Thermonuclear Sweat is an album by the American musical group Defunkt.[2][3] It was released in 1982 via Hannibal Records.[4][5] The group broke up after the release of the album, reforming in 1986.[6]

Thermonuclear Sweat
Studio album by
Released1982
StudioOlympic Studios, London; Vanguard and Electric Lady, NYC
GenreJazz, funk, punk[1]
LabelHannibal
ProducerJoe Boyd
Defunkt chronology
The Razor's Edge
(1981)
Thermonuclear Sweat
(1982)
In America
(1988)

Production

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The album was produced by Joe Boyd.[7] Aside from the leader and trombonist Joseph Bowie, the guitar player Kelvyn Bell was the only other member who had played on the debut.[8] Vernon Reid played guitar on six of the album's tracks.[9] "Big Bird (Au Private)" is a tribute to Charlie Parker.[10]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [11]
Robert ChristgauB+[12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [4]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide     [9]

The Washington Post wrote: "As a dance band, Defunkt is best at break-neck rhythms—'Illusion', the tongue-in- cheek, feet-firmly-in-the-groove 'Avoid the Funk', and the boppish escapade and tribute to Charlie Parker, 'Big Bird (Au Private)' on which the band's jazz roots are well displayed."[1] Trouser Press called the album "sweeter-sounding and jazzier" than the group's debut.[13]

Robert Christgau lamented that the group's cover of "For the Love of Money" "sounds like slumming, especially from a guy who couldn't outsing Kenny Gamble in the shower."[12] The New York Times thought that "when this band plays funk, it plays hard, dance-floor funk, with a cavalier disregard for the pop sweetening most funk bands add to their records in order to get radio play and hits."[8]

Reviewing the reissue that paired Thermonuclear Sweat with the debut, The Independent called the albums "groundbreaking" and among the 1980s' "alternative essentials."[6]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Illusion"5:33
2."I Tried to Live Alone"5:08
3."Cocktail Hour (Blue Bossa)"3:26
4."Ooh Baby"6:05
5."Avoid the Funk"4:26
6."Big Bird (Au Private)"2:07
7."For the Love of Money"5:54
8."Believing in Love"7:14

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Defunkt Power Trip". The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Defunkt Biography & History". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Vincent, Rickey (November 4, 2014). Funk: The Music, The People, and The Rhythm of The One. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 9781466884526.
  4. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2. MUZE. pp. 828–829.
  5. ^ Thompson, Dave (August 7, 2001). Funk. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9780879306298.
  6. ^ a b "Cult Classics". Books. The Independent. 30 Nov 2007. p. 12.
  7. ^ The Encyclopedia of Record Producers. Billboard Books. 1999. p. 84.
  8. ^ a b Palmer, Robert (22 Sep 1982). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C21.
  9. ^ a b MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 159.
  10. ^ Denselow, Robin (11 Jun 1982). "Dancing man". Arts. The Guardian. p. 10.
  11. ^ "Thermonuclear Sweat". AllMusic.
  12. ^ a b "Defunkt". Robert Christgau.
  13. ^ "Defunkt". Trouser Press. Retrieved 7 August 2021.