Unique (band)

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Unique
OriginNew York, United States
GenresPost-disco, garage house
Years active1982–1984
LabelsPrelude (US)
CBS (UK)
Past membersDeems J. Smith
Darryl K. Henry
Mona M. Norris

Unique was a short-lived post-disco studio act from New Jersey, best known for their crossover number "What I Got Is What You Need" released in 1983 for a well-established dance label, Prelude Records. The group was formed by producer/songwriter Deems J. Smith in 1982 and consists of Smith, Mona Norris, and Darryl K. Henry.[1] The said hit song somewhat established itself on the Billboard Dance Singles and Black Singles charts and even scored over the atlantic reaching No. 27 on UK Singles Chart.[2][3][4][5]

History[]

Around 1982, record producer Deems J. Smith hired studio musicians to appear in a project he named Unique. He was signed to dance record label Prelude and under this name released two singles: "What I Got Is What You Need" in 1983[6] and "You Make Me Feel So Good" in 1984.[6] Other people involved in the group were Mona Maria Norris and Darryl K. Henry who co-wrote "What I Got Is What You Need". Smith wrote the second song alone and it was mixed by an aspiring dance-pop producer Shep Pettibone.

Chart performance[]

Year Title Label Peak chart positions[4][2]
U.S. U.S. Dance U.S. R&B UK
1983 "What I Got Is What You Need" Prelude
CBS 		― 30 78 27
1984 "You Make Me Feel So Good" Prelude ― ― ― ―

Discography[]

Singles[]

"What I Got Is What You Need"
U.S., UK
12" single
  1. "What I Got Is What You Need" - 6:36
  2. "What I Got Is What You Need" - 5:54
"You Make Me Feel So Good"
U.S.
12" single
  1. "You Make Me Feel So Good" (Vocal) - 5:53
  2. "You Make Me Feel So Good" (Instrumental) - 5:53
  • Written-by: Deems J. Smith
  • Producer: Deems J. Smith
  • Mixing: Shep Pettibone

Compilation appearances[]

Their song "What I Got Is What You Need" has been reissued on various compilation albums well into the 21st century including, but not limited to:

  • Dance Mix - Dance Hits Volume 2 (1983, CBS),
  • Essential 80's Garage Dancefloor Classics Volume 1 (1994, Deepbeats),
  • Ferry Maat's Soul Show: Saturday Night Grooves (2005, Disky),
  • Prelude's Greatest Hits - Volume 3 (Unidisc).

Legacy[]

Japanese rock musician Toshiki Kadomatsu's adopted portions of "What I Got Is What You Need" into "Step Into the Night". It was a Japan-only release by the Victor-RCA label RVC. The song can be found on his 1984 album AFTER 5 CLASH.

English acid house/electronic music group 808 State's song "Anacodia" samples vocals of "What I Got Is What You Need." The song is on their 1989 album 90.[7]

References[]

  1. ^ Unique at AllMusic. Retrieved July 1, 2009
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "'What I Got Is What You Need' at The Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2011-08-20.
  3. ^ "search for "Unique" chart performance on EveryHit.com". EveryHit. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved 2011-08-20.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "AMG: Unique - Billboard charts". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/hip-hop singles, 1942-2004 (5th ed.). California, U.S.: Record Research Inc., 2004 (originally) the University of California). p. 598. ISBN 0-89820-160-8.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Unique discography". Discogs. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  7. ^ "What I Got Is What You Sample" 4 WhoSampled.com Limited. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
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