Aquarian Dream

Do You Realize

Aquarian Dream Fantasy (uk Electra K 52109) 1978

You're A Star; Friends; It Ain't Whatcha Say; Yesterday (Was So Nice Today); Play It For Me (One More Time); Fantasy; Gentle Thoughts; Do You Realize.

Produced by: Norman Connors (except Friends)

As far a I know Fantasy was by far this groups best album and today I've spun the Sylvia Striplin vocal led track Do You Realize. Although the most popular track in the UK at time of release was the 12" single of You're A Star.

Star was a track that would fit into the UK's popular short lived Jazz-Funk scene at the time, another biggie over here was Phoenix. Bands like Earth Wind And Fire, Brass Contraction & Aquarian Dream had a similar sound. Do You Realize was a big underground track, DJ's wouldn't tell you what it was when they played it on the UK Pirate radio stations of the late 80's.

The band was produced by Buddah's Norman Connors and consisted on this album of Claude Bartee Jr., Claude Bartee III, James Morrison, Patricia Shannon, Dave Worthy, Winston Daley, Ernie Adams, Sylvia Striplin. The band though did not have a big hits, they were formed in 1976, and it's debut album, Norman Connors Presents Aquarian Dream.

That year, Dream's lineup included lead singer Gloria Jones (not the Tainted Love one), saxophonist Claude Bartee Jr. (who had a jazz background and had been a sideman for Grant Green, Pucho, and others), guitarist Pete Bartee, keyboardist Jacques Burvick, percussionist Mike Fowler, and drummer Jimmy Morrison.

By the time Dream recorded this its second album, Fantasy which was also produced by Connors some personnel changes had taken place. Jones and Fowler were gone, and newcomers included lead vocalist Sylvia Striplin, bassist Ernie Adams, percussionist Dave Worthy, and keyboardist Winston Daley. Fantasy found Dream moving from Buddah to Elektra; unfortunately, changing labels didn't help the band commercially.

Fantasy's sales were also disappointing; so with its third album, Chance to Dance (1979), Dream severed its ties to Connors and switched to a much more disco-oriented approach. But the album didn't do any better than its predecessors, and Dream broke up in 1979. None of Dream's first three album's have ever been reissued on CD.

Discography: (3 albums* 5 singles/12')

• *Norman Connors Presents.. Buddah BDS 5672 ('76)
• Guitar Talk/Look Ahead Buddah 546 ('76)
• Phoenix/same Buddah 560 ('77)
• *Fantasy Electra K 52019 ('78)
• You're A Star/ 12" Electra ('78)
• Gentle Thoughts/Play It For me Electra 45534 ('78)
• *Chance To Dance Electra WLP 204 ('79)
• Are You Ready For Love/ Electra 46523 ('79)