Minnie Riperton - Classic or Dud?

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The famous riff from "Loving You" sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it. (This was brought on by a remix of "A Huge Evergrowing Pulsating Brain..." that samples most of the vocals from "Loving You".)

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 4 December 2002 22:27 (twenty-two years ago)

its a fine record yes, les fleur is also very good

― gareth (gareth), Wednesday, 4 December 2002 22:42 (twenty-two years ago)

FUCKING CLASSIC

― Andy K (Andy K), Wednesday, 4 December 2002 22:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Utterly classic. I sing that song to my girlfriend all the damn time, and it annoys her very much--I think deep down she really likes it, though. She always just smiles and tells me to please shut the fuck up.

― Ian Johnson, Wednesday, 4 December 2002 23:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Her daughter's the only good thing aboot Saturday Night Live these days. As for her music, I can't remember what it sounds like at all, so I'm gonna have to stay away from the "classic" side for now.

― Vic Funk, Thursday, 5 December 2002 00:38 (twenty-two years ago)

she sang for the Rotary Connection, an amazing psychedelic soul group on Cadet Concept

all of you would (should) recognize the sitar sample from Tribe Called Quest's "bonita applebaum" and tons more

― JasonD (JasonD), Thursday, 5 December 2002 01:11 (twenty-two years ago)

oh yeah, so classic

― JasonD (JasonD), Thursday, 5 December 2002 01:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I used to listen to the ice cream cone album a lot - Perfect Angel, I think it's called - the one that has "Loving You" on it. I like that song "Reasons". The Rotary Connection albums are really weird and all over the place, but Ripperton's stuff is like hippie soul - it's the only stuff I like on it. I'm wondering what that first album is like - is it hippie soul folk, too?

― Kerry (dymaxia), Thursday, 5 December 2002 01:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Certainly classic, though I have very little by her. I keep meaning to get a good collection.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Thursday, 5 December 2002 21:09 (twenty-two years ago)

i was in a coffee shop this summer, and "loving you" came on. even though that one's been out since i was a wee one and is a staple of soft-rock stations, i hadn't really heard it in a while and i was struck by just how contemporary it sounds. it wouldn't be the least bit out of place on an r&b station.

don't know anything else by ms. riperton, sorry.

― Tad (llamasfur), Thursday, 5 December 2002 21:27 (twenty-two years ago)

I like Rotary Connection. Wasn't she called Angela Davis or something before she was famous?

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Thursday, 5 December 2002 21:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I think it's unfair that Rotary Connection are looked upon as a hippie band.

(Admittedly, the fact that they did all those Cream covers didn't help matters.)

(White dudes with long hair = probably another strike.)

Those massive Charles Stepney string arrangements make my knees quiver every time.

Was Phil Upchurch a hippie?

Hmph.

Maybe I am just a closet hippie.

― Andy K (Andy K), Thursday, 5 December 2002 22:23 (twenty-two years ago)

"closet"?

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 5 December 2002 22:24 (twenty-two years ago)

i think angela davis was called angela davis before, during and after when she got famous (?) ;-)

according to allmusic, andrea davis, yeah.

i really like "baby this love i have" and "inside my love"

― ron (ron), Friday, 6 December 2002 02:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Dan what are you trying to say?

― Andy K (Andy K), Friday, 6 December 2002 02:50 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

OK, so I need a new venue to which to indulge in my recent Rotary Connection festishes, because my friends here are starting to hate me... I've been feverishly listening to anything and everything by them recently... vinyl or CD.

Except for the very first album Rotary Connection, which I only have on vinyl, I got all of them on CD (usually in some disjunct two-fer form), I think.. Aladdin, Peace, Songs, Dinner Music, and Hey Love. Are there any I'm missing? (I'm missing all else on vinyl except Alladin and Peace)

― iDonut B4 x86 (donut), Sunday, 23 October 2005 19:48 (nineteen years ago)

Do you have the first Riperton solo album? It's a must.

― Andy_K (Andy_K), Sunday, 23 October 2005 20:18 (nineteen years ago)

Tina Fey's announcement on SNL last night that Maya Rudolph had her baby = only time I smiled during the episode

― Andy_K (Andy_K), Sunday, 23 October 2005 20:20 (nineteen years ago)

Come To My Garden? yes! both on CD and vinyl. :) I love "Les Fleur".

