A & M Records

Blueberry Gossip -TaMara and the Seen

Jesse Johnson's Revue era 1984 - 1985

http://prince.org/msg/5/445178

my favorite track: "She (I Can't Resist)"

Jesse filmed the "Baby Let's Kiss" video in Miami

"Crazay" with Sly Stone

SoulAlive said:

"Crazay" with Sly Stone

Jesse COLLABORATED W/Sly!!!! I'm SURE that got P's goat!!

Funk/soul guitarist Jesse Johnson and music legend Sly Stone duet on this ultra-tight groove. Johnson wrote and produced "Crazay," a bumpin' synth-laden funk track. He crafted the perfect groove in which to showcase Sly's soulful voice. The multitalented funk pioneer really shines here, and it's cool to see him back in his element doing his thing. The track also has a great synthesizer intro and a funky slap bass line. It's a high-energy groove that has a joyful, celebratory vibe.

The video for the song is also top-flight. It's filled with infectious energy and bright psychedelic colors, giving it kind of a 1960s Haight-Ashbury flavor. And Sly and Jesse both look like they're having a blast. When the song was released back in 1986, I thought Sly was due for a big comeback, because he was really on his game here. Unfortunately, the big comeback never materialized but still a very cool track and video. Anyway, comeback are not, Sly was the guiding force behind one of the most influential bands in the history of popular music and a true music innovator.

"Crazay" was the first single from Johnson's sophomore album Shockadelica (1986). The track did quite well on the charts, rising all the way to #2 on the R&B charts and #53 on the pop charts. Jesse Johnson is one of the most talented artists to come out of the Minneapolis music scene spearheaded by Prince back in the 1980s. Johnson's a talented songwriter and highly gifted guitarist. He was the lead guitarist and primary songwriter for The Time. His Shockadelica album is a terrific collection of songs, and it showcases his gifts as a musician and songwriter. He wrote, produced and arranged all the tracks on the album.

I think I wanna feel ya
I just wanna thrill ya
Girl, gotta make ya mine

I just wanna shake you
I think I'm going to take you out
Tryin' to blow my mind

I just wanna hold ya
Gotta get to know ya
Dream about ya all the time

I know I'm kinda foolish
Gotta try to cool it
But girl, you blow my mind
Oh, that's why I'm

(Crazay)
(Crazay for you)
(Crazay for you all the time)

(Crazay)
(Crazay for you)
(Crazay for you all the time)

If you would only listen
Baby, stop resistin'
Open up & let me in

I don't want to control you
Baby, let me show you
Ohh, I play to win

Don't you think I'm serious
Baby not mysterious
About the way you make me feel

Ya got my body burnin'
Baby you got me yearnin'
'Cause girl you give me chills
Woo, that's why I'm...

(Crazay)
(Crazay for you)
(Crazay for you all the time)

(Crazay)
(Crazay for you)
(Crazay for you all the time)

Don't know just what to do
You make me lose my cool
Hey, pretty girls help me out

You've got me on my knees
Baby please
Yeah, girl you rock the house, come on

Tryin' to tell you 'bout a girl I know
Come on girl, you've got to let it go
Aww, everybody knows

(Crazay)
(Crazay for you)
(Crazay for you all the time)

(Crazay)
(Crazay for you)
(Crazay for you all the time)

I just wanna hold ya
Gotta get to know ya
Dream about ya all the time

People think I'm crazy
I don't think just maybe
I'm about to lose my mind

I want you to make me
Rock me baby, shake me
Honey baby take me high

Don't you know I want to
Hug and kiss and love you
But girl, you make me cry
Woo, woo, woo

(Crazay)
(Crazay for you)
(Crazay for you all the time)

I'm crazy, crazy

(Crazay)
(Crazay for you)
(Crazay for you all the time)

Girl, baby

(Crazay)
(Crazay for you)
(Crazay for you all the time)

Crazy, crazy

(Crazay)
(Crazay for you)
(Crazay for you all the time)

"Do Yourself A Favor"

If You See Me (a.k.a. Do Yourself A Favor) was first released without Prince input as Do Yourself A Favor, by Jesse Johnson (on Shockadelica, 1986), but the first release containing input by Prince, recorded much earlier, was in two versions (instrumental and vocal) on a 1992 reissue of 94 East's first collection of studio recordings Minneapolis Genius, featuring Prince on guitar.

The track has featured on every subsequent collection of 94 East's early recordings. In 1995 both versions were included on Symbolic Beginning (re-released in 1999 as The Legends Collection). In 2000 the vocal version was included as the seventh track on 94 East Featuring Prince.

Also in 2000, both versions were included on One Man Jam. In 2002, both versions were included on If You Feel Like Dancin'. In 2011, a remixed version by Matt "Dr." Fink was included as the second track on the digital collection The Cookhouse Five.

