Dazz Band - Let It All Blow (12" Long Version)

Dazz Band - Let It All Blow (Long Version) / 12 Inch Extended Remix (HQ Audio)

Dazz Band's name comes from their mission statement: danceable jazz.

They were originally called Kinsman Dazz, after The Kinsman Grill where they performed as the house band. The restaurant was in the Cleveland, Ohio neighbourhood where founder Bobby Harris grew up, and was later managed by former Dazz Band members.

Harris had decided to form a "danceable jazz" group after leaving jazz-fusion band Bell Telefunk in 1976, and recruited other former members of the band.

Kinsman Dazz signed their first deal in 1977 with 20th Century Records.

In 1980, they reshuffled their line-up, shortened their name to Dazz Band, and signed a new contract with Motown.

They became a regular feature on the US R&B chart throughout the 1980s, scoring their first No. 1 in 1982 with Let It Whip, which also reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Let It All Blow is Dazz Band's only UK hit, peaking at No. 12 in December 1984.

It was quite a funk-and soul-heavy Top 20, also featuring Kool & The Gang, The Pointer Sisters, The Temptations, Billy Ocean and Chaka Khan.

Let It All Blow was the lead single from the band's sixth album, Jukebox, and found its way to radio and the UK chart after becoming a nightclub hit, championed by DJs and journalists.

The 12-inch was serviced to club DJs as a promo, which certainly helped it chart.

The 7" was backed by a video featuring sports clips interspersed with the band performing, which helped secure TV coverage in the new era of MTV and full colour music videos.

Its exposure was later widened by its inclusion on The Hits Album 2, a 28-track compilation that sold well over a million copies in the UK.

The Hits Album was CBS/WEA's response to Virgin/EMI's Now That's What I Call Music series, which had launched in 1983.

Such compilations were a new and exciting development for music lovers at the time. A 7-inch single cost around £1.50, so the opportunity to own 28 singles for around £5 was very appealing — hence the spectacular sales figures of the new compilations.

Of course, squeezing so many tracks onto one side of thin vinyl meant pressing the record with very narrow grooves. Narrow grooves make for a quieter record, more prone to skipping and wear, and with less richness to the sound, particularly in bass frequencies.

For that reason that Let It All Blow can be enjoyed in its best and extended form on this 12 inch heavyweight vinyl, pressed with wide grooves from a lacquer that was expertly cut at The Penthouse, part of the Abbey Road Studios complex, back in 1984.

Year: 1984 Label: Motown Cat no: TMGT 1361