The Stylistics is an American group formed in 1968 and originally comprised of Russell Thompkins, Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith and James Dunn. A group which is in truth the result of the merger of 2 other groups : The Percussions and The Monarchs.
Group which released a first Single “You’re a big girl now” three years later in 1971, a title which gave them their first success. Title taken from the first album of the group "The Stylistics" which also came out the same year and which will produce two other titles and not the least with the enormous "You are everything" still in 1971 but also, and above all, "Betcha by golly , wow” in 1972. Title which will give them their first global mega hit, no less !
Success amplified on the Old Continent the following year in 1972 when the album “Round 2” was released but not in the United States paradoxically. Album which will produce two new mega global hits with the titles “I’m stone in love with you” still the same year as well as “Break up to make up” which will be released a year later in 1973.
At the rate of one album per year it was the turn of "Rockin' roll baby" to be released in 1973, an album with less success than its predecessor but which still came out with flying colors with the production of the Single from same name.
A slight air hole which will not last very long because the album “Let's put it all together” which will be released the following year in 1974 will be a real global hit and remains to this day the highest ranked album of all. Huge album which will produce the enormous title “You make me feel brand new”, a title which will remain as the highest ranked in their entire Singles discography.
An exceptional year in 1974 in all respects since they managed to release a second album the same year with "Heavy", an album with less success but which still managed to produce the top hit "Star on a TV show".
They will repeat the feat of releasing two new albums the following year in 1975, namely “Thank you bay” and “You are beautiful”. the first will produce the mega hit “Can’t give you anything (But my love)” and the second the top hit “Funky weekend”.
A performance that they will never be able to reproduce again and all the albums and Singles that will be released subsequently will only experience a limited level of success...
To discover or rediscover.
Discography (among others…) :
You’re a big girl now 1971
Stop, look, listen (To your heart) 1971
You are everything 1971
Betcha by Golly, wow 1972
People make the world go round 1972
I’m stone in love with you 1972
Break up to make up 1973
You’ll never get to heaven (If you break my heart) 1973
Peek-a-boo 1973
Rockin’ roll baby 1973
You make me feel brand new 1974
Let’s put it all together 1974
Heavy fallin’ out 1974
Star on a TV show 1975
Hey girl, comme and get it 1975
Thank you baby 1975
Sing baby sing 1975
Can’t give you anything (But my love) 1975
Na-na is the saddest word 1975
Funky weekend 1975
You are beautiful 1976
Can't help falling in love 1976
Because I love you, girl 1976
Sixteen bars 1976
Shame and scandal in the family 1977
$7000 and you 1977
I'm coming home 1977
First impressions 1978
Love at first sight 1979
Hurry up this way again 1980
And I’ll see you no more 1981
Driving me wild 1981
What's your name 1981
Give a little love 1984
Some things never change 1985
Love is not the answer 1985
Special 1986
Let’s go rockin’ (Tonight) 1986
Love talk 1991
Always on my mind 1992
This Christmas 1992
God rest ye merry gentlemen 1992
She's all that 1996
Right face, wrong wind 1996
Go 1996
Born to step together 2008
Clips :
1971...a first success directly which ideally positioned the group for the rest of the events. To be continued...
1971...from their beginnings their know-how in the 'emotional' register is more than evident. We therefore imagine that they will excel in this particular area...
1971...third title and first global top hit, what more could you ask for ? That's what we call a dazzling career start...
1972...we are no longer even talking about a top hit but a global mega hit. In just one year, the group has undoubtedly become one of the phenomena of the moment...
1972...this one will experience a level of success a notch lower but no worries to see at this stage, everything is under control...
1972...the proof with this new title which sends them straight to the front of the race. The opposite would have been frankly surprising...
1973...a year 1973 which starts again on the same bases as the year 1972, that is to say. The group literally walks on water and all the titles that come out end up at the top of the Charts...
1973...there is always a title that works a little less than the others but the 'less' with them is very relative. A lot of bands would be more than satisfied with this 'less'...
1973...a title that will go almost completely unnoticed, and yes, it still happens to them. But given the level of productivity of the group, not all titles can finish No.1 in the Charts...
