Ah, the Supergroup. No, not Supertramp.
In 1984, when Duran Duran went on a break that became a long hiatus, members Andy Taylor and John Taylor joined up with former Chic drummer Tony Thompson to form The Power Station, a supergroup that would see the three musicians record an album of songs with various guest vocalists. When Robert Palmer was invited to sing on one track and discovered the band planned to record the old T. Rex single 'Get It On', he asked to audition for it. He remained with The Power Station for the entire album.
The original T. Rex version, from the album 'Electric Warrior', topped the UK charts in mid 1971, while the US release reached number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1972. Interestingly, the song had to be released as 'Bang a Gong' in the US due to a similarly titled release around the same time by a band called Chase. Hence, you get The Power Station's title 'Get It On (Bang A Gong)'.
The Power Station released the song as the second single of their eponymous debut, 'The Power Station', and reached only number 22 in the UK. However, it did manage to peak at number nine on the US charts, placing it one spot higher than the original.
If you also wish to watch a really chessy performance of the song, check out YouTube for 'Power Station's Appearance On Miami Vice'. Oh no, you have to go looking if you want to see it. I mean, talk about bad acting. But I don't want to hurt Don Johnson's feelings-just check out the gyrations of The Power Station's second lead singer, Michael Des Barres. Yikes.
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