Stargard - Stargard Featuring Theme From Which Way Is Up

AMG.com
Stargard. Heavily influenced by Labelle and the Pointer Sisters, Stargard was a
female R&B vocal group that was best known for providing the theme song
from the 1977 film Which Way Is Up. Rochelle Runnells, Debra Anderson,
and Janice Williams — who comprised Stargard's original three-woman
lineup — didn't go for the type of breathy, sweet, girlish vocals that
the Supremes and the Three Degrees were known for. Like Labelle and the
Pointer Sisters, Stargard favored robust, aggressive belting and
brought a gospel-like passion to its funk, soul, and disco. Stargard
signed with MCA in 1977, when its first single, the ultra-funky "Theme
From 'Which Way Is Up'" (a Norman Whitfield gem), soared to number one
on the R&B singles charts. Stargard's self-titled debut album came out
in early 1978, and later that year, MCA released the trio's sophomore
effort What You Waitin' For. That album's funky title track (also
written by Whitfield) became a Top Ten R&B hit, but after that,
Stargard lost its commercial momentum. In 1979, Stargard left MCA for
Warner Bros. and recorded its third album, The Changing of the Gard,
which was produced by Robert Wright and Earth, Wind & Fire's Verdine
White (Maurice White's brother) and contained the single "Wear It Out."
That superb album had the makings of a smash, but regrettably, it
didn't do nearly as well as it should have. In 1980, Anderson left the
group, and Runnells and Williams decided to carry on as a duo instead
of hiring a replacement. As a duo, Runnells and Williams recorded
1981's Norman Whitfield-produced Back 2 Back for Warner Bros. and
1982's Nine Lives (which Runnells produced) for MCA. Both of those LPs
received very little attention, and in 1983, Stargard broke up.

Artist Stargard
Title: Stargard
Label: WB
Year: 1978
Producer: Mark Davis

Tracklist:
A1 Three Girls (3:51)
A2 Smile (3:18)
A3 Love Is So Easy (3:37)
A4 Don't Change (3:13)
B1 Theme From "Which Way Is Up" (7:00)
B2 The Force (3:30)
B3 I'll Always Love You (3:30)
B4 Disco Rufus (3:18)

Provided by Vincent from 4BB through Funkback

Anyone who's able to track down more of the funky music in the movie are welcome to tip us off.

Which Way Is Up? (1977)

Starring:

• Richard Pryor 
• Lonette McKee
• Margaret Avery
• Morgan Woodward
• Marilyn Coleman
• Bebe Drake
• Gloria Edwards
• Ernesto Hernández
• Otis Day

Storyline
Orange picker Leroy Jones (Richard Pryor) inadvertently becomes a union leader and is forced out of town, leaving behind his sexually obsessed father, Rufus (also Pryor), and spouse, Annie Mae (Margaret Avery). He heads for Los Angeles, where he falls for union organizer Vanetta (Lonette McKee). Annie Mae seeks solace from the local preacher, Lenox Thomas (also Pryor), who eventually impregnates her. When Leroy catches wind of this, he heads home for a showdown with Lenox.

Johnny Pate - Shaft [TV Series - The Executioners] OST (1974)

Another banger @ Fraykerbreaks

Abby (1974)

"Abby" (1974) is a black cult horror film that Warner Brothers pulled due to copyright infringement to the 1973 film, "The Exorcist." The film had a great cast and saw early success in theaters when it was released. Unfortunately, because the film was banned, there were talks that Warner Brothers confiscated the film elements as well, and the condition of the elements is still being determined. Nevertheless, this movie is a must-see for all horror fans. You'll get entertainment, and you'll even question why there was copyright infringement in the first place after you watch it. Unfortunately, I don't know how you can copyright possession films. Hopefully, one day we will see a remastered version of this cult classic.

The lead actress, Carol Speed, passed away in January of 2022, and co-star, Austin Stoker, recently passed on October 7th. R.I.P.

Director: William Girdler

Writers: William Girdler (story), Gordon Cornell Layne (screenplay)

Starring William Marshall, Carol Speed, Terry Carter, Juanita Moore, Austin Stoker, Charles Kissinger

Storyline
Abby tells the story of a young, church-going housewife (Carol Speed) who is possessed by an erotically charged Nigerian sex demon and accidentally set free of its African confines by her archeologist father-in-law (William Marshall). Possessed by the renegade spirit, Abby goes on a hell-bent spree of destruction and wanton sexual behavior, all to the shock of her minister husband. However, when Abby's father-in-law returns from Africa to exorcise the demon inside her, all hell breaks loose as a battleground of good versus evil as Abby's family fights to save her soul from eternal damnation!