In 1978, having received a substantial royalty payment for his work with The Yardbirds, Georgian music entrepreneur Giorgio Gomelsky relocated to New York in an attempt to open up the American market to the European progressive rock/jazz-rock bands he was working with, such as Gong, Henry Cow and Magma. He established the Zu Club in Manhattan and after meeting 24 year old bass player Bill Laswell, encouraged him to form a band. Three young friends, Michael Beinhorn (17, synthesizer), Martin Bisi (17, engineering) and Fred Maher (14, drums), responded to Laswell's advert in The Village Voice and the band began rehearsing in the club's basement.
The band became known as the "Zu Band" until Gomelsky hooked them up with former Gong front-man Daevid Allen for a performance at his Zu Manifestival at the Zu Club on October 8, 1978, for which they became New York Gong. Guitarist Cliff Cultreri, who was replaced by guitarist Michael Lawrence for the Manifestival, and second drummer Bill Bacon joined them for a Spring 1979 tour of the USA in an old school bus playing most of Gong's "Radio Gnome Invisible" trilogy. In autumn, they recorded the album About Time. Allen and the band amicably parted company when they "discovered they couldn't stand the European way of life" during a tour of France.
The band then took the name Material, from the Laswell/Cultreri composed instrumental "Materialism" on the About Time album. Their debut recording was 1979's instrumental post-punk industrial funk Temporary Music 1 EP for Gomelsky's Zu Records. The band then signed to Celluloid Records, and the single "Discourse" was issued in 1980.
They were reduced back to the trio of Beinhorn, Laswell and Maher for the 1981 EP Temporary Music 2. Their first full album, Memory Serves, which featured strong jazz leanings, had contributions from guitarists Sonny Sharrock and Henry Cow's Fred Frith, cornetist Olu Dara, saxophonist Henry Threadgill and violinist Billy Bang.
They started working with singers and their music became more melodic and funkier. Their next single "Ciquiri" (included on their American Songs EP) which featured guitarist Robert Quine, became popular in New York City dance clubs. The 1981 "Bustin' Out" single was released as an extended club mix, and they were fronted by singer Nona Hendryx with support from guitarist Ronnie Drayton. This line-up also recorded "It's a Holiday" for a split single with Cristina.
By 1982's One Down, drummer Maher had left the band, and they embraced a multitude of singers including Hendryx, B.J. Nelson, Bernard Fowler and Whitney Houston in one of her first lead singer recordings. Houston's vocal was on a cover version of Hugh Hopper's Memories, which also featured a lead break by saxophonist Archie Shepp. Critic Robert Christgau of the The Village Voice called her contribution "one of the most gorgeous ballads you've ever heard". As an indication of the direction the band headed for, Chic's guitarist Nile Rodgers was involved alongside Frith and Drayton, but perhaps more significantly, was one of the first appearances of longtime Laswell collaborator Nicky Skopelitis.
Bill Laswell and Michael Beinhorn settled into a duo and began working with other musicians, producing, writing and performing. They worked initially in the electro genre, but quickly moved into the fields of hip-hop and rap, collaborating with turntablist D.St (AKA Grandmixer D.S.T.) graffiti artists PHASE 2 and Fab Five Freddy.
A chance meeting between Laswell and Herbie Hancock at Elektra Records, in which the latter expressed interest in making music in the vein of Malcolm McLaren's "Buffalo Gals" lead to a collaboration that brought forth the Future Shock album and the hit single "Rockit". They would collaborate with Hancock on two further albums released under his name, 1984's Sound-System and 1988's Perfect Machine. Hancock himself would go on to contribute to many of Material and Laswell's projects.
In 1984, under the name Timezone, they released the single "World Destruction" which featured disc jockey Afrika Bambaataa and John Lydon (former singer of the Sex Pistols).
In 1985 Laswell and Beinhorn parted company. Beinhorn went into record production for the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Marilyn Manson. Laswell retained the Material name and was calling upon a large group of musicians with, at its core, guitarist Nicky Skopelitis, keyboardist Jeff Bova, percussionist Aiyb Dieng, former Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell and bassist Bootsy Collins, plus Jamaican reggae duo Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare (Sly & Robbie).
By 1989, Laswell had ceased using the Material name as an umbrella for his own activities and began to use it as a front for specific projects. The first of these projects was the album Seven Souls, featuring William S. Burroughs reading portions of his novel The Western Lands. In 1998, the album was subject to a series of re-mixes by Laswell, Talvin Singh, Spring Heel Jack, DJ Olive and released as The Road to the Western Lands.
The Third Power was released in 1991, with duo Sly & Robbie and Bootsy Collins being Laswell's main collaborators. Vocal performances were given by the Jungle Brothers' Baby Bam and Mike G, The Last Poets' Jalaluddin Mansur Nuriddin, and Shabba Ranks. Other musicians included members of Funkadelic, Herbie Hancock, Henry Threadgill and Olu Dara.
1993's Hallucination Engine was a fusion of jazz, Indian and Middle Eastern influences. Noted jazz players included Wayne Shorter, Jonas Hellborg, and from John McLaughlin's Shakti tabla player Zakir Hussain, violinist Lakshmi Shankar and Vikku Vinayakram (on ghatam). Palestinian violinist Simon Shaheen and Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu also contributed.
