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Thread started 09/28/06 9:56am

vainandy

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Solo artists that started in a group need to stay in a group....

From what I've seen, almost every time an artist that was originally in a group and goes solo, the music is never as good afterwards for that artist and the group he or she left.

For instance, look at Lionel Richie solo compared to with The Commodores. All funk left Lionel's body. The same goes for Charlie Wilson of The Gap Band and Babyface from The Deele. It's like they lose all their rhythm and become a balladeer. If they do an uptempo song, it's usually something weak and poppy.

Michael Jackson did very well on his own but his best and hardest stuff is with his brothers. Chaka Khan did some pretty good stuff on her own also but I still prefer her stuff with Rufus. Even artists like Jesse Johnson, who did some hard jammin' stuff, I still like the stuff with The Time better.

Even people who were solo artists to begin with such as Prince and Rick James. They need people around them that influence them for the better. Prince was much better with Andre and Dez around and Rick was much better with The Stone City Band around.

It seems like when one person is completely in control of the music, they will fuck it up every time. They need other folks around to bring out their good parts and shoot down their weak points. What do you guys think?
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[Edited 9/28/06 11:46am]
Andy is a four letter word.
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Reply #1 posted 09/28/06 10:03am

jayaredee

Janet?
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Reply #2 posted 09/28/06 10:12am

vainandy

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jayaredee said:

Janet?


She was always solo, except maybe for the little guest appearances on the family's TV show. lol
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Reply #3 posted 09/28/06 10:13am

MikeMatronik

vainandy said:



She was always solo, except maybe for the little guest appearances on the family's TV show. lol


She was the shadow member of the jackson 5... cool
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Reply #4 posted 09/28/06 10:16am

jayaredee

Another Janet thread clapping

I'm sorry Andy for jacking your thread, but it's Janet's big week so i hope you understand.
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Reply #5 posted 09/28/06 11:43am

namepeace

ARGUABLY, this applies to artists across the board. is Sting's music, as good as it is, better than the Police's output? Is Diana Ross better without the Supremes?

The only example I can think of, off the top of the dome, that was better solo, is Michael Jackson.
Good night, sweet Prince | 7 June 1958 - 21 April 2016

Props will be withheld until the showing and proving has commenced. -- Aaron McGruder
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Reply #6 posted 09/28/06 11:44am

Tom

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Billy Corgan comes to mind. I wasn't crazy about the Thom Yorke album either.
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Reply #7 posted 09/28/06 12:01pm

sextonseven

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vainandy said:

From what I've seen, almost every time an artist that was originally in a group and goes solo, the music is never as good afterwards for that artist and the group he or she left.

For instance, look at Lionel Richie solo compared to with The Commodores. All funk left Lionel's body. The same goes for Charlie Wilson of The Gap Band and Babyface from The Deele. It's like they lose all their rhythm and become a balladeer. If they do an uptempo song, it's usually something weak and poppy.

Michael Jackson did very well on his own but his best and hardest stuff is with his brothers. Chaka Khan did some pretty good stuff on her own also but I still prefer her stuff with Rufus. Even artists like Jesse Johnson, who did some hard jammin' stuff, I still like the stuff with The Time better.

Even people who were solo artists to begin with such as Prince and Rick James. They need people around them that influence them for the better. Prince was much better with Andre and Dez around and Rick was much better with The Stone City Band around.

It seems like when one person is completely in control of the music, they will fuck it up every time. They need other folks around to bring out their good parts and shoot down their weak points. What do you guys think?
.
.
[Edited 9/28/06 11:46am]


The one person with which I will have to disagree is Jesse. I mean how much did he (or any of the other Time members) contribute on those first three albums? I think I heard "Jungle Love" is his song and maybe "My Drawers"(?) but after that, what? Did Jesse even play at all on the first two albums?
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Reply #8 posted 09/28/06 12:06pm

vainandy

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sextonseven said:

vainandy said:

From what I've seen, almost every time an artist that was originally in a group and goes solo, the music is never as good afterwards for that artist and the group he or she left.

For instance, look at Lionel Richie solo compared to with The Commodores. All funk left Lionel's body. The same goes for Charlie Wilson of The Gap Band and Babyface from The Deele. It's like they lose all their rhythm and become a balladeer. If they do an uptempo song, it's usually something weak and poppy.

Michael Jackson did very well on his own but his best and hardest stuff is with his brothers. Chaka Khan did some pretty good stuff on her own also but I still prefer her stuff with Rufus. Even artists like Jesse Johnson, who did some hard jammin' stuff, I still like the stuff with The Time better.

Even people who were solo artists to begin with such as Prince and Rick James. They need people around them that influence them for the better. Prince was much better with Andre and Dez around and Rick was much better with The Stone City Band around.

