Classic Soul: Five Stairsteps - First Family of Soul
'Danger She's A Stranger' --FIVE STAIRSTEPS
Whooo be do be do…… Whooo be do be do……Hey baybee..could you maybee, have some luvvvvv for me……..if ya think so…….when will I know ALL my possiblilities of lovin a stranger?
Click here and listen as, Soul-Patroller Gary Tyson takes us on a musical and educational journey thorough the career of the popular (yet mysterious) soul/funk group from Chicago known as the Five Stairsteps!.
Gary presents us the complete history of the group as it evolved from the 'First Family of Soul' and it's classic and rich Blue Light In The Basement Slow Jams of the late 1960's to the surprising DISCO FUNK of The Invisible Man's Band, to the solo career of JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK of singer/bassist/producer Kenni Burke into the 1980's.
In addition to learning everything you always wanted to know about the Five Stairsteps, Gary drops some of their 'prime cuts' such as Baby Makes Me Feel So Good, World of Fantasy, Danger (She's a Stranger) Ooo Child, From Us To You, All Night Thang, Rising To The Top and more
Click here and Listen To Soul-Patrol's FIVE STAIRSTEPS Special!
Click here and Pick Up the NEW FIVE STAIRSTEPS COMPILATION Called:
The First Family of Soul: The Best of the Five Stairsteps
MORE ON THE FIVE STAIRSTEPS ...
By Charles Duke
The main difference between the Stairsteps and the Jackson 5 was the Motown machine. For in my opinion, musically and "choreographically" speaking-no joke, the Stairsteps were better.
I have two very fond memories of the group performing.
One was on a local weekly African culture/music show that came on Thursday nights in New York City during the late 60s and early 70s called "Soul!", where they performed "Baby, Make Me Feel So Good," and perhaps another song that I don't remember.
Performances on this show, by the way, were live-and man, the 'Steps had the voices! Matched with extremely slick choreography (for a slow song, no less), this performance stands out in my mind as one of my favorites.
The second memory of the group was in a movie that was a concert/benefit filmed at Yankee Stadium called "Soul To Soul" (c. 1970). There was a matching soundtrack album of the same name, and it included Wilson Pickett, The Voices of East Harlem, and (I think) Roberta Flack. Perhaps because Flack and Pickett (not sure about The Voices…) were Atlantic Records artists, the album came out on that label-and I don't think the Stairsteps performing "Don't Change Your Love"-one of the greatest all-time soul music movie performances ever!-was placed on the album. We hear so much about the Stairsteps slow songs; this one proved they could burn with the best of them! I'll never forget the opening sequence of the song. For those familiar with the song, the group started with its backs to the front of the stage on the drumbeat intro. Papa Clarence, Sr. was conducting the orchestra. When the rest of the intro music dropped, the two outer members did some fancy foot shuffle, spinning to the front as the horns finished the first "dat dat da da." The inner two did the same following the second "dat dat da da" horn line. Joined by Alohe (the Burke sister) and facing the stage, all five did the same move, with "hand jive"-type movements this time, with a full 360 spin on the last "dat dat da da," and then finished the intro (with the horns hitting ba-ba, ba-ba) with some sort of backwards faint move that knocked everybody in the theater out! That was just the intro. I don't know who handled lead vocals (perhaps it was Dennis); but when he sang "Baby this year, I've been more than dear" (the song's opening lyrics), the girls in the theater went off! I could hardly hear the song for their screaming (and this was a movie). But when it came to the verse's last line ("But don't change your love; don't change"), the background Stairsteps hit that answering "Cha-a-ange" in a perfect four-part harmony-with a backwards slide that's reminiscent of the "2nd Resurrection" album cover picture (the mid-70s album without Alohe that had "From Us To You" and "Pasado"; the latter which received a lot of airplay in New York City.) One question I've had for anyone who may know:
Did members of the group convert to Islam (as did several members of Kool & The Gang) during the time between "Ooh Child" and the "2nd Resurrection" album? I ask this because "2nd Ressurection" contains several references to the religion. I invite your comments
Charles Duke
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WORLD OF FANTASY
Do Do Do Do Do
It’s a world of fantasy eyeyeye
It’s a world where I’m NEVER alone
It’s a world of sheer make believe
Where ALL young lovers have gone
To set their hearts at ease
It’s a world of fantasy eyeyeye
I go there whenever I please
To make life have a new face
No one intrudes upon my privacy
To me it’s a most wonderful place
Uhm yeah
It’s a world of fantasy eyeyeye
Here is where no problems lie
And lovers we ALL become
We live with LOVE and never cry
Cause in love sum is 1+1
Soooo come on love and follow me….
…to my world of fantasy
Come my love ….to my world of fantasy
COME BACK
Come back…..Come back….Come back to me…
Where have you gone now?
Off with someone new?
If you really love me
Let me be your fool
Just come back…..to me
Come back to me
What have I done
To make you feel this way?
If I could stop crying
I would have to say..
….JUST COME BACK (to me)
Come back, to me
I’m so mad about you
Don’t know what to do without you
Your always on my mind
I dream of you all the time
DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME
Don’t waste your time
My love is taken
You’ll easily find
There’s none to spare
You’ll find another somewhere
So DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME
Don’t waste your time
Don’t waste your tears
Your love has been shared
With others this year
Would be such a shame
To cry in vain
So don’t waste your tears
DON’T WASTE YOUR TEARS
With respect my dear
I’m warning you
It’s said for me
Your one love for you
But it’s time my dear
That you discover
That I LOVE ANOTHER
And I tell you from the start now
Don’t waste your time
My love is taken
You’ll easily find
There’s NONE to spare
So DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME
I see somewhere from round the station
That you DON’T understand the situation
Your VERY sweet
Yet I must confess
You would only be second best
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Here is the track listing for "Five Stairsteps Greatest Hits, one of the all time greatest "make out" albums:
- Remember any of these ?.Each one a three minute masterpiece:)
1 World Of Fantasy
2 Because I Love You
3 Come Back
4 Stay Close To Me
5 Touch Of Your Hand
6 We Must Be In Love
7 Danger! She's A Stranger
8 Ooh Child
9 Behind Curtains
10 Playgirl's Love
11 Ooh Baby Baby
12 Don't Waste Your Time
13 Baby Make Me Feel So Good
14 You Waited Too Long
- Yes I have the CD....that song "Come Back" was the best "up against the wall" slow jam everrrrrrrrrrr!!!
- Now this was a great group.one of my all time favorites anybody else ??
- The Five Stairsteps were a Windy City family affair initially consisting of four brothers and a sister; later on, five-year-old Cubie Burke toddled aboard, and even mom and pop got into the act. Curtis Mayfield discovered the group at a talent contest, and they debuted in 1966 on his Windy C logo with the tender "You Waited Too Long," their first hit. Lead singer Clarence Burke, Jr. was only 15 years old in 1966, yet his attractive leads on "World of Fantasy" and "Come Back" displayed a wealth of emotion. The group enjoyed its biggest pop hit in 1970 with the classic "O-o-h Child" for Buddah. After a few years apart, the group re-formed and notched a final hit, "From Us to You," on George Harrison's Dark Horse label in 1976. Four of the Burkes recorded as the Invisible Man's Band, scoring a sizable seller in 1980 with "All Night Thing," and bassist Keni Burke has recorded as a solo artist.
- (some of the BEST slow jams I have ever heard!)
- Once you said the 5 Stairsteps, I immediately thought about the 5th Dimension, the Friends of Distinction and the Undisputed Truth. Ahh..... all great bands.... I have recently started to listen to the 5th Dimension, I love their music, even though they were considered "Black pop." Lots of great work from the ht Dimension written by Laura Nyro.
- Now tell me what you know of the Five Stairsteps ??
- I can remember grinding off of their SLOW JAMS at Jr High School dances I went to back in the day.
- Their songs were the BOMB........tales of woe & joy about teenage love. However their music is timeless, romantic & highly erotic. Songs like "World Of Fantasy" & "Danger She's A Stranger" are songs that could just as easily be about "adult love".
- The Five Stairsteps are often lumped in with groups like the Jackson 5 & the Sylvers, because of their age. However the Five Stairsteps stand apart from those groups because of the depth of the lyrics in their music.
