My New Jack Swing comp

I'm not sure if I ever posted this on this forum before, but midnightman mentioned NJS music in the Nile Rodgers thread, and I thought it might be a good thread for discussion. Now, I know most of you do not hold fond memories of the hip-hop music of the 80s and early 90s, maybe because of age, maybe because of you all being vintage soul music fans, I don't know. But, for those of us who enjoyed the genre, tell me what you think of my comp.

My comp starts with it's musical beginnings in 1986, and ends with it's demise in the early 90s. All tracks are my call, of course.

VOLUME A
========
01 - Nasty - Janet Jackson
02 - Girlfriend - Pebbles
03 - The Pleasure Principle - Janet Jackson
04 - Fake - Alexander O'Neal
05 - Just Got Paid - Johnny Kemp
06 - I Want Her - Keith Sweat
07 - The Lover In Me [45 version] - Sheena Easton
08 - My Prerogative - Bobby Brown
09 - Tender Lover [single version] - Babyface
10 - Dial My Heart - The Boys
11 - Every Little Step - Bobby Brown
12 - Mr DJ [[single version)-Fenderalla
13 - Buffalo Stance - Neneh Cherry
14 - Teddy's Jam - Guy
15 - Keep On Movin' - Soul II Soul
16 - Make You Sweat - Keith Sweat
17 - Miss You Much - Janet Jackson


VOLUME B
========
01 - Two to Make It Right - Seduction
02 - Rhythm Nation - Janet Jackson
03 - All Around the World - Lisa Stansfield
04 - It Takes Two - Rob Base & D.J. EZ Rock
05 - Alright - Janet Jackson
06 - Motownphilly - Boys II Men
07 - If I Had No Loot - Tony Toni Tone
08 - Poison - Bell Biv DeVoe
09 - Him or Me - Today
10 - Do Me - Bell Biv DeVoe
11 - Feels Good - Tony Toni Tone
12 - Giving You The Benifit [45 edit] - Pebbles
13 - Gonna Make You Sweat [[Everybody Dance Now) - C+C Music Factory
14 - Humpin' Around - Bobby Brown
15 - The Power [Radio Remix] - Snap!
16 - Let's Go, Let's Rock & Roll - C+C Music Factory
17 - I'm Too Sexy - Right Said Fred


VOLUME C
========


01 - Fight The Power - Public Enemy
02 - U Can't Touch This - M.C. Hammer
03 - My Ex-Girlfriend - Tony Toni Tone
04 - Hold On - En Vogue
05 - Wanna Get With U - Guy
06 - The Humpty Dance [LP Version, Explicit] - Digital Underground
07 - Rump Shaker [45 version] - Wreckx-N-Effect
08 - Rub You the Right Way - Johnny Gill
09 - I'm Dreamin' - Christopher Williams
10 - Remember The Time - Michael Jackson
11 - I Wanna Sex You Up - Color Me Badd
12 - Jump Jump - Kriss Kross
13 - All For You - Janet Jackson
14 - My Lovin' [[You're Never Gonna Get It) - En Vogue
15 - The Floor - Johnny Gill
16 - This Is How We Do It - Montell Jordan

Once again you've done a very fine job. That's about all there was as far as I can remember at the moment of the New Jack Swing era. The first of my 5 that came to mind you have listed here already. Great job!

Ok, I've had a few moments to think, hehehehehehe..... and This one by Chubb Rock should be there:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZf-XZBlFDg

Great list. There was some good music from that era. I'd also add Karyn White to the list.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by skooldem1

Great list. There was some good music from that era. I'd also add Karyn White to the list.

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I thought about that one, but I wound up with about three and a half CDs worth of songs. I didn't want to make four and pad it with what I felt was filler, so I ended up keeping it tight and making it three CDs, and the Karyn White song "The Way You Love Me" just didn't make the cut. However, I just now pulled it up and am now listening to it. Perhaps i'll jettison another song and make room for it.

