Atlantic Starr

Collection of Atlantic Starr

Atlantic Starr was among the top urban contemporary acts of the '80s and fared well in the adult contemporary market as well, but their roots were '70s soul and funk. The East Coast outfit was formed in White Plains, NY, in 1976 by three brothers: lead singer/guitarist David Lewis, lead singer/keyboardist Wayne Lewis, and trombonist/percussionist Jonathan Lewis. After the Lewis Brothers hired lead singer Sharon Bryant, trumpeter William Sudderth, saxophonist Damon Rentie (who was replaced by Koran Daniels in 1981), bassist Clifford Archer, drummer Porter Carroll, Jr., and percussionist/flutist Joseph Phillips, Atlantic Starr's original nine-person lineup was in place. Influenced by '70s funk/soul bands like Earth, Wind & Fire, the Commodores, New Birth, and L.T.D., Atlantic Starr started playing around the northeastern U.S. They had only been together for about two years when they signed with A&M and started working with Bobby Eli, a well-respected producer/songwriter from Philadelphia. Produced by Eli in 1978, Atlantic Starr's self-titled debut album wasn't a mega-platinum blockbuster but did reasonably well and contained the funk hit "Stand Up" (which made it to number 16 on Billboard's R&B singles chart). Eli went on to produce the band's second album, Straight to the Point; while that 1979 release did OK, A&M knew that Atlantic Starr could be bigger. So in 1981, the band changed producers and enlisted James Carmichael for their third album, Radiance. It was a wise move; Radiance and its hit single "When Love Calls" established Atlantic Starr as a supergroup in the R&B market. It was on Radiance that the charismatic Bryant (who was featured on "When Love Calls") really blossomed as a singer and her lead vocals played a major role in the band's success. Carmichael went on to produce 1982's "Brilliance" (which contained the number two R&B single "Circles") and 1983's Yours Forever; the latter includes "Touch a Four Leaf Clover," another major hit featuring Bryant.

Although Bryant was never Atlantic Starr's only lead singer -- Wayne and David Lewis also provided their share of lead vocals -- she was a major asset. So it came as quite a disappointment when she left Atlantic Starr in 1984 to pursue a solo career. But all was not lost. The talented Barbara Weathers was hired as a replacement and 1985's As the Band Turns -- Atlantic Starr's first post-Bryant album and sixth album overall -- found the outfit unveiling a smaller lineup that consisted of Weathers, the Lewis Brothers, and Phillips. Sudderth, Daniels, Archer, and Carroll were all gone, but despite those personnel changes, Atlantic Starr was still distinctive and recognizable. As the Band Turns, which contained the major hit "Secret Lovers," turned out to be Atlantic Starr's last album for A&M; in 1987, they moved to Warner Bros. and fared well with the album All in the Name of Love and the smash hit "Always." A syrupy adult contemporary ballad, "Always" reflected the Lewis Brothers' desire to have the type of crossover success that Whitney Houston and Lionel Ritchie had been enjoying in the '80s; they got their wish when "Always" soared to number one on both the pop and R&B charts.

After All in the Name of Love, Weathers left the band to pursue a solo career and was replaced by Porscha Martin, who was featured on 1988's We're Movin' Up. Martin was around for a few years before being replaced by Rachel Oliver (Atlantic Starr's fourth female vocalist) in the early '90s. Atlantic Starr's relationship with Warner Bros. ended after 1991's Love Crazy, and in 1994, the band recorded one album for Arista: Time. That album was a commercial disappointment and the single "I'll Remember You" only made it to the fifties on Billboard's R&B and pop singles charts. Time (which was David Lewis' last album with the band) found a fifth female singer, Aisha Tanner, replacing Oliver. And when 1999's Legacy was distributed by the small, independent Street Solid label, Atlantic Starr unveiled yet another lineup -- one that consisted of two Lewis Brothers (Wayne and Jonathan) as well as Oliver (who had returned and replaced Tanner) and a new male singer named DeWayne Woods. Although Legacy received very little attention, Atlantic Starr hung in there and was still performing for die-hard fans when the 21st century arrived. Allmusic by Alex Henderson

Album: Atlantic Starr (1978)

01 Stand Up
02. Keep It Comin'
03. Visions
04. Being In Love With You Is So Much Fun
05. The Love I Never Had Love
06. Gimme Your Lovin'
07. With Your Love I Come Alive
08. We Got It Together
09. Don't Abuse My Love
10. Where There's Smoke, There's Fire

http://www46.zippyshare.com/v/6919113/file.html

Album: Straight To The Point (1979)

