Originally formed in 1968 as a "family act", when Virgin Islands born
sisters Carmen, Lillian and Louise Lopez gathered together to sing in
harmony as The Lopez Sisters. The trio found work in and around New
York, mainly the usual gigs such as weddings, parties, and small clubs.
After struggling for many years without success, sister Carmen chose to
opt out for marriage and domesticity.
Lillian and Louise decided that a new sound was needed to enhance
their chances for success, enter Manila-born Tony Reynolds. With the new
line-up a name change was in order. Lillian and Louise were embarking
on a new odyssey with a male singer and a more pop oriented sound.
Currently the band is led by by Steven Collazo (Lillian Lopez's son) and featuring vocalist twins Annis and Anne Peters.
The group began as the Connecticut-born "Lopez Sisters", featuring Steven Collazo's mother, Lillian Lopez (Lillian Lopez Collazo Jackson; November 16, 1935 – September 4, 2012),[4] Louise Lopez (February 22, 1933 – January 28, 2015),[5] and Carmen Lopez (July 12, 1934 - April 22, 2016),[6] the latter having left the group before Odyssey, as the act would come to be known after her departure, was conceived.[7]
Filipino bassist and singer Tony Reynolds joined the group soon after "Native New Yorker" reached no. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100, no. 5 in the UK Singles Chart. A string of albums and singles followed and the group managed another R&B chart hit, "Inside Out", written by Jesse Rae, produced by Jimmy Douglass and featuring music performed by session musicians. It peaked on the US R&B charts at no. 12 and in the UK went to no. 3 in 1982.[8] The song was ranked at number 15 among the "Tracks of the Year" for 1982 by NME.
Reynolds, for unknown reasons, left after the first album and was replaced by Fayetteville, North Carolina, native William "Bill" McEachern, who remained with the group throughout the remainder of its RCA Records output.[7] During that time, Brooklyn-born Steven Collazo joined the group as keyboardist, vocalist and musical director. Tony Reynolds died on February 2, 2010, in Jamaica, Queens, New York.
In the United Kingdom, the band, with its diverse musical style had more chart success, totalling five top ten hits between 1977 and 1982.[10] One of them, "Use It Up and Wear It Out", reached number one in the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in 1980,[7] making Odyssey the third US act of the year (after Fern Kinney and M.A.S.H.) to reach number one in the UK despite not charting in their home country.[11] The UK follow-up single, "If You're Lookin' for a Way Out" had Lillian Lopez on lead vocals; the single reaching no. 6 in 1980 and spending a total of fifteen weeks in the UK chart.[10] Their next hit, "Going Back to My Roots", was written and originally recorded by Lamont Dozier.
Hollywood Party Tonight, the second album by Odyssey, found the New York trio unveiling a new lineup. Lillian and Louise Lopez remained, but Tony Reynolds had been replaced by Billy McEachern. However, Reynolds' departure didn't make much of a difference; Odyssey's soft, laid-back style of soul-pop (which had a subtle Caribbean flavor and occasional hints of jazz) was still distinctive and easily recognizable. Although not as strong or as consistent as Odyssey's self-titled debut album, Hollywood Party Tonight is a generally decent sophomore record. The 1978 LP, which went out of print after only a few years, didn't contain any hits; nonetheless, hardcore Odyssey fans who bought it found tracks like "Hey Bill (Last Night Was Really a Thrill)" and "Single Again" to be pleasant, if unremarkable. From a commercial standpoint, the problem with this album was a shortage of disco -- people associated Odyssey with the exuberant disco smash "Native New Yorker," and Hollywood Party Tonight doesn't contain anything as overtly dance-oriented. Not that Odyssey was under any obligation to record disco; most of the tunes on its promising debut album were for listening rather than dancing. And the same thing can be said about this uneven sophomore effort, which isn't a masterpiece but has more ups than downs.
It would be wrong to think of Odyssey as one-hit wonders because "Native New Yorker" wasn't the trio's only hit; Odyssey also climbed the R&B charts with "Don't Tell Me, Tell Her" in 1980 and "Inside Out" in 1982. Nonetheless, Odyssey didn't have a lot of blockbusters, and the New York group wasn't nearly as big as it could have been. Nor were Odyssey as consistent as they could have been; Hang Together, the group's third album, has more pluses than minuses but is still uneven. The more memorable songs on this 1980 LP range from the sleek "Don't Tell Me, Tell Her" to the ballad "If You're Looking for a Way Out" and the funky, Labelle-ish "Rooster Loose in the Barnyard." Meanwhile, the catchy "Down Boy" finds Odyssey experimenting with rock elements, which was a rarity for the New Yorkers. Overall, this is a decent record, but it isn't a great one -- and Odyssey were quite capable of being consistently excellent instead of merely adequate. Listening to Hang Together is a lot like seeing a student with above average intelligence bringing home a report card with B's and C's; those B's and C's are preferable to D's and F's, but they're still disappointing when you know that the kid is capable of bringing home straight A's.
THE GREATEST HITS 1997
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