I also have those two-fer releases with Perfect Angel/Adventures In Paradise and Stay In Love/Minnie. Perfect Angel and Adventures are both great, but I'm not too hot on the later two. Although it's horribly sad that there couldn't have been more, regardless.

― iDonut B4 x86 (donut), Sunday, 23 October 2005 20:33 (nineteen years ago)

Also, another Riperton nick from ATCQ: "Baby, This Love I Have" ===> "Check The Rhyme"

― iDonut B4 x86 (donut), Sunday, 23 October 2005 20:34 (nineteen years ago)

Each gift tape with Forever Changes on the A-side should contain Come to My Garden on the B-side.

― Andy_K (Andy_K), Sunday, 23 October 2005 20:36 (nineteen years ago)

Has Charles Stepney done much else aside from producing and writing for The Rotary Connnection and that first Riperton album? I think he's the magician behind why I love all this stuff.

― iDonut B4 x86 (donut), Sunday, 23 October 2005 20:45 (nineteen years ago)

"I am the Black Gold of the Sun" kills.

― Masked Gazza, Sunday, 23 October 2005 20:54 (nineteen years ago)

yeah it does. I like all of the Rotary Connection I've heard, I haven't heard anyone else from back then using those particular influences in so focused and satisfying a manner. Diplo has "Les Fleur" backing a hippie sex soliloquy on one of his DJ Shadowish comps, which actually worked well, that's one of the most luxurious songs ever I'm surprised it hasn't been sampled more

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Sunday, 23 October 2005 21:21 (nineteen years ago)

Not familiar with anything else than "Loving You", which is a classic no doubt.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 23 October 2005 21:53 (nineteen years ago)

Geir, you'd LOVE quite a bit of the Rotary Connection material... a couple of the albums are mostly covers, and those are good, but I think you'd really like Hey Love, which is all originals, and was their final album. So so beautiful.

― iDonut B4 x86 (donut), Sunday, 23 October 2005 22:03 (nineteen years ago)

Come To My Garden is beautiful too, of course.

― iDonut B4 x86 (donut), Sunday, 23 October 2005 22:04 (nineteen years ago)

Notable non-RC/MR Stepney off the top of my head: all Cadet-era Terry Callier, Phil Upchurch's Upchurch (wind-tunnel-in-the-middle of-a-dustbowl sound in full effect, especially on the version of "Black Gold"), the Marlena Shaw album with "California Soul," the Dells' Freedom Means, Ramsey Lewis' Cadet albums (Maiden Voyage contains a bonkers "Les Fleur"), some of the Soulful Strings stuff, the Emotions' Flowers, Deniece Williams' This Is Niecy, EW&F's Open Our Eyes and Spirit.

― Andy_K (Andy_K), Sunday, 23 October 2005 22:42 (nineteen years ago)

Stepney article from a 1970 issue of Downbeat.

― Andy_K (Andy_K), Sunday, 23 October 2005 22:47 (nineteen years ago)

brian, Cadet & Cadet Concept s/d

― jaxon (jaxon), Monday, 24 October 2005 00:10 (nineteen years ago)

Just found out that the Shaw album, The Spice of Life, was just reissued by Verve.

I should find your Lucien thread, jaxon. His first three albums are gold but I've never heard anything that came after that.

― Andy_K (Andy_K), Monday, 24 October 2005 11:56 (nineteen years ago)

the Marlena Shaw album with "California Soul,"

I didn't know this, but it explains a lot!

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 24 October 2005 12:01 (nineteen years ago)

Search: "Every time he comes around." Especially if you think that Minnie is just about timid r 'n' b ballads, because the track is a slice of stonkin' groovy loin-lighting grind funk.

― brittle-lemon (brittle-lemon), Monday, 24 October 2005 12:05 (nineteen years ago)

andy, John Lucien - any opinions?

― jaxon (jaxon), Monday, 24 October 2005 16:37 (nineteen years ago)

two months pass...

i have been playing Come To My Garden non-stop recently... such a solid album, so many great songs. 'whenever wherever' is the absolute peak, though - so baroque, and with those crazy skipping staccatto harmonies. the album feels like it was carved out of candy floss.

― i am not a nugget (stevie), Sunday, 8 January 2006 23:21 (nineteen years ago)

Like people like Lyn Collins, Ann Peebles, she is genius if you know what to listen to. But that doesn't mean that 80% of what she put out wasn't horrible.

