I recently got Emerald city which some people consider her "purple Rain" album. I really like it. It's funky and solid. I also have her Starchild cd which took me ages to get into but now I love it! There's some hot tracks on this one. Of course we all know Robbery is the shit so I wanted to mainly focus on the first 2. Do you guys like this album? Which one do you prefer? Right now for me it's Starchild but I could see myself loving Emerald city just as much with time.
[Edited 7/17/07 12:46pm]

how'd you get Emerald City on CD? i thought it was out of print.

sosgemini said:

I have a copy on CD too! I bought it used from Amazon.com a while back (for $6.99 back in 2002 actually).


There are 8 for sale there right now but the cheapest is $36 so I would periodically check back until you find one more reasonably priced.
[Edited 7/17/07 13:06pm]

sosgemini said:

i got it from amazon for a very good price used!

Sowhat said:

cool! so tell me what you think of the album?

dancerella said:

I do like it. Especially the first three songs (Emerald City, Once is not enough and Lips to find you)! Lips to find you is my favorite song of that album.

Sowhat said:

how funny those are my fave tracks too. i tend to like faster songs in general but strangely i like Batacuda Suite as well which is kinda different for me. Do you own Starchild too?

Her 80s Motown albums are much better:

Lady T
Irons In The Fire
It Must Be Magic

As for the "Starchild" album, my favorite cut is "Jammin".

vainandy said:

Jammin is er...Jammin! seriously that's a great track, so is help young blood get to the freaky party and the title cut! all the fast joints are hot. i think at some point i should get her first cd with "square biz" on it. that is my jam!

The CD with Square Biz on it is actually her 4th--It Must be Magic.

I have to agree that the earlier stuff by Lady T is better than the Epic records. I'm still not sold on Robbery (Although I will concede I might to listen to it a few more times) and Starchild in my Opinion is kind of uneven..and although I might get crucified for this Out on A Limb is just BAD.
I actually really like her first album Wild and Peaceful a lot too. Deja Vu (I've been here before) is the jam times three.

Irons in the Fire and It Must be Magic are so good you can listen to them from beginning to end,which I've been doing for the past two weeks. I'm going to go see Teena in Chicago next weekend. I'm so excited!

vainandy said:

I agree,those three albums are her best work.The debut album 'Wild and Peaceful' is also a favorite.

Lovesexy82 said:

'Robbery' is the best album from her Epic years,imo.Contains the underrated gem "Stop The World",a cool,exotic-sounding heartbreak ballad.I was mesmerized by this song...can't believe that it never became one of her biggest hits.The album also includes the funky "Midnight Magnet".

Irons in the fire is a classic in my eyes, how can anyone deny "you made love like springtime"

"Starchild" is my favorite of her 80s albums, "My dear Mr. Gaye" is beautiful, one of her best songs.

I also like "Light" from that album

"Emerald City" is far and away her best LP - Motown or Epic. A tour-de-force. Five stars. Every cut is slamming, every angle of Teena's genius is on full-display. It IS different from her other stuff. "Emerald City" "Batacada Suite" and "Sunny Skies" - it does not get much better, folks.


I would go so far as to say her 2nd best LP is "Robbery" - Teena gets mad props for the title alone which I'm sure was meant as a big "FUCK YOU" to Berry Gordy. There is a good mix of classic traditional-sounding Teena - "Casanova Brown","Playboy" but here we also witness the emergence of a new, synthed-out 80s Teena on stuff like "Fix It" "Midnight Magnet" that lack the classic R&B trappings of her earlier shit. It's funny because Teena began taking the same turn here on "Robbery" (although only partially) which Rick took (fully) on "Cold Blooded" which came out around the same time, moving away from the drum kit, big horns, and strings and going into the synth and drum machine thing. Funny how great musical minds think alike. Teena took a big chance changing gears like this, I think she wanted to musically reinvent herself after the bullshit with Motown and as far as I'm concerned it works completely, a great LP all the way around. If "Jammin'" had been on here instead of, say, "Ask Your Momma" then this would be an unbelievable all-time classic.

So as for me, her two best COMPLETE LPs are both Epic releases.

Now individual tracks thats another story altogether.

IAintTheOne said:

It cannot be denied! And if I am not mistaken it comes on right before or after "Tune in Tomorrow". Lord have mercy!

east127thstreet said:

That was a great write up. Thanks for your feedback. It's strange how I never heard of the Emerald City album until just recently. I guess it's kind of an undergorund classic. I still need to hear it more and so far I think it rocks but Starchild is also sucha great album. It may be my fave of hers so far.

Lovesexy82 said:

You don't care for out on a limb. That song was the joint during my freshman year in college. Starchild may not have been her best album but it
was definitely her best album on epic. The sales and radioplay attest to that.
Emerald City to me was the album that was uneven and all over the place.
My favorite teena jam period though is square biz. That is the show stoppa.

phunkdaddy said:

Is it just me, or did my girl Teena said whiny and totally out of tune on this song? That is my main problem with it. It sounded like she was straining to hit some of those notes.
That's alright though. I still love her.
[Edited 7/19/07 14:06pm]
[Edited 7/19/07 14:07pm]
[Edited 7/19/07 14:07pm]

took me ages to get into
Starchild as well, love it now

It Must Be Magic is my favorite
80's album of hers

oh and Emerald City is crazy
I just played "Batucada Suite"
getting dressed for work this morning LOL

"Wild and Peaceful" is definately my favorite. It's the one Teena Marie album that I like from beginning to end.

Lovesexy82 said:

"Out On A Limb" is mindblowing Can't get enough of that song!! Teena sounds like she is truly,deeply in love...for real! Her man has got her going crazy.Her vocal delivery is INTENSE on that song.

vainandy said:

That album was produced by Rick James,which is probably why you like it so much

Some interesting trivia: the song "I'm Just A Sucker For Your Love" was originally planned as a Rick James/Diana Ross duet! In 1979,Rick was gonna produce an album for Diana but when those plans fell through,he recorded the song with Teena instead.It's likely that some of the other 'Wild and Peaceful' songs were originally intended for Diana Ross.

IAintTheOne said:

I agree,that album is classic