Street Songs (1981)
Throwin' Down (1982)
Bustin Out Of L7(1979)
Come And Get It (1978)
Cold Blooded (1983)
Fire It Up (1979)
Glow (1985)
Garden Of Love (1980)
Urban Rapsody (1997)
Wonderful (1988)
The Flag(1996)


a few observations...


***Does everyone agree that 'Street Songs' is his best work? One of the things that makes this album so good is that the songs are relatively short and focused.There's not alot of mindless,repetitive phrases and endless grooves that quickly run out of steam (problems that ruined earlier albums like 'Fire It Up' and 'Garden Of Love').The songwriting is very focused and it's the most consistent album he has ever done.

***Does anyone agree that 'Garden Of Love' is a snoozefest of an album? I understand the concept....a collection of slow jams and ballads...to get away from the funk-heavy sound of the previous albums and position James as a serious singer.It's an ambitious concept,but ultimately,it falls flat because the songs are just not up to par.

***'Fire It Up' would be a cool album if it weren't for the lame lyrics that ruin nearly every track.The grooves are hot,but lyrically,there's not much going on here.Most songs are over-long and repetitive,and there aren't too many great hooks.

***Am I the only one who thinks that 'Glow' wasn't that bad an album? Sure,it's one of his weakest albums,but in recent years,I've given it another chance.The music is cold,robotic and horribly dated (like many other 80s albums),but there are a few gems on that disc.
[Edited 5/19/05 4:23am]

I just have his greatest hits and a live album.

Just getting into Rick. Just wanted to shout out. I loved Dance Wit' Me alot, up til now. I just listened to both albums ONCE...

HamsterHuey said:

would you like some recommedations on which albums are essential?

Here's how I rate them:

1. Throwin' Down
2. Street Songs
3. Cold Blooded
4. Fire It Up
5. Come Get It
6. Bustin' Out Of L Seven
7. Garden Of Love
8. Glow
9. Wonderful
10. The Flag
11. Urban Rapsody

vainandy said:

you really think 'Throwin Down' is superior to 'Street Songs'?

It's definately a hard choice for me to make because I love "Street Songs" and "Throwin' Down" almost equally. I like "Throwin' Down" just a hair better though.




Exactly. I hate it when an artist goes off in a different direction to prove how talented they are. "Big Time" is a very good jam but most of the rest of the album is simply decent.




This is where we disagree. I've always been more into music and grooves more than I'm into lyrics so I loved it. "Come Into My Life" is my absolute favorite Rick James song and the groove and bass line from it is what first got me hooked to Rick James back in the day. You're right about the lyrics to the songs, they are not really very complex but those grooves move my ass every time. You just bought this record....listen to it a little more. I never got into those slow jams on the album until a few years ago.





Yes you are the only one that thinks it's not that bad an album. No seriously, it's an OK album. For me, "Glow" is Rick James' "Around The World In A Day"....it was the first Rick James album to ever disappoint me.

I love the two albums almost equally. If I had to choose, it would be "Throwin' Down" but only by a hair.

with 'Glow',Rick tried to diversify his sound a little.There's alot more guitar and a "pop" feel to it.I guess many of his funk fans felt betrayed a little.But I love the songs "Can't Stop" and the title track.

I was listening to the Deluxe Edition of 'Street Songs' the other day and wow,that 12" extended version of "Super Freak" is FIERCE! It absolutely KILLS the album version.


"Super freak...the girl's a super freak
Super freak...the girl's a super freak....yow yow"

My Favs

1.Come And Get It
2.Street Songs
3.Throwin' Down
4.Bustin Out Of L7
5.Cold Blooded
6.Fire It Up
7.Garden Of Love
8.Glow

Street Songs is his opus, thats why it got remastered....now the other ones need a reissue.

I'm also in the camp that digs Thrown Down more than Street Songs. Street Songs was the blueprint for TD no doubt. But with TD the house was fully built. There is just more funk on that album from start to finish and adding the Temps just made it all the more sweet.