Initial tracking took place on 4 December, 1975, at Cookhouse Studios, Minneapolis, MN, USA (during the same set of sessions as Games, I'll Always Love You, If We Don't and Better Than You Think), marking the earliest recording sessions featuring Prince to have been released.

Pepé Willie later recounted that Prince was unhappy with his guitar playing at one part of the track and asked the next day if he could re-record a section of his part; Willie arranged with the studio for this to happen while Willie himself played golf. Due to a change in the recording equipment's EQ levels (which had been changed for another artist's recording session), Prince's re-recorded guitar segment is audibly different than his guitar on the rest of the track.

Matt "Dr." Fink remixed the track in June 2010, at StarVu Studios, Minneapolis, MN, USA, along with the other Cookhouse Studios tracks from the same session.

In 1982, Prince recorded an entirely new version of the track at his Kiowa Trail Home Studio, Chanhassen, MN, USA, titled Do Yourself A Favor; according to Pepé Willie, Prince recorded it from memory and had not heard it for years.

Jesse Johnson released a similar version, also titled Do Yourself A Favor, on his album Shockadelica, in 1986, but it misses Prince's own lyrical contribution to the track, a humorous spoken section in his "Jamie Starr" voice, so his version is not considered to have any input by Prince.

Prince's own version of Do Yourself A Favor remains unreleased. (PrinceVault)

.

[Edited 9/24/17 18:14pm]

Jesse has said that Prince wanted The Time to record "Do Yourself A Favor" and I think it would have fit perfectly on Ice Cream Castles,in place of the filler track "Chili Sauce".

woogiebear said:

SoulAlive said:

"Crazay" with Sly Stone

Jesse COLLABORATED W/Sly!!!! I'm SURE that got P's goat!!

"Crazay" should have been the beginning of a Sly Stone 80s comeback.He apparently planned an album in which Jesse would contribute some jams,but alas, it never materialized.

SoulAlive said:

Jesse has said that Prince wanted The Time to record "Do Yourself A Favor" and I think it would have fit perfectly on Ice Cream Castles,in place of the filler track "Chili Sauce".

Like the Vanity 6-Apollonia 6 transition, do you think Prince realized Morris was done and didn't work with them to make Ice Cream Castles a better album?

Tracklisting:
1. Blueberry Gossip
2. Excite My Life
3. Betcha She Don’t Want You
4. True Ecstasy
5. Captured By Your Spell
6. Tuff Girl
7. Everyday People
8. I Saved My Love
9. Gone In Love
10. Tears

Source: CD
Format: VBR V0 MP3
[View Comments To Listen]

For their second and final effort, Ta Mara & The Seen went deeper into the waters of R&B than their first outing, which was more heavily slanted to the uptempo “Minneapolis funk” style. This is not to say that this album, which is still very much an obvious production by Jesse Johnson, does not tread that ground (the title track and “Tuff Girl” among others satisfy that requirement, at least in the 1988 paradigm set by both Jesse and Jam/Lewis). There’s a bit of a Jesse-ism that could be found in some of his other production work: a modern take on a classic, this time Sly Stone’s “Everyday People” (perhaps this was done, because of the success of “Crazay”, which featured Sly Stone). The downtempo numbers are richer, and more rooted in the R&B styles of the time, which very much suits Ta Mara (Margie Cox)’s vocal style. In particular, the last two tracks, “Gone In Love” and especially “Tears” are great examples of why it seems like such a disappointment that they didn’t make more of an impression on the masses at large. Jesse’s own albums didn’t quite have the slower R&B numbers that this album (and some others to be reviewed) did, until the end of his run on A&M and much later in his career (which ironically sound like he was trying to go the D’Angelo route). Ta Mara and The Seen were no more after this album, which is a bit of a shame, considering the quality of the songs collected.

https://thepeoplesvault.wordpress.com/2015/06/06/ta-mara-the-seen-blueberry-gossip-1988/

OldFriends4Sale said:

SoulAlive said:

Jesse has said that Prince wanted The Time to record "Do Yourself A Favor" and I think it would have fit perfectly on Ice Cream Castles,in place of the filler track "Chili Sauce".

Like the Vanity 6-Apollonia 6 transition, do you think Prince realized Morris was done and didn't work with them to make Ice Cream Castles a better album?

I really believe that.Ice Cream Castles is not as good as the first two Time albums.The magic just isn't there.

The music scene in Minneapolis in the 1980s...that was something. That was really, really incredible. I joined the Doug Maynard Band and Bonnie Raitt hired us to be her opening band. We toured with her. That was in 1980, 1981 and 1982.

I took risks when I got out of my contract with Jesse Johnson and got out of my contract with Prince. I took risks and they were not good risks. Risks can be bad if you don't know what you're doing.

