Jheri Curl June: Kleeer’s “Tonight”

Kleeer had a rocky road to Jheri Curldom. Originally conceived in  1972 as the Jam Band, the backing band for the Choice Four, they later became their own entity, changed their name to Pipeline, and recorded the hard rock infused “Gypsy Rider.” After the single tanked, Pipeline transformed into the Universal Robot Group, under which they recorded and toured for two years. Finally, in 1978, they became a new entity yet again, Kleeer.

Kleeer’s 6th studio album, Intimate Connection; © Atlantic Records.

Similar to One Way, Kleeer released a consistent output of minor hits in the late ’70s and ’80s, but they were immortalized by being extensively sampled by G-Funk artists, like DJ Quik. “Tonight,” from their 1984 album Intimate Connection, was practically made to be sampled: it’s essentially just five minutes of a funky groove with Roger Troutman-esque horny robot talkbox vocals.

We have one more day to go for Jheri Curl June this week–see you then! In the meantime, Spotify and YouTube playlists are below.

Comments

2 responses to “Jheri Curl June: Kleeer’s “Tonight””

  1. gwen mattison Avatar
    gwen mattison

    I think Mic Murphy of The System (“Don’t Disturb This Groove”) was their road manager before he ventured out—damn all these musicians are connected! Peace and love!

    1. Zach Avatar

      Whoa, I had no idea! It is crazy, you definitely do start to find connections!

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