The Blackbyrds - The Blackbyrds/Flying Start (1974)

EU import

Twofer reissue on the BGP label. The Blackbyrds were six students of Donald Byrd, then the head of the School of Music at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Talk about your authentic, practical university experience!

---

THE BLACKBYRDS (1974)
8 tracks, 37 minutes

MIZELL BROTHERS MONTH (APRIL 2026)

This doesn't sound like a group of college kids. Or, more accurately, it doesn't sound like anything I could have produced when I was a college musician. It's crisp, economical, polished, and most importantly, funky as all get-out. The guidance of Donald Byrd and Mizell Brothers is evident and most welcome. The Allmusic review calls it "some of the finest groove-oriented jazz music ever recorded" and who am I to argue??

Reviews/ratings::

• Record World: "Zesty r&b overtones are set on a stimulating jazz background"
• CashBox: "one of those rare and delightful treats that knocks you out from the very first musical phrase to the last refrain."
• Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide (1985): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #96
• Billboard R&B: #14
• Billboard Jazz: #6
• Record World Jazz: #5

Tracks: All but two tracks were written or co-written by either Byrd or Larry Mizell. Most are instrumentals. The singles that charted are Do It Fluid (#23 R&B, #69 pop) and the instrumental Gut Level (#9 dance). As for the best cuts, I'm gonna hafta cop out and simply call dealer's choice. 

---

FLYING START (1974)
8 tracks, 39 minutes

Kinda the same as above, but different (if that makes any sense). For this release, Byrd himself takes over the production duties and the band members are allowed more of their own original compositions, including their biggest hit, Walking In Rhythm. Plus, a few guest artists are brought in, namely Ernie Watts and Sigidi.

Reviews/ratings::

• DownBeat (★): "there is little space on this album for anything to happen, and nothing does."
• Billboard: "the mix of soul and jazz sounds is not an easy one"
• Record World: "these exceptionally talented musicfolk are ablaze on this recent release"
• CashBox: "The sextet is particularly adept at creating different textures and moods and weaving them into a unified whole"
• Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide (1985): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #30
• Billboard R&B: #5
• Billboard Jazz: #2
• Record World Jazz: #1

Tracks: I already mentioned Walking In Rhythm (#6 pop, #4 R&B, #5 AC) and it hits as good now as it did back in 1974 (I'm guessing I heard it '74, but who the hell knows?). It's the cream of this crop, but as for the rest, I'll repeat myself: pick 'em.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Action (1977)/Better Days (1980)

The Blackbyrds - Action (1977)/Better Days (1980)

EU import

Back in 2022, I was introduced to the song Soft And Easy through a compilation CD and liked it so much that I immediately sought out the 1977 album on which it originally appeared, Action. I found Action on this Blackbyrds twofer reissue on the BGP label and bought it immediately. The compilation captures the band's transition from danceable R&B (Action, produced by mentor and namesake Donald Byrd) to more synth based funk (Better Days, produced by George Duke). I prefer the former to the latter and if sales are any indication, so did the record buying public.

---

ACTION (1977)
7 tracks, 34 minutes

Sleek grooves, tasty EWFish horn arrangements, disco strings, and bass lines perfect for your local lighted dance floor. Features guest appearances from Ernie Watts and Ray Parker, Jr. Sticking with the group's characteristic formula, the album lacks a Top 40 hit, but it is definitely funky enough for the club while still being refined enough to remind you the band members came from jazz backgrounds.

Press of the time:

• CashBox: "A sizzling, multilayered, funk-laden disc destined for mass appeal"
• Billboard: "cheery, funky synthesized r&b...mellow, sleek soul ballads...midtempo jazz-tinged efforts."
• Record World: "should hurdle jazz, r&b and rock barriers with little difficulty."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #43
• Billboard R&B: #8
• CashBox: #47

Tracks: Nothing to skip among these seven tracks. Three singles were released from the album: the aforementioned Soft And Easy (#20 R&B), Supernatural Feeling (#19 R&B), and Street Games. However, I think the smoothest cut here is Mysterious Vibes (Wikipedia tells me a remix of Mysterious Vibes was released in 2002, but consider the source).

---

BETTER DAYS (1980)
10 tracks, 40 minutes

It seems like the group was trying to be a cross between Rick James and Kool & The Gang and it didn't quite work for them. Pity. The grooves are here, there's plenty of production tricks that were popular in 1980, and the performances are quite good. The only thing missing is hooks. 

