THE BUS BOYS - AMERICAN WORKERS

Digitized from the original vinyl, released in 1982 on Arista Records 
FORMAT: Mp3 
BIT RATE: 320 kbps 
ALBUM INFO: 
Produced By: Pete Solley
Recorded at: United Western Studios, Hollywood, California
Engineered By:Steve Klein, Dennis Herzendorfer, Dave Ahlert, Patrice Carroll.
Mastered By: Bob Ludwig, Masterdisk, New York
Mixed At:Criteria Studios, Miami Beach, Florida
Package Design: David Grimaldi Butler
Front Cover / Art Direction: Betsy Rodden
Illustration: Jeff Wack
Back Cover / Art Direction: Sam McCay
Photographer: Von Thomas
Inner Sleeve / Art Direction: Larry Brooks
Executive Producer: Clive Davis
All Songs Written By: Brian O'Neal except "I Believe" written by Keven O'Neal and "Heart & Soul" written by N. Chinn & M. Chapman 
SONG LISTING: 
American Workers
New Shoes
Last Forever
Opportunity
Heart & Soul
I Get Lost
Soul Surfing U.S.A.
Yellow Lights
Falling In Love
I Believe 
THE PLAYERS: 
Victor Johnson - Guitars
Brian O'Neal - Keyboards
Steve Felix - Drums
Kevin O'Neal - Bass
Gus Loundermon: Vocals
Michael Jones: Synthesizers 
WEBSITE: 
There is no Band website as I write this 
REVIEW(S): 
By R. Butler on May 16, 2006 
Format: Audio CD
Arista couldn't figure out how to market a black funk-rock band. Most blacks were into r&b funk and disco and hiphop hadn't yet proven that white audiences would respond to aggressive lyrics and music from black artists.

These guys were good and this CD aged well, even though their debut was even better. There are several types of Rock songs on here (only Soul Surfing, a surf-rock jam with social lyrics addressing the band's fish-nor-fowl identity echoes the feel of their first album). They performed New Shoes in the movie 48 Hours, which is how I came to be interested in them.
Heart and Soul was covered the very next year by Huey Lewis and The News was a chart hit (bittersweet for the Bus Boys, no doubt). In fact, Huey Leweis & the News could be seen as a more radio-friendly, white-bread counterpart to The Bus Boys' sociopolitical funk-rock. I think the content of this album probably reflected pressure from Arista to make something more radio-friendly. To no avail; they left Arista after this album.
Anyway, pick it up, you won't regret it. The strongest cuts are New Shoes, Last Forever, Opportunity, Heart and Soul, I Get Lost, Soul Surfing, which make up the middle 6 songs this 10 song set. 
YOUTUBE: 
http://youtu.be/FAYlrzCcA6s 
CONTACT: 
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