Released in 1981,
Show Time
was the last album that
Steve Arrington
recorded with
Slave
. The singer/drummer had been a valuable part of the Dayton funk combo, providing lead vocals on such hits as "Watching You" and "Just a Touch of Love." So you can say that
(which was produced by
Jimmy Douglass
) was the end of an era for
. Creatively, the band was on quite a roll during its
Arrington
era, and those who had savored 1979's
Just a Touch of Love
and 1980's
Stone Jam
found this LP to be equally strong. From "Smokin'" and "Funken Town" to the single "Snap Shot,"
proved to be a consistently rewarding addition to
's catalog. All of the tracks are immediately recognizable as
offerings; during its
period,
favored a very distinctive style of funk that was sleek and gritty at the same time. And even though
wasn't an original member -- he didn't start recording with the band until its third album,
The Concept
-- he was a main ingredient of the
sound from 1978 to 1981.
is recommended to funk addicts without hesitation. [In 2022,
Iconoclassic Records
remastered and reissued
on CD. The album's long-overdue first individual release on the format -- only the two-for-one set
Show Time/Visions of the Lite
filled the void before then -- this features the 7" version of "Wait for Me," the 12" version of "Snap Shot," and extensive liner notes with participation from bandmembers and collaborators.] ~ Alex Henderson