Press of the time:

• Record World: "fuel for the body and spirit"
• Billboard: "a polished collection of punchy sophistosoul"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #133
• Billboard R&B: #40
• CashBox: #142

Tracks: Four singles were released from the album: Don't Know What To Say, Dancin' Dancin' (#59 dance), What We Have Is Right (#38 R&B), and Love Don't Strike Twice (#52 R&B). I think the best track is Without Your Love plus there's plenty of filler cuts.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Minnie Riperton - Stay In Love/Minnie (1977/1979)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 2004 UK reissue.

Many years ago while visiting a fantastic record store in Chicago, I purchased a similar Riperton Twofer (Perfect Angel/Adventures in Paradise) disc and it gets a lot of spins around here. One of those many, many spins led to the ordering of this similar CD. If a little bit is good, more is better, right? And while it's not quite as good as the earlier stuff, there's still nothing to skip among these two albums and they make great companions to the earlier disc. Since I first received this disc, I normally listen to both discs in succession and it usually makes for a wonderful afternoon of soul, R&B, soft rock, and in the case of the later albums, disco. Both compilations are highly recommended.

---

STAY IN LOVE (1977)

Subtitled "A Romantic Fantasy Set to Music," this album was produced by disco legend Freddie Perren. I dig the disco feel throughout but the critics didn't care for it because of the critical bias against disco at the time.

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review: "Riperton's singing is, as usual, just fine - it's the rest you'll have to block out."
• High Fidelity: "Aretha she ain't, but Minnie she is - and that's a plus"
• Billboard: "uncluttered and easy to listen to."
• CashBox: "unquestionably an album for romantics"
• Record World: "not so much a concept album as one given over to a particular subject and outlook - the many sides of love"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #71
• Billboard R&B: #19
• CashBox: #81

Tracks: Three singles were released: Wouldn't Matter Where You Are, Young Willing And Able, and Stick Together (#57 R&B, #23 dance), a collaboration with Stevie Wonder using the pseudonym El Toro Negro. I think the best cut is Young Willing And Able, followed closely by Gettin' Ready For Your Love, Stick Together, But as I wrote earlier, don't skip any tracks.

---

MINNIE (1979)

This was Riperton's first album on the Capitol label and the last to be released during her lifetime. This is the better of the two albums included on this CD.

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review: Best of the Month
• High Fidelity: "too ornate and cure to be convincing, despite a fine set of pipes"
• CashBox: "it is the warmth and vitality she conveys via her singing approach, along with her striking compositions, that truly merit attention"
• Record World: "she has a way with ballad material that makes a song all her own"
• Billboard: "may be this singer's strongest work on disk to date."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #29
• Billboard R&B: #5
• CashBox: #43
• Rolling Stone: #37

Tracks: Two singles were released: Memory Lane (#16 R&B) and Lover And Friend (#20 R&B). Those two songs are also the first two tracks on the album and it's a heckuva way to open a LP. Such great, timeless grooves. I also enjoy the bossa feel of Never Existed Before, the highly danceable tunes Love Hurts and I'm A Woman, plus the disco funk of Dancin' & Actin' Crazy. The album closes with a cover of The Doors' Light My Fire and José Feliciano drops by the studio to help out.

---

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Perfect Angel/Adventures in Paradise (1974/1975)

Fuse One - The Complete Recordings (1989)

"These tunes are heard here for the first time on compact disc, in brand-new direct-to-digital remixes prepared specifically for this release by Creed Taylor."

Creed Taylor put together this collective for his CTI label, so it's basically an ad hoc supergroup recording session. As Taylor writes on the back CD insert:

Fuse One is conceived as a forum in which major contemporary musicians perform according to their own musical disciplines and interact without the constraints that accompany leader responsibilities. Each player brings in new compositions and ideas.

And while the pedigree is impeccable (production from Taylor and engineering from Rudy Van Gelder), the product is usually less than the sum of parts. In any case, this 1989 compilation on the Musicmasters label purports to be "The Complete Recordings," but there was a third album that Taylor and Van Gelder had nothing to do with, so we'll just conveniently ignore it exists for the purposes of this post.

I get a chuckle from the fact that, while he appears on only one of the eleven tracks, George Benson receives top billing on the CD cover. Because you know I'd design it the exact same way.

---

FUSE ONE (1980)
7 tracks, 36 minutes

Enjoyable, but fairly generic, smooth jazz. In other words, 15 year old me in 1981 would have loved it. The material is 'over-arranged' in sharp contrast to Taylor's suggesting that the artists play without constraints. The lack of originality could be the reason why the album was largely ignored by critics other than a cursory Billboard review.

Joe Farrell - saxophones & flute (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 6)
John McLauglin - guitar (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Larry Coryell - guitar (tracks 2, 5, 7)
Ronnie Foster - keyboards (1, 3, 5)
Jorge Dalto - keyboards (track 2)
Victor Feldman - keyboards (tracks 3, 4)
Don Grusin - keyboards (track 6)
Jeremy Wall - keyboards (tracks 1-6, arrangements tracks 1-7)
Hugh McCracken - harmonica (track 7)
Stanley Clarke - bass (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 7)
Will Lee - bass (tracks 2, 5)
Lenny White - drums (tracks 2, 7)
Leon "Ndugu" Chancler - drums (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5)
Tony Williams - drums (track 6)
Paulinho DaCosta - percussion (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Roger Squitero - percussion (track 2, 7)

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #9
• CashBox Jazz: #14
• Record World Jazz: #14

Tracks: Two compositions each from Clarke and McLaughlin, one each from Foster and Wall, plus a Latin arrangement of a tune by 19th century Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. The better tunes are Grand Prix (written by Foster), Sunshine (Clarke), and Double Steal (Wall).

---

SILK (1982)
4 tracks, 34 minutes

This second album utilized arrangements by Leon "Ndugu" Chancler and the resultant R&B sound found more commercial success, yet was again ignored by the critics (except, of course, Billboard again). I enjoy this album more than the previous one.

Stanley Turrentine - tenor saxophone (tracks 8, 11)
Tom Browne - trumpet (tracks 8, 9, 11)
Wynton Marsalis - trumpet (tracks 9, 10)
Dave Valentine - flute (tracks 9, 10)
Eric Gale - guitar (tracks 8-11)
George Benson - guitar (track 11)
Stanley Clarke - bass (tracks 8-11), musical direction (tracks 8-11)
Marcus Miller - bass (tracks 9)
Ronnie Foster - keyboards (tracks 8-11)
Todd Cochran - keyboards (track 8)
Leon "Ndugu" Chancler - drums (tracks 8-11), arrangements (tracks 8-11)
Sammy Figueroa - percussion (tracks 8-11)
Manolo Badrena - percussion (tracks 9, 10)

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #139
• Billboard Jazz: #14
• Billboard R&B: #44
• CashBox: #175
• CashBox Jazz: #16
• Radio & Records Jazz Radio National Airplay: #15

Tracks: Only four tracks here, all a bit longer than what was found on the previous album (7-9 minutes each). I'd rank them 1) Silk, 2) Sunwalk, 3) Hot Fire, and 4) In Celebration Of The Human Spirit.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but I really wished someone would have turned me to some Tom Browne albums when I was a teen.

Jr. Walker & The All Stars - Shotgun (1965)/Road Runner (1966)

Not something I'd usually buy, but I found this 1986 two-fer set from Motown in a smooth-sided jewel case for 50¢ at a thrift store and couldn't pass it up. The legendary tune Shotgun is such a great cut, the rest has to be good, right? Boy howdy did I luck out because this this is some fun stuff. With powerful saxophone solos and raw vocal energy, the music is all very similar, it doesn't take itself too seriously, it's made for good times, and I can't sit still.

---

SHOTGUN (1965)
11 tracks, 33 minutes

Press of the time:

• CashBox: "Jammed with a flock of teen shakeables"
• Record World: "Groovy, gutsy instrumentals"
• Billboard: "Powerful album"
• Record Mirror: ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #108
• Billboard R&B: #1

Tracks: The album contained 5 tunes that hit various Top 40 charts: Shotgun (#1 R&B, #4 pop), Do The Boomerang (#10 R&B, #36 pop), Cleo's Mood (#14 R&B), and the double A-side Shake And Fingerpop b/w Cleo's Back (#7 R&B, #29 pop).

---

ROAD RUNNER (1966)
11 tracks, 35 minutes

Press of the time:

• CashBox: "should delight lots of soul fans with this groovy disk"
• Billboard: "this album can't miss"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #64
• Billboard R&B: #6

Tracks: This album contained 4 tunes that charted in at least one Top 40: (I'm A) Road Runner (#4 R&B, #20 pop), How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) (#3 R&B, #18 pop), Money (That's What I Want) (#35 R&B), and Pucker Up Buttercup (#11 R&B, #31 pop).

