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Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Kool & the Gang, George Brown solo album, more

Warren Kurtz
9 min read
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In 2022, Goldmine spoke with Robert “Kool” Bell of Kool & the Gang about their album Perfect Union and his LE Kool champagne. Last year, we spoke with George Brown from the New Jersey group about their album People Just Wanna Have Fun and highlighted a comparison of 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Spinners’ hits to those of Kool & the Gang. The Spinners have seventeen Top 40 hits with seven gold singles. Kool & the Gang also have seven gold singles, but on top of that, a No. 1 platinum single with “Celebration,” and overall, 22 Top 40 hits versus The Spinners’ seventeen. We listed Kool & the Gang’s biggest hits and circulated the article widely. Brown said, “I have faith that we’ll get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.” The campaign worked; Kool & the Gang will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this Saturday, October 19, with Bell being the lone surviving member of the group, following Brown’s passing in late 2023. Goldmine spoke with Brown’s widow, Hahn, about the upcoming induction, the group, and her husband’s posthumous solo album, Where I’m Coming From. At the end of this week’s Fabulous Flip Sides article, we share flip sides from 2024 inductees Kool & the Gang, Peter Frampton, Ozzy Osbourne, Foreigner, and Cher.

<em>Kool & the Gang’s co-founders George Brown and Robert “Kool” Bell, courtesy KFTA Entertainment</em>
Kool & the Gang’s co-founders George Brown and Robert “Kool” Bell, courtesy KFTA Entertainment

GOLDMINE: Welcome to Goldmine and condolences on the loss of George. I enjoyed talking with George and Kool in recent years. Kool & the Gang’s music has been with me most of my life. I heard their self-titled instrumental single in the back of my parents’ new 1969 Pontiac Bonneville when I was in 6th grade in suburban Cleveland. Years later, when I was in college and working at Peaches Records & Tapes, we played “Open Sesame” on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack many Saturday nights. When my wife Donna and I got married, “Ladies Night” was in the Top 10. When our daughter Brianna was in marching band, she played “Celebration,” which George and I discussed last year. Now I am honored to celebrate George’s life and music with you.

<em>George Brown publicity photo</em>
George Brown publicity photo

HAHN BROWN: Oh, thank you so much. You spoke with George shortly before he passed. He was feeling good at that time when the two of you discussed the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame desire. George had wanted the band to be recognized for many years. Sadly, he isn’t here to see that. We will all be there as a family to represent George and the entire band in your hometown.

<em>Robert “Kool” Bell, koolandthegang.com</em>
Robert “Kool” Bell, koolandthegang.com

“George had wanted the band to be recognized for many years. Sadly, he isn’t here to see that. We will all be there as a family to represent George and the entire band” – Hahn Brown on her late husband George’s desire for Kool & the Gang to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

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<em>From BFD on vinyl, CD, and digital formats</em>
From BFD on vinyl, CD, and digital formats

GM: George has left us such a wonderful new album. My favorite song is “What If.” Brianna called it powerful and haunting. The pizzicato cello caught her ear along with the line, “What if we were all the chosen people?” The song is so meaningful. The piano reminds me of The Beatles’ “Let It Be,” which also takes me back to 6th grade, like I mentioned previously with Kool & the Gang’s debut.

HB: Yes, it is a powerful song. He wrote it because of what is going on in the world. Things that happened outside of his control, he would take that in. He was sad due to all the lives that had been lost. George believed in peace and felt we should all be able to live together and not go through all that we are going through now. It is something that he took to heart. He has written many powerful and meaningful songs to be released down the road, but this one was chosen because this is what is going on in the world right now, which was very emotional for him. I wish he was here to see the beauty of this album. Our business partner Claude Ismael wanted to make this happen for George. When Claude would do something different, George used to joke, “Oh, that’s Claude. He’s French.” It was a friendship of many years and to be a partner with George took a lot. George was a man of few words and when he said something he meant it. To work together, they learned to compromise. It was a balance with a lot of respect. When George passed, I joked to Claude, “Gosh darn it, Claude, he left me you.” It is a blessing. Claude has been my right-hand person. I would not have known where to start had he not been here. Claude is here in the home where George and I lived, and he is family. George would say that Claude was family but now he is truly family to me.

GM: The song “Honey” is wonderfully sung by George. There is a guitar and saxophone, and it features Ami Miller.

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HB: Ami is a great writer, musician, and artist. She is a very talented part of our team. The people who George chose for this album are gifted and were very meaningful to him.

GM: “Gemma” has a soothing international sound, a bit tropical and a bit Latin, with wonderful guitar and saxophone, again.

HB: George loved Brazilian sounds. That was his passion. I love Brazilian sounds, too. It is very melodic and sensual. George had an appreciation of the world outside of the U.S., which we often discussed. I was born in Nha Trong on the coastal side of Viet Nam and left there when I was eight by boat. They would refer to people like us in transition as “boat people.” I made my journey to the U.S. by the time I was nine. “Gemma” was about his ex-girlfriend, the one before me. I joked with Claude, “You had to put that song in front of me!” “Gemma” was included because it was his way of thanking the people in his life who made a difference for him, which he also mentioned in his book that you highlighted in your article last year. It was a thank you to her for helping him get through a difficult time in his life.

