Lee Ritenour - "Rit" (1981)

Note: this release was originally given to me as a LP, later replaced by a CD.

A summer album for me. This album hit me at just the right time in my life so, even though it contains 10 unimaginative West Coast pop songs, I listen to it often during the summer months just for nostalgia's sake. This album features an all-star cast of LA session musicians (a.k.a. Toto) that appeared on a number of albums I listened to in the early '80s, including those by Al Jarreau, Manhattan Transfer, George Benson, Chicago, Tom Scott, and Steely Dan (click on the back cover photo below for the full cast). Ritenour was a session musician himself for years and was highly desired for his fluid technical ability which earned him the nickname "Captain Fingers" (which I imagine would come in quite handy as a pick-up line). Normally a jazzer, this album was his record company's attempt for crossover success. One of the singles, Is It You?, peaked at #15 on the singles chart in June 1981. Allmusic.com calls this album "simply lifeless and dreadful" - that's a little harsh.



When MTV first aired on August 1, 1981, it was desperate for videos and there weren't very many available. As a result, the videos to Mr. Briefcase and Is It You? were among those played on the network's first day. Mr. Briefcase was the 20th and 102nd video shown on the network; Is It You? was 44th, 109th and 149th. For the record, Ritenour doesn't sing; that's Eric Tagg on vocals. I particularly like the Is It You? video as it has a saxophone player in it when there is no saxophone in the song. Low budget videos at their best!

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "a collection of solid, jazz-tinged pop music"
• Stereo Review: "throwaway stuff"
• CashBox: "chocked full of engaging R&B pop and exuberant vocals"
• Record World: "'Captain Fingers' is aiming his licks at several markets"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #26
• Billboard Jazz: #4
• Billboard R&B album chart: #20
• CashBox: #40
• CashBox Jazz: #3
• Record World Jazz: #2
• Rolling Stone: #69

Tracks: I frequently listen to all of them as a summertime album, even the ill-advised cover of Sly Stone's (You Caught Me) Smilin'.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This album was originally given to me in the summer of '82 by my friend Jim. He didn't like it in 1982 and I feel safe in assuming he would classify it as cruel and unusual punishment in 2012. Anyway, my "Rit" LP got a lot of playing time in the summer of '82 and reminds me of summer swim meets on the Gulf Coast. This was a very difficult CD to locate. Once it finally was reissued on the Discovery label, it vanished quickly probably because of the availability on iTunes. If you read the reviews there, the reviewers all love this because it takes them back to the early '80s, so we are very alike in that regard.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Larry & Lee (1995)
Festival (1988)
On The Line (1983)
Rio (1979)