My rankings:

1. Throwin' Down - Temps + Rick = Funk and nothing but the funk. Hard to Get, Standing On The Top, & Dance Wit Me are an equal match for the 3 classic jams on SS (GITMB, SF & GL) It's 69 times that sends TD over the top. Add Money Talks & Throw Down and you have Rick's best album from start to finish.

2. Come And Get It - Best debut album of all time IMO


3. Street Songs - SF & GITMB are classics even if over played. Ghetto Life is one of my top 3 Rick James jams ever. I've never been a big Fire and Desire fan but then again, I've never really liked Rick doing slow jams (Which might explain why I rank TD ahead of SS)

4. Fire It Up - Just something about this album's vibe I really dig


5. Bustin Out Of L7 - The rawest funk of any of Rick's albums.

6 Garden Of Love -I LOVE "Mary Go Round" & "Big Time" The rest of the album is luke warm. But it's still Rick's most underrated album IMO.

6.(tie) Cold Blooded - The title track is classic. The rest is just ok. Rick's most over rated album IMO.

7. Urban Rapsody - A few ok songs (Back In Love & West Coast Thang)

8. Wonderful -Seems like I liked some cuts from this but haven't played it in years

9. Glow - I hate this album


10. The Flag - See above but 2X
[Edited 5/19/05 9:52am]

HamsterHuey said:

Thanks to who?

HamsterHuey said:

Thanks to who? ...and the live album is pretty good!

Streets Songs, Throwin' Down, Cold-Blooded, and Reflections are the real Rick James Classic Albums!!!
[Edited 5/19/05 13:04pm]
[Edited 5/19/05 13:04pm]

DavidEye said:

Well, yes sir.

Obviously starting with Street Songs.

CynthiasSocks said:

You are such a needy person, hehehe.

I love all of Rick's LP's. Even "Urban Rapsody" (lol). Well produced CD. A little "light" on the funk, but it still grooves. My fave Rick joint is "Street Songs". He was at the top of his game. And David Eye you are correct. The deluxe edition/live version of "SuperFreak" is the jam! I loved Tom McDermott's wild ass guitar playing...he gave Rick that "funk-rock" vibe... "Garden Of Love" and "Fire It Up" were OK...."Glow" was a cool pop-R&B LP. I loved "17" and the "Glow" video.....well, we all know what movie that video reminds us of..lol...it's still a cool video.. "I DON"T NEED YOU...I'M RICK JAMES!!!"

DavidEye said:

I've got to get that CD! Hell, I gotta get all of Rick's CDs!

TonyVanDam said:

Wasn't "Reflections" just a greatest hits collection with just 2 or 3 new songs on there?

HamsterHuey said:

DavidEye said:

you never heard it back in the day?????

silverchild said:

Correct! The 3 new songs at the time were:

17
Oh What A Night
You Turn Me On

Hell yeah! I remember trying to find the 12 Inch back in the day when it was in style and couldn't. I had been searching for that one for years and was so glad to see it on the deluxe edition.

The 12 Inch version of "Give It To Me Baby" was a disappointment. It's too much like the original except it's a little longer. The instrumental version slams because of the extended breakdowns. I like to make my own remix of this song by beginning with the breakdown at the front, then blending in the vocal version, then blending in the breakdown towards the end of the instrumental.

It was. The three new songs were:

17
Oh What A Night (4 Luv)
You Turn Me On

Apparently, we were typing at the same time.

Big Time Rick James & Stone City Band fan, here's how I rank the albums:


1.Street Songs - Never a dull moment on this one , Ghetto Life is my jam on this album. Make Love To Me is one of the funkiest ballads EVER!!!

2.Throwin Down - Money Talks should of been a single off this album, it's one of RJ'S tightest jams IMO. Danny's horn solo on Dance Wit' Me is an all timer.

3. Bustin Out Of L7 - This album is so good, Cop-N-Blow, Spacey Love, and Fool On The Street are my jams on this one.

4.Fire It Up - This album is one of his most underrated, Love In the Night and When Love Is Gone are two of his baddest slow jams,

5. Garden Of Love - This one is his most underrated, the slow jams are tight, with Don't Give Up On Love being the tightest. Big Time is good but the true highlight on this album is Mary Go Round, this song showcases the Stone City Band so well, with Oscar Alston's Bass solos, Danny Lemelle's Horn solo and Tom Mecdermott's guitar solo you see how talented these guys are.

