MATERIAL

ONE DOWN

  1/  Take a Chance                              (Laswell,Beinhorn)            4.31
  2/  I'm the One                                (Laswell,Beinhorn,Fowler)     5.25
  3/  Time Out                                   (Laswell,Le,Beinhorn)         4.52
  4/  Let Me Have It All                         (S. Stewart)                  5.23
  5/  Come Down                                  (Laswell,Beinhorn,Fowler)     4.43
  6/  Holding On                                 (Laswell,Beinhorn,Eno)        4.40
  7/  Memories                                   (H. Houston)                  3.58
  8/  Don't Lose Control                         (Laswell,Beinhorn)            4.18
  9/  Busting Out                                (Laswell,Beinhorn,Maher)      8.03

          Recorded at O.A.O Studio, Brooklyn, New York and RPM Sound Studio, NYC
          Engineered by Martin Bisi
          Assistant engineers at RPM : Robin Danar, Dominick Maita and Mike Krowiak
          Engineer on track 7 : Robert Musso
          Produced by Material
          Mastered at Masterdisk NYC by Howie Weinberg
          Business Administration : Martin Thau
          A & R Coordination : Robert Soares
Nona Hendryx : lead vocals (1,9), background vocals (1,4); B.J. Nelson : background vocals (1,4,6), lead vocals (6); Nicky Skopelitis : guitar (1,6), voice (8); J.T. Lewis : drums (1,3,6); Michael Beinhorn : synthesizers; Bill Laswell : basses; R. Bernard Fowler : lead and background vocals (2,5); Nile Rogers : guitar (2,5); Raymond Jones : Yamaha CP-70B Electronic Piano (2,7); Daniel Ponce : bongos (2,8); Tony Thompson : drums (2,5,8); Fred Frith : guitar (3); Nicky Marrero : percussion (3,6); Noris Night : lead vocals (4); Ronnie Drayton : guitar (4,6,9); Yogi Horton : drums (4,7); Oliver Lake : tenor and alto saxophone (5); Whitney Houston : lead vocals (7); Archie Shepp : tenor saxophone (7); Thi-Linh Le : voice (8); Jean Karakos : voice (8); Fred Maher : drums (9).

          1982  -  Elektra,  60206-1  (Vinyl)
          1983  -  Celluloid (France), CEL 6633  (Vinyl)
          198?  -  Celluloid (USA),  CELNY5504  (CD)
          1992  -  Metronome/Restless Records (USA),  7 72654-2  (CD)
          1992  -  MauMau Records, MAUCD624 (CD)
          1997  -  Movie Play Gold,  MPG 74047  (CD)
Note : Only the CD versions contain track 9.

REVIEWS :

One Down marked a distinct shift in sound for Material, the avant-garde downtown pickup group organized around bassist Bill Laswell and keyboardist Michael Beinhorn. The edgy experimentalism that characterized earlier efforts like Temporary Music and Memory Serves is downplayed here in favor of funk and disco tunes delivered with a minimum of weirdness. Sure, it sounds dated but that doesn't make it less attractive. Laswell is a master of funk bass, and with guests like drummer Yogi Horton, guitarist Nile Rodgers and singers Nona Hendryx and Whitney Houston (just before she became a superstar on her own), he didn't really have much chance to go wrong. Highlights include"Take a Chance" and the strutting "I'm the One"; if you want something a little more challenging, check out Archie Shepp's squalling sax solo on the Houston vehicle "Memories." This is straight-ahead turn-of-the-80s funk at its old-fashioned best from the folks you'd have least suspected of harboring such sympathies.

Rick Anderson (courtesy of the All Music Guide by way of the Get Music website)