BABY FACE ON SOUL TRAIN

'Face on The Train

Earth , Wind and Fire-Gratitude

Fresh off the success of their biggest album to date, Earth Wind and Fire took the ambitious path and released another album in the same calendar year. Gratitude is an eclectic mix of live recordings from previous hits and Grade-A new material, released just months after That's The Way of The World. Just like it's predecessor, the album topped both the Pop and R&B Charts.

Devotion (Live)

2. Reasons (Live)

3. Shining Star (Live)

4. Sing A Song

5. Can't Hide Love

Related Post: That's The Way Of The World 

Jermaine Jackson-Let's Get Serious

Prior to the spring of 1980, Jermaine Jackson's solo career was definitely considered a disappointment, if not a full-blown bust. Five years after deciding to stay at Motown while the Jackson 5 moved on to Epic Records, Berry Gordy's son-in-law didn't have much to show for it. His highest charting single since the Jackson 5 days topped off at no. 38 on the R&B charts. And with the meteoric success of little brother Michael's Off The Wall, there's little doubt the pressure was on for Jermaine.

Dating back to his days as a member of the Jackson 5, Jermaine had the privilage of working with the musical genius Stevie Wonder. Wonder came through for his friend in a big way when he penned Let's Get Serious. The single re-energized Jackson's career and served as the centerpiece for his first hit album. The album topped the R&B charts and while it was no Off The Wall, it sparked a fruitful decade for Jermaine Jackson.

1. Let's Get Serious- Jackson's first no. 1 R&B hit also reached no. 6 on the pop charts.

2. Where Are You Now

3. We Can Put It Back Together-Written by Jackson and then-wife Hazel Gordy.

4. You're Supposed to Keep Your Love for Me-The track originally featured vocals by Michael and Jackie Jackson, but those were later stripped after the Jackson 5's departure.

5. Burnin' Hot

Related Post: Jermaine Jackson-Dynamite

Quincy Jones-The Dude

For most people, doing the same job for 30 years usually means retirement. For super producer Quincy Jones, it meant he was just hitting his stride. Jones started to make his mark as early as the 1950s, composing music for jazz legends like Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Dinah Washington. Throughout the next two decades, Jones worked with artists like Frank Sinatra and produced musical scores for dozens of films. While working on the score for The Wiz, Jones developed a relationship with a young Michael Jackson, paving the way for the mega-albums Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad. In 1980, he collaborated with George Benson on his epic Give Me The Night. In 1981 Jones released the compilation album The Dude, which introduced the world to the smooth, sultry sound of James Ingram and the jazzy vocals of Patti Austin. The album's success marked the beginning of Jones' most important decade of all.

1. Ai No Corrida

2. The Dude-The title track, featuring vocals from both Ingram and Jackson.

3. Just Once-Ingram's debut ballad reached number 17 on the Pop Charts.

4. Betcha Wouldn't Hurt Me- Austin takes on this Stevie composition.

5. Razzamatazz-No. 11 on the British Charts.

6. One Hundred Ways- James serenades the ladies and instructs the fellas.

7. Velas-Later sampled by Jodeci for the single Get On Up.

Related Posts: George Benson-Give Me The Night

Tina Turner-Private Dancer

Seventy-two years ago today, a little black baby girl named Anna Mae Bullock was born in tiny Nutbush, Tennessee. Forty-five years after that Tina Turner released her landmark solo album, Private Dancer. In between she moved to St. Louis, met Ike Turner and traveled around the world as the featured vocalist of Ike And Tina Turner Revenue. After divorcing Ike and leaving the group in the late 70s, Turner recorded two solo albums on her own, but failed to find much success. It seemed that time had passed her by, and that she was destined to spend the rest of her career on the oldies circuit.

Private Dancer a huge departure from her roots as a Soul/R&B singer, going largely in the direction of edgy, yet Pop friendly Rock.  It is a emotional and sensual mixture of remakes and spicy originals that helped define the mid-1980s. The album turned out to be one of the biggest successes of the 80s, selling over 11 million copies worldwide and re-established Turner as an artist to be reckoned with, not to mention an ageless sex symbol. VH1 named it the 95th Greatest Album of All-Time in 2003. Happy birthday Ms. Tina! 

1. I Mighty Have Been Queen

2. What's Love Got To Do With It-Turner's only solo no. 1 on the Billboard Charts and the title of her controversial Autobiographical film.

3. Show Some Respect

4. I Can't Stand The Rain- Tina takes her turn at the Ann Pebbles classic.

5. Private Dancer-The steamy title track reached no. 3 on the R&B Charts in 1984.

6. Let's Stay Together-This remake of the Al Green classic was the albums' first single.

7. Better Be Good To Me- This peaked at no. 6 on the R&B charts.

8. Help-Tina sings the Beatles as only she can!

A Motown Christmas--Part I

Greetings music lovers! The holidays are here and I'm so excited! Why? People are in a great mood, there's plenty of great food and best of all, plenty of Christmas music! Over the years, just about every significant singer has recorded a Christmas album. In my opinion, nobody does Christmas like Motown. How could you go wrong with an all-star cast including The Temptations, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Stevie Wonder and The Jackson 5? Exactly, you can't! So sit back, grab some eggnog and let the good times roll.

1. Stevie Wonder-What Christmas Means To Me

2. The Temptations-Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer

3. The Jackson 5- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

4. Michael Jackson-Little Christmas Tree

5.  The Supremes-Joy To The World

6.  The Supremes-Silver Bells

Glenn Jones-Finesse

The mid-1980s were a turning point for R&B music. Superstars like Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and Prince had broken into the mainstream to the point that they were now Pop stars who just happened to sing R&B. That year, Glenn Jones released his sophomore album, Finesse. Jones' heavy, gospel influenced voice provided a contrast to the high pitch vocals of the artists listed above. While this may have hurt him on the pop charts, Jones managed to find his niche in the Quiet Storm genre. The album itself only had one hit and just barely made it into the Top 20 R&B albums list, but it set the stage for the Florida native to become a fixture on the R&B charts for the next decade.

1.  Finesse-The album's title track is a solid opener.

2. You're The Only One-Another nice dance track.

3. Show Me-Jones' first big hit reached no. 3 on the R&B charts, but didn't make a dent in Pop circles.

4. Meet Me Halfway There- A funky, mid-tempo tune.

5. Everlasting Love- What we all want.