GM: “She Wants to Be Loved” is another smooth favorite of mine.

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HB: Throughout the whole album are pieces of George’s life. This album is mainly about our relationship together for close to thirty years. He tried to match my personality with the groove of the song along with the lyrics.

GM: “Nobody Loves Me Like You” is a beautiful tribute to you with a touch of steel guitar and great harmonies.

HB: I get emotional listening to that song. He would always say, “Nobody loves me like you, Hahn.” George was a gifted musician and would hear so many sounds in his sleep. He would wake up and say, “My God! I’ve heard something wonderful that I hope I can remember.” Often, he would get out of bed and go to his studio to put it down. He said that in his sleep sometimes he would hear a whole symphony playing in his head.

GM: Kool & the Gang are filled with talent, and I am so happy they are finally getting inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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HB: George said they would keep up with the times, over the years, with their sound. It is amazing that they all can sing and play different instruments. Each member can play at least two instruments, and some play up to five instruments. George was mainly a drummer and transformed into a pianist because their manager at the time told him that if George wanted to write, he had to be able to play the piano, so he picked it up. He would tinker on the guitar and in his final two years of his life he was also playing saxophone. It will be an amazing night at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Thank you so much for all your support and all your love for our family and your dedication. It is amazing and I know this is not our last time together. We have more music coming. George’s son Aaron has his dad’s gift, so we will have more Brown family music to share with you and the Goldmine readers.

George Brown’s solo posthumous solo album Where I’m Coming From has a fresh sound, filled with love songs. Speaking of the word fresh, Kool & the Gang’s reached the Top 10 in 1985 for the ninth time, out of a dozen, with “Fresh.”

The flip side of “Fresh” was the love song “In the Heart,” with a “Celebration” rhythm and the declaration, “When you say you love somebody, you got to let them know about it.”

Kool & the Gang

Fabulous Flip Side: In the Heart

A side: Fresh

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Billboard Hot 100 debut: March 23, 1985

Peak position: No. 9

De-Lite 880 623-7

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame collected votes from music fans and professionals earlier this year. For the first time ever, five of the acts who I voted for made the final cut: Kool & the Gang, Peter Frampton, Ozzy Osbourne, Foreigner, and Cher.

In addition to the Kool & the Gang flip side we just featured, here are four more flip sides from the inductees.

Peter Frampton “It’s a Plain Shame,” flip side of “Baby, I Love Your Way,” 1976

After four albums in the Top 200 over four consecutive years, with no hit singles, the team at A&M didn’t give up on Peter Frampton, instead, they released a double-live album, which went to No. 1. 1976’s multi-platinum Frampton Comes Alive spurred three hit singles: “Show Me the Way,” “Baby, I Love Your Way,” and “Do You Feel Like We Do.” The live version of “It’s a Plain Shame,” originally appearing on Frampton’s 1972 solo debut album, was chosen as a flip side. Frampton’s bassist Stanley Sheldon told Goldmine, “‘It’s a Plain Shame’ has been in Peter’s set forever, and for good reason. It has always been a crowd favorite. I enjoy the instrumental break in the song where the key modulates up, giving that section a shot of adrenaline, and Peter always delivers a great guitar solo, boosting the excitement even higher.”

When Black Sabbath members and their manager Don Arden felt Ozzy Osbourne was no a longer fit for the British quartet in the late ‘70s, Arden’s daughter Sharon chose to manage Osbourne, leading a successful solo career, beginning with Blizzard of Ozz followed by Diary of a Madman. FM radio latched on to Osbourne’s early ‘80s solo songs, especially the single “Crazy Train.” It’s flip side, “Steal Away (The Night),” the finale from Osbourne’s debut album, is an up-tempo rocker, propelled by guitar protégé Randy Rhoads’ sensational playing, on top of the powerful drumming of Lee Kerslake, formerly of Uriah Heep.

Foreigner “I’m Gonna Win,” flip side of “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” 1981

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Each of Foreigner’s three late ‘70s albums brought two to three singles to the Top 40. As the ‘80s began, their album 4 delivered four singles to the Top 40, with the gold single ballad “Waiting for a Girl Like You” being surrounded by the intense pairing of “Urgent” and “Juke Box Hero.” That intensity was also heard on “I’m Gonna Win,” the flip side of “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” showcasing the strength of Lou Gramm’s vocals and solid electric guitar playing of the song’s composer Mick Jones.

Cher “Trail of Broken Hearts,” flip side of “Love and Understanding,” 1991

The longevity of Cher’s solo career led to at least five Top 40 singles in each of four consecutive decades, from her 1965 version of Bob Dylan’s “All I Really Want to Do” to her 1999 No. 1 platinum hit “Believe.” Like the flip sides by the other Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Cher’s flip side of “Love and Understanding,” “Trail of Broken Hearts” from the Tom Cruise film Days of Thunder, is yet another example of a flip side that could have been a hit, with a powerful performance and a solid arrangement.

Related links:

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koolandthegang.com

rockhall.com

Goldmine 2023: George Brown In Memoriam

Goldmine 2023: Kool & The Gang George Brown interview

Goldmine 2022: Kool & the Gang Robert "Kool" Bell interview

Fabulous Flip Sides is in its tenth year

goldminemag.com/columns/fabulous-flip-sides

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