It seems like when one person is completely in control of the music, they will fuck it up every time. They need other folks around to bring out their good parts and shoot down their weak points. What do you guys think?
.
.
[Edited 9/28/06 11:46am]


The one person with which I will have to disagree is Jesse. I mean how much did he (or any of the other Time members) contribute on those first three albums? I think I heard "Jungle Love" is his song and maybe "My Drawers"(?) but after that, what? Did Jesse even play at all on the first two albums?


I can understand Jesse leaving because he wasn't able to contribute as much as he wanted and the whole band was made to feel as if they were Prince's puppets. I only mentioned him because I like The Time's albums better than his. I will hand it to Jesse though, he had great solo albums that were hard and full of funk. Most folks that leave and go solo go the boring ass ballad or pop route.
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Reply #9 posted 09/28/06 12:09pm

Xavier23

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Gwen stefani
Rob Thomas
Beyonce
etc.
"Americans consume the most fast food than any nation on Earth and the stupid motherfuckers wonder why they are so fat? " - Oprah Winfrey
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Reply #10 posted 09/28/06 12:12pm

vainandy

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Patti LaBelle was much better with LaBelle than solo. Keep that "Somebody Loves You" shit and give me some more stuff like "Lady Marmalade". lol.
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[Edited 9/28/06 12:13pm]
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Reply #11 posted 09/28/06 12:16pm

sextonseven

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vainandy said:

Patti LaBelle was much better with LaBelle than solo. Keep that "Somebody Loves You" shit and give me some more stuff like "Lady Marmalade". lol.
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[Edited 9/28/06 12:13pm]


I remember when "If Only You Knew" was all over R&B radio for the longest time. I couldn't stand that song! lol
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Reply #12 posted 09/28/06 12:24pm

vainandy

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sextonseven said:

vainandy said:

Patti LaBelle was much better with LaBelle than solo. Keep that "Somebody Loves You" shit and give me some more stuff like "Lady Marmalade". lol.
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[Edited 9/28/06 12:13pm]


I remember when "If Only You Knew" was all over R&B radio for the longest time. I couldn't stand that song! lol


I was OK with that one.

I don't know if you are familiar with the song "Joy To Have Your Love". Is that Patti solo or with LaBelle. I'd love some more stuff like that.
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Reply #13 posted 09/28/06 12:33pm

Xavier23

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sextonseven said:

vainandy said:

Patti LaBelle was much better with LaBelle than solo. Keep that "Somebody Loves You" shit and give me some more stuff like "Lady Marmalade". lol.
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[Edited 9/28/06 12:13pm]


I remember when "If Only You Knew" was all over R&B radio for the longest time. I couldn't stand that song! lol

whats wrong with "if only you knew" the best part of that song is coming on to the ned when she does that iiiifffff only you knew how much i care for you. that shit is magical
"Americans consume the most fast food than any nation on Earth and the stupid motherfuckers wonder why they are so fat? " - Oprah Winfrey
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Reply #14 posted 09/28/06 12:34pm

sextonseven

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vainandy said:



I was OK with that one.

I don't know if you are familiar with the song "Joy To Have Your Love". Is that Patti solo or with LaBelle. I'd love some more stuff like that.


Don't know that one.

"If Only You Knew" was the first Patti solo song I ever heard since that was around the time I started listening to radio. The followup "Love Need And Want You", even though it was top 10 R&B I think, didn't get that much airplay in NYC. Damn stations were stuck on the first single for months. But I can see why that song doesn't bother you so much. It's more of an old school type ballad before Whitney hit the scene in the mid-80s and changed everything.
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Reply #15 posted 09/28/06 12:38pm

vainandy

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sextonseven said:

vainandy said:



I was OK with that one.

I don't know if you are familiar with the song "Joy To Have Your Love". Is that Patti solo or with LaBelle. I'd love some more stuff like that.


Don't know that one.

"If Only You Knew" was the first Patti solo song I ever heard since that was around the time I started listening to radio. The followup "Love Need And Want You", even though it was top 10 R&B I think, didn't get that much airplay in NYC. Damn stations were stuck on the first single for months. But I can see why that song doesn't bother you so much. It's more of an old school type ballad before Whitney hit the scene in the mid-80s and changed everything.


Exactly! There was lots of slow jams I liked before her. After her, I liked very few because everyone was making her type of slow songs which were boring as hell.
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Reply #16 posted 09/28/06 1:03pm

funkpill

Sly...


Wasn't the same after the original Family Stone broke up.


He had energy when he was with them biggrin
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Reply #17 posted 09/28/06 1:07pm

vainandy

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funkpill said:

Sly...


Wasn't the same after the original Family Stone broke up.


He had energy when he was with them biggrin


I didn't know he did any solo stuff.
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Reply #18 posted 09/28/06 1:10pm

sextonseven

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vainandy said:



Exactly! There was lots of slow jams I liked before her. After her, I liked very few because everyone was making her type of slow songs which were boring as hell.