1. (Let's) Rock 'N' Roll
2. Kissin' Power
3. Let The Spirit Move Ya
4. Straight To The Point
5. Bullseye
6. What'Cha Feel Inside
7. Fallin' In Love With You
8. Losin' You

http://www1.zippyshare.com/v/90409135/file.html

Album: Radiant (1980)

1. When Love Calls
2. Does It Matter
3. Think About That
4. Send For Me
5. Mystery Girl
6. Am I Dreaming
7. Under Pressure
8. My Turn Now

http://www72.zippyshare.com/v/19951777/file.html

Album: Brilliance (1982)

1. Love Me Down
2. Sexy Dancer
3. Love Moves
4. Your Love Finally Ran Out
5. Circles
6. Let's Get Closer
7. Perfect Love
8. You'Re The One

http://www3.zippyshare.com/v/66894824/file.html

Album: Yours Forever (1983)

1. I Want Your Love
2. Island Dream
3. More, More, More
4. More Time For Me
5. Second To None
6. Touch A Four Leaf Clover
7. Tryin'
8. Who Could Love You Better
9. Yours Forever

http://www11.zippyshare.com/v/78227113/file.html

Album: As The Band Turns (1986)

1. Freak A Ristic
2. Cool, Calm Collected
3. One Love
4. In The Heat Of Passion
5. If Your Heart Isn't
6. Silver Shadow
7. Let's Start It Over
8. Secret Lovers
9. Thank You

http://www63.zippyshare.com/v/52512528/file.html

Album: All In The Name Of Love (1987)

01. One Lover at a Time
02. You Belong With Me
03. Females
04. Don't Take Me for Granted
05. Always
06. Armed and Dangerous
07. Let the Sun In
08. Thankful
09. I'm in Love
10. All in the Name of Love
11. My Mistake
12. Interlude

http://www24.zippyshare.com/v/10154904/file.html

Album: We're Movin' Up (1989)

01 Under Your Spell
02. Bring It Back Home Again
03. I'm In Love With You
04. Don't Start The Fire
05. Love Ain't Fair (track is missing)
06. My First Love
07. Woman's Touch
08. Friends
09. We'Re Movin' Up
10. My Sugar
11. I Can't Wait
12. You Deserve The Best

http://www62.zippyshare.com/v/81004867/file.html

Album: Love Crazy (1991)

01. I Can't Wait
02. If You Knew What's Good For You
03. Love Crazy
04. Hold On
05. Lookin' For Love Again
06. Come Lover
07. You Hit The Spot
08. Masterpiece
09. Girl, Your Love's So Fine
10. My Special Lover
11. Unconditional Love

http://www65.zippyshare.com/v/50183742/file.html

Album: Time (1994)

01. I'll Remember You
02. Everybody's Got Summer
03. My Best Friend
04. Time
05. Baby Be There
06. Let's Just Sneak Around
07. So Good To Come HomeTo
08. Lovin' You All Over Again
09. Animal Attraction
10. Along The Way

http://www6.zippyshare.com/v/10617897/file.html

Album: Legacy (1999)

01. Where Have You Been All My Life
02. Stand!
03. I've Fallen In Love
04. On The Other Side
05. Love To The Rescue
06. Mary
07. Dad
08. When Was The Last Time
09. The Mirror
10. Reach Higher
11. Legacy

http://www51.zippyshare.com/v/21429578/file.html

Album: Ultimate Collection (2000)

01. Always
02. When Love Call (Single Version)
03. Secret Lovers (Single Version)
04. Touch A Four Leaf Clover (Single Version)
05. Silver Shadow (Specially Remixed Version)
06. Love Crazy
07. One Lover At A Time
08. Cool, Calm, Collected
09. Circles (Single Version)
10. Love Me Down (Single Version)
11. Send For Me (Single Version)
12. More, More, More (Single Version)
13. If Your Heart Isn't In It
14. Stand Up (Single Version)
15. (Let's) Rock 'N' Roll (Single Version)
16. Freak-A-Ristic
17. Masterpiece (Single Version)
18. My First Love

http://www15.zippyshare.com/v/42896445/file.html

Album: The Best of Atlantic Starr, 20th Century Masters Of The Millennium Collection (2007)

01. Stand Up
02. When Love Calls
03. Send For Me
04. Circles
05. Love Me Down
06. Touch A Four Leaf Clover
07. More, More, More
08. Freak-A-Ristic
09. Silver Shadow
10. Secret Lovers
11. If Your Heart Isn't In It
12. Always

http://www60.zippyshare.com/v/9277721/file.html

Enjoy!!!!