― paulhw (paulhw), Sunday, 8 January 2006 23:31 (nineteen years ago)

i don't know... i haven't heard much Rotary Connection (have Songs, which i'm not sure about, and 'i am the black gold of the sun', which i love, but Come To My Garden and perfect angel are both really strong albums, and adventures in paradise has lots of good stuff on it. but i also love the 2 ann peebles double CDs on Hi, and Lyn Collins' check me out if you don't know me by now album is pretty choice too.

― i am not a nugget (stevie), Sunday, 8 January 2006 23:43 (nineteen years ago)

if anyone had an mp3 of "hangin' round the bee tree" from "Hey, Love" i'd love to hear it. my vinyl of the album skips during that one gorgeous track.

― jed_ (jed), Sunday, 8 January 2006 23:48 (nineteen years ago)

rotary connection - hangin' round the bee tree

― jaxon (jaxon), Sunday, 8 January 2006 23:57 (nineteen years ago)

woah, thanks!

― jed_ (jed), Sunday, 8 January 2006 23:58 (nineteen years ago)

I love "Everytime He Comes Around". She sounds soooooo sexy! "Inside My Love" too.

"Lovin' You" is probably the greatest impromptu-karaoke-to-embarass-my-friends-(okay, mostly myself)-in-public song ever.

― R. J. Greene, Monday, 9 January 2006 00:07 (nineteen years ago)

Alex in NYC weighs in here.

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Monday, 9 January 2006 00:41 (nineteen years ago)

Except for the first self-titled, you can find all the Rotary Connection albums on CD quite easily. Two releases pair albums as two-fers, and not chronologically. The toughie is the first self-titled one, The Rotary Connection, which was released as itself; it's not quite out in the realm of impossible-to-find.. yet.

I highly recommend getting these CDs, at least, even if you have to byass the first one, which is not anymore crucial than any of the others really.. except Songs which is relatively eh.

― Dom iNut (donut), Monday, 9 January 2006 03:08 (nineteen years ago)

yr crazy. the Songs/Hey Love two-fer is amazing. the self titled one is also fantastic and for a tribe called quest fans, you'll hear the sitar sample on bonita applebaum (the reason i first started getting into RC). i see that one on vinyl probably once or twice a year. if you're gonna pass on any of them, it's obviously gotta be the christmas one.

― jaxon (jaxon), Monday, 9 January 2006 03:20 (nineteen years ago)

I agree that the two-fer CD is amazing, but 90% of the amazingness is in Hey, Love. And i think Peace is excellent! It's a seasonal record obviously, but "Christmas Love" is one of their best songs.

― Dom iNut (donut), Monday, 9 January 2006 09:16 (nineteen years ago)

Each of the vinyl albums are equally easy to come by, which is, not that easy but not impossible.

The Rotary Connection CD, however, is really hard to find.. whereas the CDs of the rest are the easiest to find.

― Dom iNut (donut), Monday, 9 January 2006 09:18 (nineteen years ago)

so, songs is mediocre Rotary Connection? PHEW.

― i am not a nugget (stevie), Monday, 9 January 2006 09:48 (nineteen years ago)

two years pass...

"young willing and able" on stay in love people. hot shit.

― andrew m., Wednesday, 23 April 2008 16:19 (seventeen years ago)

Whoa, I had no idea that Maya Rudolph is her daughter.

― RabiesAngentleman, Wednesday, 23 April 2008 16:31 (seventeen years ago)

Also, reassessing Songs, that album is just as fuckin awesome as the other Rotary albums. If anything, Dinner Music stepped down a notch, although I appreciate how messy it is.

― Mackro Mackro, Wednesday, 23 April 2008 16:38 (seventeen years ago)

Skipping 72 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

yeah im talking by reputation tbh.

― free the charmless but occasionally brilliant Dom Passantino (history mayne), Wednesday, 13 January 2010 09:47 (fifteen years ago)

apparently 'jaws' and whatnot are pretty raunchy?

― free the charmless but occasionally brilliant Dom Passantino (history mayne), Wednesday, 13 January 2010 09:47 (fifteen years ago)

70s popular fiction almost always slots a sex scene in somewhere, no matter the genre. Don't remember Jaws being especially raunchy, but I remember it having that rep at school.

