24-Bits Of Funk

 

Osiris - O-Zone [MAR-2234 USA 1979 24-Bit FLAC]

O-Zone was the second album by Washington DC funk outfit Osiris, fronted by Osiris Marsh, aided & abetted by right-hand man Maceo Bond on keyboards and Fred Wesley on horns. Since its release back in 1979, it had never been reissued until a Japanese import CD appeared in 2020 closely followed by a seven-inch single of the wonderful Prelude (Is It Clear), again in Japan only. 

The other two heavy funk workouts from side one formed two great singles back in the US back during the seventies, however did little to attract the market to Osiris at time of release, however interest in the band was to grow when their 1981 album, Osiris The Band! album was repacked for the UK as the splendid War On The Bullshit.

I picked up this album back in 1988, when there was a growing market for cut-out US dance imports among specialist (mostly) London retailers. I am pretty sure it came out of a box from the back of a transit van full of imported funk delights. It cleaned up really well after a coat of Tergikleen & water solution, followed by two baths in an Knosti Anti-Stat filled with distilled water and a few drops of isopropyl. The results were so pleasing that I have made the option of 176.4kHz files available. Those of us with cloth ears can make do with a standard 88.2kHz.

The aforementioned Prelude (Is It Clear) is a huge personal favourite with oodles of feel good funk and plenty of great breaks, sandwiched between two huge slabs of typical Osiris gritty hard-funk. Say You Will will make those speakers shake for sure. Side two takes a step back with a more soulful approach. Travellin' Salesman is an unusual number, which doesn't really fit, as it is more David Clayton-Thomas fronted BS&T than the usual Osiris heavy gritty p-funk style. As the sleeve notes state, this piece of plastic has been melted, smelted, insane-ilized and de-O-dorized by Osiris Marsh. That should be all you need to know, so dive in.

A1 Fantality

A2 Prelude (Is It Clear)

A3 Say You Will

B1 You And I

B2 Travellin' Salesman

B3 Love In Your Heart

B4 I´ll Never Let You Go