Brothers Johnson

Look Out For #1 is the debut album by the Los Angeles, California-based duo Brothers Johnson released in 1976. The album reached number one on the R&B albums chart and number three on the jazz albums chart in the United States.

Going back to 1987's Classics, Vol. 11, there has been a handful of decent single-disc Brothers Johnson anthologies. Through 2012, the group still lacked a double-disc compilation to do proper justice to its catalog. A couple minor issues aside, Stomp: The Best of the Brothers Johnson – released through Universal U.K.'s Spectrum division in 2013 – is an ideal overview. The discs are filled to near capacity, and all but one of the Brothers Johnson's charting R&B singles (the minor hit "Dancin' Free") are included. So, all the hit essentials – including the number ones "I'll Be Good to You," "Strawberry Letter 23," and "Stomp!" – are here, as are some excellent album cuts, such as the low-key sweet soul gem "Closer to the One That You Love." There's still some greatness that remains bound to the albums; "Caught Up" and "In the Way," from Winners, surpass some of the other album cuts here, but neither one is included.

Guitarist/vocalist George Johnson and bassist/vocalist Louis Johnson formed the band Johnson Three Plus One with older brother Tommy and their cousin Alex Weir while attending school in Los Angeles. When they became professionals, the band backed such touring R&B acts as Bobby Womack and the Supremes. George and Louis Johnson later joined Billy Preston's band, and wrote "Music in My Life" and "The Kids and Me" for him before leaving his group in 1973.

Light Up the Night marked the end of an era for the Brothers Johnson – it was the last of four albums that Quincy Jones produced for the Los Angeles siblings, and it was the last time a Brothers Johnson album was truly excellent instead of merely decent. When Jones was producing the Brothers Johnson's albums from 1976-1980, he gave them something their subsequent albums lacked – consistency. Even though George and Lewis Johnson recorded some decent material after Light Up the Night, none of their post-Jones albums had the type of consistency that Jones gives this 1980 release. The album gets off to an impressive start with the major hit "Stomp!" (a definitive example of the smooth, sleek brand of funk that was termed sophisticated funk in the late '70s and early '80s), and the tracks that follow are equally memorable. From the sleek sophisti-funk of "You Make Me Wanna Wiggle," "This Had to Be" (which was co-written by Michael Jackson and employs him as a background vocalist), and the title song to the tender R&B/pop ballads "Treasure" and "All About the Heaven," Light Up the Night is without a dull moment.

In the late '70s and early '80s, funk could be divided into two main categories: hardcore funk (which included Rick James, Graham Central Station, Cameo, the Gap Band, the Bar-Kays, and George Clinton's Parliament/Funkadelic empire) and the lighter, softer sophisticated funk ("sophisti-funk" for short) of Rufus & Chaka Khan, the Average White Band, the Whispers, Heatwave, Chic, Dynasty, and Teena Marie. Before the arrival of J.T. Taylor in 1979, Kool & the Gang were the epitome of hardcore funk – and once he arrived, they epitomized sophisti-funk (which was also called "uptown funk"). Another group that epitomized sophisti-funk was the Brothers Johnson, whose third album, Blam!!, demonstrates that funk can be sleek and gritty at the same time. This 1978 classic is full of definitive examples of sophisti-funk; if you're a lover of that style, tracks like "Ain't We Funkin' Now" (a major hit), "Mista' Cool," "Ride-O-Rocket," and the title song are required listening. Equally strong are the mellow ballad "It's You, Girl" and the pop-jazz instrumental "Streetwave," both of which were well-received by quiet storm enthusiasts. The person the Brothers Johnson can thank for this album being so consistent is producer Quincy Jones, who really knew how to bring out the best in the group.

Goldenlane's CD release of Strawberry Letter 23: Live documents a special live performance by the Brothers Johnson. The Brothers performed live at radio station KBLX's Stone Soul Picnic in Oakland, CA, on Memorial Day 2003, and that's the performance documented here, While the Brothers are long past their prime here, it's nice to have this special performance documented, especially for longtime fans hungry for additional material. This particular performance is most noteworthy for its covers: a pair of Sly & the Family Stone classics ("Family Affair," "If You Want Me to Stay") and Cameo's "Word Up." Overall, this is a nice addition to the Brothers Johnson catalog, even if it's far from essential.