Barry White dead at 58

Bummer, he was way too young to die! I had no idea he was that ill.

 

This is very sad. He gave us so much great music. I'm glad he is sampled to such an extent since he does not get the radio play he deserves. The kids need to hear this stuff.

 

Sad news indeed! I was afraid of this when I heard the recent news of his continuing failing health reports. Another loss to the music world.

 

Very sad news. AFAIK, he has just signed to Universal Def Jam and a new album was being planned before his health problems began. So sad we won't hear new music from him again.

But happily, his classic stuff will remain. His music is always in regular rotation in my house.

I remember when I was a very young kid, I was bored silly with child rhymes and such and discovered Barry White, Three Dog Night and brazilian pop on the radio. Such a joy!

I kept pestering my parents until they bought me "Rhapsody in White", then a good number of singles and EP's, all the disco and pop hits from Never never gonna give ya up onward, which I never got rid of, they're pretty battered from the constant playing but lying somewhere in a box. Pretty deep stuff for a kid to listen. Then along came Stevie Wonder, Donna Summer's electro pop, The Beatles and rock'n'roll... but Barry White was one of my earliest musical heroes. May he rest in peace.

 

Another of the great ones gone. The man had his own unique niche in popular music. NOBODY sounded like Barry White! RIP.

 

Well, except for Isaac Hayes, whom White borrowed heavily from. What White did different was make the overt sexuality and bedroom banter explicit. After things wound down last night, I pulled out the old GREATEST HITS Lp, and listened to "Love Serenade" from his fourth album. White must have appealed beyond the ladies. A sampling of the lyric:

Take it off...
Baby, take it all off....
I want you to wave your hand to the world...
I dont wanna feel no clothes...
I dont wanna see no panties...
And take off that braziere, my dear...
Everybody's gone...
I'm taking the receiver off the phone...
Because baby you and me...
This night....
We're gonna get it on...
To love serenade....

And that's just the first verse.....

What a stud....

What's ironic is that I don't think he won a Grammy until very late in the game; he may have been nominated during his peak years(1973-76), but don't think he won.

He also wrote and produced Love Unlimited's first hit, the very appealing(if derivative--as in Ronettes)"Walking In The Rain With The One I Love" from 1972. Those gals never had the succcess White did(though one of them did marry White and they were together a long time), but at one point he was a one-man soul industry, recording Love Unltd, the Love Unltd. Ork, and his own solo work. Began his own label after his 20th Century contract was up(Unlimited Gold), and did well for a few years, but by the early '80s he wound up mainly on the soul charts, no longer crossing over.

I'd recommend his autiobiography: a good read, and refreshingly candid. His confidence in himself shines through, but also a very self-aware man, of how, early in his life, everything could have gone a different way. He will be missed, at this address, beyond his musical contributions....


ED

 

That's what I meant, Ed. Isaac Hayes had a similar STYLE, yes, but only Barry brought it into the bedroom like no other. Besides, Barry spared himself the career indignity of being caracturised in a cartoon(South Park)like Mr. Hayes(yes, except for the Simpsons, I know. Sigh.).

Well, anyway, it's a shame. High blood pressure is truly a silent killer.

Evan

 

Well, I'm not sure being 'Chef' on South Park is an indignity, exactly; I'd take the paycheck in a heartbeat. And yes, there was that one Simpsons episode....but, again, I'd be flattered to be asked, even if I were Barry White. I think these guys were hip enough not to take themselves too seriously(having once done so), and were good sports and figured, what the hell, let's have a little fun. One thing about the Simpsons we'll enjoy, after it's over and all the DVD box sets are out, are going into the episodes and savoring all those guest apperances, which were gimmicky, yes, but always funny, too. I think it's indicative of the high regard the show has that so many celebs wanted a guest shot. I'm sure some refused; their loss!


ED

 

Well, true, Ed, obviously Isaac Hayes is doing the Mr. Chef role voluntarily.
FWIW, I also don't think Hayes was/is in the same league as Barry White musically. At least, I don't see or hear people listening to Hayes' music as much as White's.

Evan

 

Barry was a truly personal artist; he sang to his audience, almost always romantically. Isaac came up years earlier, covered many songs and recorded the template White followed for years. I think both men's music holds up well, though, as a 45 lover, I prefer the edited versions, generally, to the lengthier excursions both conjured up. On the other hand, both were so smooth and ultracoooooooooooool that any number of their albums would make great makeout music. But Isaac came from a different tradition, Stax/Volt; even after he moved to ABC and then Polydor, he brought some of his past with him. White found a style early, and except for some embellishments later on, pretty much stuck with what worked.

White also set himself more as a bandleader than pure musician; Isaac, the opposite. And Isaac was always funkier, because he used a funkier band; White was orchestra-oriented, which set him apart, also, and helped him crossover with greater ease than Isaac ever did.

Having grown up with Hayes first, and then hearing White, I'd rank them about equal, except in one regard: Isaac co-wrote more truly classic songs. White's only legacy is his own, but Hayes went beyond his own work and into some fine recordings by others.

Both great artists, and I'm glad Isaac's still with us. But as Barry proves yet again, the good do die young.


ED

 

For those of us who like to dig deep, I suggest seeking out a Del-Fi compilation called "Boss Soul: The Genius Of Barry White." It's a fascinating look at his mid-to-late '60s work for Bob Keene's Bromco & Mustang labels.

 

Very sad news... we will miss him!

 

Ed i have to respecfully disagree. I think that Barry was WAY funkier than Isaac. Seriously if you took away the lush arrangements from Barry's songs you'd still have some of the funkiest music ever recorded!! I'd say only Parliment or James Brown would be funkier!!

Then again that was the beauty in Barry's music!! The man KNEW what his music would sound like. He took full orchestrations, girl group harmonies, and his amazing bass along with some of the funkiest grooves of all time and really created another form of music! Barry has gone from an anti-disco parody to people finally being able to see the genius of his music!!

I will miss Barry. It's not just the music that i'll miss either but the fact that the man defied the odds to acheive and his musical genius. Barry you will always be my musical "first, last, everything"!

Rest in Peace!

 

Sorry to hear that Barry White is gone. His music was as elemental to the soundtrack of my high school days as the Eagles'.

Jim W.

 

He was amazing! He couldn't read or write music, but he made all of those records by "singing" EACH PART to the musicians! Those records were very complex!

 

My darling I, Can't Get Enough Of Your Love Babe!


A true classic, this song alway's brought the crowds up to the dance floors no matter where or who I was gigging with!

Barry truely will be missed, but his voice and music will be with us and all forever

 

I must to stand behind! (Well, except that part about the 45 edits. I'd have to make my own to keep all the good parts.) They were both great men and except for the depth of their voice were very different artists. I can't really compare their achievements except to say they each reached the heights of funk at times and that their vast contributions have been somewhat marginalized in the popular culture. What else is new?

I'm gonna miss you just a little bit more, Barry!

 

R.I.P. Mr White