Rocket - 1982 - Rocket

Rocket 

1982 

Rocket

01. Here Comes My Love 7:13

02. Come Together 5:55

03. I Wanna Know 6:27

04. It Keeps Me Coming Back 5:35

05. Love Chain 5:46

06. Groove Thing 4:15

07. Tonight Is The Night 4:20

Bass – Arnold Wilson

Drums – Ray Rock

Guitar – Bobby Gillion

Guitar – Philip Hamilton

Guitar – William "Bubba" Anderson

Keyboards – Lenny Underwood

Keyboards – Ray Rock

Keyboards – Terry Burris

Percussion – A.C. Brown

Produced By – Ray Rock

Vocals – Audrey Wheeler, Carol Douglas, Cheryl Milton, Ray Rock, Harry Boardley*, Stephanie James, Wanda King

In the early 1980s, when disco’s glitter was fading and the smoother, more rhythmic pulse of boogie was taking over dance floors, a handful of New York session players and producers still knew how to bottle that late-night electricity. Rocket was never a touring band in the traditional sense; it was a studio vehicle assembled by producer, multi-instrumentalist, and arranger Ray Rock, who pulled in Crown Heights Affair’s Ray “Johnny” Reid for lead vocals and a rotating cast of East Coast funk veterans. The result, released in 1982 on Quality Records’ RFC imprint in Canada (with European pressings on Rams Horn), was a self-titled album that captured the exact moment when post-disco still felt luxurious rather than desperate. Rock handled production, drums, keyboards, percussion, and some vocals himself, while Reid’s warm, slightly husky delivery floated over the grooves. Supporting players included bass from Arnold Wilson, guitars by Bobby Gillion, Philip Hamilton, and William “Bubba” Anderson, keyboards from Lenny Underwood and Terry Burris, and percussion from A.C. Brown. Executive producers Eddie O’Loughlin and Lou De Biase steered the project, with engineering by Buddy Pollack and Steve Guardigli and mixing that kept everything crisp and club-ready. It was the kind of record that sounded expensive without needing a major-label budget, the product of people who had already paid their dues in bigger groups and simply wanted to make something that moved.

The influences are pure early-eighties New York: the horn-and-string polish of Crown Heights Affair, the hypnotic mid-tempo bounce of the best boogie records, and just enough residual disco shimmer to keep the champagne flowing. Ray Rock’s arrangements favor tight rhythm sections and soft, layered vocals over flashy solos, creating tracks that feel both intimate and expansive. The album opens with its clear standout, “Here Comes My Love,” a seven-minute mid-tempo glide whose softly sung melody and zesty, funky bottom end still sound like summer arriving early. The 12-inch remix, often preferred by collectors, stretches the groove even further without losing its serene charm. “Come Together” and “Groove Thing” deliver solid, feel-good dance-floor material—competent, sunny, and thoroughly of their time—while “I Wanna Know” raises the temperature with a stylish co-lead from disco veteran Carol Douglas, her voice adding a sexy, knowing edge. “It Keeps Me Coming Back,” “Love Chain,” and “Tonight Is the Night” round out the set with more of the same polished, party-ready energy. Technically the production is clean and spacious, the kind of mix that sits comfortably on both a home stereo and a club system; nothing here is revolutionary, but nothing feels rushed or undercooked either.

The artwork matches the music’s unpretentious professionalism. The cover, typical of early-eighties independent dance releases, presents a sleek, slightly futuristic design that suggests motion and nightlife without overdoing the sci-fi clichés. It looks like the kind of sleeve you might find in a well-curated record-shop “imports” bin, promising a good time rather than a conceptual statement. In an era when album packaging could tip into excess, Rocket kept things straightforward and inviting.

Commercially the album made only modest waves. Quality/RFC was a solid Canadian independent with international reach, but it lacked the promotional muscle of the majors, and Rocket itself was more a one-off project than a permanent group. “Here Comes My Love” found some club play and later became a quiet favorite among boogie and modern-soul collectors, yet the record never charted significantly. Critical attention at the time was limited; dance-music press noted the strong production and Reid’s vocals, but the album largely slipped under the radar of mainstream reviewers. Over the decades its reputation has grown steadily among crate diggers and DJs who value the smoother side of early-eighties funk. Original pressings command respectable prices, and Unidisc’s later CD reissue helped introduce the music to a new generation. Its legacy is the quiet kind—the kind that lives in late-night sets and playlists dedicated to the moment when disco grew up, put on a sharper suit, and kept dancing. Rocket may have been a short-lived studio experiment, but for forty-odd minutes in 1982 it got the formula exactly right.