dollars. The Whispers Anthology is outrageous. Was SOLAR Records that popular and influentual? Of course it was! The SOLAR sound is often compared to Motown. I just wanna hear some other comments. And I know, I shoulda put this on the main forum.

Solar Records releases were very popular from roughly the late 70's to the mid 80's [[ 1976-85 I'd say.) There were some extraordinary writers [[Leon Sylvers ,etc.), producers and artists on that label. I would not compare their sound to Detroit's Motown, but they were somewhat like Motown in that they had a variety of hits coming from a variety of artists.

They cost of Solar's vintage product may have to do more with availability. There may not have been a lot their albums pressed the first time around which means there would be fewer out there now. Just a guess here .

[soulster]

I don't understand why the used vinyl is expensive. It's all over the place! It's not like there's a shortage of them.

And, I know many people believe that the vinyl always sounds superior, most of their album catalog has been reissued on CD, sometimes three times over, and they generally sound great. I'm glad I have all the Solar albums I need.

The one thing that is missing from the digital age are most of the single versions. I can recreate many of them digitally if I have an example of the 45s to reference, or I can make needledrops of the 45s.

The Whispers, in particular, have been reissued to death in anthologies and greatest hits packages. They were the company's signature group.

The problem with the company's music is that ownership is spread between at least three record companies: EMI, Universal, and Sony. I may be wrong on this as it stands today.

[StuBass1]

In all actually, Griffey and Cornelius [[Solar and Soul Train) used plenty of strings and horns. My brother Bruce was their go to guy on a lot of that Whispers, Shalimar, O'Brien, etc, etc stuff. Fact is that as we approached the 80's...nearly everyone [[including Motown) began to rely more heavily on synthesized sounds...to a large extent for economic reasons.

[MIKEW-UK]

I think Bobby Womack's "Save The Children" release was unusual for Solar, as it was recorded independently and, I guess, leased. Bobby had English singer Beverly Craven singing background around this time, and on the video you will see Marvin Gaye's brother at 3 minutes...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=BTMOrNburYE

[soulster]

6180
In all actually, Griffey and Cornelius [[Solar and Soul Train) used plenty of strings and horns. My brother Bruce was their go to guy on a lot of that Whispers, Shalimar, O'Brien, etc, etc stuff. Fact is that as we approached the 80's...nearly everyone [[including Motown) began to rely more heavily on synthesized sounds...to a large extent for economic reasons.

But, while the major labels were cutting back on R&B artists budgets to mere pennies, Solar still managed to include strings until at least 1982. I guess the trick was that Solar did most of their work in-house, like Philadelphia International and 60s-era Motown, and that helped to keep costs down.

[StuBass1]

Yeah Soulster...but not just R&B acts, but throughout the industry synth tracks saved producers a lot of money across the musical spectrum. The major artists of course, still had the option of recording with full orchestrations, but a guy could sit in his bedroom studio and lay down an entire orchestra and half the listening moronic audience wouldn't know the difference...or even care.

[soulster]

6184
Yeah Soulster...but not just R&B acts, but throughout the industry synth tracks saved producers a lot of money across the musical spectrum. The major artists of course, still had the option of recording with full orchestrations, but a guy could sit in his bedroom studio and lay down an entire orchestra and half the listening moronic audience wouldn't know the difference...or even care.

As a drummer, I curse the day drum machines and sequencers became popular.

I know it wasn't all R&B artists, but the recession of the early 80s did hit them especially hard, partly due to the disco backlash. Many R&B artists who weren't disco were still lumped in that bag.