Experience Unlimited – Peace Gone Away (1977) (recorded July 29, 1976)

This superb message song appeared on one of the lost classic funk albums of the 70s, original copies of which sell for hundreds of dollars, written by guitarist Donald Fields.

Watch video on Twitter

View most updated version of this post on Substack

Search our full archives

On July 29, 1976, the Washington, D.C.-based R&B group Experience Unlimited recorded their debut album Free Yourself LP for Black Fire Records, one of the lost classic funk albums of the seventies.

Experience Unlimited were a group with a strong social conscience. Founded in the early 70s, they were well known around D.C. for always being willing to play benefits for charitable and social causes.

The Richmond, Virginia label they recorded their debut album for, Black Fire Records, was owned by DJ and producer Jimmy Gray. Black Fire originally got its start distributing releases by the independent jazz label Strata-East, most famously the Winter In America LP (1974) by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson. It then became a full-fledged label when Strata-East artist Oneness of JuJu jumped to Black Fire.

One of the highlights of Free Yourself was the powerful message song “Peace Gone Away,” which was written by guitarist Donald Fields. It was co-produced by the group and Gray, with vocals by Melva “Lady” Adams and Bobby Owens.

The other track on the LP solely written by Fields was “People,” a superb, laid back jam which he co-produced with Gray. Owens and bassist/lead vocalist Gregory “Sugar Bear” Elliott were both featured on vocals.

Free Yourself’s opening cut was the free-your-mind anthem, “It’s All Imagination,” written by saxophonist Clarence “Oscar” Smith. The album’s closing cut was the epic, nine-minute instrumental jam “Funky Consciousness.” It was the only track on the LP credited to the entire group, and showcased their super-tight funk chops, including stellar guitar and sax solos by Fields and Smith.

In 2019, the monthly record subscription service Vinyl Me, Please re-released Free Yourself, original copies of which sell for hundreds of dollars on Discogs. The story of the album’s re-release was told in an episode of their Session Notes video series.

A documentary was released about Black Fire Records in 2022, executive produced by Plunky Branch, the original leader of Oneness Of JuJu who co-founded the label along with Jimmy Gray.

Further info:

“The Small, Black-Owned Record Label That Made a Big Impact in 1970s D.C.,” The New York Times, August 12, 2020.

"Soul Love Now: The Black Fire Records Story 1975​-​1993," Bandcamp, August 14, 2020.

#soul #funk #DC #BlackFireRecords #ExperienceUnlimited