― Individualism, alcoholism, collectivism, activism (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 13 January 2010 09:49 (fifteen years ago)

one year passes...

on a Minnie/Rotary kick

― The Reverend, Monday, 17 January 2011 04:28 (fourteen years ago)

lol at the convo in the previous revive btw

― The Reverend, Monday, 17 January 2011 04:28 (fourteen years ago)

Just played Perfect Angel again yesterday, in wake of her disciple Teena Marie's death. Was really surprised how much I liked it, how rock and psych and jazz it was. (Hadn't spun it in a long time.) Opening cut, "Reasons" -- holy moley, what a great track.

― xhuxk, Monday, 17 January 2011 04:32 (fourteen years ago)

Well, she does sing about coming inside and riding her "love", not her pussy, so it is a double entendre.

― Tuomas, Monday, January 11, 2010

― Gus Van Sotosyn (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 17 January 2011 04:41 (fourteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzWXYUGbi9c&feature=related

― The Reverend, Monday, 17 January 2011 05:08 (fourteen years ago)

Weird, I was just talking about how amazing "Come to my Garden" is.

― silence is a rhythm too (Turangalila), Monday, 17 January 2011 05:18 (fourteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YcrXS3s6yA&feature=related

― The Reverend, Monday, 17 January 2011 05:25 (fourteen years ago)

This was probably one of the last interviews she did, right? She still looks healthy, but died from cancer shortly afterwards.

Anyway, she was a fantastic singer, and that album with "Loving You" on it is surely a great album as well. Also helped by Stevie Wonder at the height of his creatic golden age of course.

― You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Monday, 17 January 2011 11:31 (fourteen years ago)

I was just listening to "Inside My Love", I'd forgotten how shamelessly double-entendre Minnie could get:
You can see inside me, will you come inside me?
Do you wanna ride, inside my love?
Such a pretty ballad, and the chorus is all about her pussy! God, Minnie was so great!
― Tuomas, Monday, 11 January 2010 13:51 (1 year ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Due to being unable to post anon, I can't tell you what my wife said when I played this track to her (she's always loved that "2 people" version of this)

― Mark G, Tuesday, 18 January 2011 00:58 (fourteen years ago)

Minnie is the best! And "Reasons" is sizzling sharp stuff!

― Stop Non-Erotic Cabaret (Abbbottt), Tuesday, 18 January 2011 01:14 (fourteen years ago)

loving you is uber-classic. not familiar with anything else.

― Daniel, Esq., Tuesday, 18 January 2011 01:16 (fourteen years ago)

She is so beautiful, too. Taken form the world far too early. I remember seeing Maya Rudolph on TV talking about her mom, and singing Maya's name at the end of "Lovin' You," and I just burst into tears.

― Stop Non-Erotic Cabaret (Abbbottt), Tuesday, 18 January 2011 01:16 (fourteen years ago)

oh what's the name of that "ensemble" thing they use on ads, that I found out was Minnie Ripperton?

― Mark G, Tuesday, 18 January 2011 01:19 (fourteen years ago)

Geir, when she did that interview, one of her arms was paralyzed by a tumor. I do have to say though, that it's a testament to her strong will that she could look so happy even in such a state.

― The Reverend, Tuesday, 18 January 2011 01:24 (fourteen years ago)

i didn't know about her condition (i think i knew of her passing). very sad. she does look happy -- and still beautiful -- in that interview clip.

― Daniel, Esq., Tuesday, 18 January 2011 01:27 (fourteen years ago)

taken far too soon. she made some great, great records.

― chev rivera (stevie), Tuesday, 18 January 2011 13:00 (fourteen years ago)

one year passes...

;_;

― The Reverend, Wednesday, 30 May 2012 03:36 (thirteen years ago)

just watched her Unsung episode and did ^^^ through the whole second half

― The Reverend, Wednesday, 30 May 2012 03:36 (thirteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK0wbdbNLcM

― Jean-Luc Poncey (lpz), Wednesday, 30 May 2012 04:07 (thirteen years ago)

two months pass...

http://img.ffffound.com/static-data/assets/6/a66148de932c1cd0e6ac8f8653fc2c78e5cf996e_m.gif

All hail Minnie. All hail Maya (Maya Maya Maya Maya).

― Andy K, Sunday, 26 August 2012 02:32 (twelve years ago)

Can one "p" be removed from this thread title, btw?

― Andy K, Sunday, 26 August 2012 02:34 (twelve years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LjdR00Q0Yo

― Andy K, Sunday, 26 August 2012 02:36 (twelve years ago)

title fixed

― Bobby-fil-A (WmC), Sunday, 26 August 2012 02:37 (twelve years ago)

One baby's breath bouquet for you, Bobby-fil-A.

