ROLLING ILX R&B LISTENING CLUB: Join in! All ILXors and Lurkers Welcome! NEW PICKS EVERY MONDAY!

Why not? All the kids are doing it...

Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway

http://images.uulyrics.com/cover/r/roberta-flack/album-roberta-flack-donny-hathaway.jpg

Luther Vandross - Never Too Much

http://www.j-notes.com/myimages/lv-nevertoomuch.jpg

Amerie - Because I Love It

http://www.imageyenation.com/images/blog-gallery/amerie-because_i_love_it(mp3).jpg

too many threds

i'll actually fuck w/ this one cuz i'm not bored of r&b -- what's the deadline?

whenever

alright word

I should probably actually d/l the Flack/Hathaway. I only have it on vinyl and that's not here with me.

My mate might have the cd of that, i should borrow it.

Shite its been taken off Spotify http://open.spotify.com/album/4cNXauC0sitXWsOmuOtGvg

Rev, I hope you dont mind me providing spotify links for the euros

Luther Vandross - Never Too Much
Amerie - Because I Love It

sadly the Flack/Hathaway has been removed.

i will be taking part in this one. been jamming that luther v album a few times this month already. i just picked up a cherrelle album today so looking forward to some flyte time coming up in this thread

did because i love it ever get released in the u.s.?? spent mad $$ on the import in '07 gettin' impatient

i know you guyz hate youtube links so i'll x out the address, but you should really check out this house track that loops a bar from "never too much"... over and over again

hxxp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXDN8-JCC2E

so good

kinda funny that luther was the break out talent from change. he's got a great voice obv but as a personality he does nothing for me whatsoever

youtubes are ok just don't go berserk w/ them

thank you. i know + love the amerie but my r&b game is pretty weak in general. will try to get both of the others

i really like ppl posting youtube links with the song name as the URL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0gRBz-mOPw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNj9bXKGOiI

you know, watching that and amazing anyone ever believed he was straight haha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIxt04fsqYA

btw sign me up for a week of this

nice, the Vandross album is only 7 credits on eMusic

this is a good idea, this club

i'll grab a week of this :) although i may spend the whole week bitching that my copy of fanmail doesn't have left eye's no scrubs verse.

well, i guess i'll throw down here as long as we keep proliferating.

i'm listening to the flack & hathaway. first 10 seconds of 'be real black for me' is THAT sample..amazing

yup. first heard this album within months of that song dropping and I was like.... oh, damn. great thing is "Be Real Black For Me" is prob my favorite song on the album

Aight, I'mma base the schedule here on Mondays, so:

5-3: Ship
5-10: Sam-I-am
5-17 Forks

put me down 4 a week please! cheers

Ok this Amerie is so good I feel ashamed I have never listened to it before.

This may be the first record of the listening clubs I feel compelled to buy the week I hear it.

5-3: Ship
5-10: Sam-I-am
5-17 Forks
5-24 lex luther
5-31 The Reverend Strikes Back

So this is what post-All For You Janet should have sounded like, right? Hell, tack Doesn't Really Matter, Someone To Call My Lover and... 'the other song I really like from that album I currently can't remember the name of' on this album and you can knock off All For You.

oh damn, that Amerie song is amazing.

Want to be in as a listener and maybe as a curator later (hater)

this is excellent ... i adore the luther and the flack/donny already

This is the only Vandross studio album you need own.

I know the singles from Radio growing up but had never thought the album would contain so many gems ! This will get some play round here this summer

listened to flack & hathaway this morning and was def feeling it - oddly the one that made me sit up and pay attention most on first listen was "come ye disconsolate", which i assume is a reworking of a hymn of some kind?

This is the only Vandross studio album you need own.

No, The Night I Fell In Love is essential too. "Never Too Much" is the perfect Luther song, though and that video is a beautiful snapshot of city life circa 1981.

(nostalgic sigh)

one of my failings as an R&B fan (and possibly as a human being) is not liking Roberta Flack. finally came around on Donny Hathaway a few years back.

This takes care of all my Vandross needs (except it doesn't contain the Change collabs):

http://images.uulyrics.com/cover/l/luther-vandross/album-the-essential-luther-vandross.jpg

The Best of Luther/The Best of Love from 1989 has Change and more...definitive double-vinyl compilation.

tried to link my Rolling Stone review of above only to discover it costs $ to access the archives now. awaiting that check LOL

i haven't listened to this Amerie album in the longest time, overall i think All I Have is still her definitive album, but this is good too. almost forgot that "Gotta Work" and one other track were done by a Baltimore producer (Nieze of One Up Productions) that I was actually just hanging out with last week! great song, wish it had taken off in the states.

Is Amerie rich, do you think? I often wonder about these talented singers whom I've liked and who aren't flops, but don't quite make it as stars, do they have to go out and get normal jobs afterwards?

I think she's probably doing alright, just signed a new contract with Def Jam for the album she released last year, which wasn't a big hit but at least got released in the U.S., unlike Because. she probably could make good money doing club shows or singing hooks on rap records if she ever got hard up for cash.

btw i still think of this (otm) post every time i see the cover of that album:

and what wrote this on thread Rolling R&B Thread 2007 on board I Love Music on Mar 26, 2007

i would have sex with all this ameries

She's more popular overseas I think.

What do you mean 'normal job'? Because yeah I'm sure she wouldn't do badly as a voice coach or back-up singer or whatever.

if she worked as a barista in my local Starbucks she'd rake in the tips.

I'd tip her. I was just wondering if maybe there's a secretarial agency somewhere with her, India Arie and Imani Coppola on its books.

oh god Imani Coppola. I interviewed her two summers ago -- perky and voluble, with New Age maxims coming out of her ears.

Rev, can I get a week to introduce Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis to the discussion?

