Review: “All In A Night’s Work” by KC & The Sunshine Band (Vinyl, 1982)

Today’s POP RESCUE from a fate uncertain, is the 1982 9th album All In A Night’s Work by American disco group KC & The Sunshine Band. Will this album be a glimmer of light, or will you want to Give It Up quickly? Read on…

KC & The Sunshine Band – All In A Night’s Work (1982) album

Side One of this 10 track LP bursts open with the brass stabs, a wonderful fat bass line, and percussion from the second and final UK single (You Said) You’d Gimme Some More. Harry Wayne Casey (the ‘KC‘) cuts through this wonderful sound with vocals that remind me a little of a combination of Mick Hucknall (Simply Red) and Rod Stewart, as they deliver the lyrics with ease and occasional rasp. The synths, brass, and backing vocals, help to keep this song lifted high and the bass and beats keep it running along. This album version is long, but it flows effortlessly, and is pretty damn catchy. Unfortunately, the track stalled in the UK singles chart at #41.

Next it’s Party With Your Body and it effortlessly slides into my ears with a funky clap-along track. There’s plenty more wonderful backing vocals here that really help, and this time KC takes a more mellow tone. It’s a nice track.

The intro to Give It Up is instantly recognisable – with the synths, guitars, and brass ensuring that this track is a wonderful example of disco funk. It is glorious, and dances around lightly which resulted in it giving the group a UK #1 hit single in the summer of 1983 when released as the lead UK single. The wonderfully catchy ‘n-n-n-n-n-now’ chorus makes the track stand out in the crowd and fuelled by great backing vocals, it’s perfect.

Side One closes with Don’t Run (Come Back To Me) a duet with Teri DeSario. This is a much softer song, and gone are the funky sounds of earlier tracks. KC and Teri sound quite soft and lost in the track for the first verse, but after a perhaps too-brief saxophone solo, the pair seem to up their energy and show off their tender vocals well. This track was the second single for the US, but didn’t see a release in the UK.

You’re Going Out Of Your Mind opens Side Two and the tempo has returned along with more brass stabs and racing synths. The vocals here are stronger and they sit well against the nice warm bass. It’s quite a simple track though, and it doesn’t match the energy of the side one opener.

That’s followed by On The One which begins with some wonderful percussion and hand claps with, yes, more brass. The track is a pretty funky number even though the song feels quite small – it doesn’t particularly evolve much but it does sound really nice and totally loved up.

Next up is It’s Too Hard To Say Goodbye which allows KC plenty of space to show off his vocals. It is carried by a simple beat and bass, but sadly the song again doesn’t really evolve very much, so is simply a nice song to showcase KC’s voice.

There’s a somewhat dramatic climb at the start of Do It before a burst of brass signals the arrival of beats and bass. Again, it’s a really funky track with some more wonderful backing vocals. The chorus is really quite simple, but its simplicity works well and results in the track sounding pretty catchy and memorable. There’s a nice drop-out towards the end, leaving the vocals to take charge to the fade.

When You Dance To The Music follows that and it feels like it’s definitely a plunge into disco again. The song sounds like a really nice bouncy little disco pop number – quite light and fun. There’s also a lot of really wonderful percussion going on here, and that really helps to keep the sound bright and enjoyable.

The album closes with Are You Feeling Like Me, and once again a side closes with a slow track. This time, KC is alone other than swooping strings and a piano companion. It’s a really nice contrast to earlier tracks, and this allows KC another chance to showcase his vocal range and power before the track inevitably fades away.

KC & The Sunshine Band’s lead single ‘Give It Up’.

Verdict

Over all this album has some pretty funky and catchy sounds, but also a mediocre side.

The first side, consisting only of 4 tracks, really works well. Yes, there is variation in these, with Don’t Run being the weakest here, but (You Said) You’d Gimme Some More and Give It Up being two incredibly catchy highlights from the entire album. Do It and When You Dance To The Music are also great songs too from the second side, and these four songs stand out well.

The album doesn’t have any bad songs, just a few middle-of-the-road ones – mostly where they don’t particularly evolve, but do at least sustain a nice sound throughout. Don’t Run (Come Back To Me) – the duet with Teri DeSario is unfortunately the weakest song here despite the contrasting input.

The album is definitely something worth hearing if you’re a fan of Give It Up, or of funky disco songs, but if you’re looking for non-stop 80’s pop, then this won’t quite be for you.