it seems pretty obvious that la toya got thrown into this- but people sleep on these two albums, i'm sure because they see la toya's name... she came with it here, don't front! these albums had everyone from patrice rushen, ollie brown, ray parker jr., paulinho da costa, STEVIE WONDER... there's even a great rendition of billy ocean's 'stay the night'! it's obvious there's a tinge of the work michael and his brothers did (in between destiny and triumph); however, all the brothers (except jermaine) wrote songs for the albums, so... the albums got reissued on CD on the cherry red label some time ago, but the original releases were on polydor. i've read that every edition of the album is out of print. you can find them floating around though.

people tell me all the time i'm real picky with music; but these two albums consistently get some love on my turntable. for jackson completists, as well as those who think of the above musicians as being at the top of their game at the time; these are good to have in your collection.

I saw her first album in the $1 bins at the wrecka stow the other day. There may well be some decent music on it but I just cannot bring myself to bringing that woman into my home.

therevolutionwillnotbe said:

I saw her first album in the $1 bins at the wrecka stow the other day. There may well be some decent music on it but I just cannot bring myself to bringing that woman into my home.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA! i guess that's how the folks at the wrecka stow felt about her record being in their establishment...

it is a great album though.

Her self-titled debut was just reissued for a second or third time on CD a few weeks ago. It's not a bad disc, actually. Again, I think she's gotten a bad rap as a vocalist. If she would have collaborated with the right producers (ala Janet), her music career probably would have been more successful.

love those albums. "Camp Kuchi Kaiai" is my jam.

MJJstudent said:

"My Love Has Passed You By" has believe it or not pretty decent vocals by LaToya. The highlight of the song though got to be the wonderful harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder. Smooth saxophone solo by Don Myrick as well.

"Love Song" was actually written by brother Tito together with Jonathan Moffett and Mike McKinney. The Jackson brothers can also be heard singing background, especially Jackie's distinct falsetto.

This song was actually written by LaToya and little sister Janet!

manthevan said:

MJJstudent said:

"My Love Has Passed You By" has believe it or not pretty decent vocals by LaToya. The highlight of the song though got to be the wonderful harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder. Smooth saxophone solo by Don Myrick as well.

"Love Song" was actually written by brother Tito together with Jonathan Moffett and Mike McKinney. The Jackson brothers can also be heard singing background, especially Jackie's distinct falsetto.

This song was actually written by LaToya and little sister Janet!

yes indeed... it's all wonderful stuff. 'camp' has got a similar sound to 'that's what you get for being polite' by the jacksons. it's a family affair... perhaps?

LaToya had only one decent song: "Nighttime Lover",written and produced by Michael.It sounds like an outtake from 'Triumph'.

SoulAlive said:

LaToya had only one decent song: "Nighttime Lover",written and produced by Michael.It sounds like an outtake from 'Triumph'.

hee hee... i actually don't really like this song. it's the one song on the album i'm actually not into. it sounds like a bad attempt at chic to me. it sounds forced. it sounds like one of those songs michael didn't wanna keep for himself, so he gave to someone else (ala 'i never heard').

the other songs on the album have more of an earth wind & fire/jazz feel... it also has some obvious influence from other jacksons work. 'nighttime lover' didn't fit with the mood of the album, in my opinion. 'feel the funk' fared much better at a dance track to me.

it would have been awesome to see michael work with la toya beyond this though. i mean, what he did for rebbie... 'centipide', that track is hot! i love listening to the instrumental on that. michael did his thing. i love his sense of polyrhythms. and he got martha wash on it too? yeah man!

kitbradley said:

Her self-titled debut was just reissued for a second or third time on CD a few weeks ago. It's not a bad disc, actually. Again, I think she's gotten a bad rap as a vocalist. If she would have collaborated with the right producers (ala Janet), her music career probably would have been more successful.

i think you're right.

Can't front....

Use to jam "If You Feel The Funk" alot...

And this pop tune also

She used to be such a cutie back in the day

So what happen??!!

"Heart Don't Lie" is embarassing a terrible song!

"If You Feel The Funk" was a jam. I remember her going on "Soul Train" to promote it. If she had made more jams like that, she would have been taken more seriously. Instead, she wanted to go the pop route that so many others did.

SoulAlive said:

"Heart Don't Lie" is embarassing a terrible song!

I hated that song.

vainandy said:

SoulAlive said:

"Heart Don't Lie" is embarassing a terrible song!

I hated that song.

five long months we've been going steady wtf? She was a grown woman singing that!

They put Howard Hewitt (a 'real' singer) on the song to improve things,but it's still a sucky song.

SoulAlive said:

vainandy said:

I hated that song.

five long months we've been going steady wtf? She was a grown woman singing that!