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Gerry Rafferty - Snakes & Ladders (1980)/Sleepwalking (1982)

EU import

I don't remember who wrote it nor on which social media platform it appeared, but several years ago I read something along the lines of "Childhood was a lot like euphoria: listening to Gerry Rafferty and not taking baths." That particular sentiment certainly applied to your humble blogger's childhood, circa 1978. However, unknown to me at the time, the writer was referring to the HBO teen drama Euphoria, not the emotion. But before I caught on to that fact, I went and ordered this two disc package to expand my knowledge of Mr. Raffery's music. I've never seen the show but I'm glad I picked this set up, mainly for the Snakes & Ladders album.

I love a good twofer CD set, but points off on this one for complete lack of liner notes. Not even playing or songwriting credits. I hate heading online for that info, but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

---

SNAKES & LADDERS (1980)
12 tracks, 49 minutes

The lead track, The Royal Mile, was released as single, peaking at #54 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sadly, that's the only tune in this entire 2 CD set that saw any chart action in the US. Track 6, the bluesy Bring It All Home, was also released as a single. Nevertheless, this album has grown on me over the years. To my ears, it reliably delivers Rafferty’s characteristic blend of soft rock, folk, and pop sensibilities. It doesn't pack the punch that City To City delivers, but if you enjoyed that 1978 album, there's something here for you.

Press of the time:

• Trouser Press: "He varies the mood noticeably from song to song, which allows you to appreciate what a really clever songwriter he can be."
• CashBox: "truly a master at producing driving power pop tunes."
• Billboard: "brilliant LP"
• Record World: "This one sounds more like his first." [note: by "first," the writer is incorrectly referring to City To City] 

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #61
• CashBox: #140

---

SLEEPWALKING (1982)
8 tracks, 37 minutes

This is a horse of a different color. Rafferty moves from his folky soft rock to music that utililzes lots of synths and production tricks. But I understand an artist's desire to keep up with the popular sound while playing around with the latest technology. From Rafferty's website:

By 1982, after releasing three albums in quick succession, Rafferty’s was keen to take his music – and his life - in a different direction. The result was Sleepwalking.

Christopher Neil, who replaced Hugh Murphy, Rafferty’s usual producer, introduced the synthesisers and drum machines Rafferty would enthusiastically build into his musical repertoire. The resulting album is brave attempt to create a crisper less acoustic sound, with far less intricate arrangements, that builds on Rafferty’s folk-pop roots.

Sleepwalking can be interpreted as more of a song cycle than a series of tracks. The theme is alienation and, to some extent, the potential for redemption.

So it sounds like Rafferty, but it doesn't. A few tracks remind me a bit of Long Distance Voyager. After this release, Rafferty took a six-year hiatus from recording

Press of the time:

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: My favorite tracks are Standing At The Gates, the moody Good Intentions, and The Right Moment. I also like the pulsing title track, which was unsuccessfully released as a single.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None - I didn't hear music from either album until four decades after release.

Previously revisited for the blog:
City To City (1978)

Grover Washington, Jr. - A Secret Place (1976)/All The King's Horses (1972)

The saxophonist's sixth and second albums, originally issued on the Kudu label, combined in 1986 by Motown Records for this two-for-one reissue. Both albums were recorded at the legendary Van Gelder Studios and produced by Creed Taylor, best known for his work on his own CTI record label. Washington appears on soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones, often overdubbing duets with himself.

This is where I would normally complain about the fact that Motown didn't pair consecutive album releases or, at the very least, sequence them chronologically. However, these two work well together and in this order. Go figure.

---

A SECRET PLACE (1976)
4 tracks, 34 minutes

According to the advertisement below, before the terms "contemporary jazz" and "smooth jazz" were coined, the genre was known as "crossover jazz." No matter the nomenclature, I dig the stuff and this album shows that crossover jazz can lean more to the jazz side of things. These four tracks, each clocking in at over 8 minutes, have laid back R&B grooves to be sure, but there's a good deal of room on each track for the soloists to stretch out. There's plenty of familiar names in the playing credits, including Dave Grusin, Eric Gale, and Ralph MacDonald. 

Reviews/ratings:

• CashBox: "a surprisingly laid back effort"
• Downbeat (★★): "flirts with boredom the way some recordings flirt with inspiration"
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #31
• Billboard R&B: #7
• Billboard Jazz: #1
• CashBox: #48
• CashBox Jazz: #1
• Radio & Records Jazz Radio National Airplay: #1

Tracks: Two originals by Washington, a popish tune from drummer Harvey Mason, and a fantastic cover of Herbie Hancock's Dolphin Dance. My only complaint is the 34 minute running time is far too short.

---

ALL THE KING'S HORSES (1972)
8 tracks, 38 minutes

While still smooth, this album of pop tunes and updated standards has tracks averaging about 4 minutes each and the arrangements vary from combo to big band to full orchestra. Guests on these cuts include Bob James, Richard Tee, Billy Cobham, Bernard Purdie, and Ron Carter.

Reviews/ratings:

• CashBox: "a perfect compromise between jazz and pop"
• Record World: "Music that you can get heavily into, or just turn on in the background."
• Billboard: "will be one of the biggest albums of the year"
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #111
• Billboard R&B: #20
• Billboard Jazz: #1
• CashBox: #99
• Record World Jazz: #1

Tracks: At this point, Washington wasn't yet recording his own material. but he picked some good tunes to cover, including one of the great pop songs of the 1970's, Where Is The Love:

1. No Tears, In The End (Ralph MacDonald, William Salter): a tune later appearing on the 1973 Roberta Flack album Killing Me Softly.
2. All The King's Horses (Aretha Franklin): a hit for Aretha Franklin in 1972 (#26 pop, #7 R&B).
3. Where Is The Love (MacDonald, Salter): a hit for Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway in 1972 (#5 pop, #1 R&B, #1 AC).
4. Body And Soul (Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton, John Green): a jazz standard from 1930.
5. Lean On Me (Bill Withers): a hit for Withers in 1972 (#1 pop, #1 R&B, #4 AC)
6. Lover Man (Jimmy Davis, Jimmy Sherman, Roger Ramirez)/Interlude #2 (Bob James): a jazz standard from 1941 plus a extended original soloing section in the middle
7. Love Song 1700 (Henry Purcell): adapted and arranged by Bob James.

The only skippable track is Love Song 1700, which doesn't quite work despite good intentions. [insert your own baroque/broke pun here]

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: In late 2000 or early 2001 someone I know well* was downloading some tunes from a popular file sharing site that rhymes with "mapster" and Washington's version of Where Is The Love was one of the first tunes allegedly downloaded.

*someone of my general age, height, weight, and eye color.
This statement has been approved by this blog's amateur legal team, a group with over 25 years of legal experience (i.e., watching episodes of Law & Order).

Previously revisited for the blog:

Prime Cuts 1987-1999 (1999)	The Best Is Yet To Come (1982)
Soulful Strut (1996)	Come Morning (1981)
All My Tomorrows (1994)	Winelight (1980)
Time Out of Mind (1989)	Skylarkin' (1980)
Anthology (1985)	Mister Magic (1975)
Inside Moves (1984)/Paradise (1979)

Grover Washington, Jr. - Inside Moves (1984)/Paradise (1979)

Two Elektra releases from the master of smooth jazz saxophone. An odd album pairing for a couple of reasons: 1) the overall sound of the two albums are very different, from production style to mix to instrumentation, and 2) the newer album is first on the CD - should have been the other way around, in my opinion. You can never go wrong with chronological order.

I enjoy his entire œuvre, but there's just something different about Washington's releases on Elektra (1979-1984). I prefer Inside Moves to Paradise, but with a total running time of around 80 minutes, this is easily a top-to-bottom listen that offers up just the right amount of variety.

---

INSIDE MOVES (1984)
7 tracks, 52 minutes

Washington hit his commercial peak with 1980's Winelight album and the hit single Just The Two Of Us. He spent his remaining time on the Elektra label chasing that success and hoping lightning would strike twice. Can't say as I blame him - I'd have done the exact same thing. Inside Moves has plenty of good stuff from great musicians, including Ralph MacDonald, Marcus Miller, Richard Tee, Eric Gale, Steve Gadd, and Jon Lucien. The latter provided the vocals for the single release When I Look At You, which unfortunately didn't dent the charts.

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "flawless, smooth crossover"
• Downbeat (★★★): "Real good album, all in all"
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #79
• Billboard R&B: #21
• Billboard Jazz: #3
• CashBox: #60
• CashBox Jazz: #1
• Radio & Records Jazz Radio National Airplay: #4

Tracks: It's all good 'n' smooth, but my favorites today are Dawn Song, Secret Sounds, and Jet Stream.

---

PARADISE (1979)
10 tracks, 36 minutes

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later replaced by a CD.

This album has a very different sound when compared to Inside Moves and utilized a completely different backing band, most notably electric violinist John Blake, who is featured prominently on each cut. 

