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Although they had a number of R&B hits during the late '80s, Surface didn't cross over into the pop mainstream in any notable way. They scraped the bottom reaches of the charts a few times, but they never had a breakout hit that would establish them as stars. Listening to Columbia/Legacy's definitive retrospective The First Time: The Best of Surface, it's possible to hear why they didn't break out -- they simply didn't have a song that would break them big. That doesn't mean that they were a bad group, since they were very competent within their genre and several hits here are very pleasant late-'80s urban cuts, either on the ballad or dance side. But there's nothing particularly striking, nothing with a hook that would send the band soaring up the pop charts. Still, if you happen to be a fan, either of the group or of this sound, this is a pleasing listen, and a very representative overview of what Surface achieved.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Surface, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bernard Jackson, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer, Background Vocal, Vocal - David Townsend, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Piano, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - David Conley, Composer, Lyricist - Larry Conley, Saxophone - Vassal Benford, Synthesizer - CRAIG BURBIDGE, Assistant Engineer - Dave Ahlert, Recording Engineer - Larkin Arnold, Executive Producer - David Rivkin, Mixing Engineer, Recording Engineer - David "Pic" Conley, Flute, Percussion, Drum Programmer, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - Erik Nuri, Executive Producer - Julian Robertson, Recording Engineer - Matthew "Krash" Kasha, Mixing Engineer - Tony Braithwaite, Recording Engineer - DAVID 'PIC' CONLEY, Producer
(P) 1986 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Surface, Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bernard Jackson, Composer, Lyricist, Drum Programmer, Rap, Fretless Bass, Background Vocal, Vocal - David Townsend, Guitar, Keyboards, Drum Programmer, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - Bob Brockman, Drum Programmer - David "Pic" Conley, Flute, Drum Programmer, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - Brian Simpson, Composer, Lyricist, Keyboards, Drum Programmer
(P) 1990 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Surface, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bernard Jackson, Composer, Producer, Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer, Background Vocal, Vocal - David Townsend, Composer, Guitar, Piano, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - David Conley, Composer - Larry Conley, Saxophone - Vassal Benford, Synthesizer - CRAIG BURBIDGE, Assistant Engineer - Dave Ahlert, Recording Engineer - Larkin Arnold, Executive Producer - David Rivkin, Mixing Engineer, Recording Engineer - David "Pic" Conley, Producer, Flute, Percussion, Drum Programmer, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - Erik Nuri, Executive Producer - Julian Robertson, Recording Engineer - Matthew "Krash" Kasha, Mixing Engineer - Tony Braithwaite, Recording Engineer - Davis Townsend, Producer
(P) 1986 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Surface, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Performance Arranger - Bernard Jackson, Composer, Producer, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Background Vocal, Vocal - David Townsend, Guitar, Piano - David Conley, Engineer - Vassal Benford, Synthesizer - Paul Higgins, Assistant Engineer - Bob Brockman, Mixing Engineer - Jose Rodriguez, Mastering Engineer - David "Pic" Conley, Producer, Drum Programmer - Cecil Holmes, Executive Producer - Davis Townsend, Producer - FRANK NOGVERAS, Assistant Engineer
(P) 1988 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Surface, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Performance Arranger - Bernard Jackson, Composer, Producer, Background Vocal, Vocal - David Townsend, Composer, Producer, Guitar, Drum Programmer, Synthesizer - David Conley, Composer, Engineer - Regina Belle, AssociatedPerformer - Vassal Benford, Guitar, Synthesizer - Paul Higgins, Assistant Engineer - Bob Brockman, Mixing Engineer - Everett Collins, Percussion - Jose Rodriguez, Mastering Engineer - David "Pic" Conley, Producer, Flute, Drum Programmer - Cecil Holmes, Executive Producer - FRANK NOGVERAS, Assistant Engineer - Joe Intile, Assistant Engineer
(P) 1988 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Surface, Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bernard Jackson, Composer, Lyricist, Drum Programmer, Rap, Fretless Bass, Background Vocal, Vocal - David Townsend, Guitar, Keyboards, Drum Programmer, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - Bobby Wooten, Arranger - David "Pic" Conley, Flute, Drum Programmer, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - Brian Simpson, Keyboards, Drum Programmer
(P) 1990 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Joshua Thompson, Keyboards - Surface, Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - D. Conley, Author - Gene Lennon, Programmer - Bernard Jackson, Drum Programmer, Rap, Fretless Bass, Background Vocal - David Townsend, Guitar, Keyboards, Drum Programmer, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - J. Thompson, Author - Vassal Benford, Keyboards, Piano - David "Pic" Conley, Flute, Drum Programmer, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - G. Lennon, Author
