Creatively, commercially, and conceptually,
Pain was a major step forward for
the Ohio Players. This 1971 album was quite a departure from their previous work -- in the late-'60s, the Midwesterners' forte had been raw, hard-edged Southern-style
soul along the lines of
Sam & Dave,
Rufus Thomas, and
Wilson Pickett. But with
Pain, they became a lot more
experimental and unveiled an interesting, distinctive brand of
funk that incorporated elements of
jazz and
blues as well as
rock. The
jazz influence is especially strong on
"Never Had a Dream," "Singing in the Morning," and the hit title song, while
"The Reds" is a progressive
blues number that draws on
jazz as well as
psychedelic rock. It was with
Pain,
the Players' first album for
Westbound, that they unveiled their goofy Granny character, which the funksters continued to have fun with on their subsequent
Westbound releases but discontinued when they moved to
Mercury with 1974's
Skin Tight. And it was with
Pain that they became famous (some would say infamous) for their erotic LP covers. Employing S&M/bondage imagery,
Pain's front cover was considered shocking in 1971. Although
the Velvet Underground had written songs about S&M, and the British spy thriller
The Avengers frequently hinted at kinky sex --
Diana Rigg's
Emma Peel character often dressed like a dominatrix -- S&M and fetishism were very taboo subjects for Middle America in 1971. And not surprisingly, some retailers refused to carry
Pain. But the album, although not huge, was a decent seller. With
Pain,
the Ohio Players'
Westbound period was off to an impressive and creative start. [The 2007 reissue includes seven additional tracks.] ~ Alex Henderson
![Midnights [Jade Green Edition] [Edited]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602448247032_p0_v3_s90x140.jpg "Midnights [Jade Green Edition] [Edited]")
![Red [Deluxe Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602537173143_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Red [Deluxe Edition]")
![Red [Taylor's Version][Japan-Only Edition][7-inch Paper Sleeve Package]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/4988031460504_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Red [Taylor's Version][Japan-Only Edition][7-inch Paper Sleeve Package]")
![Fearless [Taylor's Version]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602435845098_p0_v4_s90x140.jpg "Fearless [Taylor's Version]")
![Everybody Up [Bonus Tracks Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0810736020636_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Everybody Up [Bonus Tracks Edition]")
