Zinc – Street Level 1982

 During the prolific summer of 1982 the powerhouse team of Jacques Fred Petrus & Mauro Malavasi released a string of premium productions. Five hot R&B albums by Change, Ritchie Family, B.B.&Q. Band, High Fashion and Zinc hit the streets, along with a straight pop LP by Silence. Zinc’s Street Level was the final record to leave the Little Macho Music factory that year and a bit of an oddity in the catalogue. Actually it became their last achievement to be entirely fabricated in NYC, before stormy weather would afflict the very Italian soul of Little Macho Music.

With the Zinc concept, Petrus & Malavasi explored new musical territory and attempted to infiltrate a radically changing dance music scene with a revamped “street level” sound. They noticed that pop music had taken the gravity center of radio programming and DJ culture. Party people danced to the beats of Men At Work, Tom Tom Club, Robert Palmer, Talking Heads, Simple Minds, B-52’s and Yazoo. Even if the funky Little Macho Music signature sound was all over the album, the  music style was still pretty avant-garde. Zinc belonged to the heavier, more idiosyncratic productions of Little Macho Music. Several tracks on Street Level demonstrated the impact of standard pop and new wave music in those days, flirting with a colder rock sonority. One album cut was even entitled “Punkulation”! Zinc was probably one of the most curious records of the Little Macho Music catalog. In an interview lead singer Gordon Grody admitted the significance of ‘80s pop back then: “One major influence for Zinc was the British superstar band The Police. Their effect is obvious on the Malavasi-Gianolio song “Livin’ In The Boogie Now", mixing white reggae with new wave and funk." The popular American duo Hall & Oates, who combined the best of both rock and R&B, and the funky synth-pop of the British twosome The Quick more than probably provided inspiration as well.

Mauro Malavasi

 

 

Zinc wasn’t a real band but just the façade for yet another tasty studio creation instigated by the Italian duo Jacques Fred Petrus & Mauro Malavasi. The cover artwork –designed by Howard Fritzson– displayed a glamorous NYC street scene, with the group’s firm metallic name tagged in quicksilver lettering. Zinc was an experimental fusion of glossy uptown R&B and cool rebellious rock: where the beat meets the street, as the cover subtly hinted at. The studio group was composed of American and Italian session musicians led by the inevitable Malavasi. The producing and arranging abilities of Mauro Malavasi and the great musicianship of Little Macho Music core member Davide Romani once more shone through on this record. Petrus enlisted the old acquaintances Tanya Willoughby and Fonzi Thornton to provide the song lyrics. Acclaimed singer Gordon Grody (see photo right) fronted Zinc. His more neutral voice seemed adequate for the experiment. He was actually a white male vocalist with the looks of a young rock God and this again emphasized the radical nature of the project from previous Petrus-Malavasi efforts. Grody was a busy studio cat, whose reputation arose in the NYC session scene during the ’70s disco craze. Vocal contributions can be heard on albums by Vicki Sue Robinson, T. Life, Meco, Lemon, Gregg Diamond …. His one solo album Exclusively Yours was released in 1977 on the RCA label. Subsequently the vocal chameleon recorded with heavyweights David Bowie, Debbie Harry, George Benson, Steely Dan, Patti Austin, Change, Sting, Phil Collins, Cyndi Lauper, Carly Simon and Talking Heads among others. Gordon Grody happened to live in the same building in Manhattan Petrus did, right across the hall. No wonder his talent was easily spotted by the Italian clique. Grody’s involvement with Little Macho Music went back to 1980 when he provided leads for Macho II. Jacques Fred Petrus also hired him as the singer of the pop outfit Silence for two albums. Today Grody is a much solicited and experienced voice/songwriting/performance coach who has worked with Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga and many more. “Livin’ In The Boogie Now” featured lead vocalist Steve Daniels who formerly appeared on records of Revanche, Rudy and Change. He also was the drummer and one of the lead singers of the band Platinum Hook.

Gordon Grody

Street Level was dropped in September 1982 by Zomba-Jive Records, a label known for its alternative releases and at that time the highest-ranked independent record company in the world. Zinc was progressive urban R&B with fascinating touches of pop, kept fairly basic, without too many frills. The emphasis was on the vocals, the lush harmonies and the percolating beat that made you want to bounce to the dancefloor. Though there were over 20 musicians and vocalists involved –including backup singers Fonzi Thornton, Michelle Cobbs and Bobby Douglas– the spare arrangements gave everybody space. The fabulous bass playing of Davide Romani lifts every track to the topmost grounds of funk delight. Highlights on the album were the ingenious post-disco bombshell “Street Level” written by ’80s phenomenon Kashif. This lead single and title track of the album is a sexy, hard and nocturnal track. But at the same time it's a composition full of the rich nuances and elegance that characterised the sound of Kashif. Romani’s chilly “Punkulation” caresses the melodies and fleshiness of the P-Funk sound, showing off his muscular bass playing. The Chic-influenced gem “This Is Where The Love Is” is a tribute to Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. The song was co-written by Fonzi Thornton, a key contributor to the Chic Organization. Other fine selections included the naughty up-tempo 12 inch single “I’ll Never Stop”, the energetic “I’ll Take My Chances” –flavoured with licks of rock guitar and polyrhythmic percussion– and the intriguing Malavasi/Trevisi composition “Amazon” with its exotic instrumental airs and tropical chants that conjures up visions of misty rainforests.

Despite the suitable Jive label and a line-up of top musicians delivering a brilliant product, the Zinc effort was not the anticipated winner and proved that the poppy target market didn't bite. During a recent interview, background singer Bobby Douglas reflected on the album's lack of commercial appeal: “Zinc was so ahead of its time that I knew this wasn't going to be well received, because it was so much better than the schlock that was playing on the radio at the time.” And he added: “It was popularly believed that Zinc would be a kick off boost for the underrated Gordon Grody…Petrus talked about having Grody do the tour or lead the act when the record hit…But no such luck...”

In 1983 a last low profile 12" “I’m Livin' A Life Of Love” was released on Jive Records but there was no forthcoming album. Contractual stipulations had forced Little Macho Music to publish a last track for Jive. This Malavasi composition was sung by Kevin Robinson, lead vocalist of the B.B.&Q. Band, and reminded of “Searching” by group Change. The track was incidentally a leftover from previous B.B.&Q. Band recording sessions in 1982. Actually “I’m Livin' A Life Of Love” had already been released the year before, as a B-side to the US single/12 inch of "Street Level". In 1987 a new version of the song popped up as a B-side to Ruby Turner's single "I'd Rather Go Blind" on Jive Records, produced by Pete Q. Harris.

In 1984 Jacques Fred Petrus embraced Italo-Dance music and recycled the name of Zinc for the Little Macho Music project Zinc feat. Sherwin, which resulted in the singles “State Of The Nation” and “Hollywood City”. Both tracks were produced by Marco Tansini, frontman of Midnight Gang. The song "Hollywood City" was even released a second time under the name of Tansini's Midnight Gang.