I might beat you to it.

i'm embarrassed to say I haven't heard the flack/hathaway... any suggestions for online american access?

whups, nevermind, Lala:
http://www.lala.com/#album/360569445172790190/Roberta_Flack_%26_Donny_Hathaway/Roberta_Flack_%26_Donny_Hathaway

in which case, if forksclove is on that Jam & Lewis tip, I'm happy just to listen along.

Jam & Lewis made enough great things that you can do a two parter between you? Like Janet week and J&L other week?

anybody looking for great lesser-known roberta flack jams should look into "move in with me" from blue light in the basement, so great

Thinking that my week may be a 'wtf happened to shekspeare?'

This is the only Vandross studio album you need own.

― Throwing Muses are reuniting for my next orgasm! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, April 25, 2010 12:50 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark

The first three Luther Vandross albums are all worth owning. If you include all his collaborations you could add The Glow Of Love by Change, the first two Luther albums, New York City Band's self titled album and Hot Butterfly by Bionic Boogie.

Never Too Much is one of my favourite albums ever made.

eMusic has the Flack/Hathaway album btw

Busy Body has "I'll Let You Slide," an album track not found on any of the comps. But I insist that The Essential does a judicious job of picking singles and deep album tracks.

loving 'house is not a home' this week

Yeah I checked out the Luther album and I am REALY enjoying it right now. "Never Too Much" is one of those songs that I love every time I hear it but never really know what it was called, might not have even really realized who sang it, so it was exciting to hear that right off the jump. And in general, the '80s are my big blind spot as far as R&B albums, I don't know much beyond the pop crossover MJ/Prince stuff, which is a shame because I love early '80s R&B hits and the whole sound of that era where things were really slick and glossy but it was still all live instruments (+ synths), I guess it appeals to the Steely Dan fan in me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeHUBA9mdXw

^^^ love the New Wave take on electro-reggae on this.

re-listened to the Amerie album, which I hadn't really paid much attention or thought about in the last couple years, as much as I liked it at the time. I kinda dig the way she went for a synthy '80s sound on some songs, kind of deliberately mining a different vein of retro than the Rich Harrison '70s feel, but sometimes it gets pretty grating and I think it's more her than the production -- just feels like she's trying on personas she can't possibly pull off on "Some Like It" and "Crazy Wonderful." love the chorus on "Crush," though, gives me such a strong early Madonna feel for reasons I can't quite place. all of her albums are pretty close in terms of quality, none of them's perfect and none's without it's merits, but I'd probably rank them like: All I Have > Because I Love It > Touch > In Love & War

so guys, my week is starting in a couple days, and as much as I hate to drops spoilers or infringe on Rev's week, I was wondering if anyone wants to talk me out of (or into) using a War album as one of my picks -- it feels R&B enough to me, but they were in such a gray area for genre and I worry about muddying the waters too much.

shouldnt it have started on friday?

5-3: Ship
5-10: Sam-I-am
5-17 Forks
5-24 lex luther
5-31 The Reverend Strikes Back

― it ain't trickin if yo gotti (The Reverend), Saturday, April 24, 2010 3:13 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i'm going off the sched rev posted

War were great, regardless of whether you regard them as funk or rnb, but I'd say they were funk, but its not like acts don't crossover between soul,funk, rnb, disco etc

If you dont wanna do War here then please feel free to do so in the funk club. All of you are welcome to take a week.

I'm listening to Al Green right now, would that classify as R&B?

Al Green would totally and unambiguously be R&B and good for this club imo. the War album I'm considering isn't super on the funky side, but good point they might be as much a fit for that thread as this one. more opinions would be welcome to help me tip the decision, though.

Someone should start a Classic Soul club tbh. There's so much stuff to mine for that.

My knowledge of modern rnb is fuck all, so I dont think I could take a week, but I could easily choose a week of 70s stuff at some point if rodney lets me, But everyone else should take a go before I do. But if there's no objections I'd be happy to.
Same goes if there is a soul club.

some dude if you want a week on the funk club post on it and i'll add you.

i really don't know enough funk album-wise for that, will definitely be just following that thread from the sidelines.

i kinda feel like this thread can cast a wide net over R&B and soul in all its permutations, and plan on following Rev's examples of spanning styles and generations from 60s/70s classics to contemporary stuff. so i dunno, a separate soul club might feel redundant or really hard to define apart from this one. plus i'm sure anyone that wanted to do a week of just classic/traditionalist stuff would be welcome too.

well feel free to join in anytime.
Rev might want to do a soul train club too though!

why can't this be the r&b/soul club? donny hathaway is pretty fucking soulful dudes.

double the fun?

i dunno i mean might as well have separate "rap" and "hip hop" clubs

i kinda feel like this thread can cast a wide net over R&B and soul in all its permutations, and plan on following Rev's examples of spanning styles and generations from 60s/70s classics to contemporary stuff. so i dunno, a separate soul club might feel redundant or really hard to define apart from this one. plus i'm sure anyone that wanted to do a week of just classic/traditionalist stuff would be welcome too.

― jacka husalah terrier (some dude), Saturday, May 1, 2010 5:46 PM Bookmark

^^^this

hay guyz can I join

rev would it be ok to pick some 70s stuff then once everyone has had their go?

Today's when I open threads and learn everyone else has enjoyed what I've enjoyed privately this weekend: first The Godfather, Pt. II, now Amerie. I'll agree, Al, that my initial assessment of Because I Love It was too optimistic; it does drag in the second half. Your order of preference looks about right too. In Love and War is a classic B+ album: heard it a lot last fall, no urge to replay it.

