You remember these cats don't you? Yeah, sure you do. Switch was it in 1978 and 1979. Their first hit "There'll Never Be" in 78 was all over the radio. I remember when I was a kid riding in the car with my mom and this song would always come on the radio. I would always start singing it, imitating Bobby Debarge's funny ass falsetto. And my mom and myself would bust up laughing. Bobby had to have had the sorriest falsetto ever. I mean of all time! But dig, I liked the song. A lot. I ended up buying the album. The album was o.k. Then Switch striked back in 79 with, in a way, even a better ballad "I Call Your Name". The music to this was very cool. Now Switch was on a roll. All the girls dug Switch bigtime too. The intro to "I Call Your Name" with Bobby's soft ass girlish voice, "Is this really your phone number?" was right in line with Michael Jackson's crying ass in "She's Out Of My Life" also in 79. And Prince's "Do Me, Baby" with "I'm so cold. Hold me." Negro please! Tell me, what straight black motherf@%ker is going to say some shit like that right after having sex? This obviously was the time of the feminine brother! I remember reading in Right On! magazine Cynthia Horner {something like that} was interviewing Prince and she said to Prince "you remind me of some of the guys in Switch." And P said some shit like "Tell me what can I do to change that." That was a cool ass comeback. Jermaine Jackson produced Switch's 2nd album. That's the one where they're rolling skating at Venice Beach, wearing Jermaine's hairstyle from "My Name Is Jermaine" album.

i have a copy of switch II in my vinyl collection--i like "calling all girls", "best beat in town" and i love "i call your name".

"But you know, I’m a man now, baby, a grown man !"

FunkMistress said:

"And I've come a loong way (heh heh)
and expurence has taught me one thang
Its taught me to hold on to my love"

FunkMistress said:

"And I've come a loong way (heh heh)
and expurence has taught me one thang
Its taught me to hold on to my love"

FunkMistress said:

Yep. That's some funny ass shit. That whole intro is corny.

Ndeed! I liked these tracks:

I Call Your Name
There'll Never Be
I Want To Be Closer
My Friend In The Sky
Love Over and Over Again
I'll Always Keep
Best Beat In Town
Calling On all Girls

paligap said:

Calling On All Girls is cool too.

found1 said:

"...a Grown Man..."!! That shit was hilarious!!

Switch was a bad baaaaand....


" you pulled a switch is the stone jaaaaam

blackguitaristz said:

Switch was one of those groups I was enamored with as a kid, but as time went on I've grown out of their music. I still dig "There'll Never Be," but don't remember most of their other material, except for "I Call Your Name"...if I had to listen to Bobby's voice now there would have to be a limit, because I'd be annoyed by it. Just like I am with his brother El's voice.

"There'll Never Be" is one of the baddest slow jams I can think of. I LOVE this song inbetween Heatwave's "Always And Forever" and Earth, Wind, and Fire's "Reasons" (Live Version).

I'm a Switch and Debarge fan.Whenever I mention either band everybody gets excited.

paligap said:

If he didn't sound like a 10 year old girl

My favorite Switch song is "Love Over And Over Again".I remember my sister got the album (titled 'This is My Dream') for Christmas 1980 and it's a solid album.There are some great uptempo funk jams ("Believe In Yourself","Just Imagine") and another wonderful slow jam called "You And I".I played this album like crazy back in 1981.


thanks for starting this thread.I'm gonna have to hunt for that album!

oh my god, I remember when "There'll Never Be" was fresh and on the radio! I was just starting to get depper & deeper into real music. Anyway I just rediscovered and bought their albums several years after that (Reaching for tomorrow, Switch II).

Love them... great thread!

DavidEye said:

I had This is My Dream. You and I. What a beautiful song. You guys are taking me back. They have a greatest hits. I gave my copy away a couple of years ago, but I think I'm gonna pick up another. I'm diggin this thread too.

blackguitaristz said:

Yeah,their spoken intros were kinda silly,lol.Remember the intro to "Love Over And Over Again"?


(sigh) You know,it seems so hard to find a real love
A love that is soft and warm
You know,there aren't many things that I can hold onto because I've been let down so many times
But I found a....a real joy in knowing you


shut up and sing,dude!

found1 said:

You and I....You and I....You and I....You and I.....You and I together...forever.....

simple but effective

DavidEye said:

Yep. But Bobby was calling himself "wooing" all the young girls. That kinda shit worked on girls back then. U come at a woman with that kind of noise today, as mobsters would say "fuget about it!"

blackguitaristz said:

So true...

Same with that "I'm Mike...I'm a Sagittarius" type shit.


zodiac edit
[This message was edited Wed Jul 28 10:30:51 2004 by FunkMistress]

FunkMistress said:

I guess it was cool to be the sensitive, vulnerable dude with a hot press and high ass voise
"Are you gon call me like you said you would?
"Is this really your real phone number?"

Um..no. she doesnt want you calling her, bruh.

blackguitaristz said:

LOL!

Very weird to hear the voice and then see that this is a "grown man".
Cool well produced tunes but the word light comes to mind.

Underrated? Nah.

Oh yeah, they did have the girlies trippin'.

tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

TheRealFiness said:

Oh yes Realfiness you got the track there - baaaaad jam of a tune -they're only one I like but of theirs I really like, but what a tune

I LOVEDDDDD Switch!!!!!

I still play them.....makes me want Eldra to come out with something (since Bobby is gone and Chico does the neo-soul joeish music).





You know who else I'm really rediscovering is Cameo (not Word up!) but Sparkle, I just want to be.....etc.

Rhondab said:

Did Bobby's talking in the intro's of his ballads set u on fire or was it more like "Negro Please!"
Cuz the girlies in the early 80's dug that "Sweet" shit!

blackguitaristz said:

back then....Light skinned men were in .....so it was hot...