Ten City Foundation Vinyl LP 1989 Original Pressing NM+

$

29

A young Raymond Barney, founder of Dance Mania, ran Barney's Records, which was a key record store and early distributor for electronic music out of Chicago. Bright Star Records, one of his sub-labels, put out a smattering of 12-inches in the late '80s, including a few by a group called Ragtyme. They were masterminded by Marshall Jefferson, who played a pivotal role in shaping house music. Atlantic Records, one of the biggest record labels of the post-World War II era (and home to many jazz and soul artists) was interested in developing Ragtyme's vocalist, Byron Stingily, for a major label deal. This would be the catalyst for the formation of Ten City.
Guitarist Herb Lawson and synth-savvy DJ Byron "B. Rude" Burke were friends of Stingily, and occasionally did session work for Ragtyme. When Atlantic approached Stingily about signing as a solo artist, he insisted on bringing Lawson and Burke along. Thus Ten City was formed. The group's debut, Foundation, is full of massive songs that remain dance floor staples today: "Devotion," "Right Back To You" and one of the tunes that arguably set the standard for what deep house could be, "That's The Way Love Is."
The album itself is a time capsule, a glimpse into what artists were aiming for during this fledgling period of electronic music. In addition to those dance singles—which appear on Foundation as edits of the longer 12-inch versions—there are a number of lesser-known club tracks and some downtempo material. "Where Do We Go?" is the strongest ballad of the bunch, a New Jack Swing-style tune draped in the style of late '80s-early '90s R&B and mixed by Steve "Silk" Hurley. In another world, it could have been an easy radio tune. 
"Suspicious," "For You" and "Satisfaction," meanwhile, are classic Marshall Jefferson club cuts. The other ballads, "Foundation" and "Close And Slow," are weaker in spite of the stunning vocal and guitar performances from Stingily and Lawson. Hurley comes back around for mixing duties on "You Must Be The One", another club cut that feels slept-on in hindsight. 
Foundation's club classics further solidify Jefferson's outsized influence on houses music. You can draw a direct, evolutionary line between his groundbreaking debut, "Move Your Body," and these Ten City hits. With major label money came access to studios and equipment far beyond the genre's bedroom-and-basement origins. "Devotion," "Right Back To You" and "That's The Way Love Is" are not only functional tools for DJs, but fully-produced songs that stand tall alongside modern soul music. 
Although they all have the emotional and lyrical depth of classic love songs, it's the "That's The Way Love Is" that has transcended generations. There are many Chicago classics that get played around the world to this day, but few elicit the massive response of "That's The Way Love Is"—instant, euphoric recognition. "Silk" Hurley provides the mix for the album version, but 12-inch single mixes by Timmy Regisford and Boyd Jarvis are also heavily rinsed on dance floors. It even reached Number 1 on the Billboard U.S. Dance chart.
Rarely do dance music albums achieve the unifying, universal feelings embodied by Foundation. It's clear Ten City was trying to transcend the underground and succeed by conventional music industry standards instead. Rather than function within the lone genius stereotype often romanticized by modern producers, Ten City brought in a host of collaborators to bring their vision to life. Kenny Bobien, who would go on to contribute vocals for numerous house music projects, sang backup, while the 15-strong "Ten City Orchestra" filled out the arrangements on a variety of instruments. The orchestra included percussion from Earl Young, a Philadelphia artist credited with inventing the four-on-the-floor, an innovation he made while working as a session musician for Gamble and Huff. 
Although experimentation was essential to the development of house, preaching to a limited audience of the converted was not considered a virtue as the movement went global. Ten City and Farley "Jackmaster" Funk famously appeared on Top Of The Pops, and with good reason. Uplifting hits like "That's The Way Love Is" and "Promised Land" came from the underground but were meant for the masses. On Foundation, ambition—and the lack of a strict template—allowed Ten City's artistic expression to flourish. This unifying intent makes Foundation a timeless classic.
CONDITION: Used VINYL: NM+ JACKET: Excellent
TRACK LISTING:
A1 That's The Way Love Is (Underground Mix/Edited Version) Backing Vocals [Additional] – Eddie Stockley, Kenny Bobien Drums [Acoustic] – "Almighty" Earl Young* Edited By – Dino Perera Engineer [Mixing] [Chicago Recording Studios] – Iain Burgess Engineer [Mixing] [Tanglewood Studios] – Grant Austin Engineer [Recording] – Tom Hanson Mixed By – Timmy Regisford Written-By – Burke*, Stingily*, Lawson* 4:14 A2 Where Do We Go? Backing Vocals [Additional] – Eddie Stockley, Kenny Bobien, Shawn Christopher Engineer [Mixing] – Larry Millas Engineer [Recording] – Tom Hanson Mixed By – Steve "Silk" Hurley Producer – Byron Stingily, Guy Vaughn Written-By – Stingily*, Vaughn* 5:24 A3 Suspicious Backing Vocals [Additional] – Eddie Stockley, Kenny Bobien Engineer [Mixing] – Iain Burgess Engineer [Recording] – Tom Hanson Mixed By – Marshall Jefferson Written-By – Stingily*, Jefferson* 4:42 A4 Foundation Engineer [Mixing] – Iain Burgess Engineer [Recording] – Julian Herzfeld Mixed By – Marshall Jefferson Written-By – Burke*, Stingily* 4:54 A5 Right Back To You (Edited Version) Engineer [Recording, Mixing] – Julian Herzfeld Mixed By – Steve "Silk" Hurley Written-By – Burke*, Stingily*, Lawson*, Jefferson* 4:10 B1 Satisfaction Backing Vocals [Additional] – Mike Lawson Drums [Acoustic] – "Almighty" Earl Young* Engineer [Mixing] – Iain Burgess Engineer [Recording] – Julian Herzfeld Mixed By – Marshall Jefferson Written-By – Stingily*, Jefferson* 4:42 B2 You Must Be The One Engineer [Mixing] – Grant Austin Engineer [Recording] – Tom Hanson Mixed By – Steve "Silk" Hurley Written-By – Burke*, Stingily*, Lawson* 3:58 B3 For You Engineer [Recording, Mixing] – Chris Cuben* Mixed By – Byron Burke, Chris Cuben* Written-By – Burke*, Stingily*, Lawson* 4:32 B4 Close And Slow Engineer [Mixing] – Iain Burgess Engineer [Recording] – Julian Herzfeld Mixed By – Marshall Jefferson Written-By – Burke*, Stingily*, Lawson*, Jefferson* 4:30 B5 Devotion (Edited Version) Engineer [Recording, Mixing] – Steve Spapperi Mixed By – Marshall Jefferson Producer – Byron Stingily Written-By – Stingily*, Jefferson* 4:00
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