Wondering if anyone can help me here. I really only started to get into Rick James' music recently, and basically living in scotland is not the best place to get Rick's stuff. I can't find anything really.

I've got a crappy best of, Street Songs and Bustin' Out of L Seven. Does anyone know where I can get any other CD's (websites etc)? Or am I best waiting on the inevitable Motown reissue cash in?

Also is there any books available on Rick or suchlike?

Thanks

R.I.P Rick James

Your best bet is to just wait for Motown/Universal to finally re-master his old albums,something they should have done YEARS ago.Rick himself even complained recently that they are a "sloppy" record label,but now that he's dead,i bet they're gonna suddenly spring into action,trying to cash in on his death.His catalog has been ignored and disrespected for too long now.


The only CDs that are easy to find are the 'Street Songs Deluxe Edition',the debut album 'Come and Get It','Cold Blooded' and numerous compilations that all contain the same songs.Btw,where did you get your copy of 'Bustin Out Of L Seven'?

sermwanderer said:

Funny you should ask.Just a few weeks ago,Rick finally completed his autobiography 'Memoirs Of A Super Freak' and it is already being made into a TV movie starring Dave Chappelle.The book and the movie should be out this winter.

I think you've got all the albums that are released on CD. You surprised me that you have "Bustin' Out Of L Seven" on CD. That's a very hard to find CD. You might find "Wonderful" on a used CD somewhere.

If you have a turntable, you can go to a used record store and find a lot of them. I've seen many of them out there and the price is reasonable. "The Flag" was the last album I got to complete my collection and I got it for $6. They may raise the price now that he's dead though.

Other than that, like DavidEye said, you will have to wait until Motown releases them on CD.

I got Bustin' Out of L Seven from a guy selling it on Amazon a while back- thats a great CD, think I prefer it to Street Songs. Only paid about £10 for it, not sure how much that is in dollars.

Thats great news about the book, that'll make interesting reading. The only time I've ever seen Dave Chappelle is the Rick James and Prince skits, they were both pretty funny. Wonder if he'll play Rick like he did on his show?!

How good are 'Come and Get It' and 'Cold Blooded' btw?

These are the Rick James CDs that I currently have...

Come and Get It (1978)
Street Songs Deluxe Edition (1981)
Cold Blooded (1983)
The Flag (1986)
Urban Rapsody (1997)
Bustin Out: The Rick James Anthology (1994)

Two of those---'The Flag' and 'Urban Rapsody'---are now out of print,so good luck in finding those.In addition,the 'Come and Get It' and 'Cold Blooded' CDs are just begging to be remastered,the sound quality is pathetic!

By the Way, there are 2 copies of Bustin Out of L Seven available on Amazon.co.uk just now.

sermwanderer said:

'Come and Get It' is a solid debut album,very P-Funk-inspired.It contains the hit singles "You And I" (long version) and the unforgettable "Mary Jane".But there are also a few outstanding slower tracks "Dream Maker" (gotta love Rick's falsetto on this song!) and "Hollywood".

'Cold Blooded' introduced a new sound for Rick James.There were less horns,more synthesizers and drum machines.But it was still funky.The title track boasts a stripped down groove.Other great songs include the lush duet with Smokey Robinson "Ebony Eyes",and "New York Town" is a highlight too,as is the catchy "P.I.M.P. the S.I.M.P." featuring rapper Grandmaster Flash.I like to think of this album as an electronic,heavily sythesized version of "Street Songs".

Two albums you really need to get are "Fire It Up" and "Throwin' Down".

"Fire It Up" from 1979 is Rick's third album. The title track "Fire It Up" is pure funk. "Love Gun" is funk with a slight touch of rock. "Lovin' You Is A Pleasure" is pretty good. "Come Into My Life" is the track that hooked me to Rick James. It has one of the funkiest bass lines I have ever heard. If you like "Hollywood" and "Dream Maker", then you'll like "Love In The Night".

"Throwin' Down" from 1982 is my favorite Rick James album. It is a perfect follow up to "Street Songs". He returns with Teena for another ballad called "Happy". "Teardrops" is a real tear jerker. Those are the two ballads. Now as far as funk.....this album has loads of it. An edited version of "Standing On The Top" from The Temptations' album "Reunion" (the long version really jams), "Hard To Get", a perfect follow up to "Super Freak", "Dance Wit' Me", "Money Talks", "69 Times", and "Throw Down". This is a MUST HAVE album for any Rick James fan.

