I've just put together a CD of these two albums from vinyl LP, edited to include both on one disk. It's the first time in years I have listened to them. Has anyone else listened to them lately? Cold Blooded (1983) and Glow (1985) are, I must say, nothing more than pedestrian dance music/R & B, indiciative of the lack of imagination and risk-taking of much mid-80s dance music. Rick seems to not be able to get off this shrill, echoey lead guitar fills thing. And the beats and production are repetitious - nearly every uptempo cut sounds like Eddie Murphy's "Party All The Time" and Mary Jane Girls' "In My House."
So much of the rest is uninspired ("Glow"), unimaginative ("New York Town"), or simply unlisteable ("Tell Me What U Want). Does anyone here like these 2 albums?

Cold Blooded is great, you are being very harsh on it.

But Glow is a bit pish

I do see what u are saying, and I agree to an extent. Although neither album is Rick's best, "Cold Blooded" (the title inspired by what he used to call his girlfriend at the time , Linda Blair) is pretty good though. But yeah, "Glow" was sub-standard. Rick pretty much phoned that one in.

blackguitaristz said:

Moon Child

sermwanderer said:

Agreed. That album was still my shit regardless.

I have been listening to 3 Rick James cassettes in my car for a few weeks: Street Songs, Cold Blooded, and Glow.

I can't really get into Glow-- except "Moon Child" is outstanding!

Interesting that u pick these two albums. This was during a period when Rick was knee deep in the rock star life. The drugs and women, not everybody can stay focas on their art when this becomes excessive. That was the case with Rick. And that shit showed on those two albums. It wasn't that Rick had lost his talent, but he had lost his focas. He stopped pushing himself on a creative level, so a lot of his shit became color by numbers. On "StreetSongs", Rick was MOTIVATED. He was focased. That carried over onto "Throwin Down" which was also a great album. But Rick would have told u himself that during this peroid, he was caught up in the Hollywood Hills party and it effected his work.

blackguitaristz said:

BG Baby, eventhough I am a hardcore Rick fan, I must say that you are right on the money with your comments hon.

paisleypark4 said:

"Spend The Night" is another great track
on the "Glow" album...

The rest of the songs were weak.....

"Cold Blooded" is the last Rick James album that I like every single track on (not counting "Garden Of Love" of course). This album sounded like Rick first beginning to get into drum machines and more modern instruments. The thing missing about this album is that it didn't have that classic "Stone City Band Sound". I still enjoyed the hell out the entire album though.

"New York Town" is my favorite cut from the album. I love the way the song starts out with Rick and the cab driver. Then I can almost visualize Rick partying all night in Studio 54, hanging out with the girls that trick, walking through Central Park, and sleeping until 10 and doing it again. I also love the way the song blends into "PIMP the SIMP" with the police sirens in the background.

I also love the songs "Cold Blooded" and "U Bring The Freak Out". I love Rick's falsetto on "Tell Me What You Want". "Ebony Eyes" has absolutely been played to death in my area, so I'm tired of hearing it.

"Glow" was Rick's first fuck up. (I don't count "Garden Of Love" because that album was him trying his hand at something different and then bouncing back with the next album when it didn't work.) "Glow" sounded like Rick had just thrown The Stone City Band to the curb and abandoned them to move on with more modern technology. I'm the opposite about Rick than I am about Prince. I prefer the cold synthesized sound with Prince but with Rick, I prefer the live sound. I like "Can't Stop" and "Melody Make Me Wanna Dance". Some of the other songs are tolerable but nothing great. The album that followed "Glow", called "The Flag", was Rick's worst album.

PIMP the SIMP. A Stone Cold Classic

blackguitaristz said:

And he somehow meant that as a compliment! I heard him give some explanation of what it meant, and I was all kinds of

Well DUH His early stuff is killer, the later shit is

fms said:

Cold Blooded (The Album) was Rick's final masterpiece (without counting Reflections).

fms said:

I'm a bit biased maybe, but these two albums are very good IMO. Coldblooded didn't have one weak cut, Glow had enough strong cuts to make it passable to me, I play these albums just as much as I play his classics, "STREET SONGS", "THROWIN DOWN", BUSTIN OUT OF LSEVEN", "FIRE IT UP", "COME GET IT", and his most underated album "GARDEN OF LOVE". I can play those albums everyday and never get tired of them.

fms said:

I was lsitening to Cold Blooded yesterday and today and I think it rocks. I've never heard Glow before. i wish I could own all of his stuff from the 80's.

'Cold Blooded' introduced a new sound/style for Rick.The horns virtually disappeared in favor of a slick,heavily synthesized New Wave-styled sound.Drum machines were now used excessively.He actually introduced this new approach on the Mary Jane Girls' debut album.The result was music that was still funky,but sometimes cold and robotic.Many R&B artists and bands began changing their formula around this time,in order to compete with the new sounds of the day.

There are some great songs here.The title track is stripped down electro-funk,unlike anything he had done previously.The album's highlight is the lush duet with Smokey Robinson "Ebony Eyes",one of his strongest slow jams.Other cool songs include "U Bring The Freak Out" and "New York Town".


'Glow' basically used the same formula,but this time around,there was more of a rock feel.The opening track "Can't Stop" isn't funk at all.

DavidEye said:

I forgot that one was on that album, I love that shit

CalhounSq said:

"baby baby....U bring the freak out in meeeee
baby baby....U bring the freak out in me"


that's the one jam on the album that doesn't sound too cold and electronic.

To me, it sounds like that "Beverly Hills Cop" type pop. The opening of that song reminds me of the opening of Patti LaBelle's "New Attitude".

did "Can't Stop" appear in a movie? I'm sure it did
[Edited 7/15/05 1:21am]

DavidEye said:

I vaguely remember it in some 80's film.

I remember hearing it in some movie but I can't remember which one.

In my opinion,'Cold Blooded' and 'Glow' are better than what came next: the awful 1986 album 'The Flag'


I once started a thread about how horrible that record is

DavidEye said:

It was supposed to be in Beverly Hills Cop (I think RJ recorded it for that purpose) but it wasn't included. Funny, though, the early promos for the single listed it as "Can't Stop (BHC)".

GLOW was absolute TRASH, GARBAGE, URINE, VOMIT, AND SHIT rolled into 1.

Glow was his 1st release after getting "clean" which just shows you that Rick NEEDED to be FUCKED UP AND HIGH OFF SOME SHIT to be able to produce a bomb ass album.

Funny thing about Rick - As much a she despised Prince, he ened up doing a Prince-inspired album "WONDERFUL" when he moved from Motwon to Warner/Reprise. He even had Paisley-inspired outfits on the cover and inside the album. He looked like a cross between Jesse Johnson and Prince.

TheCrucialExperience said:

Let me hip you to something. Rather you know or not, Rick gave Prince his start by letting him headline on his tour. There are a lot things that Prince learned from Rick who had been in the biz long before Prince. Prince borrowed aloted of his style from Rick so don't get it twisted Q. Now, I am going to check your ass before the rest of my crew gets on here and then its really on then.

Speaking of Rick, I haven't listened to "Dream Maker" in a long time. That's hot.