I've learned not too act so quickly or to act in anger or in spite, because, really, when I go back to it, I shouldn't have broken away from Jesse so quickly... We had a misunderstanding and I wish we would have resolved it, because, it just ended up kind of fizzling out. I think we might have been able to put out a third (Ta Mara and The Seen) CD called Tuff Girl. It was something we were working on. The first song we did was “Tuff Girl” and that made it on to (the album) Blueberry Gossip. It was an extra song that we were thinking of using for a third album.

Songwriting is important to me. It's in my blood. Songwriting is an art that I had as child, but, from working with Jesse Johnson and Prince I was able to really learn a lot more about songwriting, so, that I was able to make my own CD.

http://beautifulnightschitown.blogspot.com/2013/09/willing-and-able-margaret-cox-talks-2.html

SoulAlive said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Like the Vanity 6-Apollonia 6 transition, do you think Prince realized Morris was done and didn't work with them to make Ice Cream Castles a better album?

I really believe that.Ice Cream Castles is not as good as the first two Time albums.The magic just isn't there.

man I could put together a sweet Ice Cream Castles deluxe set

I don't want to take away from Shockadelica though

SoulAlive said:

my favorite track: "She (I Can't Resist)"

Agreed.

SoulAlive said:

"Do Yourself A Favor"

If You See Me (a.k.a. Do Yourself A Favor) was first released without Prince input as Do Yourself A Favor, by Jesse Johnson (on Shockadelica, 1986), but the first release containing input by Prince, recorded much earlier, was in two versions (instrumental and vocal) on a 1992 reissue of 94 East's first collection of studio recordings Minneapolis Genius, featuring Prince on guitar.

The track has featured on every subsequent collection of 94 East's early recordings. In 1995 both versions were included on Symbolic Beginning (re-released in 1999 as The Legends Collection). In 2000 the vocal version was included as the seventh track on 94 East Featuring Prince.

Also in 2000, both versions were included on One Man Jam. In 2002, both versions were included on If You Feel Like Dancin'. In 2011, a remixed version by Matt "Dr." Fink was included as the second track on the digital collection The Cookhouse Five.

Initial tracking took place on 4 December, 1975, at Cookhouse Studios, Minneapolis, MN, USA (during the same set of sessions as Games, I'll Always Love You, If We Don't and Better Than You Think), marking the earliest recording sessions featuring Prince to have been released.

Pepé Willie later recounted that Prince was unhappy with his guitar playing at one part of the track and asked the next day if he could re-record a section of his part; Willie arranged with the studio for this to happen while Willie himself played golf. Due to a change in the recording equipment's EQ levels (which had been changed for another artist's recording session), Prince's re-recorded guitar segment is audibly different than his guitar on the rest of the track.

Matt "Dr." Fink remixed the track in June 2010, at StarVu Studios, Minneapolis, MN, USA, along with the other Cookhouse Studios tracks from the same session.

In 1982, Prince recorded an entirely new version of the track at his Kiowa Trail Home Studio, Chanhassen, MN, USA, titled Do Yourself A Favor; according to Pepé Willie, Prince recorded it from memory and had not heard it for years.

Jesse Johnson released a similar version, also titled Do Yourself A Favor, on his album Shockadelica, in 1986, but it misses Prince's own lyrical contribution to the track, a humorous spoken section in his "Jamie Starr" voice, so his version is not considered to have any input by Prince.

Prince's own version of Do Yourself A Favor remains unreleased. (PrinceVault)

.

[Edited 9/24/17 18:14pm]

I love when songs have these varying paths of evolution

me too

"Addiction" is another hot jam

Extended Version (0:00)
Drive Yo Cadillac (7:10)

Remix (0:00)
Dub Version (8:20)
Paul Edit (15:09)
7" Remix (19:36)

remix (b side on 45 of Love Struck)

b side of Baby Let's Kiss

SoulAlive said:

me too

sad that people really are not interested in the music, more concerned about who slept with Prince or what female associate they can bitch out

OldFriends4Sale said:

SoulAlive said:

me too

sad that people really are not interested in the music, more concerned about who slept with Prince or what female associate they can bitch out

yep I really appreciate these threads that you do (focusing on a specific album/era).I try to avoid the gossipy threads,lol

has anyone ever wondered why Prince later came out with a song called "Shockadelica"? Here's the story:

Shockadelica was released as the b-side of If I Was Your Girlfriend, the second single from Prince's ninth album Sign O' The Times. Initial tracking took place on 16 September 1986 at Prince's Galpin Blvd Home Studio, Chanhassen, MN, USA (two days after Coco Boys) after hearing that Jesse Johnson's forthcoming album was titled Shockadelica but had no title track.

Prince felt that every album with a great title should contain a title track, but it seems that the song was not intended for Jesse Johnson, and was instead more of a joke to give the impression that Jesse Johnson stole the title from Prince.

Prince sent the finished song to Jesse Johnson on an audio cassette.

The track was premiered on Minneapolis radio station KMOJ a couple of days after it was recorded (a few weeks before Jesse Johnson's album was released).(PrinceVault)