Try ebay lot's of Rick James stuff on there...T-shirts, LP's, CD's, and even hats! www.ebay.com
[This message was edited Thu Aug 12 10:47:09 2004 by JoeBala]

DavidEye said:

I know its a long shot but I really hope Motown or Hip-O Select does something with the Stone City Band LPs. Wasn't there supposed to be a Rick and Friends type compilation with tracks from the Mary Jane Girls and Stone City Band?

[/quote]

Now that's what I'm waiting for. I want the Stone City Band albums. I have the first one called "In N Out". It has a jam on there called "Little Runaway". I know there's about two more albums. I remember the Stone City Band performing a song in around 1980 or 1981 on Soul Train. I'm also looking for the album they did in 1983 that had the song "Ladies Choice" on it.

psykosoul said:

Yes,there was supposed to be a "Rick James and Friends" compilation.The guy who usually oversees these types of projects at Motown/Universal (Harry Weinger) mentioned it several times on the Motown message boards and he was considering making it a 2-CD set.I was hoping it would be released by now.It could include songs from Teena Marie,The Stone City Band,Val Young,Process and The Doo Rags,The Temptations,Eddie Murphy,and The Mary Jane Girls.I'm sure there are a few other songs that Rick produced for other artists.

vainandy said:

I agree,'Throwin' Down' is a superb album,and a perfect follow-up to 'Street Songs'.The duet with Teena Marie "Happy" is a very underrated song and i can't belive that it didn't become a hit.The other slow song "Teardrops" is equally impressive (by the mid-80s,Rick had totally mastered the art of making incredible slowjams)."Hard To Get" is another winning track,even if it IS an obvious "SuperFreak" soundalike."69 Times" and the title track are funky as hell.In the mid or late 80s,Motown issued this album on a single CD with 'Street Songs',but they totally ruined it.In addition to the less-than-thrilling sound quality (which could almost be forgiven,since most CDs printed in the 80s generally have lousy sound anyway) they actually used the single edit of "Dance Wit Me".In any case,that CD is now out of print.Hopefully,when the finally release it again,they will give it the "Deluxe Edition" treatment,like they did for 'Street Songs'.Bonus tracks could include the full-length version of "Standing On The Top",which is just excellent.

I think that you should give the Street Songs and best-of albums you have away. These are far more better albums. First off, Street Songs (The Definitive Rick James Album) was reissued back in 2001 as a 20th anniversary deluxe edition. Let me tell u what it has:

- The whole album~ every note from top to bottom, it's not edited
- 2 "12 mixes and 2 instrumentals (just for Give It To Me Baby and Super Freak)
-A second disc featuring an unreleased live concert from '81 (the disc has the Stone City Band, Teena Marie, and The Mary Jane Girls performing also)
- A booklet with rare photographs, original LP artwork, the story of the album, and production notes.
- A digipak representing the original LP with photographs

Now, do ya get this on a single disc? NO!!!! This is a must buy...

There are many Rick James best-of collections out there. There was one he released back in '85 called Reflections that had all of his hits up to the 80's. It also had that song "17", a wonderful song. Where is it now? It's out of print. The best-of collection u have, I know~ incomplete and crappy. In 1994, Motown released a 2-disc anthology, Bustin' Out: The Very Best Of Rick James. It had all of his hits with 4 brand new songs, he recorded specially for this set. Then in 1997, they released the needless, Ultimate Collection. Nothing exciting.. In 2000, they released that crappy, The Millennium Collection: The Best Of RJ disc, you probably have. A big throwaway!? Now, they have given us yet another anthology, simply called Anthology. With that one, ur getting 28 hits and album tracks.

Well, Bustin' Out : The Very Best Of RJ and Anthology are by far, the best RJ compilations out there now. They sure beat out on the one u have and probably The Ultimate Collection. I say, hell buy both. I mean, Bustin' Out has 4 new tracks and Anthology has I don't know 28 tracks bigger than all of them. If you don't want 2 buy them both, better ask a friend to make a copy of those 4 new tracks from the Bustin' Out collection, if they have the CD. Anthology is the first-stop collection. You better wait for all of RJ's albums (except Street Songs) to be reissued, before you start looking 4 everyone of them. It's impossible, they're out of print.

You should buy:

~Street Songs (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
~ Anthology
~ Bustin' Out: The Very Best Of RJ

4 now....

