Slave were proof positive that a band could be both raw and slick and exemplify funk regardless of the approach. Along with predecessors Ohio Players and contemporaries such as Lakeside and Zapp, the group built the reputation of their hometown Dayton, Ohio, as fertile ground for funk. As unique as any of their neighbors, Slave were distinguished foremost by the slithering and melodic basslines of Mark Adams, a key ingredient from the opening of the band's hit debut single, "Slide," an R&B chart-topper and Top 40 crossover smash that sent the parent LP Slave (1977) to gold cer...