Cameo: She's Strange (Atlanta Artists/Polygram)

BACK IN the days when there was a record company called Chocolate City, a group named Cameo gave the label instant credibility. Cameo's 1977 debut, Cardiac Arrest, introduced a band that was well-schooled in the artistry of funk, from James Brown through Parliament to the rites of disco. Seven years and five gold albums later, Cameo has halved its original eight-man lineup and now records on its own label.