- I really do not know too much about the group. Mostly remember that the group was composed of a family and "Ooo Child." I mean, this is a group that didn't release much material that stuck out.
- If you get a chance pick up on their greatest hits CD. I'm sure that it's available for $9.99. It's basicly the "Stairsteps" album which I formerly had on vinyl. Great "make out" album. I had it on tape for many years & literally wore the damn grooves out listening to the hypnotic harmony of the singers in the Five Stairsteps. Very "lush music" serious bass playing and angelic strings are easily the highlights of these classic slow jams. I still use their music today to "make out" with......lol
- "Come back.....oh come back.....my love....."
- I agree, these were some of the best slow jams I have ever heard also......I had a big broken heart whent he song "Come Back" came out........
- hmm I don't believe I know this group....and i'm sure that I should.........oh well...
- They had a BIG Crossover hit in 1970 called "OOO CHILD". You may have heard it on one of the oldies stations!
- "things are gonna get easier, things will be brighter..."
- Ohhh yeah...I kinda remember that from the oldie station.....<smile> see I know a lil sumthin' lol
- One of the reasons why the Five Stairstep's music sounded so rich is because Curtis Mayfield, the man who 'discovered' them, also wrote also produced most of their hits!
- Did you know that the main reason they changed their name to the Invisible Man's Band was because because they wanted to "go disco" and disassociate their new sound from their soulful history? Sister Aloha had gotten married and left the group, and Cubie didn't like the dance sound and refused to record with them. Ironically, on the R&B charts, "All Night Thing" (#9) was actually a bigger hit than "From Us To You" (#10) or "O-o-h" Child" (#14)!
- <my turn to sit open mouthed> you still make out? lucky lady heheheh,FUNK on bob.
- I didn't know that's why they changed their name, sounds like they received some bad marketing advice. Whenever I mention the name "Five Stairseps" to music fans, a smile is usually their reaction
- Of course i do :) (doesn't everyone?)
- & the music of the Five Staisteps is a good choice for those types of activities.
- ………….Not Everybody!!!!!!!
- guess i better rifle through jon's albums and see if he has them.....i need to check this out....
- Hey folks check this out.....A long time radio personality here in Pittsburgh was a member of their backup band, and he has a lot of information about the group, and the Impressions, who they would tour with. My buddy Del King states that things changed drastically after a tragic bus or automobile accident. (can't remember which)I have been trying for months to get him online so we could link up,but with no sucess.
- "Up against the wall slow jam" hmmmmmm ……What's that all about ?
ok....THAT got my ATTENTION!!!!!!
- Now come, you remember the grinding going on up against the wall in those basement bluelight parties......now tell me you don't.........cause I saw you.
- Were the Five Stairsteps considered to be protege's of Curtis Mayfield ??
- Yes...you're right. He also produced them in the studio, and they toured with the Impressions.
- Speak of the devil! I just saw this blurb in the current issue of the British music magazine "Blues and Soul":
- Keni Burke returns to centre stage spotlight with the release on April 1 of his new album "Nothin' But Love" on Expansion Records. A new single, "I Need Your Love" which also features Burke Jnr - Osaze, is released on March 2. Watch out also for some live appearances from Keni later this year.
Click here and listen as, Soul-Patroller Gary Tyson takes us on a musical and educational journey thorough the career of the popular (yet mysterious) soul/funk group from Chicago known as the Five Stairsteps!.
Gary presents us the complete history of the group as it evolved from the 'First Family of Soul' and it's classic and rich Blue Light In The Basement Slow Jams of the late 1960's to the surprising DISCO FUNK of The Invisible Man's Band, to the solo career of JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK of singer/bassist/producer Kenni Burke into the 1980's.
In addition to learning everything you always wanted to know about the Five Stairsteps, Gary drops some of their 'prime cuts' such as Baby Makes Me Feel So Good, World of Fantasy, Danger (She's a Stranger) Ooo Child, From Us To You, All Night Thang, Rising To The Top and more
Click here and Listen To Soul-Patrol's FIVE STAIRSTEPS Special!
Click here and Pick Up the NEW FIVE STAIRSTEPS COMPILATION Called:
The First Family of Soul: The Best of the Five Stairsteps
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