Having grown up in the Late 70's/Early 80's, I'm perplexed as to how/why these albums didn't "hit" with the American music-buying public. I'll list my Top Ten and would love to see others' recommendations as well. With the hot wave of U.K.-based reissue companies, it's SUCH A JOY 2 finally see some of these titles being remastered and reborn; given a second chance! Peace!

"Going For The Glow"

Donna Washington, 1981 Capitol Records

"All Night Music"

The McCrarys, 1982 Capitol Records

"Burn"

Melba Moore, 1979 Epic Records

"Tasty Jam"

Fatback, 1980 Spring/Polygram Records

"Girls Will Be Girls"

Klymaxx, 1982 Solar Records

"Make Up Your Mind"

High Fashion, 1982 Capitol Records

"Keep It Up"

B.T. Express, 1982 Coast To Coast/Roadshow/CBS Records

"Robbery"

Teena Marie, 1982 Epic/CBS Records

"Call On Me"

Evelyn "Champagne" King, 1980 RCA Records

"Stronger Than Ever"

Rose Royce, 1982 Epic/CBS Records

This one is probably my most criminally over-looked album of the 80's:

kitbradley said:

This one is probably my most criminally over-looked album of the 80's:

whitechocolatebrotha said:

kitbradley said:

This one is probably my most criminally over-looked album of the 80's:

whitechocolatebrotha said:

whitechocolatebrotha said:

I don't know WTF my computer at work is doin' today, but anyway, kit, yes! Another criminally overlooked career! I remember "Change Your Wicked Ways" and I even named my last kitty katt, "Pennye!" She lived 14 years and passed in 2006. I met Pennye Ford in the Summer of 1986 when she was about 2 join the S.O.S. Band, but somehow, that never happened. I have some nice pix of the two of us 2gether!

whitechocolatebrotha said:

whitechocolatebrotha said:

I don't know WTF my computer at work is doin' today, but anyway, kit, yes! Another criminally overlooked career! I remember "Change Your Wicked Ways" and I even named my last kitty katt, "Pennye!" She lived 14 years and passed in 2006. I met Pennye Ford in the Summer of 1986 when she was about 2 join the S.O.S. Band, but somehow, that never happened. I have some nice pix of the two of us 2gether!

This album should have been huge. But, like Philadelphia International, Total Experience Records did little to nothing in promotion of their female artists. And I know that Lonnie Simmons was a real shady character. He was the President of the label and I've heard some horrific stories about how he treated the artists.

Pennye didn't join The SOS Band because she got a gig with Klymaxx first. But, I don't think she ever recorded with them. After that is when she met Chaka, which lead to the SNAP! gig, which lead to a second solo album with Sony, in which Pennye claims Mariah sabatoged because she saw Pennye as a threat.

[Edited 2/27/14 16:41pm]

"Tied Up"

Barbara Mason, 1984 Other End Records

"Princess"

Princess, 1986 Next Plateau Records

"Cheri"

Cheri, 1982 21 Records

I,too,have always wondered why this album didn't do very well.The third single,"Stop The World",is excellent and should have been one of Teena's biggest selling singles.This was her first album for Epic and perhaps they hadn't yet figured out how to market and promote her?

whitechocolatebrotha said:

"Robbery"

Teena Marie, 1982 Epic/CBS Records

"Backatcha"

The Two Tons (aka Two Tons O' Fun; aka The Weather Girls), 1980 Fantasy/Honey Records

Timmy Gatling

whitechocolatebrotha said:

whitechocolatebrotha said:

I don't know WTF my computer at work is doin' today, but anyway, kit, yes! Another criminally overlooked career! I remember "Change Your Wicked Ways" and I even named my last kitty katt, "Pennye!" She lived 14 years and passed in 2006. I met Pennye Ford in the Summer of 1986 when she was about 2 join the S.O.S. Band, but somehow, that never happened. I have some nice pix of the two of us 2gether!

Penny passed away? I just checked, and they said she was alive....It's her sister, Sharon Brown that passed.

[Edited 2/27/14 21:07pm]

kitbradley said:

This one is probably my most criminally over-looked album of the 80's:

I don't have the album, but I have the singles "Dangerous" and "Change Your Wicked Ways" in my record racks.

shorttrini said:

whitechocolatebrotha said:

I don't know WTF my computer at work is doin' today, but anyway, kit, yes! Another criminally overlooked career! I remember "Change Your Wicked Ways" and I even named my last kitty katt, "Pennye!" She lived 14 years and passed in 2006. I met Pennye Ford in the Summer of 1986 when she was about 2 join the S.O.S. Band, but somehow, that never happened. I have some nice pix of the two of us 2gether!

Penny passed away? I just checked, and they said she was alive....It's her sister, Sharon Brown that passed.

[Edited 2/27/14 21:07pm]

whitechocolatebrotha's cat named Pennye passed away.

Khemistry - Khemistry (1982)

Let Me Add Mystic Merlin's 1982 album, "Full Moon", it's BANGIN!

kitbradley said:

Phyllis Hyman - You Know How To Love Me

shorttrini said:

whitechocolatebrotha said:

I don't know WTF my computer at work is doin' today, but anyway, kit, yes! Another criminally overlooked career! I remember "Change Your Wicked Ways" and I even named my last kitty katt, "Pennye!" She lived 14 years and passed in 2006. I met Pennye Ford in the Summer of 1986 when she was about 2 join the S.O.S. Band, but somehow, that never happened. I have some nice pix of the two of us 2gether!

Penny passed away? I just checked, and they said she was alive....It's her sister, Sharon Brown that passed.

