Floaters - Floaters (1977) By Papa Funk
" A VERY RARE GEM "
A short-lived spinoff group formed by onetime Detroit
Emeralds members James Mitchell and Marvin Willis, Floaters scored a
number one R&B and number two pop hit with their debut “Float On”
for ABC. It was neither a lyrical nor vocal triumph, but still was among
the biggest selling R&B singles of 1977. Lead singer Charles Clark,
along with Larry Cunningham, Paul and Ralph Mitchell, and Jonathan
Murray weren’t able to sustain whatever magic they generated with “Float
On.” The next two singles were actually superior performances to the
hit. “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” and “I Just Want to Be With
You” demonstrated that Clark could be an effective ballad singer, but
neither could move beyond moderate R&B chart status.
I Am So Glad I Took My Time,” released on Fee Records, was their debut single, but the Detroit quartet struck gold with their second release (actually, the Floaters were actually a quintet; Ralph Mitchell missed the “Float On” session and the album’s photo shoot for some unexplained reason, though he was present for the other tracks). “Float On” was 11 minutes and 46 seconds of pure magic; the tune echoed the group’s name, for it just floated on a bed of rhythm and harmony as the guys introduced themselves and gave their astrological signs. The other Floaters are Paul Mitchell, Jonathan Murray, Charles Clark, and Ralph Cunningham. Disk jockeys loved “Float On,” they could pair it with Issac Hayes’ “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” make a munchie run, and be back before Ike sings “she’ll be rising.” “Float On” aced Billboard’s R&B chart and Great Britain’s pop chart. Nothing else as magical appears on this LP. They followed with “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” which surprisingly charted despite Charles Clark’s whiny, uninteresting falsetto lead.
This talented quartet from Detroit unfortunately became synonymous with the term “One Hit Wonder,” but that one hit has kept them working for 30 years now and has given audiences around the world the chance to see their impressive live performances. The Floaters started as a quartet in the early 70s with members Larry Cunningham, Charles Clark, Robert Palmer and Paul Mitchell, and became a very popular club act in Detroit. Wooed by another local group with a small label contract, Palmer left and was replaced by Ralph Mitchell, who was with the group when they were subsequently discovered and signed by ABC Records executive Otis Smith. The group’s self-titled debut album hit the stores with virtually no fanfare, but a young New York disc-jockey threw the single “Float On,” with its memorable bass line, on the air during a break and the phone lines lit up. A disc jockey in Cleveland has similar results and soon ABC realized it had a potential hit on its hands. The single ultimately climbed to the top of both the Pop and Soul charts, one of the most unlikely hits of 1977. “Float On” came in various lengths and mixes, the most ponderous of which was an 11 minute version that dominated Side One of the debut album. The lyrics were rather preposterous – as each member of the group gave an inane monologue about his zodiac sign and what he liked in a woman – but the groove was absolutely infectious and carried the day. The follow-up single, a surprise cover of “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me,” showed lead singer Charles Clark had some pipes, but it stalled on the charts.
" VERY,VERY GOOD SOUL GEM "
The sale of ABC Records in 1978 spelled disaster for the
group’s second album, Magic, which also featured a tremendously long
first single (the title track), but wasn’t nearly as compelling as its
predecessor and it faded quickly from the charts. New label MCA brought
in veteran writer/producer Eugene McDaniels for the group’s third album,
Float Into The Future, but it died an even quicker death. Internal
group struggles and a battle over the Floaters name led to the departure
of Larry Cunningham and Ralph Mitchell in 1980, and a local female
singer, Shu Ga, was recruited to work with the remaining duo for the
forgettable Get Ready for the Floaters and Shu Ga. With legal issues
behind them, the group reunited in 1990 and began playing dates with
their long-standing Floaters Orchestra. They also started working in
multi-group soul shows around the world. During the next decade Clark
left the group for a new career in Gospel and Paul Mitchell became a
local Detroit producer. Original member Robert Palmer rejoined
Cunningham and Ralph Mitchell in the lineup that continues to this day.
The trio tours regularly and in 2005 recorded a limited edition EP, The
Way We Were, that included an excellent cover of Charles Wright’s
“Loveland.” It is available by contacting Larry Cunningham at
larryfloater@yahoo.com.
Currently, the Floaters live in different parts of the country but
remain close and continue to perform together regularly, most often in
the ongoing Love Jam Tour of 70s acts, or in shows with the Dells. The
are contemplating recording a new album, and in the meantime both
Mitchell and Cunningham are working on solo Gospel projects. It’s tough
to say what the Floaters could have done with better material in their
limited run as recording artists, but in their performances on the three
albums and in concert they showed signs that they deserved more than
the “one hit wonder” label. It’s good to see that their talent continues
to be appreciated by live audiences more than three decades after the
group’s inception. Chris Rizik, SoulTracks
“Float On”‘s dreamy quality is due in part to the fact that the idea for the song came to Detroit Emeralds member James Mitchell Jr. while he was catching some “zzzz”s. Leaping from his bed, Mitchell grabbed the tape recorder he kept by his bed to record songs that sprang into his head. Excited about the idea, he woke up Marvin Willis with a seven a.m. phone call. Mitchell, along with the rest of the Detroit Emeralds (who had early-’70s hits with “Do Me Right,” “You Want It, You Got It,” and “Baby Let Me Take You (In My Arms)”), purchased the Emerald Lounge in their home base of Detroit, MI. On Sundays, the club featured new talent. One group, the Junior Floaters caught their attention. The group’s lineup was James’ younger brother Paul Mitchell, Larry Cunningham, Ralph Mitchell (no relation), Charles Clark, and Jonathan Murray. James Mitchell Jr. decided to collaborate on songs for the singing group with Willis and Arnold Ingram. After six months, they had enough material for an album. Trying to come up with a concept for the album, Mitchell noticed the similarities between the group and the young Temptations and the way the women responded to each member of the group. He came up with the idea of having a section in a song in which each of the singers would introduce himself. The group now known as the Floaters were signed to Woody Wilson’s Fee Records, debuting with the single “I Am So Glad I Took My Time.” Later Fee signed a manufacturing and distribution deal with Los Angeles-based ABC Records (also on the label’s roster were fellow Detroiters the Dramatics). “Float On” was tracked in a garage recording studio called Pac 3. The session featured guitarists Dennis Coffey (“Scorpio”) and Kenny Goodman, bassist Guy Hudson, drummer Arthur “Buster” Marbury, percussionist Lorenzo Brown, vibes player Jack Brokensha, flutist Larry Nazero, clarinetist/synth player Gary Schunk, pianist Ingram, and trumpeter Willis. The million-selling “Float On” topped the U.K. charts before parking at number one R&B for six weeks and number two pop for two weeks in summer 1977. Their debut LP, The Floaters, went platinum holding the number one R&B spot for three weeks and peaking at number ten pop. The Floaters returned to Pac 3 to record a new version of “Float On” with Full Force for the Brooklyn-based group’s summer 2001 TVT debut album, Still Standing.
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