Its title a snazzy double play,
the Bar-Kays' 1979 classic
Injoy LP was the first and most successful of a quintet of albums that swept the band to the top of the charts and into the stratosphere of superstardom for half a decade. An energetic and primarily funk-driven set,
Injoy was dominated by the supreme "Move Your Boogie Body," an eminently danceable, pop-friendly slab that cut the bass with strings, powered home the excellent vocals, added some Euro-disco synth, and soared into the Top Five to give
the Bar-Kays their highest-to-date spot on the charts. But while that track may have captured the public heart, the bandmembers had even better tricks up their very flashy sleeves, powering through the classic funk of "More and More" and "Up in Here" -- a song of unmitigated old-school proportions that reprises the
Moroder-isms deep in the mix. Elsewhere, the band toned it down with several ballads, including "Girl I'm on Your Side" and "Running In and Out of My Life." With
the Bar-Kays at the top of their form, there was little that could detract from this set. And, while
Injoy just missed the top spot on the R&B chart, it still got a nation off the couch and onto the dancefloor. ~ Amy Hanson