Colonel Abrams is totally rocking my ass right now

I picked up a copy of the self titled album for a couple bucks last time I was back home. I took a gamble on it because it was cheap and it was in good shape. It never really caught my attention and I have only listened to it a handful of times. Trapped was the best thing on it from what I remember.

Abrams was one of the first Chicago dudes to go major label and release an album. His stuff was relatively tame and commercial compared to what was going on in the 12" underground scene at the time.

If you find the stuff cheap it is worth picking up just to have it around.

Did he go on to do anything interesting later in his career. He is one of those guys who was around, but he doesn't have the cult status of Jamie Principle, Liz Torres or Byron Stingily.

That's all well and good but wouldn't you rather discuss Phish?

Actually, his cred is in the pre-House scene. His big records were coming out in 84, 85, before there was even a 12" underground scene. He paved the way for Jamie Principle and the rest.

really, what should I look for?

Looking at his discogs entry, it seems like he did on before the album was a single for Streetwise in 84. Everything else dropped in 85, which would put his album parallel with Waiting For My Angel, Le Noiz, and there were the Jes Say records coming out in 83.

Does Colonel Abrams have underground hits before that one record? What was his backstory?

that should read:

it seems like the only thing he did before the album...

"Music Is The Answer"

he is not from Chicago that I am aware.

Actually, his cred is in the pre-House scene. His big records were coming out in 84, 85, before there was even a 12" underground scene.

This was actually arguably its heyday, this statement makes no sense to me.

Don't know what is on the best of. "Trapped" is pretty cool, I guess. He was but one spoil in the strongarm MCA/mob takeover of the StreetWise label that was mainly aimed at snatching up New Edition.

Colonel was his real name and he was very big, you guessed it, at the Paradise Garage. I once saw him there. He was due on at 5 AM so I set my alarm and turned up right as he hit the stage. I have seen him 3x actually! xpost

Glad someone still cares.

Other then the first Jesse Saunders, what House records were coming out in 84? Jamie Principle had a release or two in 85, says discogs, but Your Love didn't come out untill 1986. 86 seems to be year zero. I see on discogs more releases came out in 85 then I thought, whoops, just read Display Names post above. Anyway, I always read about Colonel Abrams as being a more mainstream artist of the pre-house period who's records had the minimalism of early house music. Maybe they were simultaneus but he had more exposure.

I'm trapped! Like a man in a cage! Feel so confused! So depressed! Hey!

Love this track, only know it as a random UK chart hit (reached no. 3). Boc remix eh? Sounds intriguing.

As for the lyrics, was this from the "young girl get out of my mind" school? Why else were her folks gonna turn him over to the hands of the law?

Boc remix eh? Sounds intriguing.

I dunno, actually- did a bit of Discogs research and p2p searching to get my hands on it and refresh my memory (lost my copy in a hard drive crash a few years ago), and it's not what I remembered. The version I ended up getting from Soulseek was undoubtedly the real mccoy, from SKAM's MASK200 release, and is definitely BOC (those vintage synths are everywhere, along with the itchy-scratchy IDM beats they sometimes favored in their earlier days), but it's not what I used to have. I'm starting to think that my old copy must've been pitched down, or someone faking it to fool the IDM boards, or something. Much slower, lots of evil-sounding "Sex Dwarf"-like keyboard stabbin', the vocal track dragged out into this oily leer... Fuck it, I'm going to get into Audacity and play around, see if someone was just playing the original at 33, because it sounded fucking great.

If anyone wants it I can rapidshare or YSI or whatever the Hell Interface mix, be warned it's a bit of a letdown.

i have the "You And Me Equals Us" album from 87 and i like parts of it enough. lots of wooooo woooo vocals.

i started some Gay Diva Dude Early House thread after i got that album, but since search is retarded, it's lost

listening to the album now and actually, lots of it's terrible slow jams

MCA, as expected, ruined him.

I forgot, you need to hear "Speculation" (MCA 12" 23670), which I believe was in the can though before MCA got him, is more on the order of the Boyd Jarvis/Timmy Regisford standards of 1983's Visual ("The Music Got Me", "Somehow, Someway" etc), which I believe Colonel had the vocals on if I remember correctly.

http://i16.tinypic.com/689fpms.jpg

Other than the obvious Saxby fakery, this is from my collection...

oops, look above the photo for some actual information...

re: BoC mixes - there are two versions, the itchy-scratchy Hell Interface version, plus a slowed-down vocal version that was on a tape they did years ago called "a few old tunes". both are worth tracking down imo.

http://fredd-e.narfum.org/boc/discog/#afewoldtunes

Woo! Thanks, I must've had the "A Few Old Tunes" version. Firing up soulseek now.

Yes! The "A Few Old Tunes" version is what I had such fond memories of. Thought I remembered the vocals being a bit lower, but hell, it's still great.

I vaguely remember in the British dance press at the time that "Trapped" was looked on as the first "house"-type track to cross over into the dance charts and then pop chart. That must have been late 1985 then it was a few more months before Farley Jackmaster Funk "Love Can't Turn Around" was a hit and then before that had faded away you had Jack Your Body Jack the Groove (late 1986 early 1987)and all the other pre-Acid House house scene hits.
I think the last Streetsounds compilations had Colonel Abrams on which also links it back to being played on the whole pre-house British soul/funk scene.

yes, because nothing exists until the British press discovers it.

I just picked up the Music Is The Answer 12" for a fiver this afternoon. It is a pretty cool record, especially the b-side dub. I am really loving the clap on this record. Was this record the prototype for the early Jack 808 clap patterns, or were there other records preceding this that used the same rhythm?

Saxby is absolutely right, MCA ruined him completely.

Also, what were his performances like? Was he playing with a full band, how long were his sets, and what did his other material sound like?

I am glad this thread happened, I never would have looked any further into his discography.

he did "track dates", like 4-5 tracks. He used to do "Leave The Message Behind The Door", which was the ballad on the b-side of "Music Is The Answer". It was kind of a popular track locally and obviously formed the basis of what MCA did with him. I have seen him do one of the Visual tracks before, I forget which one...

I think he was already doing "Speculation" by then, which as I say upthread is the only MCA thing REALLY worth getting.

http://www.bestweekever.tv/2009-09-21/found-in-the-trash-colonel-abrams-the-most-fabulous-artist-of-the-1980s/

There s a performance of trapped on top of the pops that occasionally gets played out.

the guy had style by the mile.

Trapped - this is amazing, why hadn't I heard this before? I want more stuff in this kind of style - pre-house post-electro funkin stuff please!

you need to hunt out the post-disco pre-house thread, you're in for a treat.

needs noting on this thread that SAW nicked the bassline from trapped for 'never gonna give you up'

The History of the House Sound of Chicago box kicks off with Trapped, and the first two CDs of the 15 disc set are all in that kind of vein, altho the line between Electro, post-Electro and pre-House is pretty thin and nebulous imo.

add a bit of latin freestyle into the mix too, for extra shiney pop points

R.I.P.

RIP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZCh8v4OQmU

Oh man, both Prince and Colonel Abrams, this year sucks!

It sounds like he had a really rough time of it in the last few years, homeless and suffering from diabetes. Very sad.

Nothing to add to the above posts, Trapped is indeed one of the best singles of the 1980s. Strange he never had another big hit.

RIP.

This is an old favourite

https://youtu.be/0Ro_352U0NE

youtu.be/0Ro_352U0NE

Jeez. It's Bad Timing anyway

And I somehow only just discovered this. It's amazing

https://youtu.be/VD64ygz7uzM

^^Victor Simonelli remix of I'm Not Gonna Let