steady-j, Sep 19, 2005
Undoubtedly an important label in the UK for chart-oriented Funk and Electro in the 1984-86 period, just before the House explosion. The distinctive green and black sleeves with their diagonal stripes promised funky beats and club sounds of the highest order.
Biggest act was Larry Blackmon's Cameo, which had a string of Top 40 hits peaking with "Word Up" which spent 13 weeks in the Top 75 and reached number 3.
Other big club hits that brought chart success to the label included Shannon (Let The Music Play, a "sleeper" that peaked at 14 but spent 15 weeks in the Top 75), Rene & Angela ("I'll Be Good" peaked at 22) and Cameo proteges Cashflow ("Party Freak" / "Mine All Mine" - no. 15)
A few releases dabbled in gogo and rap sounds from the likes of Richie Rich and Kurtis Blow, but the old 80s Soul/Funk sound started to give way to house music in 1986/7, so Club became home to some early UK House and Acid from the likes of Brandon Cooke, Krush and Electribe 101 (plus glorious one-off This Ain't Chicago), before fading away. The acts moved on or were subsumed into other labels of the parent Phonogram/Polygram group.
