Joystick / Jukebox

Digitally remastered two-fer containing a pair of albums by the R&B band on one disc. Beginning in 1983 with the release of Joystick, a tight 'n funky collection of electro-etched dancers and beat ballads that had all the hallmarks of the evolving sound of the Dazz Band. In the former category the syncopated techno-funk funk "Swoop (I'm Yours)" was elevated to single status; the funky Rick James-sounding scratchy techsmart production juxtapose to the group's characteristic harmonies from the past. Jukebox, from which the song "Let It All Blow" was elevated to single status, was also the first album the group recorded in Los Angeles, and the first to show a slightly edger rock-feel creeping into their work that would become all the more evident on subsequent long-players. "A lot of credit for the single and also the album has to go to Frank Byron Clark," Harris recounted to Blues & Soul. "He's a very talented studio engineer who we specifically went out of our way to use on this album. We recorded in L.A. because Frank was there. He hasn't an ego as an engineer, just an enthusiasm and genuine talent for engineering and bringing out what is unique and special about whomever he works with.".