5-3: Ship
5-10: Sam-I-am
5-17 Forks
5-24 lex luther
5-31 The Reverend Strikes Back
6-7 Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Week w/ Tannembaum Schmidt
6-14 MC Brains
6-21 Pfunkboy's Groovy '70s Week

ok y'all, let's do this

The Isley Brothers - 3 + 3

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/80/Isley_brothers_3_%2B_3_album.jpg

Mary J. Blige - My Life

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c7/C69257599ng.jpg

Robin Thicke - Something Else

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1e/Something_Special_official.png/200px-Something_Special_official.png

Here be the Spotify links for Europeans

The Isley Brothers - 3 + 3
http://open.spotify.com/album/2rVVM68EshvrjsV2HWALIW

Mary J Blige - My Life
http://open.spotify.com/album/4jovLVRCu6H0Ce6NHR4eTZ

Robin Thicke - Something Else
http://open.spotify.com/album/70e1Wo8JlIlZrjXXxMAO2a

I haven't followed the comments itt as much as the jazz and hip-hop ones, and I've to listen to the Amerie. Luther was fun, although all other tracks on the album sound weak when up against something as mighty and classic as "Never Too Much".

The Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway didn't really sink in, and I will listen again if only because I rate "First Take" LP as one of the best things ever recorded.

...I've yet to listen to Amerie....

yeah I still haven't checked out the Flack/Hathaway, definitely gonna keep that on my eMusic wishlist and get it at some point, though.

thanks for the Spotify links! I was hoping someone more familiar with the site than me would go to the trouble.

Well the Isley Brothers album is as classic as it gets. Looks like mbison & I wont be picking it for the funk club now hehe.

I'm gonna go play this asap , not heard it for a few months, since I went on my isley's 70s binge at the start of the year.

Ernie Isley is god, that's all.

:DDDDDDDD an excuse to listen to My Life for the first time in forever.

haha yeah i decided to skip the War and ended up with another album in its place that's just as much in a gray area of soul/funk :/

gonna try to limit myself to one youtube per album like Rev did upthread, here's my favorite off this one at the moment (although "What It Comes Down To" and the Doobie Bros. cover and the 2 big hits are all great too):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9_pPKbkKvc

6-7 Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Week w/ Tannembaum Schmidt

i'm really excited about this

isley brothers song is crazy good

What amg says about 3+3

Recorded in 1973, 3 + 3 was a major turning point for the Isley Brothers. With this album, the Isleys moved their T-Neck label from Buddah to Epic/CBS (which became Epic/Sony in the early '90s), and it was at Epic that they unveiled their new lineup. Lead singer Ronald Isley and his siblings O'Kelly and Rudolph remained, but the Isleys became a sextet instead of a trio when cousin Chris Jasper and younger brothers Ernie and Marvin were added. This new lineup was called 3 + 3, and the addition of Jasper on keyboards, Ernie on guitar, and Marvin on bass added exciting new elements to the Isleys' sound. One of finest R&B bassists of the 1970s, the ever-so-funky Marvin is in a class with heavyweights like Larry Graham and Louis Johnson -- and Ernie is a stunning guitarist who is heavily influenced by Jimi Hendrix but has a distinctive style of his own. The Isleys had always been lovers of rock, but with the addition of Ernie, their sound became even more overtly rock influenced. Nonetheless, the rock and pop elements didn't alienate R&B audiences, which ate this album up. The single "That Lady" (which is based on an Impressions-like gem they had recorded in 1964) was a major hit, and the Isleys are equally captivating on soul interpretations of Seals & Crofts' "Summer Breeze," James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," and the Doobie Brothers' "Listen to the Music." With this superb album, the Isley Brothers sounded better than ever -- and they gained a lot of new fans without sacrificing the old ones. The 2003 reissue of 3 + 3 boasts remastered sound, new liner notes by David Ritz that draw from new interviews with Marvin and Jasper, and the inclusion of one bonus track: a previously unreleased live version of "That Lady" recorded in 1980.

gonna try to limit myself to one youtube per album like Rev did upthread

lets keep to this imo

great choices btw

excited about listening to the isley bros

aargh gonna get so behind w/these threads though, still haven't got round to luther from last week!

just used my 10 free emusic token for hathaway/flack

late to the game. so how do these clubs work? listening to hathaway/flack right now.

afaik people just take turns picking records, and everyone who wants to participate can listen to them and discuss them as much or as little as they wish. unless i'm doing it rong.

ah okay. not 'getting' the flack/hathaway yet but I'll give it a couple more go's this week

just put on the vandross and this is dope imo

man d-_-b

flack/hathaway is kind of a http://img.badassbuddy.com/buddies/badassbuddy_com-slowburner.gif

yah already startin to feel "where is the love" and their take on 'you lost that lovin' feelin' is interesting

was thinking last night and I hesitate to even suggest this cause I know everybody on here is super-busy but I think it'd be cool if the presenters of the week's albums might link to some good criticism or even write a few words about the album. I know one of the reasons I'm doing this listening club is to get schooled on R&B and it'd be nice to have something to help in contextualizing/get a wedge in on an album. but like I said I'm just happy to be here & to listen to some great jams so kiu everybody!

6-7 Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Week w/ Tannembaum Schmidt

i'm really excited about this

― J0rdan S., Monday, May 3, 2010 2:12 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark

Me too! Just been adding some more tracks to the J&L YouTubes playlist i'm making and find this comment:

"Back in the 80's I used to know I cool slick cat named Lance that used to play song all the time. He was really Lando Calrission looking with sharp suits and he drove a white Lamborginhi Countach. The good old days."

I think my next week will be 90s nu-soul week

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/4109b57b723afb893eb7859c614c6d8d/135650.jpg

the good old days

this Robin Thicke is a bit too easy listening mark ronson radio 2 for me so far. Anything on it turn out as good as Lost Without U/Shooter?

Something Else was my eccentric new school pick to put alongside the old classics because it's pretty much my favorite R&B album of the last 3 years or so after ILX canon favorite Erykah Badu and Electrik Red. Kinda pains me to hear a Ronson comparison because as much as this album could fall into an overly reverent funky white boy rut, I think the fact that Thicke put together such a diverse yet cohesive album pretty much by himself (+ one production partner and + one guest rapper) and with no samples makes it a singular, impressive achievement that doesn't really belong in the Winehouse wheelhouse. And I just really love the balance of quiet storm, disco funk, and retro rock, it's an odd mix that holds together surprisingly well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcTuAnOwdwE

I think it was as much a thing of expectations. Other Thicke I've heard is just downright sexy where is this is light and breezy and summery, I wasn't expecting it. It def. deserves repeated listening, I think it could grow quite heavily on me but on the first go it didn't really stick with me.

I don't need to defend picking My Life as much, but for me this album is the perfect halfway point between that Puffy swag of her early records and the kind of daily affirmation self-help overkill of a lot of her later stuff. Chucky Thompson went in on this shit, it dropped 2 months after Ready To Die so it's crazy to think the Hitmen did both these incredible albums in the same time frame:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0M5zoSjeFk

also that song is called "I'm The Only Woman," someone on YouTube fucked up.

kind of tempted to do a "prince you probably missed" week. Not enough love for Come or the Batman soundtrack in this world!

sugar & spice has entered my list of all time jams

I thought for a minute about doing Prince's self-titled as one of my picks this week, then decided to save it for a possible second week later on. probably my 2nd or 3rd favorite Prince album.

I wish I could taste your love, lick it off of my fingertips

.-.

otm

what did you think of thicke's latest album, al? i've only heard that and the evolution - really wasn't into the latter but really do like sex therapy

am really struggling to keep up w/these threads but have given the isley bros a listen and like it

keith murray interlude always makes me smile on my life, it's such a brilliantly effective little 20-second combo of brief rugged relief, scene-setting, subliminal bad boy advertisement, and finally getting you back into wanting some more of that smooth shit

i should really start like a screwed-&-chopped type cult of rerecording albums with just traffic hubbub in the background

I like Sex Therapy but haven't really felt inspired to listen to it much -- kind of an odd mix of the kind of stuff I liked on Something Else but maybe a little campier, along with a bunch of awkward shit like Kid Cudi rapping over alt-rock guitars.

give me two minutes and we'll have this week's picks...

awesome! y'all were good sports for my picks so hopefully we can keep the thread lively this week.

WEEK THREE:

Truth Hurts - Truthfully Speaking
Spotify link

http://www.plong.com/MusicCatalog%5CT%5CTruth%20Hurts%20-%20Truthfully%20Speaking%5CTruth%20Hurts%20-%20Truthfully%20Speaking.jpg

An odd forgotten record. Halfway between the Timbaland sound that dominated radio at the time, Dre's odd awkward funk phase, Quik learning he loved bhangra samples and yet not wanting to go too crazy, so some of that Jill Scott classic-soul-done-twenty-years-later sound is still there. Plus there is an awkward rap by Rakim where he pretends we have never heard him before and he's Biggie or something. She herself even sounds a bit thin and is almost always covered by back-up singers. And yet it is freakin' awesome at times and especially post-Blaqkout love should be given a reappraisal.

TLC - FanMail
Spotify link

http://bellsouthpwp.net/p/e/perhodes/images/MyGayPlaylist_8B88/fanMail.jpg

I had the inlay poster on my wall for years. I fucking love this album back to front. It's even better than CrazySexyCool imo. Only problem, and I don't know if others have this, is that my copy doesn't have Left Eye's No Scrubs verse... like wtf?

Mya - Fear Of Flying
Spotify link

http://www.plong.com/MusicCatalog%5CM%5CMya%20-%20Fear%20Of%20Flying%5CMya%20-%20Fear%20Of%20Flying.jpg

Well, that plus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW_ePQRvrKI This turn of the century was really when I started to get into music. Listening to Trevor Nelson's r&b countdown on a Saturday afternoon, feet hanging out of my window, waiting for my best friends to finish up the shit they always had to do Saturday mornings. Even now I hear Case Of The Ex or The Best Of Me or Left Eye's verse on Come On Over or whatever and I just have the biggest fucking smile and see the sun shining. :D

Also now I figured out my albums I can post a bunch of other jams on the other late90s/early00s r&b thread :D

i've always wondered about that Truth Hurts album, if only because it's one of the most extreme instances of a single being EVERYWHERE and then absolutely nothing happening when the album dropped. did she even get a 2nd single?

I think the Addictive sample lawsuit put an end to her Aftermath deal before a second single. Jimmy would have been cool as a single tho.

I have never heard any of those albums. I'd heard all of Al's.

why would a producer not clearing a sample on a (hit) song lead the label to drop an artist or not promote a follow-up?

I dunno but as far as I could tell... that's what happened?

You've never heard fanmail rev?

i'm real busy w/ finals this week but i've def gonna download fanmail -- i'll prob be a week behind in talking about it but i'm really really excited about it

& the other two, hopefully, but i'm kinda lazy

maybe i went in the wrong order. fanmail is one of the best albums ever imo and mya is an absolute must-hear, the truth hurts is just an enjoyable record i think should be remembered as more than lol rakim.

You've never heard fanmail rev?

nope, hated "No Scrubs" and "Unpretty" at the time and still never particularly loved any of the singles from it. as I said on the other thread, all that post-timbo stuff never really did it for me.

whoa what the fuck

this is some real O_O watergate ish to me

THE REV DOES NOT DIG "NO SCRUBS"?? LITERALLY THE BEST SONG EVER

^^^^this

sorry, all that stuff just totally leaves me cold. i'm still just now warming to destiny's child. <3 CrazySexyCool (and mid-90s r&b in general) forever tho

i was listening to "no scrubs" this weekend and i was almost brought to tears (for various reasons)

I think this is a big couple-years-difference thing. When I was first getting to love r&b all of it was very warm-sounding and when it hard-shifted the other direction to very cold sounds in the late-90s I just couldn't fuck with it anymore, hence me starting to become a big ol' rap nerd around that time.

I just really did not like r&b around that time period.

rev don't you even like "silly ho"????

can second both fanmail (i prefer crazysexycool but fanmail has very high highs indeed) and fear of flying (maybe i prefer moodring? gonna have to relisten). never did get round to the truth hurts album though, even if "addictive" is an all-time classic for me. "he turns my pages" <3

idk if it really shifted so suddenly - there's lots of turn-of-the-century timbo stuff that i'd certainly describe as warm, like destiny's child's "say my name" or aaliyah's "one in a million"

From about 99-03 I pretty much only listened to rap other than what I heard on the radio/TV.

xp: yeah, I like "Silly Ho" just fine (def. my favorite Fanmail single), but it always seemed kind of minor to me

lex: both those songs are super-chilly imo

I've only been able to enjoy "Say My Name" in the past year or two. liked "One in a Million" alright at the time, but not nearly as much as "If Your Girl Only Knew" or "Pony", but it has since become a favorite

metallic/cold r&b from that era is such my shit

silly ho is so good

it might be just my memory of them as summer jams - they're not lush and all-embracing like mid-90s r&b, but they're so languid and sun-dazed to me.

i mean stuff like "silly ho" and "addictive", totally cold as ice, yeah

languid and sun-dazed to me.

see, I get very much the opposite out of them

I should point out that both "Say My Name" and "One in a Million" were hits during winters

for the first time ever, then, bless the stupid time-lag between US and UK releases

i'm with rev, always hated "No Scrubs." i remember hearing it on the radio for months before knowing who it was and being disappointed that TLC had come back with something so generic that i couldn't recognize it as them right off the bat. "Silly Ho" is incredible, though.

ftr, I do not hate "No Scrubs" anymore, I just don't love it either

scrub is a poster that don't get no love from me

I thought the Sporty Thievz answer sibg was wat lulz at the time tbh

song was way*

See I don't really connect FanMail with that cold metallic sound. I mean sure parts of it are (the opening track I guess must throw people off) but it's v. much post-One In A Million (96?) instead of being just another late90s/early00s timbo cold futuristic sound.

And anyway, I don't know how One In A Million (both song and album) can't be seen as anything other than a waaarm summer album? It's crickets (I never hear these shits at any time but when its hot) and Marvin Gaye party tunes and aww hell... it's just like a big hug before timb really went all properly futuristic?

Or am I the only one who sees a split between lol sampling baby sounds and U CANT RESIST FUTURE SOUND MOTHERFUCKER CHANGING THIS GENRE FOREVER

"Unpretty" leaves/left me cold, and "Red Light Special" >>>>>>>> "No Scrubs"

Fanmail is reeeeeeally frontloaded.

Aw come on, the second half has Dear Lie, Automatic and My Life.

Sorry I didn't mean Automatic, all though it's still cool, I meant Lovesick. It's the best break on the album imo.

Timbo circa-One in a Million is pretty damn spartan compared to most r&b at the time

"Red Light Special" >>>>>>>> "No Scrubs"

^^^this, along with pretty much every other song on CrazySexyCool, except maybe like "Switch" or something, but that's still more fun in a kind of failed Salt-n-Pepa jam way

oh and the "If I Was Your Girlfriend" cover

theres over a thousand ways to communicate in our world today

i feel bad that the subject line still has my records in it but my mod req board request was ignored, maybe if forks or any other mod who looks at this thread wants to just take the artist names out and put "rolling" in the title that'd be cool

on it

thx bro

WEEK FOUR:

These three are perhaps a bit overly obvious; rather than aiming for the obscure, I shot for three albums that have brought me continuous pleasure from the moment I first heard them (and, not coincidentally, that show up early in an artist alphabetical search on itunes). For those who have bumped these albums to death and back, go back and give em one more spin. For those who have NOT heard any of these, goddamn are you in for a treat.
Please feel free to post Spotify/streaming links to supplement.

1: Prince – The Love Symbol Album (1992)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v67/ecnirp2004/Prince/LoveSymbol92.jpg

Pretty much equally spectacular and corny from front to back. High points include:
- ‘My Name Is Prince’ – Self referential in every way; who but Prince would have the balls to interpolate his first hit into an album kickoff in which he announces his new name by announcing his old name?
- The underrated gently affectionate jams ‘Love 2 the 9s’ ‘The Morning Papers’ and ‘Sweet Baby’
- The slow-churned reggae of ‘Blue Light’ featuring the timeless line of I’ll be/ a hundred and seventeen/you’ll be still sayin’ “Baby, not tonight”
- Wonky to the point of near self-parody nerd dancefunk classics ‘Sexy MF’, ‘The Max’, ‘Wanna Melt With U’, ‘The Continental’, ‘The Sacrifice of Victor’
- Genuinely beautiful ballads ‘And God Created Woman’ , ‘Damn U’ and ‘7’
All this sandwiched in a batty storyline told in segues wherein intrepid, unethical reporter Kirstie Alley (?!?) stalks our hero through the labyrinth of his complex public and artistic persona. It’s a definite top ten purple album pick and one that I find myself returning to at least once a year.

2: Allen Toussaint – Southern Nights (1975)
http://991.com/newGallery/Allen-Toussaint-Southern-Nights-432295.jpg

Dad used to play this around the house constantly while I was growing up and it soaked into my brain and lay there for maybe a decade or two until I had the good fortune to see Toussaint play about twenty times during a residency at a club I was working at. He played every track on this seminal album a few times (though I had to specifically request ‘Worldwide’) and I feel blessed every time I get to return to Southern Nights. Many of the songs on here, title track included, have been covered to death but nothing compares to the original. The music is wonderfully crafted, deeply funky, heartfelt and amazingly performed by what amounts to a 70’s all-star New Orleans superband. If you’re new to this one, I recommend starting with ‘Country John’ (swamp rat Scott-Heron-esque), ‘You Will Not Lose’ (truly vast psychedelic uplift) and the indispensible diptych of ‘Last Train’ and the aforementioned ‘Worldwide’.

3: Anthony Hamilton – Comin’ From Where I’m From (2003)
http://image.lyricspond.com/image/a/artist-anthony-hamilton/album-comin-from-where-im-from/cd-cover.jpg

Is it possible for a platinum album to be underappreciated? Or an artist this universally known to fly under the radar? Perhaps the clear debt Hamilton owes to his unassailable soul ancestors makes him seem easier to disregard? Or that the inevitable weaker half of all his LPs tend to blend together? Whatever: I’m hard pressed to name five better current vocalists with the chops of Hamilton and Comin’ From Where I’m From is as strong a collection of his talents as I’ve yet heard. Good starts for the neophyte: the title cut, ‘Mama Knew Love’, ‘Cornbread Fish and Collard Greens’, ‘Lucille’, ‘Float’ and ‘I’m A Mess’

that train whistle harmony that Hamilton multitracks around 2:31 on Mama Knew Love is one of my favorite musical sounds of all time

oooh, i always meant to listen to that hamilton album and then... forgot it existed.

Hamilton spotify

other two aren't on there unless the prince album is and i just can't search the symbol.

i heard the love symbol album in a friend's car exactly once ten years ago and can STILL remember how "the morning papers" goes, always meant to pick up that album.

Prince's stuff simply isn't available to stream afaik; he's very adamant about maintaining control of his image on the internet and is fast to litigate.

Ha, you can get most Prince albums on Spotify! Just not ones where you have to search squiggy lines to get to it.

oh yeah? must be a uk/us thing cuz he's a real online nazi out here.

incidentally, the acknowledged title of that album is "love symbol", not O[-+-> or anything.

I like that A. Hamilton album, I just never think about it. Some serious joints on it tho.

at one point i was listening to southern comfort so much at work that a coworker specifically asked me not to play that album ever again.
she said she liked the "sexy senior smiling" song, which turned out to be Magnolia's Room: "Been awhile/since I seen ya smilin'"

hahahaha

this still going on? 'cos I got my Jam & Lewis ready and waiting.

Forgot this one was even happening! That Toussaint looks great, have to pick that one up. From the Hamilton, I really dig Cornbread Fish and Collard Greens, and completely love the title track. Is it just me, or does that song have a ton of echoes of Across 110th Street? That Prince record's the last one I heard, I liked it fine; another half-or-so great Prince album, same as Diamonds & Pearls. Has he done any records at least as good as those two since?

i'm guessing since the only week we missed was Rev's and he started the thread we should wait for his say-so before moving on, but i think people are excited about Jam & Lewis so maybe if we don't hear anything soon you should just go for it

go for it; i guess mine made an echo when it hit.

Dad: The Touss is really solid gold and undeniable; it's something I'll listen to till I die.
Hamilton is definitely a disciple of GSH but he's got a much more cultured voice.
For my money, the last great Prince album could be culled from the three discs of Emancipation; prior to that, Gold and Come are really underrated.

Right, I'm thinking of doing this now 'cos I've got a busy weekend and I'm bored right now

http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articleimages/article060417.jpg

JIMMY JAM & TERRY LEWIS
Over 25 #1 R&B singles, and over 15 #1 Pop hits. Nominated as Producers of the Year by the Grammy Awards SEVEN times. Awarded their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Considered the most successful production duo in contemporary music history. Original members of The Time. Got fired by Prince. Masters of working the TR-808. Written and produced hot hot hit after hot hot hit for Janet Jackson, Usher, Mariah Carey, Mary J Blige, Boyz II Men, The Human League, etc etc etc minor and major R'n'B stars for the last 25 or so years.

Their greatest work remains pretty much everything they touched in the 80's - I find few of their tracks post-mid-90s enjoyable, except a good bunch of Janet's stuff.

AMG:

They specialized in pop-funk with swagger and sophistication that coaxed a whole lot of feeling out of machines. Swift synthesizer-bass patterns acted as melodic anchors; layers of keyboards alternately seared and sparkled; drum machines thumped, strutted, and stuttered with unmatched grace. They either enhanced or made the careers of dozens of vocalists and groups. The selections might seem dated, since so many elements signify that specific period, yet they are no more traceable to their era of release than the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” or the Rolling Stones’ “Let’s Spend the Night Together.”

For anyone interested, here's long, long list of songs they've produced: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_produced_by_Jimmy_Jam_%26_Terry_Lewis - which is not entirely comprehensive, as it doesn't list numerous great album tracks from the 80s. (such as "Innocent / Alex 9000 / Innocent II" )

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/468ff5f62ab8e1900033211d645da91f/2719299.jpg
EMI presents Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis the Hit Songs (1996)

At 78 tracks long (here's the entire track listing), and quite a few turgid ballads in there, I'd question the sales figures for some of these tracks that were used to justify the "Hit Songs" label.

But a good 1/3rd of the material is classic. It's not on spotify and since 80's music videos are eternally awesome fun to watch, here's a YouTube playlist of the tracklisting (plus some additional extended remix versions thrown in, 'cos that's where they really get to work with their 808, DX-7 and OB-8). --- >

---> YouTube playlist: Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis the Hit Songs

AMG published in 2008 a great little piece celebrating J & L, which included a proposed tracklist for a single-disc compilation that will never happen and which concentrates on the duo’s first several years, when their material was at its most prolific, distinct, and innovative. This makes for a more digestable run of tracks and it rightly avoids their less great 90s material: http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/06/13/compilation-desire-jam-lewis-82-88/ (it comes with links to YouTubes of the suggested 13 tracks, but I haven't tested them)

Jam & Lewis conceived a massive song cycle spread across piles of albums. Many women are heartbroken, a few men are horny, and the relationships do not often work out, but the music is always sweet to some degree, whether in sugary or bitter ways. With the S.O.S. Band, for instance, they came up with the baddest sad club hits of the ’80s. Throughout “Just Be Good to Me” (“I don’t care about your other girls/Just be good to me”), you want to tell Mary Davis to snap out of it, but when “Just the Way You Like It” came out (“Whenever you get bored/I will give it to you, just the way you like it”), you were ready to hijack the S.O.S. Band’s blimp and whisk her away, or write a song titled “Please Do Cramp My Style” (even if you were in grade school and completely lacking in anything that could be cramped).

