I went back to that used record store and bought some more vinyl...


KC and the Sunshine Band 'Part 3' (1976)
Tavares 'Future Bound' (1978)
Rick James 'Glow' (1985)
Chic debut album (1977)

As far as I know,none of these albums are available on CD,so I'm thrilled that I was able to find these records,and they're in mint condition too.The Rick James album is factory sealed (brand new).

Finess,what did you buy lately?

I thought you already had "Glow"?
[Edited 12/17/04 0:59am]

vainandy said:

I used to have the cassette back in the day,but for some reason,I can't seem to find it.So,I bought a new vinyl copy.It's actually not one of my favorite Rick James albums (although I really like "Can't Stop",which was a very underrated single),but I just need to have it for completion purposes.


They also had his 1988 album 'Wonderful'...brand new unopened vinyl copy.I didn't buy it though.

I picked up The Barkays Do You See What I See about a month ago. I'd never heard it, but the cover made me buy it. Its a gate-fold that depicts all the conflict of the early 70's(ironically all the images are still relevant today). Did they re-issue it w/a different cover? On Amazon the cover is a pic of the band looking up to the sky. At any rate, its a damn good album.

"God is watching..."

found1 said:

Sounds interesting.What year is it from?

[quote]

DavidEye said:

So did you complete your collection? I saw that you also picked up "Bustin' Out Of L Seven" and "Garden Of Love". What did you think of them?

vainandy said:

'Bustin out Of L7' is excellent! I had never heard that album before.I finally got to hear the track that everyone was raving about ("Spacey Love")

'Garden Of Love'...I need to listen to it some more.It seems to be a more mellow album than the ones that came before and after it.

I still need to get 'Fire It Up' and then my collection will be complete.I wish Motown would finally release these albums on CD,but I'm not gonna hold my breath.I'm satisfied with vinyl,for now


what's your take on these albums (the early Rick James albums)?

DavidEye said:

Its from'72.Sounds like they were really; I mean REALLY influenced by Sly. Then again, they always sounnd like somebody else to me. For example Hit and Run and Freaky Behavior both sounded like Prince and Rick. Good songs, but you could tell they were caught up in the times.

Sorry I'm late! Been out for a while....

DavidEye, would that happen to be 'Big Al's Record Barn on Bascom Ave.? They got a lot of good stuff there! Last time I was there was when RJ past away...picked up one of his LPs.

AsianConnection said:

No,I got these records at Rasputin Music,which is almost directly across the street from the Pruneyard...lol...it feels weird to finally be talking to someone who actually lives in my town

But I gotta check out Big Al's Record Barn too.How are their prices?

Most music fans I know buy nothing else than vinyl albums. Even the new releases, it's gotta be vinyl for them. Nuts.

DavidEye said:

Well, they've got so much vinyl you won't believe it! Their prices are really good too. Most items I buy (soul,R&B,funk) are usually on sale, 50% off! So, anywhere from $2.50-$5.00 per/LP.

Oh btw, 'Big Al's' is north from 'Rasputin' between Moorpark and San Carlos. I'm sure you're familiar with 'Street Light' as well.
[Edited 12/17/04 7:54am]
[Edited 12/17/04 7:55am]

The first album, "Come Get It" is really great. Great funk, disco, and slow jams.

I love "Bustin Out Of L7". "High On Your Love Suite" is my favorite track on that album. I kind of switch back and forth between "Spacey Love" and "Hollywood" from the first album as being my favorite Rick James slow jam.

I absolutely love the third album "Fire It Up" all the way through. There is some great funk and slow jams on there. "Come Into My Life" is my favorite Rick James song of all time. The bass line on that song is extremely funky. That's the song that first got me heavy into Rick James. "Fire It Up", "Love Gun", and "Loving You Is A Pleasure" are also funky as hell. "Love In The Night" is another one of my all time favorite Rick James slow jams. Rick James even does a little falsetto screaming on that track too. "When Love Is Gone" is another good slow track. You definately need to find this album and buy it immediately.

The next album, "Garden Of Love", I consider to be the weakest of all his earlier albums. The whole album except for one or two songs is ballads. I love "Big Time". The rest of the album takes some getting used to.

"Street Songs" and "Throwin' Down" are Rick James at his best. He slipped a little bit with "Cold Blooded" but it's still a great album. "Reflections" is a greatest hits with three new tracks..."17" is good but the other two new tracks are kinda weak.

"Glow" and "The Flag" were the end of Rick James. These two were his weakest albums ever. "Wonderful" was a little better but still weak.
[Edited 12/18/04 20:01pm]

DavidEye said:

I still buy vinyl on occasion. There's a handful of bands whom I buy there new releases on vinyl. Also, about twice a year I'll hit the record conventions to see what I can dig up.

So,I went out this weekend and bought four more vinyl albums.It's becoming a weekly ritual for me


This time,I bought four of those "K-Tel" compilations that were so popular in the 70s.Two of them are from 1976,one is from 1977,and one is from 1978.They're alot of fun,and listening to them is like listening to AM pop radio during that era.Takes me right back to that time!

AsianConnection said:

Aw,man,we'll have to go shopping together sometime.I've never been to Streetlight.But I'm definitely gonna go to Big Al's Record Barn.

jacktheimprovident said:

I find that CDs that have not yet been remastered (such as Prince's catalog) sound like absolute crap compared to the original vinyl versions! In fact,these days,when I wanna hear an album like 'Controversy','1999' or 'SOTT',I rely on my old vinyl albums.The sound quality is AMAZING compared to the CDs.

endorphin74 said:

Record conventions? What kinda stuff do you find there?

btw,when I was in the store the other day,I noticed that they were selling a few NEW releases on vinyl...Gwen Stefani's new album,Ciara's latest album,Ashanti's new album.It's a trip to know that record labels are still making vinyl albums in the CD era.