52nd Street (band)

52nd Street was a jazz funk band formed in Manchester UK in late 1980 around the period in which both punk/new wave and jazz funk rocked the club scene. Throughout the 80s they would enjoy success not only in the UK, but also on the Billboard Charts stateside.

The original line-up consisted of Tony Henry (guitar), Derrick Johnson (bass), Desmond Isaacs (keyboards), Tony Thompson (drums) and Beverly McCloud (vocals). Within six months vocalist Rose Williams and saxophonist Eric Godden both came and departed before the line-up settled with John Dennison (keyboards) replacing Desmond Isaacs and Beverley McDonald (lead vocals) replacing Beverly McCloud.

The band played gigs around the Manchester scene in many dingy and trendy venues, whilst at the same time recording demo tapes in local studios. Local funk DJ Mike Shaft became their mentor and would play 52nd Street demos on his Piccadilly Radio shows. In mid 1981 soul DJ Richard Searling and ex-Sad Café manager Derek Brandwood both RCA Records put the band in Revolution Studios Manchester to record what was suppose to be their debut single. The irony of this liaison for future reference was that Searling and Brandwood were responsible for early pre-Factory Joy Division recordings when they were called Warsaw.

Whilst recording demos for RCA, Warner Brother A&R scout and club promotions manager Erskine Thompson also put the band into Strawberry Studios to record tracks. With both major labels increasing the pressure to talk to manager-less 52nd Street, bass player Derrick Johnson, whose brother Donald Johnson was the drummer for Factory Record act A Certain Ratio informed Rob Gretton, Joy Division’s Manager and co-label boss. Gretton went to see the band play at jazz venue The Band on the Wall in Manchester. Soon after, Gretton (ex-vintage soul DJ) and a reluctant Tony Wilson agreed to take a chance and add the band to their roster. Funk/Soul was not what Factory Records was about and that initially frightened Wilson, although he had previously released a single from Manchester reggae act X-o-dus.

The Factory Years

52nd Street’s first release on Factory in 1982 was Look into My Eyes b/w Express produced by Donald Johnson. Journalist Paul Morley then reviewing singles for the NME made it his single of the week, but his approval did very little in the way of the band getting daytime radio play and enhancing sales.

Towards the end of 1982, 52nd Street started experimenting with electronic sounds and drum machines after being influenced by productions from NYC’s Hip Hop community and Bill Laswell’s work with jazz keyboardist Herbie Hancock. In the early weeks of 1983 a rough cassette demo was played to Rob Gretton in his Chorlton home, by both Tony Henry and Derrick Johnson after Gretton requested the band forward material for a new single. That track was Cool as Ice.

In and around that same period New Order was also experimenting with electronic sounds. Bernard Sumner (Barney) was at the forefront of their culture change. They were due to fly to New York to start work with producer Arthur Baker. Gretton always quick with ideas arranged for Donald Johnson, Barney and 52nd Street to experiment with the latest technology synths and sequencers and complete the track, insisting though that the tune retains the 52nd Street vibe.

This studio session helped create foundations towards what was to become the New Order techno sound. Sumner was credited under the pseudonym 'Bemusic' and Johnson 'DoJo'.

With Gretton absent in NYC with New Order, Cool as Ice b/w Twice as Nice never officially received a release in the UK, although BBC Radio 1 DJs John Peel and Janice Long were playing the track on evening and late night shows from white label pressings that Factory had made available. A few bootlegs started to appear mainly stateside. Michael Shamberg who headed Factory’s United States office in NYC stepped in and worked endlessly. Within the space of six weeks he had secured 52nd Street a major US deal with A&M Records and helped the song gain a top 20 Billboard Dance Chart position and rising. A&M flew the band to the US to promote the release playing live club dates mainly on the east side of the country including two nights at the famous Danceteria in NYC. Meanwhile in the UK, Wilson not one to shy away from publicity begun to include the band on Factory’s more extravagant publicity materials and talk them up in interviews. They also appeared twice on his Granada Reports news programme.

