The Power of the Power Station
Let’s put 4 very different artists in a room.
Robert Palmer was a guy who would play music in any genre. He had a rock hit in Doctor, Doctor. He did pop reggae with his song, What’s it Take?. He’ll do new wave like in the song Johnny and Mary. He even does pure pop in Every Kind of People.
Tony Thompson was the drummer for Chic. Chic was a funk/soul band known for songs Good Times, and LeFreak. He did back up for Sister Sledge on the song We Are Family. He's on the Diana Ross song Upside Down. Then he worked with Madonna on Material Girl.
John and Andy Taylor were from pop band Duran Duran. Duran Duran started as a new wave band with songs like Planet Earth, Girls on Film. Then they became a Mtv boy-band.
Pretty diverse. What would come out of that diversity.
Actually a few of the best songs of the 1980s.
During a break from Duran Duran and a time when Robert Palmer and Tony Thompson had some free time, they jammed together and realized they had something pretty good. They started a band and took the name of the studio called Power Station located at 441 W 53rd St in Manhattan for the name of the band. They did some cover songs and a few new songs and put out an album. It was officially called The Power Station, but because it was back in the time of 33 and 1/3 vinyl records, 33 and 1/3 was printed at the bottom of the album cover and fans called the album that.
They had to promote this album to get some of the costs back. So they performed on Saturday Night Live on February 16, 1985.
They released three singles from this album. Some Like it Hot was a #6 best seller. Their remake of Bang a Gong (Get it On) hit #9. A third single wasn’t as successful.
With so much momentum, band members thought they should tour and play to crowds. This experiment was four guys that liked a variety of music getting together. They really didn't see an album and they didn't see that album being one of the signature accomplishments of their careers. When the iron is hot, you have to act.
The problem was that Robert Palmer already had work on another album he had been planning. The other members of the band would even play on that album called Riptide. Even though some of the early songs on Riptide would be the basis for songs on 33 and 1/3, music fans though Palmer was copying the Power Station when this new album came out. Anyway, he had plans and he wouldn’t tour.
The other members of the band found singer Michael DesBarres and toured with him. It didn’t work for the music fans. Those four guys and that accidental jam is what made the band work. They couldn't swap one member out for another.
The band broke up at the end of 1985.