― Andy K, Sunday, 26 August 2012 02:40 (twelve years ago)

awshucks

― Bobby-fil-A (WmC), Sunday, 26 August 2012 02:41 (twelve years ago)

And a lion, too.

http://www.rapturejohnson.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Capture111.jpg

― Andy K, Sunday, 26 August 2012 02:42 (twelve years ago)

That Maya gif is too sweet!

― Lenny (Crabbits), Sunday, 26 August 2012 16:32 (twelve years ago)

not sure how I feel about this :/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAvngHg41QY

― The Reverend, Sunday, 26 August 2012 22:20 (twelve years ago)

one year passes...

Revive. Intriguing coverage on Morning Edition today. Didn't realize she died so young, after all those albums. Why have I never checked out Rotary Connection, or her solo albums?
http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/07/11/330781619/35-years-after-minnie-ripertons-death-new-fans-still-find-her

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DR_NMtBEj4

― dow, Saturday, 12 July 2014 22:06 (ten years ago)

you need to remedy that, stat, as she is CLASSIC to the point of ridiculousness.

― a biscuit/donut hybrid called “bisnuts” (stevie), Saturday, 12 July 2014 22:43 (ten years ago)

Agreed. Her first three solo albums are perfect.

― Kitchen Person, Sunday, 13 July 2014 19:10 (ten years ago)

I've been listening to that Rotary track a lot lately!

― The Reverend, Sunday, 13 July 2014 21:28 (ten years ago)

I need to listen to her more

― curmudgeon, Monday, 14 July 2014 16:15 (ten years ago)

We all should.

― Andy K, Tuesday, 15 July 2014 11:59 (ten years ago)

http://s.pixogs.com/image/R-1545026-1237443861.jpeg

^^ This one's an all-time fave album.

― In the airplane over the .CSS (Le Bateau Ivre), Tuesday, 15 July 2014 12:42 (ten years ago)

god I love that record to bits

― a biscuit/donut hybrid called “bisnuts” (stevie), Tuesday, 15 July 2014 13:16 (ten years ago)

whenever/wherever is my jam from come to my garden

― a biscuit/donut hybrid called “bisnuts” (stevie), Tuesday, 15 July 2014 13:16 (ten years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eyd3r4Cm2A

― a biscuit/donut hybrid called “bisnuts” (stevie), Tuesday, 15 July 2014 13:17 (ten years ago)

one year passes...

Just discovered Come to My Garden after learning Maurice White (RIP) played drums on it. Sick drumming too, sounds like Earl Palmer.

― on entre O.K. on sort K.O. (man alive), Tuesday, 16 February 2016 04:23 (nine years ago)

Yeah, that album has the whole Ramsey Lewis Trio as the rhythm section. Charles Stepney, Minnie's former Rotary Connection bandmate and producer of the album had already worked with Lewis on several of his albums, so I guess it was his idea to ask his trio to play on this one. (And a good choice it was!) And later on Stepney produced albums for EWF as well.

― Tuomas, Tuesday, 16 February 2016 09:24 (nine years ago)

I love that whole album. That and Perfect Angel are just sublime to me (and Adventures In Paradise is pretty great as well).

― SCROTUS (stevie), Wednesday, 17 February 2016 10:18 (nine years ago)

I feel a bit envious of an era where records like Come to My Garden could get made, both as a listener and as a musician.

― on entre O.K. on sort K.O. (man alive), Wednesday, 17 February 2016 16:51 (nine years ago)

two years pass...

I've been stuck on 'Les Fleur' for the last hour - fucking hell, what a tune.

― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Friday, 27 April 2018 20:36 (seven years ago)

You could almost have it be on repeat for eternity. Absolutely immense.

― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Friday, 27 April 2018 20:49 (seven years ago)

http://infinitejukebox.playlistmachinery.com/?trid=TRQCCRH13D14010D6C

― Mince Pramthwart (James Morrison), Wednesday, 2 May 2018 02:42 (seven years ago)

I love this album so much. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vLHwyxa-FA

― eddhurt, Wednesday, 2 May 2018 04:29 (seven years ago)

"les fleur" feels of kin to hazlewood/sinatra's "some velvet morning." confined classic.

― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Wednesday, 2 May 2018 05:07 (seven years ago)

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