The Perfect Circle -

The Perfect Circle was an American soul-funk band from Oakland that released a 1977 self-titled album on Inner City Records.

Members: George Semper (clavinet, organ, piano, string ensemble), Carl Walker (lead guitar, percussion, backing vocals), Clyde Dixon (rhythm guitar, percussion, lead/backing vocals), Dave Parnell (tenor/alto saxophone, percussion, backing vocals), Ed James (drums, tenor toms, cabasa, backing vocals), Ed Lyons (bass, percussion), Flemmon Green Jr. (flugelhorn, trumpet, percussion, backing vocals), Jimmy Smith (lead vocals, congas, percussion)

Background

The Perfect Circle came from Oakland, California, and recorded as an eight-member lineup with singer–guitarist Clyde Dixon, singer–percussionist Jimmy Smith, bassist Ed Lyons, drummer Ed James, guitarist Carl Walker, brass player Flemmon Green Jr. (flugelhorn, trumpet), and reedist Dave Parnell (tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, flute).

Their producer, George Semper, recorded the 1966 album Makin’ Waves for Imperial. He played in San Diego groups the Chessmen and the Imperialites, then co-owned Jazzville nightclub on Broadway. Semper moved to Los Angeles at the end of the Sixties and formed Inner City Attractions and Inner City Records. ICR promotions manager Paul Mack Jr. connected the Oakland band with Semper, who produced the 1977 self-titled album The Perfect Circle for Inner City Records.

The Perfect Circle

The Perfect Circle released their self-titled debut album in 1977 for Inner City Records.

The album presents Bay Area soul-funk and jazz-funk material, performed by the seven-piece band and producer–keyboardist George Semper, whose arsenal includes piano, clavinet, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B3, and the Solina String Ensemble.

“Dip Stick” lunges from a hard intro into clipped riff phrases and brass-line punctuation. “For Your Funkification” hammers chant-like vocal bursts, then releases a late guitar figure over stacked ensemble accents. “Jungle Disco” coils around two-beat triplet figures and clustered response shouts. “Spread the News” leans into heavier bounce with rock-edged figures beneath the sung title phrase.

“The Perfect Circle” snaps through cut-up rhythm changes and group-vocal answers. “The Hands of Time” charges from a breakbeat opening into massed group vocals and hard unison accents. “I’ll Always Love You (Girl)” slows for an emotional lead over a long-lined ballad cadence. “Peaceful Funk” closes as a semi-instrumental sprint with bright ensemble punctuation.

A1. “Dip Stick” (3:33) – Parnell
A2. “For Your Funkification” (3:58) – Dixon/Walker
A3. “This Love Is Mine” (4:35) – Smith/Walker
A4. “Jungle Disco” (4:04) – Dixon/James/Lyons
A5. “Spread The News” (3:51) – Walker/Dixon

B1. “The Perfect Circle” (4:11) – Dixon
B2. “The Hands Of Time” (6:15) – Dixon/Walker
B3. “I’ll Always Love You (Girl)” (5:48) – Green/Walker
B4. “Peaceful Funk” (4:33) – Parnell/Green/Lyons/Walker

Semper produced and directed The Perfect Circle at Fidelity Recording Studios in Studio City, California, with recording engineer Joel Soifer and assistant engineer Bill Jimerson. Semper and Soifer mixed and edited the album at the same Studio City studio.

Semper conceived the album package and created the cover design. C. Aurelius Wells oversaw the sleeve art and cover illustration, with photography by Alain Dupin. The front cover shows the group inside a cracked circular frame, with spaced letters around the portrait and the Inner City Records planet logo in the upper-left corner.

Inner City lifted “For Your Funkification” as a 1978 single (b/w “Dip Stick”).