Shalamar: Friends - 1982

This is easily the best of Shalamar’s albums, containing four big hits and some fine other tracks too.

The album begins with the superb disco-pop of A Night To Remember, presented here in extended form. Don’t Try To Change Me continues in the same style - quality, catchy and highly accessible poppy funk.

Help Me slows down the pace, but nicely slow on an appealing, romantic groove. On Top Of The World returns to the joyful pop funk of most of the album. It features some nice bass-guitar interplay and is very much the sound of ordinary town discos and nightclubs in 1982 and was in many girls’ record collections. They all seemed to own this.

I Don’t Wanna Be The Last To Know has Jody Watley on lead vocals on a slower number. Friends and There It Is are cut from the same disco guitar-riffing cloth and were perfect singles while I Can Make You Feel Good is one of the great disco records.

The other two tracks are the upbeat, grinding groove of Playing To Win, enhanced by some great funky guitar and the smoochy heartbreaker I Just Stopped By Because I Had To. 

This was a good album - it didn’t get much better than this for Shalamar. 

Secondary, 3 of 8

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