Commodores - Machine Gun (1974)

The Commodores formed as freshmen in Tuskegee University, Alabama, in 1968. They signed to Motown in 1972, starting with a support stint for the Jackson 5 on tour. They started recording their own material in 1974 in a career that lasted to early 90's and have sold in total over 75 million records. Their peak years commercially were in the late 70's with ballads like Easy, Still and Three Times a Lady that also defined the style of Lionel Richie's solo career. But before the more mainstream material, they had a very different sound, as they were known for funk numbers like Brick House, The Bump and today's track, Machine Gun.

It was the first single release from debut studio album of the same name by The Commodores, released on July 22, 1974, on Motown Records.

The famous clavinet sound is by Milan Williams, which led Berry Gordy to name the song Machine Gun as it apparently reminded him of gunfire. The song peaked at no.7 on the R&B charts, while reaching no.22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Samples from the song have been used prominently by the Beastie Boys in their 1989 song Hey Ladies, and the song itself was featured on the soundtrack for the 1997 film Boogie Nights.

- FVHK5K