Reviews/ratings:

• CashBox: "a provocative showcase"
• Record World: "could prove to be one of his biggest"
• Downbeat (★★½): "one man's boredom can be another man's gold"
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★½

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #24
• Billboard R&B: #15
• Billboard Jazz: #2
• CashBox: #33
• CashBox Jazz: #1
• Rolling Stone: #36
• Record World Jazz: #1

Tracks: Of the seven tracks on Paradise, my top picks are Tell Me About It Now, the title track (written by Blake) and Asia's Theme.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: The little town where I attended undergrad had - for a brief time - a record store that stocked both new and used. I don't remember buying anything there but a used copy of Culture Club's Colour By Numbers LP. The guy in the next room over, nicknamed Buffalo Tom, was starting to develop a taste for the smooth stuff in late '84/early '85 and picked up copies of Inside Moves and David Sanborn's Straight To The Heart. On my fairly new Fisher all-in-one, I promptly dubbed Inside Moves to one side of a blank cassette then dubbed Sanborn on the flip. That tape got a lot of playing time; it's nice to have this album handy again.

Previously revisited for the blog:

Prime Cuts 1987-1999 (1999)	The Best Is Yet To Come (1982)
Soulful Strut (1996)	Come Morning (1981)
All My Tomorrows (1994)	Winelight (1980)
Time Out of Mind (1989)	Skylarkin' (1980)
Anthology (1985)	Mister Magic (1975)

The Motels - All Four One (1982)/Little Robbers (1983)

UK import

Impulse buy of a BGO twofer set of early '80s albums from the New Wave group out of California. I've always liked Martha Davis's sultry, no-nonsense voice, enjoyed the Top 40 singles I heard on the radio, I've got a music/CD addiction to feed so why the hell not? Two US Top 30 albums, digitally remastered, slipcased, new comprehensive essay, lyrics, bonus tracks, each album gets its own disc in this two disc set.

---

ALL FOUR ONE (1982)
10 tracks, 5 bonus tracks, 52 minutes

I'm pretty much in agreement with the reviews below, which seem to rate the album at slightly below average. They couldn't decide on a musical direction, so they go every which way they can.

The album had a bit of trouble getting recorded; that drama recapped over at the album's Wikipedia entry.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★): "Singer Martha Davis can be a riveting centerpiece"
• Trouser Press: "easy to appreciate but hard to get involved with"
• High Fidelity: "a compromised, lackluster collection"
• CashBox: "an effervescent blend of technorock, quirky yet sultry vocals, and offbeat, angular rhythms"
• Billboard: "As always, it's the mercurial Martha Davis who rivets attention"
• Robert Christgau (C+): "Take the `L' out of Lover and it's over"? "Apocalypso"? "Tragic Surf," for Christ's sake? They've got to be kidding.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #16
• Billboard Rock: #4
• CashBox: #17
• Rolling Stone: #13

Tracks: After starting off with a decent opening rocker, we quickly go to Take the L, which I previously described as a song with "hilarious lyrics ('Take the L out of lover and it's over'), but it is sung with such earnestness that it makes me chuckle." We rebound quickly with the fantastic lead single, Only The Lonely (#9 pop, #6 rock, #27 AC), which is easily the strongest track on the album. The rest is filler, although I enjoy the noirish Change My Mind. The penultimate track, a cover of the Goffin/King 1962 tune He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss), is both regrettable and forgettable.

Bonus tracks: 4 tracks from Apocalypso version of the album for those of you that like to do A/B comparisons (spoiler alert: the Apocalypso versions rock a little harder). Plus a live version of Only The Lonely, presumably from a 1982 show as there's no show info in the credits but Davis does thank Santa Barbara near the end of the performance. And I just figured out the word "apocalypso" is a portmanteau of "apocalypse" and "calypso." No flies on me...sheesh.

---

LITTLE ROBBERS (1983)
10 tracks, 36 minutes

The better album of the two and I'll go ahead and call Suddenly Last Summer the best thing the group ever recorded.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★½ ): "bursting with creative energy"
• Trouser Press: "too canned; every last note has obviously been plotted beforehand"
• Stereo Review: Recording of Special Merit
• CashBox: "sure to curry favor with pop, new music and AOR outlets"
• Billboard: "sleeker production finish and atmospheric pop elements"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #22
• Billboard Rock: #3
• CashBox: #15
• Rolling Stone: #18

Tracks: Another good opening rocker, this one a bit more surfy New Wave-ish. Then the track that someone recently called "the best thing the group ever recorded," Suddenly Last Summer (#9 pop, #1 rock, #18 AC). Of the remaining 8 tunes, I prefer the follow-up single Remember The Nights, the reggae-lite of Isle Of You (sounds like "I love you," get it?), the rockin' Trust Me, the title track, and Into The Heartland.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Oddly enough, neither I nor any of my high school pals bought either album back then. I do remember my buddy Jim loaning me a cassette of the group's 1979 debut album, but that didn't really do it for me back then. Maybe another listen is in order.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Back 2 Back Hits (1997)