6. ColdBlooded - The Title Track, Ebony Eyes, and 1,2,3 U Her And Me are my favs on this one.

7.Come Get It - Good album but I felt Be My Lady and Hollywood draged this one down a bit.

8.Urban Rhapsody - I still can't understand why some people don't like this album, it was a return to that raw Rick James sound. The Title Track, Somebody's Watching You, West Coast Thang, Turn It Out and Back In You Again had that fast paced, raw funk with a 90's style touch up that I dug.

9 Glow - Good album with Somebody(The Girl's Got), Spend The Night With Me, Moonchild and the title track being the highlights.

10. Wonderful - Sexual Love Affair, So Tight, Love's Fire and Judy are my jams on this one.

11. The Flag - I don't care for this album much, Slow And Easy is by far the best song on this one.
[Edited 5/19/05 23:13pm]

To Answer your Questions Dave;

1. Yes Street Songs is the best RJ album, It the one that made him a superstar.

2. NO! Garden Of Love is not a snoozefest to me, it's six tight jams, with Mary Go Round being the highlight.


3.I feel the lyrics on Fire It Up are okay, When Love Is Gone is so real, so honest I can't see calling those lyrics lame.With a band that was tight like the Stone City Band was his grooves had to hang longer. The muscians had to get there stuff off on the track's so I had no problem with the long grooves. Hell I welcome any band that's tight to strecth it out, I like to hear what they come up with.


4. Yes Glow is a good album, hearing that you would never guess that The Flag, which to me was a throw away, would be next.
[Edited 5/19/05 23:11pm]

Yes! It's one of those "making love on a freezing cold night, in front of a fireplace" type songs.




Most definately. This track, along with "Hard To Get" is one of the reasons I slightly rate "Throwin' Down" above "Street Songs".




Yes they are. I was so busy jamming to the funk on this album back in the day, that I never really put the needle on the slow jams. In recent years, when I recorded the album on cassette, and later recorded it onto CD, I was forced to listen to the record in it's entirety. When I listened to the full length of these songs, especially "Love In The Night", I was blown away. It was like discovering some new Rick James music for the first time.




"Big Time" is the only one I used to listen to. I recently got into "Don't Give Up On Love" when I burned this album on CD. I really discover things I missed when I'm recording an entire album because I normally only play my favorites.




Now we're going to fight. "Hollywood" is another one I recently discovered when burning the album to CD (I did some hellified burning when that damn CD burner was still working, hell I wore it out ). After recently discovering "Hollywood" just this year, it has become my all-time favorite Rick James slow jam. I love the synthesizer at the beginning that lingers throughout the whole song. It reminds me a lot of Faze-O's "Riding High", which I like to play back to back with "Hollywood". After Rick's death, this song reminds me the most of Rick's life than any other song...."goodbye mama, goodbye papa, I'm going to do good, in Hollywood".




The jazzy and hip hop type tracks at the beginning of this album were a turnoff for me. My favorites are "Good Ole Days", "Player's Way", "Never Say You Love Me Again", and "Mama's Eyes". My disappointment was there is nothing that Rick is famous for on this album.....the FUNK.




This jam reminds me a lot of Cameo.



Definately one of his worst albums. One of the few tracks on this album that I like is "Sweet And Sexy Thing".
[Edited 5/19/05 23:59pm]

A few years ago,I found 'The Flag' on CD and it is just terrible


Most of the songs sound like Eddie Murphy's "Party All The Time",with that same synth-heavy,drum-machined,robotic music.It is Rick's worst album and not surprisingly,he and Motown parted ways after that fiasco.

Abdul said:

I like this album alot.It's probably Rick's strongest album since 'Cold Blooded'.The slow jam "Don't Ever Say You Love Me" (with JoJo of the Mary Jane Girls) kills me everytime.That one shoulda been a hit!