[Edited 2/27/14 21:07pm]

Her sister was Sharon Redd. Maybe Brown was her maiden name? Sharon was another soulful sista!

Abdul said:

Let Me Add Mystic Merlin's 1982 album, "Full Moon", it's BANGIN!

I got "Full Moon" last year when BBR remastered/reissued it along with their other two! They're TIGHT!!!

SoulAlive said:

I,too,have always wondered why this album didn't do very well.The third single,"Stop The World",is excellent and should have been one of Teena's biggest selling singles.This was her first album for Epic and perhaps they hadn't yet figured out how to market and promote her?

whitechocolatebrotha said:

"Robbery"

Teena Marie, 1982 Epic/CBS Records

Y'know, Soul...that's always a possibility. Back then, you couldn't be Caucasian and be an R&B singer. It perplexed the Industry. The "wild and peaceful" thing 'bout Lady Tee was that she ALWAYS stuck 2 her guns and did the music SHE wanted 2 do and NOT what "they" told her 2 do. It's like she always said, "It's not the color of your skin that matters, but the song that's in your soul that matters." - or sumpthin' 2 that effect. "Robbery" was a flop all around, but 2 me, it's always been a classic and one of my fav'rite "life" albums.

kitbradley said:

whitechocolatebrotha said:

I don't know WTF my computer at work is doin' today, but anyway, kit, yes! Another criminally overlooked career! I remember "Change Your Wicked Ways" and I even named my last kitty katt, "Pennye!" She lived 14 years and passed in 2006. I met Pennye Ford in the Summer of 1986 when she was about 2 join the S.O.S. Band, but somehow, that never happened. I have some nice pix of the two of us 2gether!

This album should have been huge. But, like Philadelphia International, Total Experience Records did little to nothing in promotion of their female artists. And I know that Lonnie Simmons was a real shady character. He was the President of the label and I've heard some horrific stories about how he treated the artists.

Pennye didn't join The SOS Band because she got a gig with Klymaxx first. But, I don't think she ever recorded with them. After that is when she met Chaka, which lead to the SNAP! gig, which lead to a second solo album with Sony, in which Pennye claims Mariah sabatoged because she saw Pennye as a threat.

[Edited 2/27/14 16:41pm]

Wow! I never knew any o'that! Damn! I don't think Pennye ever recorded with Klymaxx either. I'll have 2 check out those Pennye Ford CD's, kit! I still have the pix I took of her with me at the S.O.S. Band's 1986 appearance in Boston. I think I still have her lipstick kiss pressed onto the "Sands Of Time" poster flat that I brought with me! LOL!

whitechocolatebrotha said:

SoulAlive said:

I,too,have always wondered why this album didn't do very well.The third single,"Stop The World",is excellent and should have been one of Teena's biggest selling singles.This was her first album for Epic and perhaps they hadn't yet figured out how to market and promote her?

Y'know, Soul...that's always a possibility. Back then, you couldn't be Caucasian and be an R&B singer. It perplexed the Industry. The "wild and peaceful" thing 'bout Lady Tee was that she ALWAYS stuck 2 her guns and did the music SHE wanted 2 do and NOT what "they" told her 2 do. It's like she always said, "It's not the color of your skin that matters, but the song that's in your soul that matters." - or sumpthin' 2 that effect. "Robbery" was a flop all around, but 2 me, it's always been a classic and one of my fav'rite "life" albums.

It's one of my favorite Teena albums,too and even though it flopped on the charts,the three singles ("Fix It","Midnight Magnet" and "Stop The World") were popular and got alot of airplay in my area.It's an album that her hardcore fans enjoyed.It just didn't have a huge single (like "Square Biz").Interestingly,there was actually a music video for the title track.I thought this was odd,since there didn't appear to be any videos for the three 'official' singles.That may be another reason why this album didn't become the hit it deserved to be: lack of music videos.

whitechocolatebrotha said:

"Call On Me"

Evelyn "Champagne" King, 1980 RCA Records

It was clear that,after "Shame",Evelyn's record company didn't know what to do with her.They were confused about how they should market/promote her.I'm sure you know the whole story about the Sweet Delight/Call On Me saga.They finally got it right in 1981 when they paired her up with producer Kashif.It was smooth sailing about that,at least for a few years.

whitechocolatebrotha said:

"Stronger Than Ever"

Rose Royce, 1982 Epic/CBS Records

when Gwen Dickey left the band in 1980,things were never the same.They didn't have any more hits after her departure.I really wish she had stayed in the band and they would have continued having hits throughout the first half of the 80s,at least.

I don't know what happened with that album,but I know that,in late 1978,she released a very good album that contains the hits "You Stepped Into My Life" (a Bee Gees cover) and my favorite "Pick Me Up,I'll Dance".From what I understand,the Burn album featured a slightly different sound...wasn't it kind of rock-ish? That could be why it wasn't as successful as the previous album.

whitechocolatebrotha said:

"Burn"

Melba Moore, 1979 Epic Records

squish said:

Khemistry - Khemistry (1982)

Yep, another good one!

SoulAlive said:

I don't know what happened with that album,but I know that,in late 1978,she released a very good album that contains the hits "You Stepped Into My Life" (a Bee Gees cover) and my favorite "Pick Me Up,I'll Dance".From what I understand,the Burn album featured a slightly different sound...wasn't it kind of rock-ish? That could be why it wasn't as successful as the previous album.

'Burn' was a Hard Rock-Disco affair produced by Pete Bellotte without his usual sidekick Giorgio Mododer. Think side two of Donna Summer's 'Bad Girls'.