Master Plan Inc.

This pair of Minneapolis-by-way-of-Chicago tracks masterfully capture Master Plan Inc.’s silky vocal moves and break-heavy, horn-laden funk riffs. Led out of the early ’70s by vocalist Doug Shorts—alongside guitarist Joe Stevenson, drummer Dean Knox, and bassist Eddie Manning—Master Plan Inc.’s brief 1975 furlough in Minneapolis came at an opportune moment, as rising studio wiz David “Z” Rivkin scoured his Twin City environs for black talent. A year shy of his contract-fetching demo for local prodigy Prince Rogers Nelson, Rivkin mapped out the Sound 80 facility for Master Plan, who put down four tracks. Shorts cracked his piggy bank, paid Rivkin for the Sound 80 tapes, and brought them to Chicago, where he paired up at Stereosonic with engineer Ed Cody, for mixing and finishing touches. Plans for a pressing fell through, and Master Plan Inc. sketched out several new lineups before folding in 1980.

• 45

  1 x standard weight 45 RPM 7”
  2 tracks totaling 6 minutes
  1 x stock Numero sleeve