Freddie Hubbard - Here To Stay (1976)/Hub-Tones (1963)

EU Import

2013 compilation of two Hubbard quintet hard bop albums, both recorded in 1962 by Rudy Van Gelder for the Blue Note label. I wanted a recording of Hub-Tones and this import was my least expensive option. I'm not familiar with the Essential Jazz Classics label, but it appears they understandably took full advantage of the length of copyright laws in Europe (50 years). However, it's not a shoddy production. There's a 16 page booklet chock-full of info and a claim of 24-bit digital remastering. A great pairing of albums - I can easily listen to all 78 minutes in one sitting.

---

HERE TO STAY (1976)
6 tracks, 39 minutes

1976 LP cover	1985 reissue cover

This album was originally scheduled for release on Blue Note in 1963 but was never issued. It was finally released in 1976 as part of a double LP set that also included the 1961 Hub Cap album.

Original liner notes by Peter Keepnews.

Hubbard - trumpet
Wayne Shorter - tenor sax
Cedar Walton - piano
Reggie Workman - bass
Philly Joe Jones - drums

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: I like the laid back Latin feel of Father And Son and the perpetual motion of the jazz-waltz, Assunta. There's also a nice takes on the standard Body And Soul as well as Full Moon And Empty Arms (based on Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2).

---

HUB-TONES (1963)
5 tracks, 39 minutes

Generally considered to be one of Hubbard's best albums and there will be no argument from me. Fantastic cover art, designed by Reid Miles.

Original liner notes by Joe Goldberg

Hubbard - trumpet
James Spaulding - alto sax & flute
Herbie Hancock - piano
Reggie Workman - bass
Clifford Jarvis - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "his strongest LP to date"
• CashBox: "a significant mainstream artist to be watched"
• DownBeat: ★★★½
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

Update: In 2024, uDiscover Music ranked this album at #44 on its list of The 50 Greatest Blue Note Albums.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: Only five cuts and I enjoy them all. Today, my favorites are Prophet Jennings and the ballad Lament For Booker - odd choices, given the fact that I don't normally go for jazz flute. I'm worn out listening to the urgency of the title track, probably the hardest bop on the compilation

---

Previously revisited for the blog:
Ride Like The Wind (1982)

Gene Dunlap - It's Just The Way I Feel/Party In Me (1981)

UK import

Detroit drummer Gene Dunlap released two albums in 1981; both albums were compiled on one CD in 2014 by Expansion Records. Dunlap was the drummer for guitarist Earl Klugh for many years and also played on a couple of Roy Ayers albums. The tunes here run the gamut from Earth, Wind & Fire-type R&B to Ayers brand of disco-jazz to Staple Singers gospel to Klugh's smooth jazz. It all makes for an enjoyable - if inconsistent - listen and I'm sure the varied styles made it very difficult for the original record label (Capitol) to market.

---

IT'S JUST THE WAY I FEEL (1981)
8 tracks, 36 minutes

This album features vocalists The Ridgeways on 6 of the 8 tracks - that family group also co-wrote three of cuts here. Dunlap gets writing credit for five, plus there's one each from Klugh and Gino Vannelli. Things start off hot then cool down with some smooth jazz at the end of what was side two, tracks 5-8 here.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #202
• Billboard Jazz: #29
• Billboard R&B: #39
• CashBox: #150

Tracks: To these ears, the most obvious pop crossover single is track 3, Before You Break My Heart. Sadly, radio program directors must not have agreed with that opinion as it only reached #72 in the R&B chart and didn't crack the pop charts. Tracks 7-8 sound like they could be lifted from a Klugh album (that's a great compliment), but there's nothing here to skip.

---

PARTY IN ME (1981)
9 tracks, 36 minutes

The Ridgeways are absent here and it shows. The tunes are more generic with fewer hooks than the previous album, but the performances are just as stellar - Klugh is back and is joined by Hiram Bullock. Vocal duties are handled by various persons; Dunlap himself takes a turn on This One's On Me. But much like It's Just The Way I Feel, the album lacks a stylistic focus, moving from rock-funk to quiet storm to disco. etc.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard R&B: #68

Tracks: The title track has a great groove to it and was released as a single but failed to chart; This One's On Me has a similar feel. Take My Love hit #48 on the dance chart. With its LinnDrum, synth horns and percussion break, it was 4 or 5 years ahead of its time, but that isn't keeping me from doing a little chair-dancing as a type this. The biggest R&B hit of Dunlap's solo career was the mid-tempo love song Something Inside My Head featuring vocals from Phillippe Wynne of The Spinners, which peaked at #61. Wynne understandably steals the show and makes it the best cut on the album. Again, we end the album with a smooth jazz tune, There Will Never Be Another (Like You)

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Herbie Hancock - Sunlight/Feets Don't Fail Me Now (1978/1979)

UK Import

2016 two disc set from Cherry Red Records.

