The Brief: In 1983 and 1985, Talking Heads released ‘Speaking In Tongues’ and ‘Little Creatures’, two great albums from start to finish that attained sales of over a million copies each. ‘Creatures’ was certified Double Platinum noting sales of over 2 million copies. In 1986, a David Byrne film entitled True Stories was released and a [...]
The Brief: Depending on your musical taste, the concept album that served as a soundtrack for the musical stage production Chess, was one god-awful messy hodge-podge of crap with a few gems thrown in or a dazzling score that covers nearly all the pop bases. Either way, the worldwide hit “One Night In Bangkok” was part [...]
The Brief: There always seems to be a warm welcome here for S.O.S. Band records so, I hope this one isn’t an exception. The title track from 1984′s ‘Just The Way You Like It’ LP was the lead off single and the highest charting of the 4 singles released. The song was one of 4 [...]
The Brief: As with yesterday’s 7″ single, today’s shaves a little over 2 minutes off of the LP version to get the song down to a more radio friendly under 4 minutes track time. O’Bryan Burnette II was approximately 18 years old when his first album hit the streets on Capitol Records in 1982. O’Bryan was [...]
The Brief: It may sound strange to hear on a blog primarily full of 12″ singles featuring extended and remixed versions of songs that are generally several minutes longer than the album versions but, sometimes a good 7″ edited version is a welcome change to the seemingly endless jam that some album versions are. Case [...]
The Brief: In 1987 the 3rd and final sequel to the 1979 blaxploitation movie Penintentiary was released. The soundtrack to the movie featured songs from such artists as Freda Payne, Yarbrough & Peoples, Midnight Star and The Gap Band. “Sweeter Than Candy” was The Gap Band’s contribution to the soundtrack and the song also appeared on [...]
The Brief: The Gap Band came roaring down the tracks for the release of their 7th studio album entitled ‘Gap Band V: Jammin’ with the leadoff single “Party Train”. Surprisingly, after all the success with the previous album, the band failed to continue the momentum with the single falling short of #1 on the R&B charts and the [...]
The Brief: The 3rd and final single from ‘The Gap Band IV’ album was “Outstanding”. The single was the band’s last appearance on Billboard’s Hot 100, peaking at #51. On the postivie side, it became their 3rd #1 on the R&B charts and has been sampled numerous times by other R&B and hip-hop artists, no [...]
The Brief: One would think that after reaching the Top 25 of the pop charts with their first Top 40 single that The Gap Band and Total Experience Records would be eager to get the next single out and capitalize on the success. One would think… “Early In The Morning” was released in April of 1982, [...]
The Brief: After concquering the R&B charts with 2 Top 5 singles from ‘The Gap Band III’ album, the Wilson brothers now set their sights on the pop charts. In my opinion, ‘The Gap Band IV’ album was the the strongest and most consistent album the band ever released. Drop the needle on track one [...]
The Brief: “16 Tons of coal and whadda ya get?” This song definitely grooves and the lyrics thrown around throughout the song are quite clever and humorous. ”You get a hump in ya back, sucker”. This was the second of 3 singles from the ‘Gap Band III’ LP of 1980. My copy of “Humpin’” is a promo [...]
The Brief: From Tulsa Oklahoma, originally called the Greenwood, Archer and Pine Street Band, the Gap Band have been making funky music since 1967. At the very beginning the band consisted of Ronnie Wilson, Roscoe Smith, Chris Clayton and Tuck Andress who later formed the jazz duo Tuck & Patti with Patti Cathcart. A few [...]
The Brief: Today’s Record Store Day goodie is a Side by Side offering from Warner Bros. Records featuring Run-D.M.C. and Carolina Chocolate Drops. The record actually has the labels applied to the wrong sides, that’s been corrected in today’s post… This limited edition, Record Store Day Exclusive colored vinyl 7″ features the Carolina Chocolate Drops [...]
Posted in FWV, Run-D.M.C. 
Tags: 2012, 7 Inch, Country, Rap, Record Store Day, Warner Brothers Records 
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The Brief: On day 2 of our look at Record Store Day goodies we have The Clash’s “London Calling 2012″. Here’s a brief promotional item announcing the release: THE CLASH TO RELEASE LIMITED EDITION ‘LONDON CALLING’ SINGLE FOR RECORD STORE DAY THE CLASH will release a limited-edition 7″ single to mark Record Store Day on [...]
The Brief: Coming this Saturday, April 20th, is Record Store Day 2013. This week we will take a look at some of the records I picked up at previous Record Store Days and Record Store Day’s Black Fridays in November. Here’s the press release announcing today’s record: Universal Music Group has announced that The Rolling [...]
Posted in FWV, Rolling Stones Tags: 2011, 7 Inch, A&M Records, Record Store Day, Rock, Rolling Stones Records 2 Comments »
The Brief: Guest Blogger: Marc from Nova Scotia Not unlike that sad little Christmas tree Charlie Brown picked out for the nativity play, the title track from 1986’s ‘True Blue’ album doesn’t exactly stand out amongst Madonna’s defining musical moments. Overshadowed by flashier, more provocative recordings, this harmless piece of ear candy always sounded to [...]
The Brief: Have you grown utterly sick and tired of hearing a good song on the radio only to have it interrupted by someone breaking in and rapping in the middle of the song? Or do you find that to be totally cool and think that it adds a great element, making the song even [...]
The Brief: As previously noted, this was the final single release from the ‘Jody Watley’ LP. It was the second of the five single releases that failed to reach the Top 40 despite doing well at dance and R&B. This promo 45 release from Canada features a single remix and instrumental by Francois Kevorkian and [...]
Posted in FWV, Jody Watley Tags: 1988, 7 Inch, Francois Kevorkian, MCA Records, Michael Hutchinson, Promo, R&B 8 Comments »
The Brief: For the release of “Some Kind Of Lover”, Louil Silas, Jr. was brought in to do the remixing for the single releases. This song is the third Watley/Cymone composition paired with Cymone/David Z. production and the 2nd Top 10 hit for that combination of writers and producers from the album. This post contains [...]
Posted in FWV, Jody Watley Tags: 10 Inch, 1987, 7 Inch, Louil Silas Jr, MCA Records, R&B, UK Pressing 12 Comments »
The Brief: Today features the 7″ release of “Don’t You Want Me” which was Jody’s second Top 10 single (right Marc?) and the third single released from her self-titled solo LP debut. The song was number 55 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the year of 1988. Chic alumni Bernard Edwards was behind the knobs for [...]
Posted in FWV, Jody Watley Tags: 1987, 7 Inch, Francois Kevorkian, MCA Records, Michael Hutchinson, R&B, Timmy Regisford 4 Comments »
The Brief: The second single release from the ‘Jody Watley’ album was “Still A Thrill”. The Andre Cymone/David Z. produced song did not fare as well on pop radio as the first single. It failed to reach the Top 40 despite going Top 10 in the dance and R&B markets. Watley and Cymone share songwriting [...]
The Brief: Back in November I gave you guys a taste of my Jody Watley collection, we’re gonna take the next two weeks and visit the remaining records I have from her. Jody’s birthday is Jan 30, which is on Wednesday of this week so, this will be a mini Jody-bration! “Looking For A New [...]
7″: A I Need A Prince (Radio Edit) 3:58 B I Need A Prince (Radio Edit) 3:58 Label: Epic Records Catalog#: 34-06582 Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM Country: US Released: 1986 12″: A I Need A Prince (Extended Radio Mix) 5:15 I Need A Prince (Radio Edit) 4:11 B I Need A Prince (Club Mix) [...]
The A Side: Another Lonely Christmas 4:20 The B Side: Sheila E. introducing The Belle Of St. Mark 0:10 Sheila’s Christmas Message 0:04 Apollonia’s Message To Japan 0:12 Apollonia introducing Sex Shooter 0:10 Apollonia introducing Blue Limousine 0:14 Apollonia introducing Happy Birthday Mr. Christian 0:15 Prince introducing Purple Rain 0:04 The Brief: OK, up front, this technically is not a [...]
Posted in Apollonia 6, FWV, Prince, Sheila E Tags: 1984, 7 Inch, b-side, Christmas, MPLS, Promo, R&B, Warner Brothers Records 20 Comments »
The A Side: Are You Ready (7″ Remix) 4:05 The B Side: Yo’ Luv (LP Version) 4:13 The Brief: The fourth and final single from ‘Daydreaming‘ is “Are You Ready”. The 7″ Remix version by Shep Pettibone is on Side A and Side B is the LP Version of “Yo’ Luv”. The ‘Daydreaming’ album went to [...]
Posted in FWV, Morris Day Tags: 1988, 7 Inch, MPLS, R&B, Shep Pettibone, Warner Brothers Records No Comments »
The A Side: Love Is A Game (Edit) 4:00 The B Side: Don’t Wait For Me (LP Version) 7:10 The Brief: “Love Is A Game” was the third single from the ‘Daydreaming‘ album. The single edit is backed with the LP version of “Don’t Wait For Me”, an album cut from ‘Color Of Success‘. The [...]
Posted in FWV, Morris Day Tags: 1988, 7 Inch, Flyte Tyme Productions, MPLS, R&B, Warner Brothers Records No Comments »
The A Side: Daydreaming (Edit) 3:46 The B Side: The Character (LP Version) 4:06 The Brief: Hot on the heels of the Top 40 success of “Fishnet”, Morris Day released the title track as the second single from the ‘Daydreaming‘ LP. This 7″ single has the single edit of “Daydreaming” backed with the LP version [...]
The A Side: Fishnet (Edit) 3:58 The B Side: Maybe 4:10 The Brief: Morris Day went back into the studio after his ‘Color Of Success‘ album had run its course and began work on the followup. Morris enlisted his former bandmates Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to produce and co-write two tracks, “Fishnet” and “Love [...]
Posted in FWV, Morris Day Tags: 1988, 7 Inch, b-side, Flyte Tyme Productions, MPLS, R&B, Warner Brothers Records 13 Comments »
The A Side: The Character 3:59 The B Side: The Character (Instrumental Dance Mix) 3:59 The Brief: The fourth single from Morris Day‘s ‘Color Of Success‘ album has the single edit of “The Character” backed with the Instrumental Dance Mix. The Billboard Charts: Chart Debuted Debut Pos. Peak Pos. Wks on Chart Hot Black Singles [...]
Posted in FWV, Morris Day Tags: 1985, 7 Inch, Michael Brauer, MPLS, R&B, Warner Brothers Records 13 Comments »
The A Side: Love/Addiction (Edit) 4:12 The B Side: Don’t Wait For Me (Edit) 4:28 The Brief: “Love/Addiction” is the third single from the ‘Color Of Success‘ LP by Morris Day. This promo 7″ single features the single edit on side A and an edit of “Don’t Wait For Me” on the flip side. The [...]
Posted in FWV, Morris Day Tags: 1985, 7 Inch, Michael Brauer, MPLS, Promo, R&B, Warner Brothers Records 1 Comment »
The A Side: Color Of Success 4:11 The B Side: Color Of Success (Instrumental Mix) 5:11 The Brief: “Color of Success” is the title track from Morris Day‘s first solo album and the second single released in support of the record. Side A features the single edit and side B is the Instrumental Mix. Here’s [...]
Posted in FWV, Morris Day Tags: 1985, 7 Inch, Michael Brauer, MPLS, R&B, Warner Brothers Records No Comments »
The A Side: The Oak Tree (Edit with Intro) 4:32 The B Side: The Oak Tree (Edit without Intro) 3:54 The Brief: This post is the promo 7″ single edit released in the US with the spoken intro on side A and without it on side B. The Charts: Chart Debuted Debut Pos. Peak Pos. [...]
Posted in FWV, Morris Day Tags: 1985, 7 Inch, MPLS, Promo, R&B, Warner Brothers Records 4 Comments »
The A Side: The Oak Tree 4:32 The B Side: The Oak Tree (Dance Instrumental) 3:45 The Brief: I’ve had all these Morris Day records ready to go for quite some time so, the month of September, in addition to being Pleasure Your Mate Month, is going to be dedicated to Morris. So, you know the [...]
The A Side: Got A New Love (Edit) 3:51 The B Side: One More Time (LP Version) 3:57 The Brief: Good Question were brothers Sean and Marc Douglas, a R&B duo who signed to Prince‘s Paisley Park Records and released their only album in 1988. The leadoff single from that LP was “Got A New [...]
The A Side: Alphabet St. (Edit) 2:25 The B Side: Alphabet St. (cont.) 3:14 The Brief: “Alphabet St.” is the first single released from the ‘Lovesexy’ album and is the 12th of 18 Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 of Prince’s career. “Alphabet St.” also has the distinction of being the first Prince [...]
The A Side: U Got The Look 3:58 The B Side: Housequake (Edit) 3:24 The Brief: “U Got The Look” is the third single from the ‘Sign ‘O’ The Times’ LP and the highest charting single from the album. Although she’s not listed in the credits, the song is a duet between Prince and Sheena [...]
The A Side: Anotherloverholenyohead The B Side: I Wanna Be Your Lover (Edit) The Brief: “Anotherloverholenyohead” is Prince‘s third single released in North America from the ‘Parade’ LP. In the UK and Europe it was the fourth single. It was the first single from ‘Parade’ not to reach the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot [...]
The A Side: Purple Rain 4:02 The B Side: God 3:59 The Brief: The title track from the ‘Purple Rain’ LP was the third single released from the blockbuster album and the first single that failed to reach #1 as it stalled out at #2, top-blocked by Wham’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”. By [...]
The A Side: Let’s Pretend We’re Married (Stereo Edit) 3:40 The B Side: Let’s Pretend We’re Married (Mono Edit) 3:40 The Brief: “Let’s Pretend We’re Married” was the last single released in the US, from the ‘1999’ LP. in November of 1983. This promo 7” contains the edit version of the song in stereo and [...]
The A Side: Little Red Corvette (Edit) 3:08 The B Side: Little Red Corvette (Dance Remix) 4:32 The Brief: Time for the second annual Paisley June in celebration of Prince’s 54th birthday on June 7. We’ll take a look at some records from the man himself for the first week or so and then move [...]
The A Side: I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On 3:58 The B Side: I Need You Now 4:35 The Brief: Early in her music career, Cherrelle (nee Cheryl Anne Norton) toured with Luther Vandross as a backup singer. I saw Luther on his “Busy Body Tour” in late 83/early 84, wonder if she was [...]
Posted in Cherrelle, FWV Tags: 1984, 7 Inch, Flyte Tyme Productions, Promo, R&B, Tabu Records 10 Comments »
The A Side: Only A Breath Away 4:15 The B Side: Summer Is The Coldest Time Of Year 5:15 The Brief: “Only A Breath Away” is the second of two singles released from Patti Austin’s 1985 album ‘Gettin’ Away With Murder‘. The single was written and produced by Monte Moir for Flyte Tyme Productions. It [...]
Posted in FWV, Patti Austin Tags: 1985, 7 Inch, Flyte Tyme Productions, Qwest Records, R&B 3 Comments »