First Circle
were among the one-album wonders of '80s R&B; 1987's
Boys' Night Out
was their first album as well as their last. But had it not been for an unavoidable name change, it's quite possible that
would have become much better known. Formed in 1977, the Brooklyn residents were originally called
Crossbow
but had changed their name to
Full Circle
by the time
EMI
released their catchy single "Workin' Up a Sweat" in late 1986. But that name change wasn't the problem; it was the one that came after that. "Workin' Up a Sweat" was climbing the R&B charts when they learned that there was a Boston-based jazz group that also had the name
; so for legal reasons,
became
(which was also the name of an album by jazz guitarist
Pat Metheny
). The single was re-released with the group's new name, and they were going by
was released in 1987. But unfortunately for the former
/former
, the second name change caused a lot of confusion at radio and retail; as a result,
was a commercial disappointment. But from a creative standpoint, this isn't a bad album at all. Produced by
Randy Muller
(who was known for leading
Brass Construction
and producing
Skyy
),
could be described as an appealing combination of
,
Chic
, and
Change
; there are elements of all three in
's sound, and grooves like "Get Off It," "In the Name of Love," and "Miracle Worker" (all of which
Muller
either wrote or co-wrote) sound like they could have been written in the early '80s.
's production, however, is decidedly high-tech, so even though the songs themselves might brings to mind 1981-1982, the production is more typical of 1986 and 1987. For many years,
was out of print. But in 2011 it was reissued as a 64-minute CD by
Funky Town Grooves
(which added four remixes as bonus tracks).
isn't an exceptional album, but it's definitely a good, enjoyable album and deserved more exposure than it received back in 1987. ~ Alex Henderson