The Power Station

Original release date: March 25, 1985

Robert Palmer – Andy Taylor – John Taylor – Tony Thompson

One of my favorite LP’s when I was a kid was the debut self titled album by the band The Power Station. That summer my speakers were filled with the sounds of so many great records that came out that year.  Phil Collins – No Jacket Required, Tears For Fears – Songs From The Big Chair, Dire Straits – Brothers In Arms, Ratt – Invasion Of Your Privacy and of course some hold overs from the prior couple of years.  Albums like Van Halen – 1984, Prince – Purple Rain, Michael Jackson – Thriller and of course Duran Duran – Seven and the Ragged Tiger.  But easily some of my most played songs were on this Power Station record. 

This album had it all for a listener like me.  Power Station songs were a combination of rock, pop, funk and had groove for days. It had edge on a song like Murderess or the T-Rex cover Get It On (Bang A Gong).  Pop influenced sensibilities on Go To Zero and Communication.  It had funky influences and serious groove on songs like Lonely Tonight and Some Like It Hot.  All in all the album went to #6 on the US Billboard 200 and all three singles were top 40 hits.  Some Like It Hot went to # 6, Get In On (Bang A Gong) – #9 and Communication – #34, on the Billboard Hot 100. The Power Station band and the album title were named after the studio they recorded in.  New York City’s formerly famed Power Station Recording Studio.  

The Power Station’s project had producer Bernard Edwards’ footprint all over it. Edwards who passed away in 1996 at age 43, is considered one of the greatest bass players of all time.  Go listen to Chic’s Good Times.  His influence and mentoring of John Taylor, made this album one of my favorite bass guitar records as well.  There are so many examples of this throughout the album but go check out how funky that bass is on Get It On.  You can hear some of John’s reverence when talking about Bernard in the video below starting at 3:37 (The whole thing is great, I just wish there was more footage).

Andy Taylor brought with him that edgy guitar style that gave the bands’ sound a gritty rock charm.  Andy was always considered a great guitarist but this record gave him room to spread his wings and further explore his 70’s rock sound and lay down some pretty incredible guitar solos in the process.  The power and energy in a solo like the one in Some Like It Hot really showcases his unique ability to combine a raw sound with subtle, clean guitar picking techniques, like the ones he does throughout the song.  I felt like him and John really developed a cohesive wall of sound between the both of them.  If you look at the landscape of popular music at the time, the heavy sound of Andy and John wasn’t that normal at that moment in music history. 

When I reflect back on the drums that Tony Thompson recorded for that session, I think of two things: Power and groove.  When combined with Andy’s heavy guitars, Tony and John combined for a tank like rhythm section.  That’s the thing with Thompson, he was the rare drummer that had so much power but so much touch around the drum kit.  Not all that common – especially back then.  It was Thompson’s groove and residence inside the pocket that allowed John and Bernard to come up with those incredible bass lines to lay over the top of the drums.  The other thing that should not be understated is the overall drum mix on the album.  The reverb’d, heavily mic’d and over-compressed sound gives the final product a personality that really can only be found on this project.  It was special.  It’s one of my favorite things about the album.

The bands’ sound was rounded out by the vocals of Robert Palmer.  Originally, he was invited in to sing on the song Communication.  When he then tried his hand at Get It On, the band found its singer for the entire project and the rest is history.  Palmer’s soulful voice and versatility as a vocalist really completed the bands’ sound.  After Palmer joined the project – they really had it all.  On paper, I’m not so sure that it was supposed to work out like it did.  Two guys from Duran Duran, two guys from Chic and the guy who sang Every Kinda People and Bad Case Of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)?  I wouldn’t have guessed that they would go on to make one of my all time favorite records.  But that’s exactly what they did.

Robert Palmer and Tony Thompson have since passed away, both dying in 2003.  Leaving John and Andy as the only surviving members of the band.  The band reunited in 1996 to record an album.  John had to leave the project due to personal issues leaving Edwards to play bass on the album.  Living In Fear was a damn good album but Edwards died before the albums release and it never took on the momentum their prior record did.

Every time I listen to one of the tracks from the album or cue up a few songs to warm up and play along with, I am reminded of the special sound these guys captured on The Power Station.  Thirty five years later, I am still in awe of what they accomplished in the studio during those sessions.

-Tommy Marz

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Take a deeper look into Duran Duran’s Seven and the Ragged Tiger