Ohio Players

After stirring a lumpy Funkadelic-derived stew dur-ing their early years, Dayton's Ohio Players signed to Mercury Records in 1974 and cut their recipe back to the basics; soon, gleaming proto-disco concoctions like "Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster" would leave entire dance floors slavering for more. Notorious for their silly S&M-themed album covers, Ohio Players backed up the salacious cartoon flash of vocalist Leroy "Sugar" Bonner with a spare, supple groove. Gold, released in 1976, remains definitive; even "Sweet Sticky Thing" leaves a peppery aftertaste of bass-heavy, finger-poppin' funk. Orgasm covers the early years nicely; the two-disc Funk on Fire is a good, though overlong, overview. Surprisingly, the group's The Millennium Collection edition is nearly as good as Gold. Jam and Ol' School, latter-day live sets, are best avoided. (MARK COLEMAN/ MICHAELANGELO MATOS)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide