Fantastic Voyage by Lakeside
1980 -
On CD Fantastic Voyage - 1980 Solar - 1996 The Right Stuff a division of Capitol
Records 7243.8-38360-2-4.
Know for their energy-filled 'live' performance and distinctive
brand of funk and R&B, the nine member team known as Lakeside enjoyed a run of sixteen
chart singles on Solar Records from 1978 to 1987.
The group played in and around Ohio, Oklahoma, Indiana and Kentucky, finally heading out
to Los Angeles in 1972.
Fantastic Voyage was not only Lakeside's first gold album: the title track became the
team's biggest pop hit and an R&B chartopper, and was revived successfully by rap star
Coolio in 1995.
Formed in 1969, US vocalists Tiemeyer McCain, Thomas Oliver
Shelby, Otis Stokes and Mark Woods were augmented by an instrumental
unit consisting of Steve Shockley (guitar), Norman Beavers (keyboards), Marvin Craig
(bass), Fred Alexander (drums) and Fred Lewis (percussion).
Originally based in Dayton, Ohio, USA, this funk group secured its first hit in 1978 with
'It's All The Way Live'. Released on the Solar label, it was the first of a series of
popular singles including ‘Fantastic Voyage' (1980), 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'
(1982) and 'Outrageous' (1984), all of which reached the US R&B Top10. Although
guitarist Shockley was an integral part of the Solar house band, Lakeside lacked the
profile of labelmates Shalamar. A three-year chart hiatus ended in 1987, but that
year's 'Bullseye' remains the group's last chart entry to date.
