Pleasure

Pleasure (U.S. Band)



Pleasure was an Portland, Oregon, Oregon band that blended soul, funk and jazz with a tough street edge and became a cult group on the underground black music scene of the late 70's. They are perhaps best-known for their 1979 hit, "Glide.
Pleasure were a very versatile band. Their music can best be described as a fusion of jazz and rock, soul, funk and R&B. Very distinctive, funky and definitely danceable.
The group disbanded in the early 1980's.
Pleasure was formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1972 as a merger of two Portland outfits: Franchise and The Soul Masters which included guitarist Marlon "The Magician" McClain, bassist Nathaniel Phillips, and drummer Bruce Carter, keyboardist Donald Hepburn, saxophonist Dennis Springer, trombonist Dan Brewster and lead singer Sherman Davis. In 1974 The Crusaders's Wayne Henderson saw them performing in a Portland club. Impressed with what he heard, his enthusiasm led them to a deal with Fantasy Records. This was the beginning of a six year relationship with the label and a four year relationship with Wayne Henderson who through his own production company "At Home Productions", was the band's producer and mentor. Along the way, members of the band did session work with artists like Side Effect, Gabor Szabo, Ronnie Laws and Willie Bobo to name a few. In 1979, Pleasure would have their best success with the Top Ten R&B hit "Glide" By 1982 after a one off album for RCA the band called it quits.

Origin: Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Genres: R&B, Funk, Soul, Jazz
Years active: 1972–1982
Labels: Fantasy Records, RCA Records
Associated acts: Wayne Henderson

Past members
Marlon McClain
Sherman Davis
Donald Hepburn
Dennis Springer
Nathaniel Phillips
Dan Brewster
Bruce Carter (deceased)
Michael Hepburn
Tony Collins
Doug Lewis





Pleasure - Dust Yourself Off (1975)



Dust Yourself Off is the debut album by Portland, Oregon-based R&B group Pleasure. Released in 1975. Produced by Jazz legend Wayne Henderson of the The Crusaders.
Fantastic jazz funk by one of the best bands in the genre!


mp3 | 320 kbps | 92 MB


1. Dust Yourself Off - (Donald Hepburn) 3:50
2. Reality - (Marlon McClain) 5:00
3. My Love - (Marlon McClain) 4:02
4. Midnight At The Oasis - (David Nichtern) 3:26
5. Music Is My Life - (Marlon McClain) 4:10
6. Plastic People - (Marlon McClain) 3:58
7. What Is Slick - (Dan Brewster) 5:10
8. Straight Ahead - (Marlon McClain) 5:32

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Pleasure - Accept No Substitutes (1976)



Back in the 70s, AOR radio and soul radio were two very different formats, and not just because one played rock and the other played R&B. "AOR" stood for album-oriented rock, which was an accurate name because that format was, in fact, album-oriented; at AOR, album tracks that were never released as singles could be candidates for heavy rotation. Soul radio, however, was much more singles-oriented, an established soul radio DJ could play some album tracks here and there, but singles were the primary focus. And that wasn't good news for Pleasure, who were more of an album act than a singles act. Pleasure recorded great albums, but for the most part, they didn't have the type of singles that drove program directors wild. Accept No Substitutes, Pleasure's second album, is a perfect example of a record that is excellent but, as a rule, didn't blow program directors away. The funk gem Let's Dance had the makings of a radio hit, although radio didn't really take notice until the West Street Mob covered it in 1981. At any rate, Pleasure's relatively small group of hardcore fans loved this record. They loved the jazz-tinged funk of Pleasure for Your Pleasure and I'm Mad; they loved the mellow, laid-back quiet storm outlook of The Love of My Life. Accept No Substitutes did contain one charting single: the hypnotic Ghettoes of the Mind, which wasn't a huge smash but did become a minor hit and was a favorite at Pleasure's live gigs. Had '70s soul radio been as album-minded a medium as AOR radio, this Wayne Henderson-produced LP might have enjoyed heavy rotation. But in a medium that worshipped singles, Accept No Substitutes was fighting an uphill battle. Regardless, most Pleasure fans think of this LP as a highly respectable sophomore outing.


