Ohio Players - Skin Tight

Dayton funk royalty Ohio Players hit a new stride on Skin Tight, the 1974 album that launched their run on Mercury Records, here in a limited edition pressing.

After building a reputation for wild live shows and outrageous album covers, the band arrived at Mercury with a sharper, leaner sound and a clear sense of who they were. Skin Tight became the first in a string of hugely successful records that cemented their place among the giants of seventies funk, setting up the triumphs that followed. It is the sound of a band locking in, loosening up and having the time of their lives.

The title track "Skin Tight" is a masterclass in slinky, insistent groove, its bassline and horn stabs practically demanding you move. "Jive Turkey" is playful and sly, a strutting jam with a grin on its face, while "Heaven Must Be Like This" slows the tempo for a dreamy, gorgeous ballad later covered by D'Angelo. "Streakin' Cheek to Cheek" rounds out the fun with a cheeky nod to one of the decade's oddest crazes.

Six tracks, no filler, and grooves that have been sampled and studied ever since. For funk collectors, Skin Tight is the moment the Ohio Players truly took off.