luther vandross - forever, for always, for love [poll]

Sounds to me like a less intense sequel to his classic 1981 album, down to the self-production. First appearance of Marcus Miller in the credits. I don't much like his medley-covers. But "She Loves Me Back" is one of his giddiest love songs -- he understands the euphoria we feel when suddenly what we've fantasized/jerked off to might have a real life component (I love when when the instruments drop out before the chorus). Also dig "Once You Know How."

A truly great LP opener. "Aw yeah!"

"she loves me back" really is fantastic ... it's interesting to hear how early in his career he was really trying to go for crossover hits. when you hear "she loves me back" and think about some of the songs that became hits in the mid 80s you can acutely feel luther's frustration w/ being ghettoized. i do think the song is a little imitative as opposed to having luther's true authorial stamp on it, but it does show how incredible of a producer he was and it has that giddiness that is present in more distinct songs like "til my baby comes home" that i associate w/ POV. a bursting exuberance for love and romance that to me belies his presentation of straight maleness? like there is simping (straight male trait) and then there are some luther songs where his desire to burst free from the closet to experience this platonic ideal love is rendered in terms that are almost cartoonish. and i don't mean cartoonish pejoratively in this case, but he's like a character whose eyes turn into hearts and explode out of his skull

i think the second side of this album is among his best work. i love how drawn out some of the songs are, you really get him luxuriating in his production, "better love" feels like it could just go on forever to me. i think that's going to be my vote despite how much i love "she wants me back" ... "once you know how" is an amazing closer tho, it's a great thesis statement for the emotions articulated across his discography -- this idea that not only will love one day rightfully find you, but once you experience it you can hold onto it forever. you become a haver of love, it can't be given to you but it also can't be taken away

Sounds to me like a less intense sequel to his classic 1981 album

is his debut album really a classic, or is it just an album w/ two of the greatest R&B songs of all time? i think that's kind of a semantic/academic philosophical argument about how one ranks albums ... i don't put the 81 album on pretty much ever and to me a song like "i've been working" feels like him scratching the surface of songs he would do in much richer and fuller fashion on subsequent albums

this idea that not only will love one day rightfully find you, but once you experience it you can hold onto it forever. you become a haver of love, it can't be given to you but it also can't be taken away

i'm really into this. what a great song. these luther vandross threads are crucial. i'm partial to the less digital sound of this album so far. it's a little more comfortable for me at the onset.

tangential to this thread but i heard "never too much" appear out of nowhere as i stumbled onto franklin square in philadelphia, with the fountains spraying upward in the middle of the square and kids running all over the place - felt like a collision of the best of all possible worlds.

You could poll Luther's closers and come up with a bunch of classics.

is his debut album really a classic, or is it just an album w/ two of the greatest R&B songs of all time?

I think it is? D-40 and I argued about it once. The thing with Luther is, he's superficially superficial. What comes across is slight is his idea of irony: these lacquered surfaces that on first listen register just as surfaces. "I've Been Working" is my album track pick too, but thanks to his vocal choices "Sugar and Spice" turns this dull cliche inside out: a hysterical performance. It's like when I hear Aretha sing "Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone" -- when she's at the mike the cliche turns into a novel expression.

impossible. right now I’m between “once you know how”, “she loves me back”, and “since I lost my baby”

think it’s “once you know how”

better love is fan-tas-tic. you're the sweetest one could get some love, too. bl tho

Hadn’t heard this one before. “She Loves Me Back” is great, but the rest of it kinda drifts by me. Overall, I had a stronger response to The Night I Fell in Love when we polled it a while back.

is his debut album really a classic, or is it just an album w/ two of the greatest R&B songs of all time? i think that's kind of a semantic/academic philosophical argument about how one ranks albums ... i don't put the 81 album on pretty much ever and to me a song like "i've been working" feels like him scratching the surface of songs he would do in much richer and fuller fashion on subsequent albums

― slob wizard (J0rdan S.),

Oh it absolutely is a classic. I've Been Working is one of those songs that pops into my head my head all the time. Along with She's A Super Lady, Never Too Much and Sugar & Spice it's just pure joy to me. It's one of those perfect 80s R&B albums that's all killer like Word Up, Get Loose, Hearsay, The Glow Of Love, Control and Fragile.

I've been happy to see at work we've started selling a lot of the copies of the reissue of Never Too Much and we've had kids asking if we had any Luther Vandross in stock. It's getting harder to find his stuff used here.

is thinking 'never too much' is a classic a had to be there thing? it's not that i don't like the album but i just can't hear the album tracks w/o feeling like i'm looking at blueprints for the house that i currently live in and love

we've had kids asking if we had any Luther Vandross in stock. It's getting harder to find his stuff used here.

this is lovely. i have had pretty good luck w/ finding original luther vinyl, but i don't think there is a huge marketplace for his albums as i don't think most ppl really understand that he was putting out good to great albums in this mid 80s period

i just can't hear the album tracks w/o feeling like i'm looking at blueprints for the house that i currently live in and love

A house not a home.

this is lovely. i have had pretty good luck w/ finding original luther vinyl, but i don't think there is a huge marketplace for his albums as i don't think most ppl really understand that he was putting out good to great albums in this mid 80s period

― slob wizard (J0rdan S.)

I used to see his stuff around a lot. When I was picking them up here, maybe 15 years ago I had my pick of $3 copies. When I see them now they're closer to $15 and it's just rare I seem them at all. Weirdly the same thing is happening with The Gap Band at the moment. People keep asking about them and they just don't come in used. Those are two of the more surprising cases of records from that era being more coveted unlike when Sade albums and Rapture started getting more popular. That made much more sense to me.

I'm all for him getting a new audience. As well as this run of great albums, his vocals are on some of my favourite songs/music ever. The Glow Of Love, Searching, Hot Butterfly, See You In L.A, Got To Have Your Body etc. He has one of my favourite voices in music.

What's behind the sudden interest in Vandross and the Gap Band? Did I miss a social media viral moment?

Right!? I always assume it's TikTok no matter what these days. It certainly explained why a bunch of young people asked about Strawberry Switchblade in the last couple of months. One guy was absolutely made up when I told him we had a 45 of Since Yesterday!

I am here for a Gap Band revival.

So are we all.

love the gap band. "early in the morning" is so great. nails a plaintive feeling of being ready to move on so well.

My intro. He excelled at these electro-R&B covers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1u7SXqi9qI

This is the one I always go back to. The tempo change into the chorus gets me every time. I'm shocked it wasn't a single.

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

I am here for a Members Only revival.

https://i.imgur.com/wxhyJJU.jpeg

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