This mix shows you this, and features some of my favourite 80's Jam & Lewis joints. Enjoy, download, pass it on.

http://www.chromogenik.com/misc/jam&lewisfront.jpg
I DID MEAN TO TURN YOU ON - Produced by Jam & Lewis / Mixed by American Booze DJs
Download / Stream

01. Cherrelle & Alexander O'Neal - Saturday (Extended mix)
02. Cherrelle - I Didn't Mean To Turn You On (Special Mix)
03. Alexander O'Neal - A Broken Heart
04. Janet Jackson - That's The Way Love Goes
05. The S.O.S. Band - No One's Gonna Love You
06. The S.O.S. Band - Just The Way You Like It
07. Alexander O'Neal - All True Man
08. Karyn White - Romantic (Moonlight Mix)
09. Cheryl Lynn - Encore (12" mix)
10. Change - Change Of Heart
11. Alexander O'Neal - Fake
12. Cherrelle - Affair
13. Herb Alpert - Keep Your Eye On Me
14. Herb Alpert - Diamonds (feat. Janet Jackson)
15. Janet Jackson - What Have You Done For Me Lately
16. The S.O.S. Band - Just Be Good To Me

54min 50secs

....listen to the sneakily familiar rubbery bounce of the Neptunes at their most mischievous, or indeed the vast, uninhabited pop citadels of later Xenomania - Jam and Lewis are all around us

Here are 2 albums if you got the time (the reviews are either wiki or amazon user)

http://sparkleshock.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/janet-jackson-control.jpg
Janet Jackson - Control (1986)

The song "Nasty" is one of the primary examples of what inspired the new jack swing sound, mixing funk with contemporary R&B in addition to its triplet swing beat; Her collaboration with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis resulted in an unconventional sound: a fusion of rhythm and blues, rap vocals, funk, disco and synthesized percussion that established Jackson, Jam and Lewis as the leading innovators of contemporary R&B. It enabled Jackson to transition into the popular music market, becoming one of the defining albums of the 1980s and contemporary music.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BNyLUCu-L._SL500_AA300_.jpg
Alexander O'Neal - Alexander O'Neal (1985)
"Innocent / Alex 9000 / Innocent II" is 11 minutes of non-stop funk.

This Minneapolis soul man cut his teeth in the Time but was bounced (for looking "too black") before they signed with Warner Brothers. His tough, ballsy voice has the same grain and range as Otis Redding's. Like that master, Alexander O'Neal is comfortable with pumping dancefloor burners and slinky couch-cuddlers. He's certainly the best singer Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have ever produced, and the strength of his material and his robust voice can be heard on releases including 1986's Hearsay, 1991's All True Man, and 1997's Lovers Again. He relocated to Britain, where his efforts had always been better received, and began to set up permanent shop there. HFrom the dream-like and seductively sweet melodic opening track "A Broken Heart Can Mend" to the futuristic pulsating R&B rhythm, lyrics and hooks on "Alex 9000" suite and closing track the music is awesome ! Also, the slow romantic jazzy jams were placed first and then the party jams in the second half of the recording; this was unheard of back in 1985 for R&B artists or pop artists to do this in the 80's ! Today that would be considered marketing suicide. Yet, it worked. This recording was released a year before producers Jam and Lewis would release Janet Jackson's mega hit seller Control album. Lewis and Jam had previously collaborated with Cherelle, S.O.S. Band (another treasure of an R&B 80's group). But their most soulful and powerful vocal talent under the Flyte Tyme/Tabu record label was Alexander O'Neal's album output.This is one title not to be missed

Enjoy!!!

so excited :D summer music :D

that mix looks hella good

quick *bump* before I take Janet and Alexander out into the sunshine with me (it's my birthday!)

srsly, no one gotta anything to say about Janet, Alex O'Neal or Jam & Lewis? Props to the 10 or so people that listened/downloaded the mix.

...gotta anything....

I've listened to the Control album about a million times by now. My favorite non-single song is "He Doesn't Even Know I'm Alive" which is very much does not go along with the tough image she portrayed during the time. It's a great 80s rnb song even with the cheesy sax solo. Her voice is amazing on it. She doesn't sing like that anymore and probably can't because she uses her chest voice more now.

I'm going to give Alex O'Neal a listen because I remember loving what I heard. Is it really true that Prince ousted him from The Time because he was darker skinned? Prince is always doing some fuckery.

Plus, I think people are sleeping on this thread because the title isn't updated. Maybe that will prompt people to respond. Nonetheless, how can you guys sleep on the great work of JJ&TL? They even made Usher's best song on Raymond vs. Raymond.

tbh i dont think even usher listened to raymond vs. raymond a second time.

Haha. Yeah you might be right about that one.

I think there have also just been a number of other Jam & Lewis threads, but that said, there can never be too much discussion/music streams on J&L.

that mix is great!

Hugely prefer the "cool summer mix" of "Diamonds" to the radio mix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAYT8ILlrHI

that mix is great!