mp3 | 320 kbps | 85 MB


1. Let's Dance
2. I'm Mad
3. Pleasure For Your Pleasure
4. We Have So Much
5. Jammin' With Pleasure
6. Ghettos Of The Mind
7. The Love Of My Life
8. Theme For The Moonchild
9. 2 For 1

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Pleasure - Joyous (1977)



The 1970s saw a plethora of great funk and jazz albums that for somewhat mystifying reasons have failed to be reissued. Sitting at home one night it occurred to me that we had better get a move on and get them out. With this in mind we are launching BGP Funk and Soul Classics: long out-of-print albums on CD featuring the very best mastering, great packaging and some nifty sleeve notes to let you know where the album fits into the scheme of things. Our first batch of releases come from the extensive catalogue of Fantasy Records and feature a host of albums that are sought after by collectors the world over.

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, this eight piece jazz funk outfit should have been the next in line for multi-platinum success after Earth, Wind & Fire and Kool & The Gang. It seems unfair that they didn't make a big impact on the charts, because over six albums recorded for Fantasy Records they mixed jazz and funk to perfection. Their legacy really is something special.

Their very finest LP is Joyous, whose title track has been an instant and ongoing club classic since it was first issued, but marvelous instrumental grooves, stoned freak outs and an amazing slice of dance soul in Let Me Be The One.


mp3 | 320 kbps | 93 MB


1. Joyous
2. Let Me Be The One
3. Only You
4. Can't Turn You Loose
5. Sassafras Girl
6. Tune In
7. Dance To The Music
8. Selim

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Pleasure - Get To The Feeling (1978)




mp3 | 320 kbps | 78 MB


1. Celebrate The Good Things
2. Foxy Lady
3. Ladies’ Night Out
4. Happiness
5. Get To The Feeling
6. Farewell, Goodbye
7. Your Love Means Life (Memories)
8. Thanks For Everything
9. No Matter What

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Pleasure - Future Now (1979)



A wonderful album from Pleasure, one of the few jazz funk bands who actually seemed to get better and better the more they recorded! Unlike some of their contemporaries, who kind of lost their edge when the production got slicker, Pleasure actually picked up more of a beat, and tightened up their act in a way that made for some of the funkiest and most soulful moments of their career. You can hear that well on the cut Space is the Place, which has great funky drums on the intro; on the mellow Thoughts of Old Flames, a real stunner with a great moody feel; and the classic Glide, a great dancefloor groover that still stands up well!


mp3 | 320 kbps | 94 MB

Artists:
Marlon McClain: Electric and acoustic guitar and background vocals.
Sherman Davis: Lead and background vocals.
Bruce Carter: Drums.
Donald Hepburn: Keyboards and background vocals.
Nathaniel Phillips: Electric bass and background vocals.
Bruce Smith : Percussion and background vocals.
Dennis Springer: Soprano and tenor sax.
Dan Brewster: Trombone and background vocals.


A1 Departure (0:44)
A2 Future Now (5:34)
A3 Universal (3:17)
A4 Space is The Place (4:10)
A5 Strong Love (4:42)
B1 The Real Thing (5:40)
B2 Nothin’ To It (4:07)
B3 Thoughts Of Old Flames (4:11)
B4 Glide (6:24)
B5 Dedication To The Past (0:38)

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Pleasure - Special Things (1980)




mp3 | 320 kbps | 72 MB


1. Now You Choose Me
2. Special Things
3. Yearnin' Burnin'
4. Law Of The Raw
5. Take A Chance
6. Living Without You
7. Spread That Feeling (All Around)
8. You Are My Star

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Pleasure - Give It Up (1982)





Pleasure:
Bruce Carter - Drums, percussion
Sherman Davis - Vocals
Randy Hall - Lead vocals
Donald Hepburn - Keyboards, vocals
Michael Hepburn - Keyboards, lead vocals
Douglas Lewis - Guitars
Nathaniel Phillips - Bass, vocals


mp3 | 320 kbps | 94 MB


1. Beginnings (Instrumental) (1:06)
2. Give It Up (4:54)
3. Sending My Love (5:26)
4. What's It Gonna Be (4:40)
5. Take It To The Streets (4:08)
6. Sassy Baby (5:12)
7. It's So Hard (5:03)
8. Carolyn (Instrumental) (1:14)
9. All The Way (4:01)
10. Stone Love (Instrumental) (3:01)

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