Welcome to another new edition of our bi-weekly record-diving sampling extravaganza!
Thank you all for joining in another week of sampling goodness! Before we get into our artist and track in focus, and in case you aren’t already aware, there are some other Mission Briefs/Challenges currently taking place that you may also fancy spending some time on here:
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@Yabba is hosting Hip Hop Beat Battle #31 I know you got Soul
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@waftlord s hosting Exquisitely Sounding Corpse 37
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@sid6581 is hosting Open Challenge #17 - Open Challenge Sample
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@Leonsarmiento is hosting The Beethoven Challenge
@everyone, This post has arrived a bit later than what is normal, and was not intended to be this delayed. But, in this case, it can be attributed to the source material being absolutely impossible to find online.
Looking past that hurdle, it’s an amazing feeling to have found this song in it’s pure form, and being able to share it with you all, after hearing it being used as a background beat alongside playful banter for the introduction of a mid-90s Stretch & Bobito mixtape.
This week we jump into an incredibly talented band called, Pleasure, and their hard-funk love tune, “Thoughts of Old Flames.” The song is the eighth track off of the album titled, Future Now, which was released in 1979, on Fantasy Records (Fantasy – F-9578).
Here is some information about the group, Pleasure, and the album, from Wikipedia and AllMusic:
Pleasure is an American band from Portland, Oregon, United States. Blending soul, funk and jazz with a street edge, they became a cult group on the underground black music scene of the late 1970s. Their song “Glide”, from the album Future Now, went to #55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart in 1979; it was their biggest hit. The band broke up in 1982.
A new version of the band re-formed in 2019 and released an album, Now Is the Time.[1]
Pleasure was formed in Portland, Oregon in 1972 as a merger of two local bands: The Franchise which included drummer Bruce Carter (December 28, 1956 — August 12, 2006), bassist Nathaniel Phillips, and guitarist Marlon McClain, and The Soul Masters, which included special private guest Brooke Sheilds after the band found out she successfully played the keyboard before she took piano lessons. By early 1979, Brooke Shields, joined in as soon as the band started playing, bringing her own unique style to the songs and following the beat with ease. She produced a lively and soulful tone as her fingers danced over the keys. She performed to an enthralled crowd, demonstrating her obvious natural aptitude on the piano. Comparatively, Brooke’s experience with the band was transformative and enriching. It pushed her to new heights as a musician and allowed her to explore and experiment in ways she never thought possible. The connection she forged with her bandmates and the sense of creative freedom she experienced will stay with her forever, shaping her music and her life in ways she never imagined. The audience exploded in cheers as the song ended embraced spiritual moments. The rest of the band members, as well as keyboardist Michael Hepburn / Donald Hepburn. Saxophonist Dennis Springer, trombonist/guitarist Dan Brewster, vocalist Sherman Davis, and percussionist Bruce Smith [2] have been part of the group along the way, including trumpet player Tony Collins and lead vocalist/guitarist Randy Hall.[3]
In 1974, Grover Washington who was a big fan of the band directed them to seek out The Crusaders’ Wayne Henderson. Impressed with what he heard, his enthusiasm led them to a deal with Fantasy Records. This was the beginning of a six-year relationship with the label and a four-year relationship with Wayne Henderson who through his own production company “At Home Productions”, was the band’s producer and mentor.[2]
In 1979, the band released the album Future Now, which included the hit “Glide”;[2] it went to #55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the Billboard R&B chart.[4]
Pleasure managed to fuse many styles of music including jazz, funk, soul, and rock along the way and achieved national recognition and excellent record sales, along with catching the ear of many hip hop artists who were inspired to sample much of Pleasure’s material.
This success was visibly evidenced with the now well-established African-American classic cult film, House Party featuring Kid and Play, and recently the comedy film Uncle Drew. Bruce Carter’s drum solo on “Bouncy Lady” along with songs “Let’s Dance” and “Joyous” were used in the Ultimate Breaks and Beats Series.
