The other day on BET,they showed the Boys' 1988 "Dial My Heart" video.How many of you remember that one?


"I call my baby on the phone
Got to get a message just to let her know
that if she ever feels alone to
Dial My Heart

And if by chance you're not at home
You can reach me baby by the nearest pay phone
I gotta cross my fingers and pray you'll know to
Dial My Heart"


And now I'm all nostalgic for the LA and Babyface sound! Remember when you would turn on the radio and hear stuff like...

"Rock Steady" by the Whispers (1987)
"Girlfriend" by Pebbles (1988)
"Secret Rendezvous" by Karyn White (1988)
"Every Little Step" by Bobby Brown (1988)
"Two Occasions" by the Deele (their own band) (1988)
"The Lover In Me" by Sheena Easton (1988)
"Roses Are Red" by the Mac Band (1988)
"Another Sad Love Song" by Toni Braxton (1993)



From about 1987-1995,their sound was everywhere and they pretty much dominated the R&B music scene back then,producing hit song after hit song.I gotta make me some kind of compilation with their best stuff on it.

I don't, they always sounded like diarrea to me!

Where is babyface anyway?
Does he still produce? he was the man with the hits in the 80's and 90's, I think he has renounced his former sound and style? like anyone who becomes succesful

twink69 said:

Babyface is still around.He's signed to Arista and has just finished a new CD,due in the first quarter of 2004.I was really disappointed with his last two albums,so hopefully this new album will be a return to form.As it stands,his best solo album is 'For The Cool In You' (1993).

I loved "for the cool in you." Yes Babyface. Come back and bring back the romance...

"I give good luv
I'll buy your clothes
I'll cook your dinner too...soon as I get home from work
I'll pay your rent
Your faithful lover
Soon as I get home, soon as I get home from work..."


Oh hell yeah! Now why can't I find a brotha like that???

"Whatever you want
Is alright with me
Cause you've got that Whip Appeal
so whip it on me"


the 'Tender Lover' CD is da shit!! Remember the last two songs "Sunshine" and "Where Will You Go"?

"My, my, my" - Johnny Gill 1990. classic.

Babyface is an excellent songwriter and has wrote so many excellent songs.

'Face 2 Face' is his latest album and its very good in my opinion, 'For The Cool In You' is his best album tho!

DavidEye said:

Oh Lawd. You had to go bring up "Where Will You Go?" That used to be my heartbreak song. I have cried so many tears to that song.
Ya'll gone make me go wipe down my vinyl and dust off the old turntable.

'Tender Lover' is an excellent album too!. I've got 'Lovers' on CD it was recorded in 1986, any1 got this CD too and what do u think of it?, I think its good!

thetimefan said:

'Lovers' is a very good album.I think it was very underrated at the time,although it did have two hit singles "I Love You Babe" and "Mary Mack".I also love the song "Chivalry" and the Stylistics cover was cool too.

"Oh Mary Mack,all dressed in black
with silver buttons,all down the back
So,you got another love
instead of me
Tell you what I'm gonna do,babe
I'm gonna set you free"

Now that was good R&B music!

i'm surprised he is signed to Arista since him and LA hate each other or was this a part of the fall of LaFace records because most of the artist did go to Arista.

Hate each other? Don't you mean grow apart? I don't think they hate each other at all!

Anyway, I miss some of them becoz they set me in the mood.

The lyrics are sooo damn corny, man! so damn fairytale-ish "I'm gonna wash yo clothes, do yo hair, fix yo breakfast" What the,,? is he talking about a MAN or a babysitter?

I used to love his music back in the day but right now it I () whenever I hear some o' his stuff.

However, his SEXY lyrics are fire,,,he knows damn well how to write from a female prespective,,I dig that about the brotha!

I miss the group Babyface came from(I 4got its name) its an 80's RnB/Funk group.

I don'tknow any 80's face records, but I LOVE the "Soul Food" movie soundtrack
What was that song called it went "Girl I care about you..blah blah" it had after 7 and kci and Jo Jo that was my slow jam

DavidEye said:

I thought their 80's productions were very repetitive and not as diverse. I was and still am more of a Jam & Lewis fan. However, LA and Face produced some classics on After 7 and Karyn White which I enjoyed.

La and Face had it then, you knew it was gonna be a hit as soon as you heard it. They got alot of flack for ripping offf some songs of other artist, and having some songs sound alike, but I would like to see Face make a comeback on the charts. End of the Road ruled..

Rhondab said:

Around 1994,the two of them stopped working together.I never understood why.As producers,they were a great,inspired team.Babyface wrote and produced some wonderful stuff without LA (Madonna's "Take A Bow",the 'Waiting To Exhale' soundtrack,much of the 'Soul Food' soundtrack,etc),but I really miss seeing the two of them work together.Their sound was incredible.

But they're still close.Their joint record label LaFace has dissolved,and all of their former acts are now signed directly to Arista and of course,LA is in charge over there.Babyface originally had plans for his own new record label,Nu America Records,to be distributed by Arista,but those plans fell through.(On a sidenote,Jam and Lewis were planning a new label called FlyteTyme Records to be distributed by Arista,but those plans fell through too.Apparently,big record companies are becoming increasingly afraid to bankroll these record labels started by producers and artists).

PrettyMan72 said:

I liked Jam and Lewis's productions in the early to mid 80s (Cherelle's "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On",Gladys Knight and The Pips' "You're Number One (In My Book)" and some of the Alexander O'Neal stuff),but as the 80s wore on,they kinda lost their touch,imo.By the late 80s,I was more into the stuff that LA and Face were producing.You mentioned After 7...I had forgot about them! Their first album was TIGHT,the perfect bedroom soundtrack...lol...

"Ready Or Not...I'll give you everything and more"

DMSR said:

Hey DMSR,long time no see.How ya been?


I agree,it's about time for a Babyface comeback.

DavidEye said:

are you sure they are close because from the folks I know here in Indy where Babyface is from, the rumor is that LA embelezzed (is that spelled right) money at LaFace. Thats what the rumor is here.

They weer like the Lieber/Stoller of R&B back in the day.

Rhondab said:

Ooh,I never heard that one! But who knows?

Yeah, LA and Babyface had that signature sound back in the day. They were like The Neptunes of the 80s...or maybe Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were?

NWF said:

Let's not get carried away.

DavidEye said:

Jam and Lewis were still producing classics as the 80's wore on.

Everything I miss at home - Cherelle (1988)
Affair - Cherelle (1988)
Never Knew Love Like This - Alex O'Neal & Cherelle (1987)
If it isn't Love - New Edition (1988)
Rhythm Nation 1814 CD - Janet Jackson (1989)

I enjoyed that sound a lot as well! My favorite Babyface album is Lovers, although For The Cool In You is a close second.

I always dug the fact that, no matter how great the original cut of a song was, you KNEW the remix was going to be 10 times better!!!

"Tender Lover"
"Two Occasions"
"My Kind of Girl"
"Ready or Not"


Those were the jams!!!


Dang, I could go for a few episodes of Arsenio now! And, some De La Soul.

Y'all just took me on back to the late '80s/early '90s.

Babyface's Tender Lover Album

side 2

* Soon as I get home from work
* Sunshine
* Where will you go


Man can I tell you stories about what happened when I played this album!!

also
New Edition: NE Heart Break
Johnny Gill
Troop : Attitude
*all I do
*come back to your home
*I will always love you
*still in love
*spread my wings

Troop: Deepa