Brothers Johnson
The Brothers Johnson were proof of concept for Quincy Jones. At least that’s my take on their career and success. Keep reading to find out why!
Brothers George (guitar) and Louis (bass) Johnson were at the forefront of blending jazz fusion, R&B, funk, and pop in the mid-1970s. Many other R&B stars of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s followed in their creative wake: Michael Jackson, George Benson, George Duke, Rufus & Chaka Khan, etc.
Although the Brothers Johnson were at the spear’s tip of this musical movement I wouldn’t categorize them as innovators. They just knew how to blend styles and play that mixture well; and had the good fortune of being ahead of the curve.
Their breakthrough came on Jones’s 1975 album Mellow Madness. They wrote three songs for the Jones LP that all sound very much like the material they’d cut over the next five years or so on their own albums. Best of the bunch was the delightfully sedate “Is It Love That We’re Missin’”, which set the template for their mega-pop singles.
“Trying to Find Out About You” was a largely instrumental funk track focusing on Louis’s bass work. “Just A Little Taste Of Me” spliced the style of the other two tracks, but it’s important to note the Brothers Johnson’s brand of funk wouldn’t be considered in the realm of “hard” funk like James Brown or Funkadelic. There was always an atmospheric chill with the Johnsons that sprung from their pseudo-jazz proclivities.
Importantly, Quincy Jones (no stranger to pseudo-jazz) remained a big influence on the duo for the next half-decade—and they influenced him too, playing on albums Q produced for himself and other artists. If you take a listen, you’ll notice the work Jones did before hooking up with the Brothers Johnson wasn’t particularly pop or radio friendly. Afterwards, it got increasingly so.
(Also, important to note the importance of Heatwave’s Rod Temperton in guiding Jones toward a more radio-friendly sound in this era too).
Anyhoo, the Brothers Johnson’s BIG breakthrough came with their debut album Look Out For #1. An extremely solid release featuring splendid tracks like “Get the Funk Out Ma Face,” “Tomorrow,” and the biggest hit of their career, “I’ll Be Good To You”.
Released in 1976, Look Out For #1, started a run of four consecutive platinum albums. Three of them topped the R&B LP charts while also reaching the top 10 of the pop charts. Likewise, they had three singles in this same period that hit #1 R&B and top 10 pop.
That’s the proof of concept I mentioned earlier.
Look Out For #1 paved the way for a series of gold and platinum pop/funk/soul albums produced by Quincy Jones such as Masterjam, Off the Wall, and Give Me The Night. Jones would also (co-)produce all of the Brothers Johnson’s platinum albums, so he was definitely getting the reps in before he slid over to Rufus, MJ, and Benson.
In 1981, the Brothers finally produced an album (Winners) without the oversight of Jones. Honestly, Winners wasn’t that much different than their official work with Quincy, yet it didn’t spawn any huge hit single. Nor did it sail to #1 on the R&B albums chart stalling out at #10. Nor was it certified platinum.
I think it was a fine effort, but Winners was clearly below the quality of Look Out For #1, Light Up the Night and Right On Time, their three classic LPs from 1976 to 1980. (Blam! from 1978 was always a curious, underwhelming effort. That one went platinum off of reputation, not substance).
Afterwards, the Brothers Johnson disappeared pretty quickly with increasingly lackluster albums.
A lame “greatest hits with a few new tracks” LP was released in 1982 (Blast!); a record of all new material was put out in 1984 (Out Of Control), but did much of nothing sales wise and was artistically a step down despite some good moments; and 1988’s Kickin’ was slight but pleasant.
Thereafter the Brothers Johnson didn’t release any new material and periodically toured. Guitarist and lead vocalist George is still alive, but bassist Louis died in 2015 at age 60.
When it’s all said and done, these brothers never really broke new ground, but did create highly listenable and enjoyable pop/funk music.
ALBUM GUIDE
Absolutely start with 1980’s Light Up The Night (strong B+). Their most commercially successful LP that also brought a nice stylistic mix from disco-funk (“Stomp!”, “You Make Me Wanna Wiggle”) to mellow delights (“Closer To The One That You Love”) to festive instrumentals (“Celebrations”). Michael Jackson stopped by to give prominent backup vocals to “This Had To Be”. A nice favor since Louis Johnson was lighting it up on bass all throughout MJ’s Off The Wall and Thriller.
Follow that up with 1977’s Right On Time (weak B+). A little less steady overall, but not that far off from Light Up The Night. It also featured the group’s best track, “Strawberry Letter 23”. The other two stand outs are “Runnin’ For Your Lovin’” and the instrumental “Q”.
Their debut album from 1976, Look Out For #1 (B), is next in line. It has their best instrumental (“Tomorrow”) and their most infectious pop track (“I’ll Be Good To You”). However, it also has the disappointing “Come Together” and “The Devil” that keeps the album from rating as high as the preceding two LPs. Not bad songs, just alright.
Now we have two albums that have their moments, but aren’t essential listens. Blam! (C+) from 1978 tried TOO HARD to have a good time. “Ain’t We Funkin’ Now” and “Ride-O-Rocket” were excessive for 1978 and still today. Meanwhile, Winners (B-) is more understated than Blam! and better served in the process. “The Real Thing” and “Sunlight” are two stand outs from that 1981 album.
You needn’t really bother with 1984’s Out of Control or 1989’s Kickin’. The former album does have three songs worth picking out from the bunch. “You Keep Me Coming Back”, which is a nice electro-funk update to their sound; ditto “Lovers Forever”; and the superb instrumental “Tokyo”.
ESSENTIAL SONGS — a starter pack for novices
“Celebrations” (1980) — fun and festive instrumental
“Get The Funk Out Ma Face” (1976)— their funkiest track, intensely short befitting the aggressive title
“I’ll Be Good To You” (1976) — a pop-funk confection that builds up into a stomping anthem
“Is It Love That We’re Missin’” (1975) — the template for their subsequent hits
“Q” (1977)— mellow and moody instrumental ode to Quincy Jones
“Runnin’ For Your Lovin’” (1976) — a 2nd-rate version of “I’ll Be Good To You”, but it’s still really good
“Stomp!” (1980) — tons of slap bass on this disco-funk classic
“Strawberry Letter 23” (1977) — cover of a Shuggie Otis tune that takes you to the heavens
“Tokyo” (1984)— instrumental with a great trumpet solo
“Tomorrow” (1976) — another instrumental; chill