Thermonuclear Sweat | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1982 | |||
Studio | Olympic Studios, London; Vanguard and Electric Lady, NYC | |||
Genre | Jazz, funk, punk [1] | |||
Label | Hannibal | |||
Producer | Joe Boyd | |||
Defunkt chronology | ||||
|
Thermonuclear Sweat is an album by the American musical group Defunkt. [2] [3] It was released in 1982 via Hannibal Records. [4] [5] The group broke up after the release of the album, reforming in 1986. [6]
The album was produced by Joe Boyd. [7] Aside from the leader and trombonist Joseph Bowie, the guitar player Kelvyn Bell was the only other member who had played on the debut. [8] Vernon Reid played guitar on six of the album's tracks. [9] "Big Bird (Au Private)" is a tribute to Charlie Parker. [10]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | B+ [12] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Washington Post wrote: "As a dance band, Defunkt is best at break-neck rhythms—'Illusion', the tongue-in- cheek, feet-firmly-in-the-groove 'Avoid the Funk', and the boppish escapade and tribute to Charlie Parker, 'Big Bird (Au Private)' on which the band's jazz roots are well displayed." [1] Trouser Press called the album "sweeter-sounding and jazzier" than the group's debut. [13]
Robert Christgau lamented that the group's cover of "For the Love of Money" "sounds like slumming, especially from a guy who couldn't outsing Kenny Gamble in the shower." [12] The New York Times thought that "when this band plays funk, it plays hard, dance-floor funk, with a cavalier disregard for the pop sweetening most funk bands add to their records in order to get radio play and hits." [8]
Reviewing the reissue that paired Thermonuclear Sweat with the debut, The Independent called the albums "groundbreaking" and among the 1980s' "alternative essentials." [6]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Illusion" | 5:33 |
2. | "I Tried to Live Alone" | 5:08 |
3. | "Cocktail Hour (Blue Bossa)" | 3:26 |
4. | "Ooh Baby" | 6:05 |
5. | "Avoid the Funk" | 4:26 |
6. | "Big Bird (Au Private)" | 2:07 |
7. | "For the Love of Money" | 5:54 |
8. | "Believing in Love" | 7:14 |
Thermonuclear Sweat | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1982 | |||
Studio | Olympic Studios, London; Vanguard and Electric Lady, NYC | |||
Genre | Jazz, funk, punk [1] | |||
Label | Hannibal | |||
Producer | Joe Boyd | |||
Defunkt chronology | ||||
|
Thermonuclear Sweat is an album by the American musical group Defunkt. [2] [3] It was released in 1982 via Hannibal Records. [4] [5] The group broke up after the release of the album, reforming in 1986. [6]
The album was produced by Joe Boyd. [7] Aside from the leader and trombonist Joseph Bowie, the guitar player Kelvyn Bell was the only other member who had played on the debut. [8] Vernon Reid played guitar on six of the album's tracks. [9] "Big Bird (Au Private)" is a tribute to Charlie Parker. [10]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | B+ [12] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Washington Post wrote: "As a dance band, Defunkt is best at break-neck rhythms—'Illusion', the tongue-in- cheek, feet-firmly-in-the-groove 'Avoid the Funk', and the boppish escapade and tribute to Charlie Parker, 'Big Bird (Au Private)' on which the band's jazz roots are well displayed." [1] Trouser Press called the album "sweeter-sounding and jazzier" than the group's debut. [13]
Robert Christgau lamented that the group's cover of "For the Love of Money" "sounds like slumming, especially from a guy who couldn't outsing Kenny Gamble in the shower." [12] The New York Times thought that "when this band plays funk, it plays hard, dance-floor funk, with a cavalier disregard for the pop sweetening most funk bands add to their records in order to get radio play and hits." [8]
Reviewing the reissue that paired Thermonuclear Sweat with the debut, The Independent called the albums "groundbreaking" and among the 1980s' "alternative essentials." [6]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Illusion" | 5:33 |
2. | "I Tried to Live Alone" | 5:08 |
3. | "Cocktail Hour (Blue Bossa)" | 3:26 |
4. | "Ooh Baby" | 6:05 |
5. | "Avoid the Funk" | 4:26 |
6. | "Big Bird (Au Private)" | 2:07 |
7. | "For the Love of Money" | 5:54 |
8. | "Believing in Love" | 7:14 |