Boy you would think Barry was "exploitative" or something. To be fair to Barry he left a lot of songs on the table that he could have cashed in on had been so inclined, and that type of artist: ""You can't get enough of my love" "I'm going to love you like a lot more baby" "What are you gonna do with me?" "You're the appetizer, the ham and the dessert to me" "Never Never Never gonna give you up" and more.
It's the mid seventies, it's Barry White-sounds OK to me. To be fair many of his songs sound very similar, but it's a formula that worked for him.
I seem to remember his diet was in 1979-80. I have a Jet magazine from 1980 with him on the cover, detailing how he'd lost 100 pounds. It seemed some time yet. Unless he had another diet before that time.
Probably the one track that symbolized this might've been the penultimate track on the LP, the 10-and-a-half-minute "Let Me Live My Life Lovin' You Babe" (from one of the spoken sections of which the album's title was derived); it seemed to be paced, and arranged, for the express purpose of padding out the album to union-length standards.
The alerts have completely broken down for me as far as this thread is concerned. I should've been paying more attention. Not gonna recap but I will express my admiration for Shakey Ground. And not just for the Temps version either.
Just a dreadful song, it just is. Strange I'm an Al Green fanatic, loved him when I was a little kid t00--but I have no recollection of hearing this song on the radio or hearing until the '80s. To be honest, I never did like it, it's corny to me...
Next Billboard #1 R&B single: Get Down, Get Down (Get On The Floor) - Joe Simon May 10, 1975, 2 wks "Get down on the floor and let the good times roll!" Joe Simon was a mainstay on the soul charts during the early to mid-70s. This R&B workout was one of his 13 top 10 singles, and his third and last #1. I love this jam, especially the ad-lib part near the end. You can just see a bunch of 30 and 40 year-old people goofing around and having fun at a house party.
It's not dreadful, there's just nothing exciting about it. Strange I'm an Al Green fanatic, loved him when I was a little kid t00--but I have no recollection of hearing this song on the radio or hearing until the '80s. To be honest, I never did like it, it's corny to me...[/QUOTE]
The funny (peculiar) thing is, this was his only pop Top 10, while I'm most familiar with "The Chokin' Kind," "Drowning In The Sea Of Love" and "Power Of Love" in terms of having heard it. I can see why it got as high as it did, though.
The first time I heard of Joe Simon was "Drowning In The Sea Of Love" and "Power Of Love". I also like "Theme From Cleopatra Jones" with its odd time signature.
I do remember hearing "Theme From Cleopatra Jones" as we went through the timeline of this thread from "back then."
I've heard of this song, but hadn't heard it before, that I can recall. Meh. Maybe you had to be there. I love his voice, but it seems better suited to traditional R&B and not disco/funk.
Well, the song is R&B. I agree that when the song starts, up to the end of the first chorus, it is kind of lame, but the energy and groove level picks up at the beginning of the second verse.
This is one of those tunes that fell into the cracks of time for me. I enjoy it more right now listening to it than I probably did in '75 or it would have made more of an impression on me. Nice, serviceable groove song but it ain't no Drowning in The Sea Of Love.
I guess it's time for a new #1: Baby, That's Backatcha - Smokey Robinson May 24, 1975 1 wk. [/QUOTE] I posted this on the last page as a personal favorite from the era. I didn't look ahead to see that it was a #1, so, here it is, formally, in sequence. I heard this a lot on both my local radio station and Soul Train. Very nice idea of making the flute the lead instrument, the same thing another hit single would have that was also released around this time would have.
Love this one! I was sort of disappointed in Smokey after he left the Miracles. He was one of the earliest successful Motown artists in the 60s but while most of his contemporaries continued to have big hits in the first half of the 70s, Smokey seemed to be teetering on the brink of "once was". He had a couple of okay songs but nothing like what Marvin, Stevie and even Diana were producing. I liked this track enough to buy the album instead of the single and I was not disappointed. It doesn't get the attention it deserves. Backatcha has such a cool vibe with the flute, congas and Smokey's still pure vocal goosing everything along. Definitely a 70s Motown highlight.