Amazon.com has them all.
[This message was edited Fri Aug 13 4:04:32 2004 by silverchild]

I'm sure that many people are now gonna rush to the record stores,looking for Rick James CDs.As Silverchild pointed out,there are many Rick James hits compilations on the market.But there are only two that these folks should consider getting.Both of these sets are 2-CD compilations,they're not perfect but you'll find that they're much better than the single-disc compilations (after all,Rick had alot of hits and you can't fit them all one one disc).I'm gonna compare both sets...


***Bustin' Out: The Very Best Of Rick James (released in 1994)

DISC ONE---
You And I
Mary Jane
Dream Maker
Bustin Out
Love Gun
Big Time
Give It To Me Baby
Super Freak
Ghetto Life
Fire And Desire
Standing On The Top (with the Temptations)
Hard To Get
69 Times
Dance Wit Me

DISC TWO---
Teardrops
Cold Blooded
U Bring The Freak Out
Ebony Eyes
17
You Turn Me On
Glow
Moonchild
Divine Love (So Fine)
Serious Love (Spend The Night)
Starship
Down By Law
Medley

My thoughts on this set: Most of the hits are accounted for,and nearly every song is in it's full-length album version.But where is "Can't Stop","Sweet and Sexy Thing" and "Loosey's Rap" (a Number One R&B single in 1988)? Depsite those omissions,this is an outstanding 2-CD career retrospective with extensive liner notes,insightful comments from Rick himself,and lots of rare photos.In addition,it contains 4 previously unreleased songs,making it the essential set for the diehard fan.


***Rick James Anthology (released in 2002)

DISC ONE---
You And I
Mary Jane
Hollywood
Bustin' Out
Fire It Up
Love Gun
Come Into My Life
When Love Has Gone
Big Time
Island Lady
Give It To Me Baby
Super Freak
Fire And Desire

DISC TWO---
Dance Wit Me
Standing On The Top (with the Temptations) 12" version
Hard To Get
Happy (with Teena Marie)
69 Times
My Love
U Bring The Freak Out
Cold Blooded
Ebony Eyes (with Smokey Robinson)
P.I.M.P. the S.I.M.P (with Grandmaster Flash)
17
Glow
Moonchild
Sweet and Sexy Thing
Loosey's Rap (with Roxanne Shante)


My thoughts on this set: On the surface,this looks like another outstanding 2-CD career retrospective.But looks can be deceiving.There are some problems with this set.The single edit of "17" is used,and "Sweet And Sexy thing" is heard in a lame remix version in which you hear only the first verse and chorus,then it becomes an annoying instrumental track! Also,the version of "Big Time" is different than the regular version...on this set,it sounds less "polished" than the regular version heard on the previous compilation.The good news is that this set includes singles that you don't find on other compilations..."Come Into My Life","Fire It Up","Loosey's Rap" and this is one of the few places where you get the full-length 12" version of "Standing On The Top".So it's not a total disappointment,but i prefer the previous set.

[/quote]

I see we are thinking alike. When I burned my "Throwin' Down" album onto CD, I pulled my Temptations album "Reunion" and recorded the long version of "Standing On The Top" as a bonus track. By the way, I noticed you have the Anthology which has the 12 Inch version. Is that the same as the long version on the Temptations album?

DavidEye said:

Yeah, Anthology doesn't have all the goodies, but it's still the definitive RJ set.

vainandy said:

I see we are thinking alike. When I burned my "Throwin' Down" album onto CD, I pulled my Temptations album "Reunion" and recorded the long version of "Standing On The Top" as a bonus track. By the way, I noticed you have the Anthology which has the 12 Inch version. Is that the same as the long version on the Temptations album?[/quote]

Oh well, yes. A "12 inch version is the same as a long version or unedited version and/or mix.

vainandy said:

I see we are thinking alike. When I burned my "Throwin' Down" album onto CD, I pulled my Temptations album "Reunion" and recorded the long version of "Standing On The Top" as a bonus track. By the way, I noticed you have the Anthology which has the 12 Inch version. Is that the same as the long version on the Temptations album?[/quote]





Yes,it is the same version.Btw,you mention that you have the Temptations' 'Reunion' album (released in 1982).Did Rick write and produce anything else on that album besides "Standing On The Top"?

[/quote]

I'll have to check but I think "Standing On The Top" is the only thing Rick worked with. There is a VERY good remake of Charlene's "I've Never Been To Me" on that album.

I just checked and "Standing On The Top" is the only song that Rick worked on.