Mass Production
There’s no easy way to say this, but for the most part Mass Production has a lackluster catalog. This here was a self-contained band that did all their own writing, playing, and producing, but honestly I think they could have used an outside producer to help stir the pot. Take their good ideas and make them great. Take their okay ideas and make them good. Take their bad ideas, toss them out, and inject something new instead.
It’s all the more frustrating because this group definitely had musical chops and you’ll never question their musicianship, it’s just how those skills were applied.
Nonetheless, they did manage a few jams in their time, hence why I want to give them some love. It ain’t all bad concerning Mass Production. One listen to “Wine-Flow Disco” proves that.
Mass Production hails from Norfolk, Virginia. The band was a big one too.
LeCoy Bryant—guitar
Kevin Douglas—bass
James Drumgole—trumpet
Agnes Kelly—lead vocals
Larry Marshall—lead vocals, percussion
Gregory McCoy—saxophone
Rodney Phelps—guitar, keyboards
Emmanuel Redding—percussion
Ricardo Williams—lead vocals, drums
Tyrone Williams—keyboards
Unfortunately, they never had a good lead singer, let alone a great lead singer. That means every song that de-emphasized musicianship in favor of singing was practically doomed to failure or mediocrity.
And that’s why their debut album, Welcome To Our World, is their best. It’s largely given over to instrumental jamming with chanted vocals. The emphasis, for the most part, is on getting your butt to boogie across the dance floor. A largely successful venture, if you ask me.
If you listen to just one Mass Production album, this is the one:
As time wore on the band largely failed to recapture the groovyness of that first album, but you could usually rely on each LP to have an instrumental track (or even two) that made you feel good and a vocal track (or two) to make you wonder why they so rarely put out coherent LPs. A frustrating band, man.
Aside from Welcome to Our World, 1979’s In the Purest Form and 1983’s ‘83 were the only other albums to manage a largely listenable experience from start to finish. And across their eight LPs, they only had one hit single. That song was “Firecracker”, which reached the top five of Billboard’s R&B chart in 1979.
Definitely a group you seek out a playlist for and don’t fret about getting individual albums. If you want to seek them out, then just go for the stuff I rate C+ or higher if you’re truly a funk/disco fanatic. And only check out the aforementioned Welcome to Our World if you are more of a generalist.
Again they had some good songs (usually) on every album, so peep the playlist whether you’re a generalist or fanatic above for the genuinely good stuff trapped on the lackluster albums.
ALBUM GRADES (and reviews if linked)
Believe: C
Three Miles High: C-
Massterpiece: D
Turn Up the Music: F
In A City Groove: C
‘83: C+