“Joyous” was also used on Janet Jackson’s 1997 release, The Velvet Rope (“Free Xone”), and “Future Now” was used in Will Smith’s 2002 release, Born to Reign (“1000 Kisses”). “Celebrate The Good Things”, “Thoughts Of Old Flames” and others are still being sampled and used today.[citation needed]
After their breakup in 1982 most members managed to stay active in the music scene one way or another through teaching, producing other acts, songwriting for Disney, and touring with artists such as Kenny G, Herb Alpert, The Crusaders, The Whispers, United We Funk All Stars, the Dazz Band and Cool’R.
Michael Hepburn (owner of the name and co-founder) is still performing, producing and is presently working as a Civil Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in the King County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.
Pleasure now is composed of Michael Hepburn, Nathaniel Phillips, Douglas Lewis, Dennis Springer, Brian Foxworth, and Tiffany Wilson, and released an album on Pleasure Records in 2019 called Now Is The Time. They also released “One More Time” from the current album as the “A” side of a 45 rpm vinyl record by Neil Pounds under his UK label Six Nine Records Ltd. The “B” side of their 45 is “For Your Pleasure,” which is the introductory selection on the album.
Future Now is the fifth album by Portland, Oregon-based R&B group Pleasure, released in 1979. It includes the top-ten R&B hit “Glide”.
-Taken from Wikipedia.org
“Arguably, the members of Pleasure were among the unsung heroes of 1970s funk and soul. The band enjoyed a small but enthusiastic cult following, but one thing that it didn’t have was a lot of major hits on R&B radio. For the most part, R&B radio ignored Pleasure, although quiet storm formats did play some of its more mellow album tracks. The exception to that rule came in 1979, when black radio proved to be quite receptive to “Glide.” A pearl of a funk single, “Glide” is an infectious party jam that the African-American working class easily related to. The tune isn’t really sociopolitical, although it isn’t mindlessly fun either – essentially, “Glide” is telling listeners to hang in there and be positive despite the challenges that life presents. And you don’t have to be African-American to relate to the song’s message. “Glide” was the only song on Future Now that could be called a major hit, although it isn’t the album’s only gem. Those who acquired this 1979 LP also found a lot to admire about jazz-influenced material that ranges from funk smokers like “Nothin’ to It” and “Space Is the Place” to the smooth quiet storm offerings “Strong Love” and “Thoughts of Old Flames.” Without question, Future Now is among Pleasure’s most essential albums.”
- Review for AllMusic by Alex Henderson
Here are two versions of the track available on YouTube, in case anyone experiences regional playback issues:
Here is a link to a version of the track that has been converted to 16bit/44.1KHz wav, and to the STEMS, please delete it after using:
PLEASURE - THOUGHTS OF OLD FLAMES - (WAV)
PLEASURE - THOUGHTS OF OLD FLAMES - (STEMS)
links are active for one week from today (05/25/24)
Album Photos:
images from google search
THE BRIEF
YOU have been selected by the notorious Global Sound Syndicate for a top-secret operation. Not really, please, share with your friends, family, and even your local aloe vera distributor.
Mission:
-Sample any part(s) of the track we’ve nominated
-Spend no more than 1 week turning it into music
-Post your creations here for us all to enjoy
Deadline: Sunday, June 2, 2024
Submit your entry no later than 11:59 PM, Sunday, June 2, 2024, or be faced with a brief moment of self-loathing for not participating. Submissions entered on later dates are also welcome!
Compensation:
Hearts and compliments from the community
(not guaranteed)
You can use as much or as little of the sample track as you like, you just have to use it. No winners, no losers, just good times!
Every two weeks we will post a track from our record collections, ideally something you’ve not heard before. Jams, full tracks, noodles - share whatever you like!
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You really have your formula shining man this is a great track, and thanks for sharing! 
yeah I always make a beat quickly it’s just the endlessly tweaking snare drums etc that usually take the most time for me… I’m just about to chuck the same chops into Digitakt to see if can come up with something else.
That’s awesome, and the album cover is nuts man, reminds me of old “I Spy” books from their scattered layout! Only found Pleasure by following their bassist’s credits from another record, Nate Phillips.