I guess at the time I didn't consider the song's new jack swing merits enough. I thought back to when her album was hot on the charts in the summer of 1989, and I had a coworker who was big on the song "Superwoman". That's all I could think of and couldn't quite remember the other two singles "The Way You Love Me" and "Secret Rendezvous", and was, frankly, too lazy to actually listen to them to remind myself.

This is why I like to post my work. It's always good to get second opinions.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by marv2

Once again you've done a very fine job. That's about all there was as far as I can remember at the moment of the New Jack Swing era. The first of my 5 that came to mind you have listed here already. Great job!

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What were the songs you thought of?

Further thinking of the New Jack Swing era, I think the reason it was a fad is because the musical style didn't allow for any growth. It just couldn't go anywhere. Most songs had that same, generic sampled drum pattern, and Bomb Squad noise effects, and it made you visualize the same old dancing with the arms flapping and the legs all over the place, like Bobby Brown. Even a song as mellow as "All Around The World" by Lisa Stansfield conjured up visions of dancers going wild on stage. There was more jerkiness than on a Soul Train episode.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by soulster

What were the songs you thought of?

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Right away these came to my mind:

Rub You the Right Way - Johnny Gill
I'm Dreamin' - Christopher Williams
The Power - Snap!
Teddy's Jam - Guy
Motownphilly - Boys II Men

* a bonus track would be Bobby Brown's - "On Our Own" from Ghostbusters.

Interesting compilation Soulster ... personally if I did an NJS compilation I would have to include "Why You Wanna Get Funky With Me" by TODAY and at least one track by PORTRAIT ..... either "Honey Dip" or this one ....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgNyWBfKtA0
Also, I always thought of NJS as being a peculiarly American phenomenon [[it never really took off in Britain though I used to love it) so I would jettison the British records you've included [[SOUL II SOUL, LISA STANSFIELD and RIGHT SAID FRED) as I just don't think they have the right sound ... :)

Funnily "Keep On Movin'" by SOUL II SOUL got mentioned a year or so back when we had a thread about House music, and I don't think it fitted in there either. SOUL II SOUL seemed to create an entire genre of their own.

Roger

Quote:

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Originally Posted by soulster

I'm not sure if I ever posted this on this forum before, but midnightman mentioned NJS music in the Nile Rodgers thread, and I thought it might be a good thread for discussion. Now, I know most of you do not hold fond memories of the hip-hop music of the 80s and early 90s, maybe because of age, maybe because of you all being vintage soul music fans, I don't know. But, for those of us who enjoyed the genre, tell me what you think of my comp.

My comp starts with it's musical beginnings in 1986, and ends with it's demise in the early 90s. All tracks are my call, of course.

VOLUME A
========
01 - Nasty - Janet Jackson
02 - Girlfriend - Pebbles
03 - The Pleasure Principle - Janet Jackson
04 - Fake - Alexander O'Neal
05 - Just Got Paid - Johnny Kemp
06 - I Want Her - Keith Sweat
07 - The Lover In Me [45 version] - Sheena Easton
08 - My Prerogative - Bobby Brown
09 - Tender Lover [single version] - Babyface
10 - Dial My Heart - The Boys
11 - Every Little Step - Bobby Brown
12 - Mr DJ [[single version)-Fenderalla
13 - Buffalo Stance - Neneh Cherry
14 - Teddy's Jam - Guy
15 - Keep On Movin' - Soul II Soul
16 - Make You Sweat - Keith Sweat
17 - Miss You Much - Janet Jackson


VOLUME B
========
01 - Two to Make It Right - Seduction
02 - Rhythm Nation - Janet Jackson
03 - All Around the World - Lisa Stansfield
04 - It Takes Two - Rob Base & D.J. EZ Rock
05 - Alright - Janet Jackson
06 - Motownphilly - Boys II Men
07 - If I Had No Loot - Tony Toni Tone
08 - Poison - Bell Biv DeVoe
09 - Him or Me - Today
10 - Do Me - Bell Biv DeVoe
11 - Feels Good - Tony Toni Tone
12 - Giving You The Benifit [45 edit] - Pebbles
13 - Gonna Make You Sweat [[Everybody Dance Now) - C+C Music Factory
14 - Humpin' Around - Bobby Brown
15 - The Power [Radio Remix] - Snap!
16 - Let's Go, Let's Rock & Roll - C+C Music Factory
17 - I'm Too Sexy - Right Said Fred


