Happy 50th Anniversary to Ohio Players’ seventh studio album Honey, originally released August 16, 1975.
The Ohio Players, in some form or fashion, have been a part of the musical consciousness for over 65 years. They were pioneers in soul and funk, known for their distinctive sound, personalities, and packaging. Their album covers alone are the stuff of legend. They have a storied history and a vast musical catalogue to back it up.
One of the band’s greatest achievements is their seventh album, Honey. Released half a century ago, the album was an artistic and commercial triumph. The group broke new musical ground, yet still gave their audience what they wanted.
The Ohio Players have a long and complicated history, characterized by constantly shifting line-ups, numerous break-ups, and re-constitutions. Incarnations of the group (f.k.a. The Ohio Untouchables) have existed since the late 1950s. The group as it’s known first really established itself in 1970, and then released a string of excellent albums on Westbound Records. Even with the constantly changing cast of characters, the band found a way to grow their audience, especially after migrating to Mercury in 1974.
Honey showcased the Ohio Players at the height of their popularity. It was their third release on Mercury. It was also their third consecutive Platinum certified release. The album spawned three hit singles, including their second song to reach #1 on the US pop charts.
Though the band has been the home of numerous, um, players, throughout its lengthy lifespan, much of its “classic” line-up appears on Honey. It included Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner (vocals and guitars), James “Diamond” Williams (vocals and drums), Billy Beck (keyboards and piano), Marshall “Rock” Jones (bass), and a horn section made up of Ralph “Pee Wee” Middlebrooks, Clarence "Satch" Satchell and Marvin "Merv" Pierce.
Honey is also considered by many to be the group’s best album. While I may prefer the rough edges of their Westbound material, it’s impossible to deny that the half-hour project is still an all-time great funk album. The Ohio Players were a well-oiled musical machine by the release of Honey. In an interview with Okayplayer, drummer and vocalist James “Diamond” Williams explained that many of the group’s songs emerged out of extended all-night studio jam sessions. But once they’d decide on a direction, putting together each musical composition was an extremely intricate process. Still, the band were adept at playing many different styles and genres, displaying their versatility throughout Honey.
Listen to the Album:
Honey begins with its title track, which is also its least adventurous undertaking. It’s a straightforward, if a bit overwrought, love ballad, with the group singing about the power of love at first sight, inextricably tying them to the object of their obsession.
Other ballads demonstrate the group’s emotional depth through their songwriting. The group shows their aptitude at expressing the genuine emotion that can spring from desperation on “Let’s Love,” with the doo-wop influenced vocal performances taking center stage. Meanwhile, “Alone” is a relatively minimalist exhibition, musically. Sugarfoot croons about his desperate attempts to combat loneliness through a meaningless fling, providing spare guitar licks over waves of keys and some delicate piano-artistry by Beck.
The single “Sweet Sticky Thing” is one of the album’s best-known recordings, with the group somehow melding soul with smooth jazz and recording an exceedingly creative epic. The lyrics lean heavily into honey and bee related metaphors, as Williams uses his falsetto to describe his yearning to “slow down” a free-spirited woman, who habitually moves from conquest to conquest. The horn work, especially the numerous sax solos, is particularly exquisite, while Sugarfoot shines on the guitar.
When the group digs into its funk bag, they’re as great as any of their contemporaries. “Fopp” is a low-down, gritty, nasty funk track that harkens to the band’s Westbound Years, as Sugarfoot bellows ridiculous lyrics about “fopping” with a growling and graveling affectation. With its notes of hard rock, it would sound at home on any one of the mid-1970s Funkadelic (or even Parliament) albums, and is one of the best songs the group ever recorded. Meanwhile, the brief “Ain’t Giving Up No Ground” is pure groove, as the band turns the peak of a jam session into a less than two-minute funk foray.
“Love Rollercoaster,” one of the band’s biggest and most ubiquitous hits, still sparkles as a fun-filled disco track. Apparently inspired by a particularly turbulent airplane flight, the song doesn’t have much in the way of lyrics, but its heavy on soul. It’s a decidedly pop-oriented undertaking and features one of the most distinctive guitar riffs of the era.
The Ohio Players never quite reached the same artistic or commercial heights in the subsequent 50 years after Honey. But it’s a worthy peak for the group to stake their flag. It’s an adventurous endeavor that is central to the group’s legacy as towering artisans of soul music.
Listen: