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Ready for the World ("Oh Sheila", etc.) I only recently discovered Ready for the World's "Oh Sheila" (1985, US #1). I'd heard about the song for years, and knew it had been a big hit, but when I heard it a few years ago it didn't ring any bells. I was 9 in 1985, but I was already tuned into the pop charts and I remember nearly all the big hits then... but this one, for some reason, I didn't. It's a cute and funky song. (The band, as you see, had the full mid-80s jheri-curls going on.) Anyway, the song seems sort-of forgotten today, but listening to it, the most noticeable thing is that it's an obvious take-off on the Prince-c.1983 sound. It's all there -- the Linn-drum sound, the horny whispered vocals, the minimal but highly-mixed keyboard riffs, the funky guitar scratches... This song sounds so much like early Prince/Revolution that Prince probably thought it was him when he heard it. https://www.youtube.com/w...bL2lMn34Oo
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Ready for the World in essence was ahead of their time | |
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when Sheila E. first heard this song on the radio,she thought it was Prince singing about her | |
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I like their first two albums.Most of the the songs sound like 1983 outtakes by Prince.By the mid-80s,there were alot of Prince soundalikes,but you can say that RFTW were the most successful at it. | |
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I honestly never really liked this song. Sucks to because these guys hail from my homestate | |
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Yup, what I thought. "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything." --Plato
https://youtu.be/CVwv9LZMah0 | |
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They were dope until they went New Jack Swing. PRINCE: Always and Forever
MICHAEL JACKSON: Always and Forever ----- Live Your Life How U Wanna Live It | |
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Yeah their first album went gold, the next platinum. Should have kept that Prince sound going they had an advantage even over prince proteges. they were writing and producing their own songs...they had tio going on but...oh well. My Girly and Can He Do It Like This wasnt that bad though. Straight Jacket Funk Affair
Album plays and love for vinyl records. | |
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it was very successful. I wonder how you missed the song. it gets lots of play still and not forgotten especially in r&b radio. Their single "Love You Down" was especially successful on their second album also going #1 on the charts.
Ready for the World's Melvin Riley denied any connection with the two artists, stating that the subject of the song was a fictional character. However, the song's drum machine pattern and melody was inspired by the Prince song "Lady Cab Driver."
Oh Sheila:
Straight Jacket Funk Affair
Album plays and love for vinyl records. | |||||||||||||
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This was one of my favorite jams by RFTW.
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LittleBLUECorvette said: They were dope until they went New Jack Swing. I agree.Once they stopped imitating Prince and jumped on the New Jack Swing bandwagon,I lost interest IMO,their best song is "Digital Display".I don't think they've ever topped that song. | |
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SoulAlive said: LittleBLUECorvette said: They were dope until they went New Jack Swing. I agree.Once they stopped imitating Prince and jumped on the New Jack Swing bandwagon,I lost interest IMO,their best song is "Digital Display".I don't think they've ever topped that song. Baby Let Me Love You > Dig Display PRINCE: Always and Forever
MICHAEL JACKSON: Always and Forever ----- Live Your Life How U Wanna Live It | |
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Yeah that one is one of my favorites too along with Long Time Coming and Can He Do It Like This. Digital Display and Oh Sheila were cool in 1985 but those songs don't do anything for me now. Don't laugh at my funk
This funk is a serious joint | |
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"Baby (Let Me Love You)" is a good song,but it's kinda repetitive.The second verse is the same as the first verse to me,the highlights of their second album are "Mary Goes 'Round" (which really sounds alot like Prince),"Do You Get Enough",'Some People Don't Care" and the excellent slow jam "It's All A Game".
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YES for the Babyy Let Me Love You love in here. I thought I was all alone in the adoration of that tune. Straight Jacket Funk Affair
Album plays and love for vinyl records. | |
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these guys need to do an Unsung episode! | |
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I first became familiar with RFTW in the early 2000s due to "Love You Down" because the local hip-hop R&B station in Seattle KUBE 93.3 would play LYD during the Old Skool Lunch and at night. I know both "Oh Sheila" and "Love You Down," but I'm pretty sure that I discovered "Oh Sheila" by downloading it from Napster ( I can chuckle about it now.) I knew that RFTW was an actual band, but beyond that, I never paid much attention to them, don't think I ever watched any of their videos until today. They definitely do sound a lot like Prince on "Oh Sheila." The music video for "Oh Sheila" reminds me of the opening scene of PR during LGC. . RFTW definitely have some smilarities to Mint Condition in that they are an actual band with vocalists and instrumentalists as opposed to groups like New Edition, who are all singers-dancers (and that is no knock on NE, because I really like them, but it's a fact that the guys in NE are singing and dancing, not playing drums or guitars. Live 4 Love ~ Love is God, God is love, Girls and boys love God above | |
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Unfortunately the curls put a stain on these guys legacy unlike guitar legends Prince and Jesse Johnson. Don't laugh at my funk
This funk is a serious joint | |
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I actually saw RFTW in concert in early 1986.They were on a bill with The Jets and Doug E.Fresh with Slick Rick | |
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- I've been saying that for years! Everytime on the Org when they have a poll of who do you think deserves an episode, I'd always vote RFTW. To me, they are the essence of "unsung". I feel like I owe these guys something because of how much they played a role in my early days with girls | |
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I think after reviewing their first album tracklist. "Ceramic Girl" and "I'm The One Who Loves You" were my favorites from that release. They got the most replay value out of me. Besides, I had grown so tired of the huge radio hits they had. I was glad to listen to something else. - -
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This is pretty much where I got off the RFTW train...Last song I really liked. The remix was dope too, just can't find the full version on YT... - - - -
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Im The One is funky as hell. Add Human Toy to that too.
[Edited 7/5/17 8:44am] Straight Jacket Funk Affair
Album plays and love for vinyl records. | |
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- Totally agree! | |
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"I'm The One Who Loves You" is one of my faviorites,too! This track is very,very Prince-like....those Linn drums and it has that same synth/train-like sound that we heard on "Sex Shooter". | |
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- Yup! I thought it was a little different/strange at first listen back then but it became one of my faves from them. Yeah they bit hard from our boy (who didn't?) but they were the best of the heavily influenced groups to do it back then. - Did you dig Melvin's solo stuff? | |
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I never heard Melvin's solo album.....was it any good? | |
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- Check out "Ghetto Love" on YT. I liked some of the slow jams. I never heard "Bedroom Stories" myself. Due to him being one of the principal writers and producers of RFTW's stuff, "GL" sounds like an RFTW album without the funk or guitars. | |
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the last song I heard from RFTW was "Straight Down To Business",their 1991 single. | |
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