VOLUME C
========


01 - Fight The Power - Public Enemy
02 - U Can't Touch This - M.C. Hammer
03 - My Ex-Girlfriend - Tony Toni Tone
04 - Hold On - En Vogue
05 - Wanna Get With U - Guy
06 - The Humpty Dance [LP Version, Explicit] - Digital Underground
07 - Rump Shaker [45 version] - Wreckx-N-Effect
08 - Rub You the Right Way - Johnny Gill
09 - I'm Dreamin' - Christopher Williams
10 - Remember The Time - Michael Jackson
11 - I Wanna Sex You Up - Color Me Badd
12 - Jump Jump - Kriss Kross
13 - All For You - Janet Jackson
14 - My Lovin' [[You're Never Gonna Get It) - En Vogue
15 - The Floor - Johnny Gill
16 - This Is How We Do It - Montell Jordan

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Though I am one who thinks that hip-hop in it's current state is 90 percent garbage I wouldn't
take if it was FREE, I liked practically every track on this list when they released and have more than a few of them. While it had a short time in the spotlight, the genre know as
New Jack Swing was a legit extension of R&B in real time recogniton of the arrival of hip hop
and the evolution of popular dance music. Though I am more drawn to steeped in jazz
singers like Renee Marie, Carla Cook, and Cassandra Wilson I'd be a liar if I said I didn't
have any Janet Jackson. Vocally I know she's no Ella but hey, sometimes I want sirloin
steak and sometimes I just want a nice hot dog... PE welcolmed New Jack but they were
not of the genre really, neither was DU. The wellspring for both, especially DU was FUNK
and I was all over them. In fact along with a few others like De La Soul, it's the only non
jazz or Blues music from the 80's -early 90's I still listen to today...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by splanky

PE welcolmed New Jack but they were
not of the genre really, neither was DU.

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That's correct, Splank, but when I made this comp, my focus was on the style of a particular song, not the artist. I grew up listening to singles and top 40 radio, so I am singles oriented.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by soulster

That's correct, Splank, but when I made this comp, my focus was on the style of a particular song, not the artist. I grew up listening to singles and top 40 radio, so I am singles oriented.

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Okay, I get that and that's your perogative but if I took that stance the
amount and variety of music I would have missed would wipe out more
than 60 percent of my collection. I listened to top 40 when I was a child
but after about 12 or 13 when my adult family and family friends dropped
jazz on my head I went as far as my ears would take me....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by splanky

Okay, I get that and that's your perogative but if I took that stance the
amount and variety of music I would have missed would wipe out more
than 60 percent of my collection. I listened to top 40 when I was a child
but after about 12 or 13 when my adult family and family friends dropped
jazz on my head I went as far as my ears would take me....

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Don't get me wrong: I listened to and bought albums as well. I grew up with them both. It isn't an "either/or" thing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by soulster

Don't get me wrong: I listened to and bought albums as well. I grew up with them both. It isn't an "either/or" thing.

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Yea, I got you. Sorry if I misunderstood you...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by splanky

Yea, I got you. Sorry if I misunderstood you...

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No, that's cool. A lot of people have the mindset that people only listened to one or the other. And, as far as music is concerned, I grew up with all kinds of music since I was born, from Miles Davis to Pete Seger, to The Beatles, and Wilson Pickett, and much more. Albums, singles, radio, it was all good. In the early 70s, when I was old enough to buy my own music, I bought 45s, and if I really liked the artist, I bought the albums too. In the late 70s, I came back around to jazz. I liked rock, but never got into all that new wave and punk stuff until the 90s. I mostly hated it back then.

Great lists Soulster. I like new jack swing--kind of? Ha. Here's a few of the songs I liked.

Samuelle-So You Like What You See
Aaron Hall-Don't Be Afraid [[the popular version)
The Gap Band-All My Love [[the version that was on the radio)