They put Howard Hewitt (a 'real' singer) on the song to improve things,but it's still a sucky song.

Sounds more like a Shitney Houston lyric. Holding school books up to her breasts, picking petals off a damn flower....

If he loves me....if he loves me not.....

vainandy said:

SoulAlive said:

five long months we've been going steady wtf? She was a grown woman singing that!

They put Howard Hewitt (a 'real' singer) on the song to improve things,but it's still a sucky song.

Sounds more like a Shitney Houston lyric. Holding school books up to her breasts, picking petals off a damn flower....

If he loves me....if he loves me not.....

a really childish song,isn't it?

SoulAlive said:

vainandy said:

Sounds more like a Shitney Houston lyric. Holding school books up to her breasts, picking petals off a damn flower....

If he loves me....if he loves me not.....

a really childish song,isn't it?

And just look at the video with all that cardboard cutout scenery and her sitting there drawing a damn heart in a notebook. Who the hell does she think she is, Sandy from "Grease"?

And the Jamaican feel to the song. It's clearly a shitty immitation of Lionel Richie's "All Night Long". What trips me out, not just with her, but with damn near all the black music videos during that era, is the dancing. All that damn skipping, leaping, and pointed toe ballet type steps. What the fuck is this, "Fame"? Hell, is Gene Anthony Ray going to come jumping out of the side of the screen? Just turn on "Soul Train", you don't see that ballet looking shit on there. And if you would have taken your ass to a black club and did that damn skipping and ballet type steps, you would have gotten your ass kicked but they put that shit in damn near all the black music videos back then. It's very clear who they were trying to market them to.

vainandy said:

SoulAlive said:

a really childish song,isn't it?

And just look at the video with all that cardboard cutout scenery and her sitting there drawing a damn heart in a notebook. Who the hell does she think she is, Sandy from "Grease"?

And the Jamaican feel to the song. It's clearly a shitty immitation of Lionel Richie's "All Night Long". What trips me out, not just with her, but with damn near all the black music videos during that era, is the dancing. All that damn skipping, leaping, and pointed toe ballet type steps. What the fuck is this, "Fame"? Hell, is Gene Anthony Ray going to come jumping out of the side of the screen? Just turn on "Soul Train", you don't see that ballet looking shit on there. And if you would have taken your ass to a black club and did that damn skipping and ballet type steps, you would have gotten your ass kicked but they put that shit in damn near all the black music videos back then. It's very clear who they were trying to market them to.

this is a good topic for another thread:

What was up with all those Jamaican/Carribean R&B songs of the early 80s?

It seemed like everyone was doing a song like that....

"All Night Long" Lionel Richie

"Unconditional Love" Donna Summer

"Rhythm Of The Night" DeBarge

SoulAlive said:

vainandy said:

And just look at the video with all that cardboard cutout scenery and her sitting there drawing a damn heart in a notebook. Who the hell does she think she is, Sandy from "Grease"?

And the Jamaican feel to the song. It's clearly a shitty immitation of Lionel Richie's "All Night Long". What trips me out, not just with her, but with damn near all the black music videos during that era, is the dancing. All that damn skipping, leaping, and pointed toe ballet type steps. What the fuck is this, "Fame"? Hell, is Gene Anthony Ray going to come jumping out of the side of the screen? Just turn on "Soul Train", you don't see that ballet looking shit on there. And if you would have taken your ass to a black club and did that damn skipping and ballet type steps, you would have gotten your ass kicked but they put that shit in damn near all the black music videos back then. It's very clear who they were trying to market them to.

this is a good topic for another thread:

What was up with all those Jamaican/Carribean R&B songs of the early 80s?

It seemed like everyone was doing a song like that....

"All Night Long" Lionel Richie

"Unconditional Love" Donna Summer

"Rhythm Of The Night" DeBarge

Grace Jones did it with "Nipple To The Bottle" but she was more funky with hers. I was hearing it in pop songs back then too such as The Police's "Don't Stand So Close To Me" and "Come Dancing" from another group who I can't think of the name of. I kinda like the way these guys did it though because it didn't sound so traditional.

vainandy said:

SoulAlive said:

this is a good topic for another thread:

What was up with all those Jamaican/Carribean R&B songs of the early 80s?

It seemed like everyone was doing a song like that....

"All Night Long" Lionel Richie

"Unconditional Love" Donna Summer

"Rhythm Of The Night" DeBarge

Grace Jones did it with "Nipple To The Bottle" but she was more funky with hers. I was hearing it in pop songs back then too such as The Police's "Don't Stand So Close To Me" and "Come Dancing" from another group who I can't think of the name of. I kinda like the way these guys did it though because it didn't sound so traditional.

it's by the kinks.

vainandy said:

SoulAlive said:

a really childish song,isn't it?