---

SUNLIGHT (1978)
7 tracks, 49 minutes

I bought this two-fer set because I wanted the full 9 minute version of the lead track, I Thought It Was You. I was introduced to that tune, as one often is, via a 1983 British K-Tel album. Said compilation is quite good and it turns out that I Thought It Was You peaked at #15 on the British charts (it didn't crack the Hot 100 here in The States, but managed to climb to #85 on the Billboard R&B chart). In any case, it has been a common earworm for me ever since and the extended album version is worth the price of admission.

I could do without so much vocoder, but I can't help digging this stuff nonetheless. I think of it as pop-verging-on-disco music but with better solos.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "first-rate modern music"
• CashBox: "a totally arresting work"
• Record World: "The veteran jazzman enters a new phase in his career"
• Stereo Review: "This one we could really do without"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #58
• Billboard Jazz: #3
• Billboard R&B: #31
• CashBox: #70
• Record World Jazz: #4
• CashBox Jazz: #4

Tracks: There's only 5 tracks on the album, the shortest clocking in at 6:20, so there's plenty of room for Hancock to stretch out. The first four cuts go down real easy. My favorite solo on the album may be Hancock on electric piano in track 4, No Means Yes. The final track leaves disco and is straight up fusion complete with legends of the genre (Tony Williams and Jaco Pastorius), but after grooving for 30+ minutes, it's not the change of pace I'm looking for.

Bonus tracks: also included in this package are the shorter, single edits of I Thought It Was You and Come Running To Me.

---

FEETS DON'T FAIL ME NOW (1979)
12 tracks, 73 minutes

Before buying this pair of CDs, I thought I was totally unfamiliar with this 1979 album. Then track 3, Ready Or Not, hit my speakers and I started singing along ("Gonna get ya high!!") and realized that whatever radio I was listening to in '79 (most likely KILT-AM) played that funky tune often enough that I knew it. Then the liner notes here tell me the tune was written by none other than Ray Parker, Jr. who also plays on the track along with Sheila E. And suddenly this purchase just got a lot better. Ready Or Not was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Rhythm & Blues Instrumental Performance, curiously losing to Earth, Wind & Fire's Boogie Wonderland.

This was Hancock's 27th album and he went all-in on commercial disco/funk. Jazz purists almost certainly had fainting spells, but you can't blame a guy for using his talents to chase financial security. Again, the vocoder is a bit much, but I like pretty much everything else about it.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "patented riffs that have worked elsewhere."
• CashBox: "top flight, full of funky bass and primal percussive rhythms."
• Record World: "turned the corner on jazz and heads for a pure funk direction."
• Stereo Review: "rather low-grade"
• Smash Hits (5 out of 10): "Good to dance to but the long instrumental parts may get boring unless you're into clever musicianship"
• DownBeat (★★½): "Just get up and dance mindlessly."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #38
• Billboard Jazz: #2
• Billboard R&B: #16
• CashBox: #52
• CashBox Jazz: #3
• Record World Jazz: #2
• Rolling Stone: #53

Tracks: From what I can find, Columbia released three singles from the album's six tracks and they chose wisely:

• You Bet Your Love (#18 in UK)
• Tell Everybody (#47 US Dance)
• Ready Or Not (#25 US R&B)

My favorite track, predictably, is Ready Or Not, but the best Hancock solo here is on You Bet Your Love. The best disco track is Tell Everybody while the jazziest track is Honey From The Jar, which reminds me quite a bit of Stuff. The final cut, Knee Deep, isn't terrible, but it pales in comparison with the other 5 tracks.

Bonus tracks: 6 of 'em - as many bonus tracks as there are album tracks. The three singles mentioned above are all represented here by their truncated 7" single versions as is Honey From The Jar, the b-side to Tell Everybody. Then we're treated to "Disco Versions" of both You Bet Your Love and Tell Everybody which include, as one would expect, longer intros, louder bass drum, more hi-hat, and handclaps.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Best of Herbie Hancock: The Blue Note Years (1988)
Head Hunters (1973)