Classic Soul JAMS!

[marv2]

I know you remember this one. Imagination had a song that stays in my head all day after I hear it. It's funny that I didn't notice how many British acts were all over soul/R&B radio when they were charting. In hindsight, they respected and performed it as well as American artists did.

They were good. Leee Johns helped produced the remixes on Mary Wilson's "Time to Move On" in 2015.

[marv2]

Here's another one. The Pasadenas were a one-hit wonder but this song is so cool.

Excellent group. Their best recording was a remake of New York City's "I'm Doing Fine Now". For some sad reason the official video of it has now been blocked for viewing in the U.S. This group should have been bigger.

[marv2]

I know you remember this one. It's one of those songs that I listen to when it plays but never really thought about when it was on the radio. Kind of like Blu Cantrell's "Hit 'Em Up Style".

Loved Neneh Cherry . She reminded me very much of an ex-girlfriend of mine. Her rendition of "I've Got You Under My Skin" was excellent.

[marv2]

And I used to love their work with Cherrelle. "Saturday Love" was the jam.

I met Cherrelle at a club that was on 8 Mile Road in Detroit back in early 1987. She is a small girl and down to Earth.

[marv2]

I was able to find this on a Russian website: The Pasadenas "I'm Doin' Fine Now"

https://rutube.ru/video/42f820cdd664...d924033c9ccf3/

[marv2]

Neneh Cherry - I've Got You Under My Skin

[marv2]

Another British R&B singer that got a lot of play in the mid 80s........Joyce Sims!

[marv2]

Still another one.......Princess - Say I'm Your Number One - 1985

[marv2]

Then there was this one.............

[TomatoTom123]

I agree. Of course, R&B transitioned from soul into something else in the late '80s. You had one man outfits and they took it in different directions than traditional R&B. Prince's music incorporated rock; Teddy Riley's incorporated hip hop. Of course, Rick James was more funky, but he kept it closer to soul. But with that said, R&B probably could have withstood the loss of horns [[which was sad enough). It may have been able to withstand the loss of electric bass [[my favorite instrument). But once it lost both, it wasn't nearly as soulful as it was before. I barely recognize "urban" music that I hear on the radio to be R&B's descendant. But I'm old, so what do I know?

Oh Jerry, that's it, the loss of horns!!! I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and have come to appreciate the horn section much more. I love it when it's there, and sorely miss it when it's not. I think, to me, the horn section plays a significant part in making soul music soul music if you know what I mean. Hell I even love Chicago, Phil Collins and Lou Bega for their horn sections. Lol

I mean, take The Fatback Band, even, horns galore in 1975... by 1985, not a horn in earshot. Oh why? And as for today's R&B, I think I judge it most the time on whether it's real-sounding, and whether it has horns!!

Well I guess I have come across as slightly obsessed with horns here... heehee

[TomatoTom123]

And another one, Roachford. This song still pumps me up. Some songs just have a lot of energy that makes me want to dance and this is one of them.

I have to say I do like this one Jerry. Great funk-rock-soul sound. I actually saw Andrew Roachford at a concert recently, and he was excellent. He rocked out "Cuddly Toy" and did the “if I told you once, I told you three times” bit up to twenty-seven or something similarly ridiculous. It was great.

[Jerry Oz]

I have to say I do like this one Jerry. Great funk-rock-soul sound. I actually saw Andrew Roachford at a concert recently, and he was excellent. He rocked out "Cuddly Toy" and did the “if I told you once, I told you three times” bit up to twenty-seven or something similarly ridiculous. It was great.

I would love to see him in concert. Did he maintain that level of excitement that the record conveys?

[Jerry Oz]

Oh Jerry, that's it, the loss of horns!!! I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and have come to appreciate the horn section much more. I love it when it's there, and sorely miss it when it's not. I think, to me, the horn section plays a significant part in making soul music soul music if you know what I mean. Hell I even love Chicago, Phil Collins and Lou Bega for their horn sections. Lol

I mean, take The Fatback Band, even, horns galore in 1975... by 1985, not a horn in earshot. Oh why? And as for today's R&B, I think I judge it most the time on whether it's real-sounding, and whether it has horns!!

Well I guess I have come across as slightly obsessed with horns here... heehee

We are clearly kindred souls. One of the greatest disappointments of the '80s was when Cameo was forced by the record label to go from an 11-man band to a three-man outfit. Larry Blackmon and Co. still kept it 100 but the best horn section in R&B was disbanded. Some might like the Phoenix Horns or Seawind better, but Cameo had a horn section that was tighter than any other. Con Funk Shun had a great horn section as well.

[TomatoTom123]

I would love to see him in concert. Did he maintain that level of excitement that the record conveys?

Yeah Jerry I would say he did. The backing band were great. The song rocked, especially the “feel for me, baby” bit! Interestingly, there was a horn section, which I'm pretty sure there isn’t on the studio recording

[TomatoTom123]

We are clearly kindred souls. One of the greatest disappointments of the '80s was when Cameo was forced by the record label to go from an 11-man band to a three-man outfit. Larry Blackmon and Co. still kept it 100 but the best horn section in R&B was disbanded. Some might like the Phoenix Horns or Seawind better, but Cameo had a horn section that was tighter than any other. Con Funk Shun had a great horn section as well.

I bet that was disappointing. I would ask "why do it?" but to keep up with the times I guess. And I shall have to check out the horn sections on those acts you mentioned. [[Don't know much/anything about them really... yet )

[sansradio]

The advent of the synth sounded the death knell of the horn section, IMHO.

[Jerry Oz]

The advent of the synth sounded the death knell of the horn section, IMHO.

I agree. I also think that the introduction of synths, drum machines and samplers morphed R&B into something that was initially interesting to me but ultimately became boring. At one point, artists began making music that was designed to cross over charts. That's when somebody stole [[a lot of) the soul.

[Jerry Oz]

I bet that was disappointing. I would ask "why do it?" but to keep up with the times I guess. And I shall have to check out the horn sections on those acts you mentioned. [[Don't know much/anything about them really... yet )

One of our members, soulster, knows much more about it than I do and he said that the label didn't want to foot the bill for a large ensemble. It changed the sound of the band but to be honest, the new sound was still funkier and more soulful than most of the other music at the time. One of my favorite songs, "Skin I'm In", had horns but they weren't as prominent as those in the earlier records.

Here is a Cameo song that has their horns on full display. I used to wonder if they manipulated the sound in production to make them this tight but when I saw them in concert, it sounded close to the record.
[VIDEO]One of our members, soulster, knows much more about it than I do but he said that the label didn't want to foot the bill for a large ensemble. It changed the sound of the band but to be honest, the new sound was still funkier and more soulful than most of the other music at the time. One of my favorite songs, "Skin I'm In", had horns but they weren't as prominent as those in the earlier records.

[sansradio]

I agree. I also think that the introduction of synths, drum machines and samplers morphed R&B into something that was initially interesting to me but ultimately became boring. At one point, artists began making music that was designed to cross over charts. That's when somebody stole [[a lot of) the soul.

You ain’t never lied. Case in point: P-Funk. Funkadelic = horns, Parliament = synths. That prototype was genius...then Funkadelic kind of faded away. [[Maybe not the best example, as Parliament was still funky as all hell, but still a case study in the changes brewing.)

[marv2]

A friend of mine reminded me of this lost gem the other day. Angela Bofill - "Something About You" from 1981

[marv2]

More from 1981. Detroit Neo-Soul classic by Was Not Was and "Out Comes the Freaks"!

[Jerry Oz]

Marv, I can't think of Angela Bofill without "I Try" playing in my head on an endless loop. Love this record.

[TomatoTom123]

One of our members, soulster, knows much more about it than I do and he said that the label didn't want to foot the bill for a large ensemble. It changed the sound of the band but to be honest, the new sound was still funkier and more soulful than most of the other music at the time. One of my favorite songs, "Skin I'm In", had horns but they weren't as prominent as those in the earlier records.

Here is a Cameo song that has their horns on full display. I used to wonder if they manipulated the sound in production to make them this tight but when I saw them in concert, it sounded close to the record.

Nicely funky song. And very tight horns.

Also Jerry I get what you mean about the manipulated horn sounds... I get that on some songs where the horns feel kinda synthesised...

[marv2]

Here's some Soul from up North in Quebec, Canada......Gino Vannelli and "I Just Want to Stop"

[marv2]

Now some Bossa Nova Soul from wayyyyy down South! Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 - "Mas que nada"

[marv2]

Evelyn Champagne King - Shame - [[1978)

[Jerry Oz]

Evelyn Champagne King - Shame - [[1978)

This song blew everybody away! I think she was 16 when it broke.

[Jerry Oz]

This song is simply a classic. Rick James broke with "Mary Jane" and "You and I" and they're still my favorite of all his records. If I had to do a soundtrack for the essential songs in my life, both of them would be on it.

[Jerry Oz]

And this one. The scene in "Car Wash" where Fly is trying to get the girl at Otis Sistrunk's restaurant to go out with him has it in the background and it is the only scene in the movie that I really like.

[Jerry Oz]

Not too many people heard this one, but the Dazz Band covered Smokey's "Bad Girl" and it was a very well done and respectful rendition.

[Jerry Oz]

Speaking of excellent Smokey covers, A Taste Of Honey did a great job with "I'll Try Something New". Love this record.

