Shakatak

[Voyage]

Does anyone have any info about this excellent group, like what were their best LPs etc...

I love "Night Birds"

Voyage :P

[K-Bee]

In general...the older the better. Drivin' Hard, Invitations, Nightbirds and Out Of This World are the ones to have.
After Down On The Street in 1984 they turned into a pop group ditching all the solos in favour of singalong pop tunes (like Mr Manic & Sister Cool in 1988)

Only exception is their 1985 "live" set that really gave the members the ability to show their skills.

[Bona boy]

K-bee lovey, you're a bit out of touch there I'm afraid. You should check out 'Under The Sun' from '93 or 'Street Level' from '94 (on Inside Out records) to see that Shakatak are definitely not pop & in fact started to make music that was far more jazz-fusion than they had ever dared to do previously in the 80s with lots of solos & jazz mood.

[K-Bee]

Bona,
I'm perfectly aware of shakatak changing styles again in the 90s but sadly none of their 90s stuff was released over here so I can't really judge it. It's bound to be good though but I suppose it's more in a smooth jazz vain?

Also, judging from what I know about Voyage's taste of music, I'd still say he should go for the old ones.

[Noman]

I think their first hit "Feels like the right time" from 1980 is the best.

Most of the following singles from 81-83 was also very good. (Nightbirds, Easier said than done, Dark is the night etc.)

Then came Down on the street (-84) which didn't have the same "jazzy" feel of the earlier singles but still is a very good dance track.

Then they disappeared from my horizon...