Mass Production - Massterpiece (2012) [Hi-Res]

In the '80s, Mass Production's entire Cotillion catalog went out of print, and when the year 2000 rolled around, none of its Cotillion albums of 1976-1983 had been reissued on CD. If you wanted to hear Mass Production on CD in the '90s, your best bet was Rhino's 1996 release Firecrackers: The Best of Mass Production. At places that still sell used vinyl, dance club DJs continue to chase after copies of the band's old LPs, some of which inspire more enthusiasm than others. Massterpiece, MP's fifth album, isn't among its essential recordings. This isn't a bad record, but it doesn't contain any classics either. While funk tunes like "Your Love," "Come Back Hot," and "Nature Lover" are catchy, nothing on this 1980 LP is in a class with "Firecracker," "Wine-Flow Disco," or "Free and Happy." The ballad "Please Don't Leave Me Now" is pleasant; Mass Production's ballads were usually enjoyable. But on Massterpiece, the funk tunes are merely adequate. Like 1978's Three Miles High, this LP is only recommended to completists. -- Alex Henderson