The last studio release under the name Material was 1999's Intonarumori. Sub-titled "Rap is still an art", it featured contributions from Rammellzee, Kool Keith, Flavor Flav and Killah Priest.
Laswell has on occasion used the name for live performances, the last being at the Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 13, 2004 with, among others, his wife Gigi, drummer Bryan "Brain" Mantia and guitarist Buckethead (both from Laswell's other project, Praxis). In late 2010, Laswell's new label, M.O.D. Technologies releases 'Mesgana Ethiopia', a live album credited to Gigi w/ Material.
Take a Chance
Material Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is the way that it feels
When you'd give anything for what you love
You won't stop until its real
Yeah
I'm feeling alive
So bring on the late nights
I know this will be worth it all one day
Stop lights and crossroads
Goodbyes through windows to friends that we've made
So far from our home
This roads the only one I want to take
And this won't be easy
But its worth all the blood that I bleed
And you call it dreaming
But its everything to me
These are the chances we take
This is the way that it feels
When you'd give anything for what you love
You won't stop until its real
Yeah
Hot nights of summer
One day we'll call this the time of our lives
It won't last forever
So let's just make the most of it tonight
We can't turn around
We've come too far now to say that we tried
Chasing the sun down
With tattoos of memories to life
And this won't be easy
But its worth all the blood that I bleed
And you call it dreaming
But its everything to me
These are the chances we take
This is the way that it feels
When you'd give anything for what you love
You won't stop until its real
This is the way that you know
That you're under the gun
When you'd give anything for what you love
You won't rest until its done
These are the chances we take
These are the chances we take
No I won't, give up now
And live my life without regret
I promise with my last breath
These are the chances we take
This is the way that it feels
When you'd give anything for what you love
You won't stop until its real
This is the way that you know
That you're under the gun
When you'd give anything for what you love
You won't rest until its done
These are the chances we take
These are the chances we take
In "Take a Chance," Material speaks about the difficult choices one has to make when pursuing their dreams. The lyrics begin by acknowledging the risks and uncertainty that come with chasing after something you love but then express a determination to keep pushing through until that desire becomes a reality. The song speaks about the challenges of being away from home, having to say goodbye to friends, and the long hours of work required to achieve success, but also highlights the fulfillment that comes with the pursuit of a dream.
As the song progresses, the lyrics speak about the value of living in the moment and making the most of the present. The hot summer nights, chasing the sun, and tattoos of memories that bind us to these moments are all part of the journey. The refrain "These are the chances we take, this is the way that it feels when you'd give anything for what you love" distills the essence of the song's message of embracing challenge and uncertainty in the pursuit of one's passions.
Overall, Take a Chance is an anthem that celebrates the resilience and courage it takes to chase after what one loves. The song encourages the listener to embrace the journey, savor the moments, and hold true to their dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
These are the chances we take
Life is about taking risks and seizing opportunities.
This is the way that it feels
It's not easy, it's not comfortable, but it's worth it.
When you'd give anything for what you love
When you find something that truly matters to you, you'll do anything to make it happen.
You won't stop until its real
You won't give up until you make your dreams a reality.
I'm feeling alive
I'm filled with excitement, passion and inspiration.
Here on this long drive through cities and states
Traveling, experiencing new places and people, adds to the thrill of life.
So bring on the late nights
I'm ready to put in the work and effort to achieve my goals.
I know this will be worth it all one day
I am hopeful and optimistic that the struggles and sacrifices will pay off in the end.
Stop lights and crossroads
Life has its obstacles and challenges, but we must push through and keep moving forward.
Goodbyes through windows to friends that we've made
We meet people who make an impact on our lives, but sometimes we have to say goodbye and move on.
So far from our home
We may be far from where we started, but we are on our way to making our dreams come true.
This roads the only one I want to take
I'm focused on my journey and nothing will stop me from reaching my destination.
And you call it dreaming
Others may say it's just a dream, but to me it's my purpose and passion.
But its everything to me
My goals and aspirations are a fundamental part of who I am and what I want to achieve in life.
Hot nights of summer
Memories of spontaneous, carefree moments serve as a reminder of the joys life has to offer.
One day we'll call this the time of our lives
The memories and experiences we make now will one day be nostalgic and treasured.
It won't last forever
Life is fleeting and we must make the most of every moment.
So let's just make the most of it tonight
We should seize every opportunity to live life to fullest and have no regrets.
We can't turn around
Once we've started on the journey towards our dreams, there's no going back.
We've come too far now to say that we tried
We've invested too much into our goals to simply give up and say that we tried.
Chasing the sun down
Pursuing our dreams, even if others may not understand, is a race against time.
With tattoos of memories to life
The moments and memories we cherish are forever embedded in our lives and shape who we are.
This is the way that you know
When you feel pressure, anxiety and discomfort, you know you're on the right track.
That you're under the gun
The stakes are high and it's up to you to make it happen.
You won't rest until its done
You're relentless and won't give up until you've accomplished what you set out to do.
No I won't, give up now
I won't let go of what matters to me, even if it's difficult and painful.
And live my life without regret
I'll live with intention and purpose, doing everything I can to avoid regret.
I promise with my last breath
I am committed and dedicated to making my dreams a reality, even if it means giving it my all until the end.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Michael Beinhorn, Bill O. Laswell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind