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The release of the Rick James Anthology completes a set of James best-ofs at various price points. 20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection: The Best of Rick James is a discount-priced album, Ultimate Collection is a full-priced single-disc set, and Anthology is a two-and-a-half-hour, two-CD version of the Rick James story. Eighteen of the 23 Top 40 R&B hits that James scored between 1978 and 1988 are included (the most notable omission is the 1985 R&B Top Ten and pop chart entry "Can't Stop" from the movie Beverly Hills Cop) along with some key album tracks, two of them, "Fire and Desire" and "Happy," duets with James protégée Teena Marie. His other collaborators include Smokey Robinson ("Ebony Eyes") and the Temptations (with a 12" remix of "Standing on the Top" that runs nearly ten minutes). Included for the first time on a James compilation is his final major hit, "Loosey's Rap," featuring Roxanne Shanté, which appeared originally on Reprise Records in 1988. James' influence on popular music remains apparent on these tracks, largely in his grooves -- the rhythm pattern on "Give It to Me Baby" was borrowed by Michael Jackson for "Thriller," for example, and of course MC Hammer created "U Can't Touch This" by rapping over the musical track of "Super Freak" -- but also in his unabashedly lascivious lyrical content. "I led the life I was singing about in my songs," James tells David Ritz in the excellent liner notes, and that may help explain why he had such a hard time in the 1990s. But the best of his '70s and '80s material is to be found here.
© William Ruhlmann /TiVo
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Rick James, Producer, Mixer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Art Stewart, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1978 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, Mixer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Art Stewart, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1978 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, Mixer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Art Stewart, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1978 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, Mixer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Peter Cardinali, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Art Stewart, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1979 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1979 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1979 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1979 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1979 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Leroy Burgess, ComposerLyricist - James Calloway, ComposerLyricist - Rick James, Producer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Sonny Davenport, ComposerLyricist - Daniel LeMelle, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1980 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1980 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Reggie Andrews, String Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Rick James, Producer, String Arranger, Vocals, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Teena Marie, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Daniel LeMelle, String Arranger, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Melvin Franklin, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1981 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Reggie Andrews, String Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Alonzo Miller, ComposerLyricist - Rick James, Producer, String Arranger, Vocals, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - The Temptations, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Daniel LeMelle, String Arranger, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1981 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Reggie Andrews, String Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Rick James, Producer, String Arranger, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Teena Marie, FeaturedArtist - Daniel LeMelle, String Arranger, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1981 UMG Recordings, Inc.
DISC 2
Rick James, Producer, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals, Synthesizer, Harmonica, Drum Programming, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - John Mcfee, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Levi Ruffin Jr., Piano, Synthesizer, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Tom McDermott, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Daniel LeMelle, Flute, Saxophone, Trumpet, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Erskine Williams, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Oscar Alston, Bass Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1982 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, FeaturedArtist, ComposerLyricist - The Temptations, MainArtist
℗ 1982 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Daniel LeMelle, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1982 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Teena Marie, FeaturedArtist
℗ 1982 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1982 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1982 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1983 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Reggie Andrews, String Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Rick James, Producer, String Arranger, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Daniel LeMelle, String Arranger, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1983 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - SMOKEY ROBINSON, FeaturedArtist
℗ 1983 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Grandmaster Flash, FeaturedArtist
℗ 1983 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1984 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1985 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1985 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick James, Producer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Bruce Forest, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1986 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
The release of the Rick James Anthology completes a set of James best-ofs at various price points. 20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection: The Best of Rick James is a discount-priced album, Ultimate Collection is a full-priced single-disc set, and Anthology is a two-and-a-half-hour, two-CD version of the Rick James story. Eighteen of the 23 Top 40 R&B hits that James scored between 1978 and 1988 are included (the most notable omission is the 1985 R&B Top Ten and pop chart entry "Can't Stop" from the movie Beverly Hills Cop) along with some key album tracks, two of them, "Fire and Desire" and "Happy," duets with James protégée Teena Marie. His other collaborators include Smokey Robinson ("Ebony Eyes") and the Temptations (with a 12" remix of "Standing on the Top" that runs nearly ten minutes). Included for the first time on a James compilation is his final major hit, "Loosey's Rap," featuring Roxanne Shanté, which appeared originally on Reprise Records in 1988. James' influence on popular music remains apparent on these tracks, largely in his grooves -- the rhythm pattern on "Give It to Me Baby" was borrowed by Michael Jackson for "Thriller," for example, and of course MC Hammer created "U Can't Touch This" by rapping over the musical track of "Super Freak" -- but also in his unabashedly lascivious lyrical content. "I led the life I was singing about in my songs," James tells David Ritz in the excellent liner notes, and that may help explain why he had such a hard time in the 1990s. But the best of his '70s and '80s material is to be found here.
© William Ruhlmann /TiVo
About the album
- 2 disc(s) - 27 track(s)
- Total length: 02:27:08
- Main artists: Rick James
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: UNI - MOTOWN
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B Funk
© 2002 UMG Recordings, Inc. This Compilation ℗ 2002 UMG Recordings, Inc.
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