And just look at the video with all that cardboard cutout scenery and her sitting there drawing a damn heart in a notebook. Who the hell does she think she is, Sandy from "Grease"?

And the Jamaican feel to the song. It's clearly a shitty immitation of Lionel Richie's "All Night Long". What trips me out, not just with her, but with damn near all the black music videos during that era, is the dancing. All that damn skipping, leaping, and pointed toe ballet type steps. What the fuck is this, "Fame"? Hell, is Gene Anthony Ray going to come jumping out of the side of the screen? Just turn on "Soul Train", you don't see that ballet looking shit on there. And if you would have taken your ass to a black club and did that damn skipping and ballet type steps, you would have gotten your ass kicked but they put that shit in damn near all the black music videos back then. It's very clear who they were trying to market them to.

Damn!

Speaking of jams, I wish Prince would have written original tracks for LaToya. But then again, I don't think Joseph OR Katherine would have been thrill with THAT idea!

Black sheep of the family.

vainandy said:

SoulAlive said:

a really childish song,isn't it?

And just look at the video with all that cardboard cutout scenery and her sitting there drawing a damn heart in a notebook. Who the hell does she think she is, Sandy from "Grease"?

And the Jamaican feel to the song. It's clearly a shitty immitation of Lionel Richie's "All Night Long". What trips me out, not just with her, but with damn near all the black music videos during that era, is the dancing. All that damn skipping, leaping, and pointed toe ballet type steps. What the fuck is this, "Fame"? Hell, is Gene Anthony Ray going to come jumping out of the side of the screen? Just turn on "Soul Train", you don't see that ballet looking shit on there. And if you would have taken your ass to a black club and did that damn skipping and ballet type steps, you would have gotten your ass kicked but they put that shit in damn near all the black music videos back then. It's very clear who they were trying to market them to.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! i want him to come back just so i could see that!

I knew some already but not others, they're good! One of them made me think of Katy Perry's California Girls though I always knew it had a Prince sound

trueiopian said:

Black sheep of the family.

To her credit,at least she acknowledged this I remember a Black Beat interview from the mid-80s,where she said "Every family has one member who's not as talented....sort of the black sheep of the family,you know.In this family,I'm that person".

I think she should have pursued a different career path instead of trying to become a singer.Why does every Jackson have to be an entertainer,anyway? LaToya should have studied to become a lawyer or something.

SoulAlive said:

trueiopian said:

Black sheep of the family.

To her credit,at least she acknowledged this I remember a Black Beat interview from the mid-80s,where she said "Every family has one member who's not as talented....sort of the black sheep of the family,you know.In this family,I'm that person".

I think she should have pursued a different career path instead of trying to become a singer.Why does every Jackson have to be an entertainer,anyway? LaToya should have studied to become a lawyer or something.

i personally think jackie should have persued his dream in sports- apparently, he was quite good at baseball. marlon, when he left the jacksons i believe ended up working in real estate, then did that tv network.

that makes me sad that, even though she may not have the singing chops of some of her siblings, she just narrowed it down to her not having talent. i actually remember this interview, and it made me sad to read that. everybody's talented in something.

in a funny way, i think they were all 'black sheeps', to one degree or another. each one has somne crazy thing they're dealing with. michael and la toya were just the most visible on displaying their issues- physically and otherwise.

SoulAlive said:

trueiopian said:

Black sheep of the family.

To her credit,at least she acknowledged this I remember a Black Beat interview from the mid-80s,where she said "Every family has one member who's not as talented....sort of the black sheep of the family,you know.In this family,I'm that person".

I think she should have pursued a different career path instead of trying to become a singer.Why does every Jackson have to be an entertainer,anyway? LaToya should have studied to become a lawyer or something.

I hate to say it but Latoya was, until the early 90's, the black sheep of the family in terms of sanity. She was the sane one in that bunch, until 93. If you read her book and watch her interviews you'll realize she was an extremely inteligent and caring person who was repressed and wanted to escape her family's horrendous control nature ("Escape Joe's prison" as she put it) in order to finally be happy. You'll realize this if you pay attention to what she said during that time.

Latoya wrote this (or something along these lines) in her book: "The best way to deal with daily horrendous abuse is to ignore it, pretend it doesn't and never existed and start acting the way people who abuse you want you to act. It's to start living the lie, something my brothers started doing a long time ago. It's to live in denial.".

This might explain why did she become the freak she is today. Such a waste of an intelligent and loving person.

"Ain't Nobody Loves You (Like I Do) , is my jam!!!!!! (and the video is soooo cute)