In 2010, Great Britain's
BGO
imprint began re-releasing
Stanley Clarke'
s
CBS
recordings, which include the three records he made with
George Duke
as the
Clarke/Duke Project
between 1981 and 1990. To listen to this double disc is to hear an aural portrait of the fusion scene as it really met and and melded with adult contemporary and '80s R&B. The first album issued in 1981 included drummer
John Robinson
(
Rufus
) and some guests, and both men on vocals. The first set netted them a crossover hit single in
"Sweet Baby,"
an unlikely midtempo groove ballad. (It hit number 19 on the pop chart and number six at R&B.) The sheer imagination on the first
record is startling in its reach, from the accessible melodic fusion of its opener
"Wild Dog"
and its funk cover of
"Louie Louie"
(that, criminally, never made it onto any of the various-artists collections that showcased the legendary
Richard Berry
tune), to the
P-Funk
-drenched
"Let's Get Started"
to the '80s soul ballad
"Touch and Go."
The second
C/DP
set was issued in 1983, and from its opener,
"Put It on the Line,"
it showcased the degree that drum machines began to dominate rock, soul, and pop. The trio was also joined by renowned session players and guest vocalists
Jeffrey Osborne
and
Howard Hewett
Shalamar
), and
Lynn Davis
. It reflected more than anything the kinds of productions
Duke
was doing for other artists at the time. It also reveals the attempts at pop songwriting both men were doing at the time -- clearly they enjoyed being on the charts. That said, it's musically consistent despite its production excesses. The third
album released in 1990 was as slick as its predecessor.
Dennis Chambers
replaced
Robinson
on the drum kit, and
Osborne
Hewett
returned from the previous outing. Rappers
Above the Law
appear on
"No Place to Hide,"
which also features a stellar sung lead vocal from a teenage
Rahsaan Patterson
.
Wayne Shorter
Joe Henderson
make guest appearances on
"Find Out Who You Are."
On the album's best-remembered track, a cover of
George Clinton
's
"Mothership Connection,"
Kirk Whalum
George Bohannon
appear. There isn't any bonus material included, but the remastering is excellent and there is an historical liner essay by
John O'Regan
. ~ Thom Jurek