Machine Gun
Commodores | Artist Essentials
First released: 1974 (year verified)
Original 1974 full studio album presentation
MusicAtlas editorial note: The quick keyboard figures and sharply placed horn responses provide a compact instrumental introduction.
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Release evidence and recording details
First released: 1974 (year verified)
The label history identifies the instrumental single as preceding the original album, whose licensed program documents the original 1974 recording. Only the shared year is assigned, not the album day.
Recording: Original 1974 full studio album presentation
Credit: Commodores
Role in this collection: Primary artist
Original single: Machine Gun
Machine Gun - original licensed album program
The original 1974 program identifies the selected Commodores performances. Only original program membership and corroborated year are used. Isolated inherited track dates, later anthologies, extended mixes and live versions do not replace the original release event. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
The Commodores - official Motown recording history
The label history identifies the band, its original Machine Gun single preceding the album, the 1975 Sweet Love period, the original 1977 funk recordings, Midnight Magic association for Sail On and Still, Lady in 1981 and the post-Richie Nightshift group in 1985. Solo Lionel Richie recordings remain separate. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
In the yearly lists
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About Commodores
The Commodores developed from musicians studying at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Their recordings joined tightly played funk with melodic ballads, giving space to several songwriters and contrasting lead voices. Machine Gun and Walter Orange's performances on Brick House represent the group's rhythmic side, while Lionel Richie sang songs including Easy and Three Times a Lady. Producer James Anthony Carmichael helped shape their recorded work. After Richie left for a solo career, the group continued with J.D. Nicholas and the later recording Nightshift.
Artist background sources
Classic Motown: The Commodores
Label history supports Tuskegee origins, funk/ballad range, distinct vocal roles, Carmichael and post-Richie continuation; reviewed retained Commodores/The Commodores variants share one catalog ID. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-17. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
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