All Night Long

Heavily influenced by the sounds of Prince and Cameo, among others, the Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band jumped into, and foundered among, the large pool of early-'80s funky wave bands. They had the keyboards, they had that ubiquitous drum sound, and they'd already had a Top Ten R&B hit with "On the Beat" in 1981. With the band's original lineup falling away, the question of how to proceed remained. By the beginning of 1982, they had two choices: drop off the face of the earth or claw their way back to the charts. They chose the latter — but not without some difficulties. All Night Long (1982) featured a huge, new lineup, most evident to fans as departing vocalist Lucious Floyd was replaced by Kevin Robinson. The resulting ensemble, though, powered their way through a smooth set and a return to the charts with "Imagination" in July. Punchy guitars and polished production ensured the single was the perfect accompaniment to the bright-light, fast-car Saturday-night dramas that dominated the early part of the decade. "Hanging Out" and "Hard to Get Around," meanwhile, saw the album follow in similar musical footsteps, only to be dampened by the mediocre ballad "(I Could Never Say) It's Over" and a bland take on the Stylistics' "Children of the Night." Ultimately, there simply wasn't enough punch to the long-player and the band quickly slid into a super-produced, overly slick quagmire that sucked them straight back into obscurity.