Power Station (band)
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Power Station was a pop group made up of singer Robert Palmer, bassist John Taylor and guitarist Andy Taylor of Duran Duran, and former CHIC drummer Tony Thompson; two other CHIC members, Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers were also involved on the studio side. The band was formed in New York City late in 1984 during a break in Duran Duran's schedule that became a lengthy hiatus, and were named after the Power Station recording studio where their album was conceived and recorded.
Origin
After Duran Duran's third album, Seven and the Ragged Tiger, the members of the band split into two projects. One of these was Simon LeBon and Nick Rhodes' Arcadia project, which developed the melodic and atmospheric aspects of the Duran Duran "sound". The other was the Power Station, in which John and Andy Taylor worked with Palmer, Thompson, and Edwards to create a hard-rocking, rhythmic sound. Roger Taylor was mainly the drummer for Arcadia, but also contributed to the Power Station.The group began as something of a whim -- it was a one-time gathering of friends to provide backing to model and would-be singer Bebe Buell who wanted to record a cover of the T. Rex song "Bang A Gong (Get It On)". Both Taylors were eager to branch out from the synthesizer-heavy pop of Duran Duran and play some Led Zeppelin-flavored rock'n'roll; the participation of their idols from CHIC lent the project a horn-inflected funk vibe that meshed surprisingly well with the crunching guitars and booming drums.
Soon the project evolved into the idea of a revolving supergroup; a tentative name for the band was Big Brother. The original plan for the one-album project was for the three musicians (Taylor, Taylor and Thompson) to provide musical continuity to an album full of material, with a different singer performing on each track. Those who were approached included Mick Jagger, Billy Idol, Mars Williams and Richard Butler (of The Psychedelic Furs), and Mick Ronson.
The group then invited eclectic soul singer Robert Palmer to record vocals for the track "Communication". When he heard that they had recorded demos for "Bang A Gong", he asked to try out vocals on that one as well, and by the end of the day, the group knew that they had found that elusive chemistry which distinguishes successful bands. Before long, they had decided to record the entire album with Palmer.
History
In March of 1985, the band issued the album Power Station (originally released on vinyl and subtitled 33⅓ for the turntable speed). The album was produced by Bernard Edwards, with some informal assistance from Nile Rodgers.
The band had two hit singles. The first, "Some Like It Hot", reached number 14 on the UK singles charts and number 6 in the USA. (The music video featured the transsexual model Caroline Cossey, credited as "Tula".) The second single was "Bang A Gong (Get It On)", a remake of the 1972 T. Rex hit, which went to number 22 in the UK and number 9 in the US, while competing against the Duran Duran single "A View to a Kill," which was a number one for Duran Duran. A third single, "Communication", was not as successful; it barely reached the Top 40 in the US, and disappeared after hitting a dismal number 75 in the UK.
The album itself reached number 12 in the UK and number 6 on the US album chart. Incidentally, the album's cover graphics and color scheme, which were also used in the videos, were based on sketches by John Taylor. Later he said about the rather sexy sketches that he had used all his fantasies and considered himself - with self-deprecating irony - "an old pervert". (Source: Interview with German music magazine "Pop/Rocky, issue 3/1985.) The band also released a collection of the band's three music videos called "The Power Station Video EP".
The group's unexpected success led to two results: the band decided to do a summer tour in America, and Robert Palmer decided to record a solo album (eventually produced by Edwards with Tony Thompson and Andy Taylor providing some instrumental assistance) to take advantage of his sudden name recognition. This inevitably led to Palmer's departure from the band. Power Station went on to tour with singer Michael Des Barres (formerly of Silverhead, Checquered Past & Led Zeppelin clone band Detective). Des Barres also performed with them at the enormous Live Aid charity concert in Philadelphia that summer.
Des Barres' friendship with actor Don Johnson led to the band's guest appearance on an episode of the TV drama Miami Vice. Similarly, his friendship with producer Joel Silver led to Power Station writing a song called "We Fight For Love" for the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film Commando (1985). The track was originally titled "Someday, Somehow, Someone's Gotta Pay".
The band folded late in 1985, as its members turned to other projects: John Taylor returned to Duran Duran, while Andy Taylor chose to leave Duran Duran in favor of a solo career. Tony Thompson was to take the place of John Bonham in a re-formed Led Zeppelin, but he was nearly killed in a 1986 car accident before that reunion could get off the ground. Palmer used his success with Power Station to rejuvinate his solo career.
Later that year, Andy Taylor and Tony Thompson would reunite with Palmer in the studio. Their former frontman had begun work on his first solo album outside the band and enlisted the help of his former bandmates to provide instrumental assistance. The resulting album, Riptide, was a massive success for Palmer, as it resulted with a string of popular hits which included the Grammy-Award winning chart-topper "Addicted To Love". With Riptide, Palmer was reinstated as a proper solo artist in his own right and became a bona-fide star to the MTV Generation.
Reunion
The band reunited ten years later with its original members, including Palmer. However, divorce and drug rehabilitation forced bassist John Taylor to withdraw from the project before the album was complete. Bernard Edwards (former CHIC bassist) stepped in and completed the album Living In Fear (1997) in his stead, and was prepared to tour with the group, but then died suddenly of pneumonia during a trip to Japan. The group was staggered, but decided to press on, and toured with bassist Manny Yanes and second guitarist Luke Morley instead, to moderate success. The group quietly disbanded shortly after.After the Band
- Bernard Edwards died of pneumonia in April 1996.
- Robert Palmer died of a heart attack in September 2003
- Tony Thompson died of kidney cancer in November 2003.
- John Taylor and Andy Taylor reunited with the original members of Duran Duran in 2001. They released the album Astronaut in October 2004.
- EMI released a new version of Power Station on February 21, 2005, to commemorate the album's 20th anniversary. The package includes the original 8 track album, 7 bonus tracks and a 40-minute 8-chapter DVD. Among the bonus tracks on the album is the Michael Des Barres-sung track "We Fight For Love" -- now retitled "Someday, Somehow, Someone's Gotta Pay" (from the Commando OST)
Personnel
- Robert Palmer - Vocalist
- Andy Taylor - Guitarist
- John Taylor - Bassist
- Tony Thompson - Drummer
Other Members
- Michael Des Barres - Tour Vocalist (1985)
- Bernard Edwards - Bassist (1995)
Discography
Albums
- The Power Station (1985)
- Living In Fear (1997)
- Best Of (2003)
- Power Station: 20th Anniversary Edition (2005)
- "Bang A Gong (Get It On)"
- "Some Like It Hot"
- "Communication"
- "She Can Rock It"
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