The Power Station
Biography The Power Station
The Power Station
was formed in the New York City recording studio on the same name after a chance encounter between the Taylors, who were on a break from Duran Duran, and Palmer who was working on new solo material. In a rolling Stone interview from the early 80s Andy Taylor said that he wand John, who had been life long fans of Chic recruited Thompson and Bernard Edwards (who produced the disc) to help them "Record the ultimate T-Rex cover." They did that and more.
The debut CD was a huge hit thanks to legions of hungry "Duranies" hungry for new material and massive MTV exposure for the stylish videos to the albums tracks "Some Like It Hot" and the T-Rex cover "Get It On (Bang A Gong)." This CD was the soundtrack to my youth. Specifically junior year in High School. I wore the tape down by playing it again and again in my boom box. Today it remains a go to disc for late night drives and road trips. It is without a doubt in my all time top ten CDs. Ever.
The Power Station allowed the individual band members to do things they had not been able to do in their other bands. Andy Taylor, who had been drastically underused in Duran Duran got to unleash his inner guitar god as shred through the tracks "Communication" and "Murderess." Taylor even got to handle some vocals, sharing the mic with Palmer for the band's solid take on the Isley Brother's "Harvest For The World." Drummer Thompson got to get his rock on. We know the man was funky from his time in Chic but this CD let him really kick out the big beats and John Taylor get to flex his funk muscles and create some memorable bass lines. Robert Palmer, who had delivered so many great moments in the 1970s, is at the top of his game vocally on this record. His deep baritone crooning through the ballads "Still In Your Heart" and "Lonely Tonight" help to make The Power Station his Magnum Opus.
