''Full Speed Ahead'' is the debut solo album by

Táta Vega Táta Vega (born Carmen Rosa Vega, October 7, 1951) is an American vocalist, whose career spans theater, film, and a variety of musical genres. Early life Vega was born in Jamaica Queens, New York and raised between New York, Chicago, Texas, P ...

. It was released on Motown's

Tamla Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

label in 1976. The album was produced by Trinidadian native Winston Monseque, who was also her manager. In a November 1976 interview, Vega cited "Try Love from the Inside", "Try God" and "Music in My Heart" as her favorite tracks off of the album.

Track listing

#"Full Speed Ahead" (David H. Jones, Jr., Wade Brown, Jr.) 5:15 #"Try Love from the Inside" (John C. Fox, Sigidi) 3:03 #" Never Had a Dream Come True" (

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

Henry Cosby Henry R. "Hank" Cosby (May 12, 1928 – January 22, 2002) was an American songwriter, arranger, producer and musician who worked for Motown Records from its formative years. Along with Sylvia Moy, Cosby was a key collaborator with Stevie Wonder ...

Sylvia Moy Sylvia Rose Moy (September 15, 1938 – April 15, 2017) was an American songwriter and record producer, formerly associated with the Motown Records group. The first woman at the Detroit-based music label to write and produce for Motown acts, she ...

) 3:27 #"Just When Things Are Getting Good" (Alfred O. Johnson) 3:57 #"Been on My Own for Too Long (In the Wilderness)" (Richard Winarick) 3:51 #"Love Is All You Need" ( Clarence Drayton) 3:30 #"Music in My Heart" ( Michael B. & Brenda Sutton) 3:11 #"Keep It Coming" ( Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson) 2:48 #"Just as Long as There Is You" ( Iris Gordon, Bobby Belle, Tina Brockert) 4:42 #"Try God" (

Jay Graydon Jay Joseph Graydon (born October 8, 1949, Burbank, California) is an American songwriter, recording artist, guitarist, singer, keyboardist, producer, arranger, and recording engineer. He is the winner of two Grammy Awards (in the R&B category) wi ...

, Táta Vega) 4:55 In 2011, the album was digitally remastered and features three bonus tracks. The last two bonus tracks are recordings she made with the group Earthquire. #"Full Speed Ahead (Extended Disco Version)" #"Sunshine Man" (Táta Vega) #"Soul Eyes" (Táta Vega) The track "Love Is All You Need" was later a chart single for

High Inergy High Inergy was an American R&B and soul girl group who found fame on Motown Records in the late 1970s. They are best known for the hit song, " You Can't Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On)". History High Inergy started in 1976 when the ...

. The

Ashford & Simpson Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina, ...

composition, "Keep It Coming" was previously recorded by Valerie Simpson on her second solo album for Motown and then by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan. Vega also recorded a cover of the

song " Never Had a Dream Come True". In the same November 1976 interview as above, Vega was also compared to

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

and

. On February 18, 2014, the entire album (including the three bonus tracks) were released digitally.

Personnel

*Al Johnson, Carmen Twillie, Jessie Smith, Julia Tillman Waters, Kathy Ann Collier, Maxine Willard Waters, Vennette Gould: Backing vocals *Ben Benay, Greg Poree,

Ray Parker Jr. Ray Erskine Parker Jr. (born May 1, 1954) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. As a solo performer, he wrote and performed the theme song to the 1984 film '' Ghostbusters''. Previously, Parker achieved a US top-10 h ...

: Guitars *

Michel Rubini Michel Rubini (born December 3, 1942) is an American musician, conductor, arranger, producer, songwriter and composer. A professional classical pianist since early childhood, he was a prolific session musician of the 1960s and '70s, part of a grou ...

Sonny Burke Joseph Francis "Sonny" Burke (March 22, 1914 – May 31, 1980) was an American musical arranger, composer, Big Band leader and producer. In 1937, he graduated from Duke University, where he had formed and led the jazz big band known as the Duke ...

: Keyboards *

Chuck Rainey Charles Walter Rainey III (born June 17, 1940) is an American bass guitarist who has performed and recorded with many well-known acts, including Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, and Quincy Jones. Rainey is credited for playing bass on more than 1,00 ...

, Scott Edwards: Bass *

James Gadson James Gadson ( James Edward Gadson; born June 17, 1939) is an American drummer and session musician. Beginning his career in the late 1960s, Gadson has since become one of the most-recorded drummers in the history of R&B. He is also a singer and ...

: Drums *

Eddie "Bongo" Brown Eddie "Bongo" Brown (September 13, 1932 – December 28, 1984) was an American musician born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. Brown played congas, Bongo drum, bongos, the gourd and claves for Motown Records' in-house ...

: Percussion *Gary Coleman:

Vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...

Personnel and Production
Discogs.com

Production

*Arranged by Jay Graydon *Produced by Winston Monseque *Recording Engineers:

Humberto Gatica Humberto Gatica is a Chilean-born American recording engineer, mixing engineer and record producer, best known for his work with Celine Dion, Chicago, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban and Michael Bublé. Gatica's inter ...

, Milt Calice *Assistant Engineers: Geoff Gilette, Steve Hodge *Mixed by Humberto Gatica *Mastered by Greg Morton

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Full Speed Ahead (Tata Vega album) 1976 debut albums Motown albums