Klymaxx's "I Miss You" was one of those ballads that I thought was Whitney-like even though it was recorded before Whitney released her first album. I liked Klymaxx's funky songs (The Men All Pause, Meeting In The Ladies Room, Lock And Key, Sexy, Divas Need Love Too), but hated their ballads. Fenderella didn't have that much solo success.
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Reply #19 posted 09/28/06 1:27pm

vainandy

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sextonseven said:

vainandy said:



Exactly! There was lots of slow jams I liked before her. After her, I liked very few because everyone was making her type of slow songs which were boring as hell.


Klymaxx's "I Miss You" was one of those ballads that I thought was Whitney-like even though it was recorded before Whitney released her first album. I liked Klymaxx's funky songs (The Men All Pause, Meeting In The Ladies Room, Lock And Key, Sexy, Divas Need Love Too), but hated their ballads. Fenderella didn't have that much solo success.


I liked "I Miss You". I don't think that sounded Shitney-like at all. I liked very few slow songs beginning with 1985. A few I liked that come to mind were:

Anything by Surface
All Cried Out - Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
For Lisa For Love - LA Dream Team
Anything by Prince and his protegees.

Other than that, I can't think of any slow songs I liked during that time period. I hated the newcomers at the time like Anita Baker, Freddie Jackson, and Mikki Howard. Everything during that era seemed to be along those lines.

I used used to love earlier slow jams by the funk groups such as Cameo, Con-Funk-Shun, The Barkays, Midnight Star, etc. They had a more ...."after midnight, pick a stranger up a club, and sleep with them" ....type sound. The slow songs of the late 1980s had an adult contemporary friendly ...."my mama even likes that song".... type feel to them. lol
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[Edited 9/28/06 13:30pm]
Andy is a four letter word.
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Reply #20 posted 09/28/06 1:28pm

funkpill

vainandy said:



I didn't know he did any solo stuff.



He did one album under his name.

Others are under The Family Stone name, but you can tell

its an solo album.
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Reply #21 posted 09/28/06 1:30pm

ThePunisher

I got someone for you Andy. How about Teddy Pendergrass? He was good with Harold Melvoin & The Blue Notes" But his music stayed very FUNKY after he went solo. Sadly, I think his best stuff was made before the car accident.
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Reply #22 posted 09/28/06 1:32pm

vainandy

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ThePunisher said:

I got someone for you Andy. How about Teddy Pendergrass? He was good with Harold Melvoin & The Blue Notes" But his music stayed very FUNKY after he went solo. Sadly, I think his best stuff was made before the car accident.


Yeah, he was good. There are always exceptions. I LOVE "Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose". "Love TKO" was pretty good too.

Ray Parker, Jr. needed to be slapped and forced back into Raydio. lol
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Reply #23 posted 09/28/06 1:35pm

funkpill

vainandy said:



Yeah, he was good. There are always exceptions. I LOVE "Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose". "Love TKO" was pretty good too.

Ray Parker, Jr. needed to be slapped and forced back into Raydio. lol




TAWK!!!


biggrin
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Reply #24 posted 09/28/06 1:37pm

funkpill

How about James 'JT' Taylor of Kool & The Gang??? hmmm


He always comes to mind on topics like this..
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Reply #25 posted 09/28/06 1:39pm

vainandy

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funkpill said:

vainandy said:



Yeah, he was good. There are always exceptions. I LOVE "Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose". "Love TKO" was pretty good too.

Ray Parker, Jr. needed to be slapped and forced back into Raydio. lol




TAWK!!!


biggrin


For someone who went from making jams like "For Those Who Like To Groove", "Still In The Groove", and "Hot Stuff" to resort to making something like "Ghostbusters"....he needed his ass beat. lol
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[Edited 9/28/06 13:42pm]
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Reply #26 posted 09/28/06 1:41pm

funkpill

vainandy said:



For someone who went from making jams like "For Those Who Like To Groove", "Still In The Groove", and "Hot Stuff" to resort to making something like "Ghostbusters"....ne needed his ass beat. lol



nod yup


Sold out big time!!! lol
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Reply #27 posted 09/28/06 1:44pm

vainandy

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funkpill said:

How about James 'JT' Taylor of Kool & The Gang??? hmmm


He always comes to mind on topics like this..


I think I remember him doing a solo project also in the 1990s. Like they used to say on "In Living Color"....."Hated it!" lol
Andy is a four letter word.
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Reply #28 posted 09/28/06 1:44pm

sextonseven

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vainandy said:



For someone who went from making jams like "For Those Who Like To Groove", "Still In The Groove", and "Hot Stuff" to resort to making something like "Ghostbusters"....he needed his ass beat. lol
.
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[Edited 9/28/06 13:42pm]


Is "The Other Woman" Ray Parker solo? I like that song.
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Reply #29 posted 09/28/06 1:45pm

funkpill

vainandy said:



I think I remember him doing a solo project also in the 1990s. Like they used to say on "In Living Color"....."Hated it!" lol




It just goes to show that some people aren't meant

to go solo... biggrin
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