Pockets was one of those bands that was supposed to become huge but never did. When
Pockets signed with Columbia in 1977, the Baltimore band's supporters insisted that it was destined to become "the next
Earth, Wind & Fire." But commercially,
Pockets didn't live up to the hype; its biggest hit was the number 17 R&B single "Come Go With Me." Nonetheless,
Pockets' material was generally decent and occasionally excellent.
Pockets' second album
Take It on Up isn't as strong as its predecessor
Come Go with Me, but it's still enjoyable.
Earth, Wind & Fire's
Verdine White produced the LP with
Robert Wright and, not surprisingly, there's a definite
EWF influence on "Happy for Love," "Tell Me Why," and other tracks. But that isn't to say that
Pockets was an outright clone of
EWF -- as much as its members admired
EWF,
Pockets had a recognizable sound of its own. Anyone playing
Take It on Up next to an
EWF album would have no problem telling the bands apart. Unfortunately for
Pockets, this LP didn't contain any major singles and was only a modest seller.