The System (band)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The System was an American synth pop band from the 1980s.
The two band members were vocalist/guitarist Mic Murphy and seasoned session keyboardist David Frank. The band was founded in 1982 in New York.
Career
Their first album Sweat in 1983 featured the classic club hit "You Are in My System," which charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the band's first successful single. In 1984 they released their second album, X-periment. Frank's expertise in recording studio technology gave the material a sound that many felt was ahead of its time. Indeed, the heavy use of synths and electric percussion was a step beyond the disco-influenced flavour of the previous album, and Murphy's soulful vocals gave the songs a definite R&B flavour. Besides the upbeat electronics-laden tracks, the album also introduced a more mature and pop-friendly quality, evident in tracks such as "Promises Can Break", "I Wanna Make You Feel Good" and "I Can't Take Losing You."
The System performed the energetic title track of their 1985 album The Pleasure Seekers on an episode of the hit NBC series Miami Vice. Other standouts on this album include the more melodic and down-to-earth "It Takes Two", as well as "Love Won't Wait For Lovin'" and "This Is For You".
Their song "Rock N' Roll Me Again" became famous in the 1984 action comedy Beverly Hills Cop with Eddie Murphy. They would also reach #23 on Billboard's R&B chart with the title track from the 1988 Eddie Murphy film Coming to America. All of this success occurred while they were contributing their talents to projects such as the Scritti Politti album Cupid & Psyche 85, Phil Collins' "Sussudio," Chaka Khan's "I Feel for You," and "This Is My Night," and Mtume's "Juicy Fruit," among many others.
The System's greatest success came in 1987 with "Don't Disturb This Groove," from the album of the same name. The single reached #1 on the Billboard R&B chart and #4 on the Hot 100. Murphy and Frank parted ways professionally in 1989 but reunited in 2000 for the album ESP, which also featured a reworked version of "You Are In My System".
Murphy recorded the solo album Touch and charted in 1991 with a single from that project. Frank has found more recent success as a songwriter and producer, most notably with his work on Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle" in 1999 and teen girl-group Dream's "He Loves U Not" in 2000. Both were big hits.
They also share their name with an anarcho-punk band.
Discography
- Sweat, Mirage 1983
- X-Periment, Polydor 1984
- Pleasure Seekers, Mirage 1985
- Don't Disturb This Groove, Atlantic 1987
- Rhythm & Romance, Atlantic 1989
- ESP, Town Sound 2000