1973...a new mega hit which shows once again that the group is on a dynamic of success that is mind-blowing to say the least...
1974...which will undoubtedly remain one of their biggest titles if not the biggest. Here they deliver a marvel of finesse and lightness which gives them, after only 4 years, their direct ticket to posterity. MA-GIC !
1974...for the moment everything is going perfectly and the group strings together mega hits like others string pearls...
1974...the 'small' hit of the year, there has to be one. But given what is still on the horizon, there is no need to worry about them again...
1975...we start the year 1975 with a new top hit which reminds the competition that the group has no intention for the moment of coming down from its little cloud...
1975...they still have time to speed up the tempo which allows them to vary the pleasures a little. But often it doesn't bring them more than that surprisingly...
1975...it is really in the Intimist domain that they excel to the highest point and it is inevitably this domain which will bring them most of their mega hits...
1975...but we appreciate that they are venturing into registers that are somewhat different from their usual core target...
1975...the exception that makes the rule. While they won most of their mega hits in the 'emotional' register, they still managed to win a prestigious star in Dance. HU-GE !
1975...difficult for this title to compete with the enormous previous title, hence its success, to say the least, limited. But there is success nonetheless...
1975...a year 1975 which will undoubtedly remain as their benchmark vintage with an impressive succession of very, very high caliber titles. What talent !
1976...it now remains to be seen whether the second part of the 1970s will be as favorable to them. Only the future can answer this question...
1976...here they revisit one of the King's flagship titles, a title dating from 1961. A nice copy but which will be far from equaling the original, especially in the Dance version...
1976...a second part of the decade which saw the group slide in the Charts in a violent way to say the least. It had to happen one day...
1976...the musical world is evolving around them but they don't really take it into account. A strategic error that they will pay a high price for...
1977...here they revisit the title of Sir Lancelot dating from 1943 and once again their version will be far from unworthy. But without more...
1977...the decline in the Charts accelerates more and more and the group is only a shadow of himself. Hard law of the trade...
1977...the group remains too focused on its Intimist fundamentals and therefore misses the Disco turn. An error that will weigh heavily on the rest of their careers...
1978...the competition is now light years ahead and the group has fallen behind at a speed that is impressive to say the least...
1979...free fall in terms of productivity, free fall in terms of success in the Charts, all the lights are turning orange...
1980...that's not going to stop them from trying to move into the 80s. The only problem is that they continue in the same register...
1981...they will try everything during this year 1981 but as they do not intend to evolve in terms of sound, there will be no miracle in the Charts...
1981...they will still try to speed up the pace but the delay with the competition is such that they will never be able to get back into the race...
1981... it's a shame that they realized so late that they were falling behind with the competition. Because things could have been very different...
1984... full reverse and return to 'emotional' register mode. Yet another comeback which is not going to be very successful for them once again...
1985...the years pass and nothing changes. An inaction which penalizes them to the highest degree and which is unlikely to improve the situation in the Charts...
1985...they still realize that it might be time to evolve. But as every time they are a metro late, the semblance of evolution falls flat...
1986...as if by chance, as soon as they accelerate the tempo, success is back. As if it really didn't take much to reverse the trend concerning them...
1986...a year 1986 which will remain as their best year of the decade. There won't be any more like this unfortunately...
1991...they are going to try to move into the 90s but it is clear that they are now more of an extra than anything else...
1992...they decide to revisit Gwen McCrae's title from 1972 here. Once again their version will be nice but nothing more...
1992...when nothing is going well we try the good old Christmas special album. Nice try but as very often the result will hardly change the situation...
1992...afterwards it was the core fans who rejoiced with each new opus and whatever the style of the latter...
1996...nothing stops them, in any case here they are again 4 years later with the firm intention of not giving up. A desire to believe in it until the end which undoubtedly commands respect...
1996...a new opus of certain quality but which will go unnoticed to say the least. They will have at least tried and just for that respect...
1996...it now remains to be seen whether they will still have the courage to come back afterwards. Because at a given moment doing nothing but figurative work ends up being extremely tiring...
2008...we would have thought that we would never see them again but it was a bad idea to know them because here they are back almost 12 years later...
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