(P) 1990 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Surface, Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - D. Culler, Composer, Lyricist - D. Conley, Composer, Lyricist - Derrick Culler, Background Vocal - Bernard Jackson, Drum Programmer, Rap, Fretless Bass, Background Vocal, Vocal - David Townsend, Guitar, Keyboards, Drum Programmer, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - Regina Belle, Background Vocal - David "Pic" Conley, Flute, Drum Programmer, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - Everette Collins, Background Vocal
(P) 1990 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Surface, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Performance Arranger - Bernard Jackson, Composer, Producer, Background Vocal, Vocal - David Townsend, Composer, Producer, Piano, Drum Programmer, Synthesizer - David Conley, Engineer - Vassal Benford, Piano, Synthesizer - Paul Higgins, Assistant Engineer - Bob Brockman, Mixing Engineer - Jose Rodriguez, Mastering Engineer - David "Pic" Conley, Producer, Drum Programmer - Cecil Holmes, Executive Producer - FRANK NOGVERAS, Assistant Engineer
(P) 1988 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Surface, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Performance Arranger - Bernard Jackson, Composer, Producer, Background Vocal, Vocal - David Townsend, Producer, Guitar - David Conley, Composer, Engineer, Drum Programmer - Vassal Benford, Horn, Synthesizer - Paul Higgins, Assistant Engineer - Carl Beatty, Mixing Engineer - Everett Collins, Composer - Jose Rodriguez, Mastering Engineer - David "Pic" Conley, Producer - Cecil Holmes, Executive Producer - FRANK NOGVERAS, Assistant Engineer
(P) 1988 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Surface, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bernard Jackson, Composer, Producer, Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer, Background Vocal, Vocal - David Townsend, Composer, Guitar, Piano, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - David Conley, Composer - Larry Conley, Saxophone - Vassal Benford, Synthesizer - CRAIG BURBIDGE, Assistant Engineer - Dave Ahlert, Recording Engineer - Larkin Arnold, Executive Producer - David Rivkin, Mixing Engineer, Recording Engineer - David "Pic" Conley, Producer, Flute, Percussion, Drum Programmer, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - Erik Nuri, Executive Producer - Julian Robertson, Recording Engineer - Matthew "Krash" Kasha, Mixing Engineer - Tony Braithwaite, Recording Engineer - Davis Townsend, Producer
(P) 1986 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Surface, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bernard Jackson, Composer, Producer, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Synthesizer, Background Vocal, Vocal - David Townsend, Composer, Producer, Guitar, Piano, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - David Conley, Composer - Larry Conley, Saxophone - Vassal Benford, Synthesizer - CRAIG BURBIDGE, Assistant Engineer - Dave Ahlert, Recording Engineer - Larkin Arnold, Executive Producer - David Rivkin, Mixing Engineer, Recording Engineer - David "Pic" Conley, Producer, Flute, Percussion, Drum Programmer, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - Erik Nuri, Executive Producer - Julian Robertson, Recording Engineer - Matthew "Krash" Kasha, Mixing Engineer - Tony Braithwaite, Recording Engineer
(P) 1986 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Surface, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bernard Jackson, Composer, Producer, Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer, Background Vocal, Vocal - David Townsend, Composer, Guitar, Piano, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - David Conley, Composer - Larry Conley, Saxophone - Vassal Benford, Synthesizer - CRAIG BURBIDGE, Assistant Engineer - Dave Ahlert, Recording Engineer - Larkin Arnold, Executive Producer - David Rivkin, Mixing Engineer, Recording Engineer - David "Pic" Conley, Producer, Flute, Percussion, Drum Programmer, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - Erik Nuri, Executive Producer - Julian Robertson, Recording Engineer - Matthew "Krash" Kasha, Mixing Engineer - Tony Braithwaite, Recording Engineer - Davis Townsend, Producer
(P) 1986 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Surface, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bernard Jackson, Composer, Producer, Background Vocal, Vocal - David Townsend, Producer, Guitar - Bob Brockman, Cymbal - Bobby Wooten, Performance Arranger - David "Pic" Conley, Producer, Saxophone - Brian Simpson, Keyboards - Cecil Holmes, Executive Producer
(P) 1988 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Album review
Although they had a number of R&B hits during the late '80s, Surface didn't cross over into the pop mainstream in any notable way. They scraped the bottom reaches of the charts a few times, but they never had a breakout hit that would establish them as stars. Listening to Columbia/Legacy's definitive retrospective The First Time: The Best of Surface, it's possible to hear why they didn't break out -- they simply didn't have a song that would break them big. That doesn't mean that they were a bad group, since they were very competent within their genre and several hits here are very pleasant late-'80s urban cuts, either on the ballad or dance side. But there's nothing particularly striking, nothing with a hook that would send the band soaring up the pop charts. Still, if you happen to be a fan, either of the group or of this sound, this is a pleasing listen, and a very representative overview of what Surface achieved.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 14 track(s)
- Total length: 01:02:45
- Main artists: Surface
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Columbia - Legacy
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B R&B
(P) 1986, 1988, 1990, 2001 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
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