― fit and working again, Friday, 11 June 2010 19:49 (4 days ago) Bookmark Suggest

thanks!! : )

i'm way behind on these but thanks everyone for the suggestions. i've made a list of everything so far and i'm going to listen to all of them. starting with this jam & lewis mix which is amaaazing!

looks like I'm up tomorrow

Will post mine shortly, just looking for links

My 70s week picks. Obvious?Probably. Awesome? Definitely!

#1
Al Green - Let's Stay Together
http://thehelplessdancer.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/lets-stay-tobether.jpg

Prior to this album, Al Green never had a number one song. The title track, "Let's Stay Together," achieved that status and held it for nine consecutive weeks. Green's ingenuity produced one of the all-time classics, which has the bounce of a dance cut and the passion of a ballad. The dynamic soul singer's whispers, animated cries, and riffing enhance his already stirring delivery. This album was sold on the strength of the title track as there were no other selections to grace the Billboard charts. However, this album includes the timeless gem "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" and lesser-known beauties like the exulting "Judy," the cookin' testimonial "I Never Found a Girl," and the soothing blues effort "It Ain't No Fun to Me." The Arkansas native and his creative partner Willie Mitchell season these selections with lucid rhythm arrangements complemented by the faint strums of a guitar and brawn, unchiding horns.

Spotify Link

#2
Smokey Robinson - A Quiet Storm
http://soulclassics.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/smokey-robinson-a-quiet-storm-front.jpg

The genius of William "Smokey" Robinson is immeasurable. As many of his prior songs had shaped R&B and pop music, this album would have a similar effect. The title track became the namesake for a music format. The album itself had three singles hit the charts. Arranged in an intermittent rhythm, "Baby That's Backatcha" ran up the Billboard R&B charts to number one inside 16 weeks. It was Robinson's first number one single since leaving the Miracles. The lyric of the ballad "The Agony and the Ecstasy" hit the Top Ten at number seven, and it was followed by the masterpiece "A Quiet Storm." Although it only managed to seal the Top 25, it has since made a greater impact on the music charts and music industry. Briefly, radio mogul Cathy Hughes, owner of Radio One, was the general manager at Howard University radio WHUR during the early '70s when she created the format "the quiet storm." She used Smokey Robinson's composition as the theme song. Before long, it caught on around the country and evolved into a new market. This album also features the "Wedding Song" which was written for Hazel and Jermaine Jackson's wedding and the "Happy" theme from the movie Lady Sings the Blues.

#3
Commodores - Machine Gun
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pyIBhtN_0F4/Rg-JbVvciQI/AAAAAAAAAC8/b3WO6vonTzg/s320/Commodores+--+Machine+Gun.jpg

Before the Commodores started having major adult contemporary hits like "Three Times a Lady," "Easy," and "Still," they were happy to be a full-time funk/soul band. The Southerners became increasingly pop-minded in the late '70s, but when their debut album, Machine Gun, came out in 1974, their music was unapologetically gritty. This was, without question, a very promising debut -- Lionel Richie and his allies really hit the ground running on sweaty funk items like "Young Girls Are My Weakness," "The Bump," "Gonna Blow Your Mind," and the single "I Feel Sanctified." These songs aren't funk-pop or sophisticated funk -- they're hardcore funk. What you won't find on Machine Gun are a lot of sentimental love ballads. In the late '70s, the Commodores became as famous for their ballads as they were for their funk and dance material, but believe it or not, there are no ballads to be found on this consistently funky, mostly up-tempo debut.

Spotify Link

Hope you all like the 3 albums I picked and look forward to reading what you all think of them.

And shouldn't the title be changed to rolling... new picks every monday?

bump

Great choices, these are literally three of my favourite albums ever.

The Commodores are just the most underrated soul band ever. Machine Gun is a brilliant debut, so far away from the later smooth ballads they are probably best known for. The Zoo (Human zoo) is a real contender for my top ten songs ever recorded. I still remember the first time I heard that ridiculous intro which then turns into three different songs that all somehow fit together and sound so amazing. The Assembly Line is another classic, such a great summer song. When praising this album I choose to ignore Young Girls are my Weakness, what was is with the 70's and that theme?

Smokey's Quiet Storm is an absolute classic. Obviously his work with the miracles in the 60's is just about all classic, but I really love a lot of what he did after. Smokey, Where There's Smoke and Warm Thoughts are all worth checking out but A Quiet Storm is the best album I've heard of his. It's almost like his version of What's Going on? It's such a beautiful album all the way through and it flows so well. Love Letters or the title track would be my picks.

Not much to say about Let's Stay Together. I have a friend who claims there has never been a bad Al Green song. I haven't heard a lot of his work after the late 70's but from 1969 to 1975 I'd say that's probably true. I'd say I'm Still in Love with you is my favourite album of his but this a close second. I just flicked through this album to try and mention a favourte song but it's too hard to choose.

Nice post. I don't think people realise how great early Commodores were (bit like Kool & The Gang and Earth Wind & Fire in that they were nothing like what they are best known for later on). Machine Gun started off many a funk/soul mix-tape/cdr.
I think even modern RnB heads will really dig these albums.

thanks mr mod-dere

I don't want to post links to d/ls of these albums as they're all on a major, but I don't think they will be too hard to find.

heh, i get the feeling these picks are too old for some?

more like i'm about 5 weeks behind with not a great deal of "new music listening time" in the foreseeable :(

i definitely intend to work my way through this and other similar threads though, so everyone should keep on, but idk how much posting i'll have time to do

I can only listen to stuff on burnt CDs right now and have a limited supply of them until I can round up some spare cash. Only one of these I've heard is Smokey and I don't have much to say about it other than I didn't get much into it other than the title track, which really makes me want to cuddle.

I did this photoshop once when a certain ilxor was being a donkey:

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/641/electronicaop6.jpg

That is somehow a totally different picture on the cover from the one you posted upthread.

haha yes

so..

rev your turn on funk club on monday btw

heh, this was successful..