Enter High Priestess

Reade had in 1984 returned to Factory Records after her divorce with Tony Wilson to run the Overseas Licensing Department. Gretton in his wisdom suggested that Reade needed something more challenging to do and that people tended to underestimate her abilities. He also over heard Reade speaking to another member of staff whose desk at Factory was in the store room remark, that the only other decent band on this label worth spending money on was this lot called 52nd Street pointing at their 12” single. “At least they made music that ordinary people would buy.” Reade had not at that time met the band.

The Lindsay Reade Years

Now the manager, she put together a strategy to hasten productivity. After a short non-productive period, the band regrouped and reorganised. Vocalist Beverly McDonald was replaced by Diane Charlemagne (currently in 2004 lead vocalist with Moby). Charlemagne even in 1984 was destined to become alongside the likes of Juliet Roberts and later Mica Paris one of the best female soul voices to have come from the UK. McDonald although not as strong a singer had the Factory look and ethos which Wilson loved. She was ‘rugged cool’ (not unlike current singer Macy Gray) and had an image that wouldn’t have looked out of place had she been lead vocalist with Joy Division. Wilson wasn’t happy with the change and stated that this decision would lead to the quick demise of 52nd Street.

New Order’s Steve Morris was called in by Rob to help out on production for 52nd Street’s 3rd single Can’t Afford. Morris also completed productions on two more tracks that were suppose to materialise on a later EP. Like Sumner, Morris was now a deep philosopher in electronic funk and his ideas inter cut with Tony Henry’s sequenced bass lines and Charlemagne’s potent vocal delivery excited everyone at Factory bar Wilson who was still grieving the loss of McDonald. Both those additional tracks Look I’ve Heard it all Before and Available were re-recorded and release on the band’s debut 1986 Virgin album titled Children of the Night.

Rumblings

11 months had passed since A&M US requested a follow up single. They finally lost patience with Factory’s non-professionalism. Reade, implementing what she thought was agreed company policies and procedures mailed copies of the new single to A&M US. They rejected the track more on a business footing than artistic thus leaving the band free to negotiate with other interested parties. Profile Records one of Hip Hop movements more credible labels (RUN DMC) heard Can’t Afford on constant rotation in New York night clubs on import and were amazed that A&M had declined to exercise the option. Reade being Overseas Licensing Manager and 52nd Street now her band, negotiated with Profile Records who wanted to move fast and put the record out on the streets as bootlegs were beginning to surface.

Earthquake!!

Reade’s business dealings caused eruptions not just with Wilson and Gretton, but Michael Shamberg who ran Factory US. 52nd Street was caught in the middle and allegiances towards her from some band members were beginning to fragment. They knew her aims and objectives were sincere and her methods was for their artistic benefit. A crucial Factory Records Management meeting was hastily arranged with all directors in which Reade was subsequently sacked and told to leave the offices immediately without the band. This was Christmas 1984. http://www.partypeoplemovie.com/legend_sub.php?section=2&subsection=4

Can't Afford was an even a bigger US success than the previous release ‘Cool as Ice’ entering Billboard Top 15 Dance Charts in early 1985.

Another Factory Divorce

Loyalties within the band were being truly tested. Derrick Johnson was a die hard Factory Records man. He not only played bass for 52nd Street, but was also session guitarist alongside his brother Barry Johnson (former bass player with ex-Manchester hit group Sweet Sensation) in Mike Pickering’s upcoming band Quando Quango. Also, Derrick’s other brother Donald was also starting to take on a more leading role in A Certain Ratio since the departure of both Simon Topping and Peter Terrell. After deliberation and much soul searching against the wishes of both Gretton and Wilson, 52nd Street followed Lindsay Reade and left Factory Records in January 1985. Derrick Johnson refused to follow and stayed with the organisation.