JANICE'S BLUES ALLEY PRESENTS
Zapp
One of the most underrated funk groups of the 1980s, Zapp revolutionized the computer pop of electro with their trademark vocoder talk boxes and bumping grooves, emulating the earthier side of Prince and Cameo, with a leader in Roger Troutman who was more than efficient at polished production. The family group, with brothers Roger, Lester, Larry, and Tony Troutman, grew up in Hamilton, OH, influenced by hometown heroes the Ohio Players as well as Parliament and other funk groups. Tony was the first to begin recording, with an obscure single for Gram-O-Phon Records, "I Truly Love You," which scraped the R&B charts in 1976. Joined by his brothers (with Roger on vocals and guitar, Lester on drums, Larry on percussion, and himself contributing bass) and christened Zapp, the group played around the Midwest and gradually picked up backing vocalists (Bobby Glover, Jannetta Boyce), keyboard players (Greg Jackson, Sherman Fleetwood) and a horn section (Eddie Barber, Jerome Derrickson, Mike Warren).
Zapp's following quickly gained notices, and Bootsy Collins himself was hired on to work with the group on their debut album. Released in 1980, Zapp hit the Top 20 on the pop charts, thanks to the single "More Bounce to the Ounce." The following year, Roger worked on Funkadelic's The Electric Spanking of War Babies and released his solo debut album, The Many Facets of Roger. His special cover of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," complete with vocoderized talk box, pushed the album into gold territory (as Zapp had done). Zapp II appeared in 1982 and proved just as popular as the group's first, including Zapp's only number one R&B single, "Dance Floor."
Zapp III barely made the Top 40 pop charts upon release in 1983, and Roger's second solo album, The Saga Continues, was also a disappointment, though his cover of "Midnight Hour" featured the Mighty Clouds of Joy. The New Zapp IV U fared slightly better after release in late 1985 (thanks to the single "Computer Love"), but in 1987, Roger's third solo album, Unlimited!, featured the group's biggest hit yet, "I Want to Be Your Man," a chart-topper on the R&B lists and a respectable number three pop. Though Roger and/or Zapp hit the R&B charts frequently during the rest of the late '80s, the unit had effectively halted recording with the 1991 Roger LP Bridging the Gap. Roger continued to produce and play with other artists, and it was his talk box that graced Dr. Dre & 2Pac's Top Ten 1996 single "California Love." The 1993 Roger & Zapp collection All the Greatest Hits sold well, earning the collective their first platinum record. The Zapp story ended in tragedy on April 25, 1999, when Roger was shot to death by Larry, who then turned the gun on himself.
-- John Bush All Music Guide
 | Soul Patrol Presents Roger Troutman and Zapp |
| LOOK | ALBUM | YEAR |  | 1980 | Zapp | | 1981 | The Many Facets Of Roger | | 1982 | Zapp II | | 1983 | Zapp III | | 1984 | The Saga Continues | | 1985 | The New Zapp IV | | 1987 | Unlimited! | | 1989 | Zapp V | | 1991 | Bridging The Gap | | 1993 | Zapp & Roger: All Time Greatest Hits | | 2002 | Roger | | 2002 | Zapp VI: Back By Popular Demand |
1980 Zapp
|
01. More Bounce To The Ounce 02. Freedom 03. Brand New Player |
04. Funky Bounce 05. Be Alright 06. Coming Home |
1981 The Many Facets Of Roger
|
01. I Heard It Through The Grapevine 02. So Ruff, So Tuff 03. A Chunk Of Sugar |
04. Do It Roger 05. Maxx Axe 06. Blue (a tribute to the blues) |
1982 Zapp II
|
01. Dance Floor 02. Playin' Kinda Ruff 03. Doo Wa Ditty (blow that thing) |
04. Do You Really Want An Answer? 05. Come On 06. A Touch Of Jazz |
1983 Zapp III
|
01. Heartbreaker (pts. 1 & 2) 02. Play Some Blues 03. I Can Make You Dance 04. Spend My Whole Life |
05. We Need The Buck 06. Tut-Tut (jazz) 07. Doo Wa Ditty (blow that thing, live) |
1984 The Saga Continues
|
01. In The Mix 02. Play Your Guitar, Brother Roger 03. The Break Song 04. I Keep Trying |
05. Midnight Hour 06. Bucket Of Blood 07. T C Song 08. Girl, Cut It Out |
1985 The New Zapp IV
|
01. It Doesn't Really Matter 02. Computer Love 03. Itchin' For Your Twitchin' 04. Radio People 05. I Only Have Eyes For You |
06. Rock 'N' Roll 07. Cas-Ta-Spellonme 08. Make Me Feel Good 09. Ja Ready To Rock |
1987 Unlimited!
|
01. I Want To Be Your Man 02. Night And Day 03. Been This Way Before (rap) 04. Composition To Commemorate(5/30/1918) 05. Papa's Got A Brand New Bag 06. Thrill Seekers |
07. Tender Moments 08. If You're Serious 09. Private Lover 10. I Really Want To Be Your Man 11. Bedistguitarist-A-Rown |
1989 Zapp V
|
01. Ooh Baby Baby 02. I Play The Talk Box 03. Stop That 04. Fire 05. Been This Way Before 06. Back To Bass-Iks |
07. Jesse Jackson 08. Ain't The Thing To Do 09. Sad-Day Moaning 10. Rock Star 11. Jake E Stanstill |
1991 Bridging The Gap
|
01. (everybody) Get Up 02. Take Me Back 03. Curiosity 04. You Should Be Mine 05. Emotions |
06. Break Through 07. Love Incorporated 08. Victim Of Love 09. Who-La-Boola 10. Hurry Up |
1993 Zapp & Roger: All Time Greatest Hits
|
01. More Bounce To The Ounce 02. Be Alright 03. I Heard It Through The Grapevine 04. So Ruff, So Tuff 05. Do It Roger 06. Dance Floor 07. Doo Wa Ditty(blow that thing) 08. I Can Make You Dance 09. Heartbreaker (pt. 1 & 2) |
10. In The Mix 11. Midnight Hour 12. Computer Love 13. Night And Day 14. I Want To Be Your Man 15. Curiosity 16. Slow And Easy 17. Mega Medley |
2002 Roger
2002 Zapp VI: Back By Popular Demand
|
01. Intro 02. You've Got Mail 03. Say You Will Say You Won't 04. I Wanna Love You 05. She's 'Bout To Roll 06. The Discussion 07. The Way You Walk And Move |
08. If You Would Love Me 09. This Is Our Song To You 10. Be With You Forever 11. Late Night Fantasy 12. Zapp Is Back 13. Get Up Off The Wall 14. I Finally Found What I've Been Searching For |
