One Down

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One Down is a 1982 album by the New York based No Wave music group Material, recorded by indie producer/engineer Martin Bisi in Brooklyn and musician/engineer Robert Musso in Manhattan. The album sees the band reduced to a duo of Michael Beinhorn and Bill Laswell, collaborating with different musicians and singers on each track.

Song background

"Let Me Have It All" is a cover from Sly and the Family Stone's 1973 album Fresh.

"Memories", which featured vocals by Whitney Houston (her first appearance on record as a lead vocalist on a pop album, prior to her own albums) and tenor sax by Archie Shepp, is a cover of a song written by Hugh Hopper, originally recorded by Soft Machine in 1967 prior to Hopper joining the band. Soft Machine's Robert Wyatt recorded a solo version, and another version appeared on Soft Machine founding member Daevid Allen's Banana Moon album. More recently (2008) it has been covered by The Mars Volta.

A dance mix by John Luongo of "I'm the One"/"Don't Lose Control" was released as a 12" single in 1982 (Celluloid/Elektra, 0-67970). Mixes of "Time Out" was released as a 12" single in 1983 (Elektra, 0-67916).

Track listing

1. "Take a Chance" (Bill Laswell, Michael Beinhorn) – 4:31
2. "I'm the One" (Laswell, Beinhorn, R. Bernard Fowler) – 5:25
3. "Time Out" (Laswell, Thi-Linh Le, Beinhorn) – 4:52
4. "Let Me Have It All" (Sly Stewart) – 5:23
5. "Come Down" (Laswell, Beinhorn, Fowler) – 4:43
6. "Holding On" (Laswell, Beinhorn, Brian Eno) – 4:40
7. "Memories" (Hugh Hopper) – 3:58
8. "Don't Lose Control" (Laswell, Beinhorn) – 4:18

CD bonus track

9. "Bustin' Out" (Laswell, Beinhorn, Fred Maher) – 8:03

Personnel

Material

• Michael Beinhorn – Prophet-5, Oberheim OBXa, DSX sequencer, Roland TR-808 drum machine, Roland vocoder, tapes, percussion
• Bill Laswell – Man Sting Ray bass, Fender Precision bass, effects

Additional personnel

• Nona Hendryx – vocals ("Take a Chance", "Let Me Have It All", "Bustin' Out")
• B.J. Nelson – vocals ("Take a Chance", "Let Me Have It All", "Holding On")
• R. Bernard Fowler – vocals ("I'm the One", "Come Down")
• Thi-Linh Le – voice ("Time Out")
• Noris Night – voice ("Let Me Have It All")
• Whitney Houston – vocals ("Memories")
• Jean Karakos – voice ("Don't Lose Control")
• Nile Rodgers – guitar ("I'm the One", "Come Down")
• Fred Frith – guitar ("Time Out")
• Nicky Skopelitis – guitar ("Holding On", "Don't Lose Control")
• Ronnie Drayton – guitar ("Let Me Have It All", "Holding On", "Bustin' Out")
• J.T. Lewis – drums ("Take a Chance", "Time Out", "Holding On")
• Yogi Horton – drums ("Let Me Have It All", "Memories")
• Tony Thompson – drums ("I'm the One", "Come Down", "Don't Lose Control")
• Fred Maher – drums ("Bustin' Out")
• Daniel Ponce – bongos ("I'm the One", "Don't Lose Control")
• Nicky Marrero – percussion ("Take a Chance", "Time Out", "Holding On")
• Oliver Lake – tenor and alto saxophone ("Come Down")
• Archie Shepp – tenor saxophone ("Memories")
• Raymond Jones – Yamaha CP-70 B electronic grand piano ("Memories")

Production

• Recorded at O.A.O Studio, Brooklyn, New York by Martin Bisi and at RPM Sound Studio, Manhattan, New York by Robert Musso. Produced by Material.

Release history

• 1982 – Celluloid / Vogue (Fr.), CEL 541003 (LP)
• 1982 – Elektra (USA), 60206 (LP)
• 1982 – Celluloid, CELCD 5504 (CD)
• 1983 – CBS / Sony (Jp.), 25 AP 2754 (LP)
• 1992 – Metronome / Restless, 7 72654-2 (CD)
• 1992 – Demon / MauMau, MauCD 624 (CD)
• 1992 – Jimco, Jp., JICK 89047 (CD)
• 1997 – Movie Play Gold, MPG 74047 (CD)
• 2005 – Golden Stars, GSS 5406 (CD, Portugal, retitled CD 1)