In the 80s,I used to read Black Beat magazine all the time.Prince was featured on the cover almost every month it seems,especially the years 1984-87.But one thing I loved about this mag were the record reviews.These writers were very opinionated and not afraid to diss a weak album...lol...Some of the reviews were funny and made me want to hear the album to see if I agreed with the writer.Here's some memorable quotes from some of the reviews...


*** The interesting thing about Jill Jones' album is,like other Prince proteges,she gets all the material that Prince thinks he is above at this point in his career.Fact is,his unbalanced 'Sign O The Times' album could have used something as percolating and sassy as "For Love".---Steve Ivory,reviewing the Jill Jones album.

*** The singer does not have that same success on the rousing "Ain't It Just Like Love",an overly noisy track that forces her into a high-powered screaming situation ---a writer reviewing the 1987 Jennifer Holiday album 'Get Close To My Love'.

*** Either success has left Donna complacent or most likely,she figured that the best way to stand out among the current dance-music princesses is to simply look the other way.Thus,'All Systems Go' is basically a soft work.Nothing wrong with that.However,the material isn't distinctive.The title track comes and goes without leaving a trace.The elementary "Bad Reputation" is simply bad,and the ballad "Jeremy" is equally limp.---Steve Ivory reviewing Donna Summer's 1987 album 'All Systems Go'.

*** "Love Overboard" is an oasis here.Even Glady's gritty pipes can't save "Lovin On Next To Nothing"---a writer reviewing the 1987 Gladys Knight And the Pips album 'All Our Love'.

*** When will Larry Blackmon and others---especially Prince---realize that the record-buying public is not interested in spending their hard-earned money on musical clones? ---a writer reviewing the 1986 Cashflow album,produced by Cameo's Larry Blackmon



And I remember a funny review I read in People Magazine,where the writer had this to say about Sheena Easton's 1988 album 'The Lover In Me'....


Anyone who likes to see mazaratis used to plow snow,or filet mignon ground into hamburger,may like this record,in which Easton does a convincing imitation of a fourth-rate R&B singer

critics are funny sometimes.Feel free to post any memorable album reviews.

dude! This one'll have to wait 'til tomorrow. My Back Beat collection is boxed up at home.

I used to LOOOOVE Black Beat in the 80's!!!!!

I loved that in almost every issue Prince or his protigees were sure to have a pin-up that I would immediately tear out and pin up in my room. Between BLACK BEAT and RIGHT ON! I used to spend most of my hard earned allowance on these 2, Rolling Stone (it was good back then), and records.

My old BB issues remain in storage at my folks home in AZ. Man...I cannt wait to bust those open again!

Anyone remember FRESH! magazine??? They used to love Prince too!

"Sign O The Times"...unbalanced???? If you really insist! They really seemed to hate Prince judging from the bitchy comment about him being a clone?

It's been so long since I've even seen a Black Beat mag that I didn't remember they even had album reviews. I was much more into Right On! magazine during the late '70s-very early '80s. Didn't Black Beat also have a review of TRC? I think I remember it being posted on the old version of the Org.

Damn, this takes me back...

Blackbeat was really cool, but I was always checkin' out ROCKNSOUL magazine ...much lower budget, but much better articles( I thought)...

AH! I wish i had sum thanx 4 sharin!

When I think of Right On Magazine I think of the name Cynthia Horner!

VANITYSprisonBYTCH said:

guilty of all the above! I used to love the looks on the cashiers' faces when I'd buy the new issues of Right On! and Black Beat in the little redneck town I grew up in. You'da thunk I was buying copies of Latin Inches and Ms. magazine or some shit.



I'm gonna use this as my job description from now on.

eldog98 said:

And I think Cynthia is STILL with Right On! I was a Right On! mag fanatic!!!!!

Big up Cynthia Horner though...she did some hella interviews back in the day and she loved her some Prince.

eldog98 said:

Anybody remember Flo Jenkins? She was the editor before Horner. My friend Rudy is now the editor of Black Beat. (I think Steve Ivory came before him.) And he's a big Prince fan, too!

Man, Black Beat to us young kids back then were like Essence 2 us sistas right now.

It just lost its sparkle, I bought every damn one of it from 1990 up till 97 and right then I realized that its washed up.

UptownDeb said:

DEB...you's old...lol

Yeah, I remember Black Beat. That, as well as Right On!, Rock & Soul, and Fresh! They used to have great reviews on Prince and his whole empire. That's all I would look for when I picked up them mags. Them and maybe the Jackson family. And New Edition too. But then I stopped reading when Hip-Hop became popular. I don't really have much against Hip-Hop, but the magazine just wasn't interesting to me anymore. And now that all that you see on them mags are Hip-Hop stars. So I'm really not interested in those mags anymore. I don't think anyone here would be anyways. But I used to go to the library to look at some old issues of them magazines.

Yes, folks, that's right. check your local library and maybe you can come across some old issues of them magazines.

Those were the days.

Rhondab said:

Watch it, mama!!!

What I also remember about Right On! was how they used to run these blind items. Like, they'd print some juicy gossip, give you all kinds of clues, but never come right out with it. I'm tellin' you, to this day the reason I think Janet Jackson might have a child is because of a blind item I read in Right On! (If they weren't talking about Janet, then my other guess would have to be Stacy Lattisaw. They were both on the scene at around the same time.)