[Jerry Oz]

And they also covered "Sukiyaki" wonderfully. The minimal instrumentation on this song lets her voice carry it very well.

[marv2]

This song blew everybody away! I think she was 16 when it broke.

My girlfriend and I met her at Peaches Records in Toledo the summer "Shame" hit. We had just graduated High School, so did Evelyn.

[marv2]

And they also covered "Sukiyaki" wonderfully. The minimal instrumentation on this song lets her voice carry it very well.

Strange story behind this one. It came out my Junior year in college. My cousin Debbie and her husband had just moved to Colorado Springs and I was in Denver. They came up one weekend and we happen to hear this on the radio. I had not remembered ,but Debbie did that it was a remake from when we were very young kids.......
From 1963 Kyu Sakamoto - Sukiyaki

[marv2]

I can't even think of Rose Royce without thinking of this jam:

[Jerry Oz]

Strange story behind this one. It came out my Junior year in college. My cousin Debbie and her husband had just moved to Colorado Springs and I was in Denver. They came up one weekend and we happen to hear this on the radio. I had not remembered ,but Debbie did that it was a remake from when we were very young kids.......
From 1963 Kyu Sakamoto - Sukiyaki

My folks actually had that on 45. I wonder how close A Taste Of Honey's translation is to the original song. I know that Richie Valens' version of "La Bamba" and Bobby Darin's version of "La Mer" were not literal translations of the songs that inspired them. Hmm... Now I'm wondering if there are any other foreign-language songs that became charting hits in American cover versions?

[marv2]

My folks actually had that on 45. I wonder how close A Taste Of Honey's translation is to the original song. I know that Richie Valens' version of "La Bamba" and Bobby Darin's version of "La Mer" were not literal translations of the songs that inspired them. Hmm... Now I'm wondering if there are any other foreign-language songs that became charting hits in American cover versions?

One song that comes to mind is French singer, Jacques Brel's "Ne Me Quitte Pas" which was converted to English by Rod McKuen to "If You Go Away" and just about every established singer has covered it it seems. Here is the original. Warning..............This is VERY heavy:

[marv2]

Here is Shirley Bassey with an intro by Rod McKuen with the English version "If You Go Away"

[MIKEW-UK]

Roshell Anderson - Know What You're Doing When You Leave
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[marv2]

I never heard that one before Mikew-UK. Thanks.

[Jerry Oz]

This was my favorite Teena Marie song. I'll bet a movie about her would be fascinating.

[Jerry Oz]

In the mid-80s, I remember listening to a cable radio station that was run by a DJ who had been my favorite local jock before quitting. I heard a few songs that were not played on the radio but became immediate faves of mine. I heard this one and was shocked to find it at a campus resale shop.

[Jerry Oz]

I bought so many records by unknown artists at that shop that I'd guess only me and my friends used to jam to. I found this one for a couple bucks and it is fantastic.

[Jerry Oz]

I learned to trust buying some of those records based on who the producers were. I used to like Reggie Andrews/Leon "Ndugu" Chancler bands a lot. So I took a chance on Skwares, seeing that they produced them. This song is from that first album. Unfortunately, their second record was produced by the Gap Band and although it was not a bad record, they sounded more like the Gap Band than the group represented on the first album.

[Jerry Oz]

They also produced this record by Kiddo. They were Donnie Sterling's band and they had more of a Minneapolis sound than a P-Funk sound. I about wore out a needle playing some of these.

[Jerry Oz]

My favorite band is probably Heatwave. Very close to them would be Fishbone. I'd buy Fishbone albums and on every album there would be funk songs, ska songs, hardcore rock songs, ska songs and once even a great blues song. The band had Norwood Fisher on bass and he's in my top 5 bassists, which is saying a lot because my list of favorite bassists is very very long. This song was on their second album and I always thought it was super funky. I got away with playing it at a party one night and they danced to it without anybody giving me a dirty look for playing an unknown record. Fishbone is the greatest relatively unknown band in America. An album with just their funk songs would be my favorite funk record.

[Jerry Oz]

This is Norwood Fisher going nuts on a record. His greatness is not solely because he can funk it up with the best of them. He's damned near technically perfect on most of their songs, even those where the bass is used mostly just as bottom.

[Jerry Oz]

Another hunch on production credits led me to buy this album. Marcus Miller produced some tracks and Nick Martinelli did some, so I took a chance. This one was done by Deodato and it's another example of a group who had songs that I thought could do well but never made it to radio.

[Jerry Oz]

Another fantastic R&B song in the time when urban music was transitioning to something else was Miles Jaye's "Let's Start Over". This is a really nice track.

[Jerry Oz]

I may have put this one earlier, but this is one of the best songs to play loud that I own. The lyrics should strike fear in the heart of any man, though. She's a straight up stalker.