Various Artists - Wildcats OST - 1985 - Warner Brothers

I don't usually rate movie soundtracks, as I've already said, yet I would recommend you check out this gem from 1985 from the Goldie Hawn comedy, "Wildcats". This compilation features three stunners from James Ingram, Randy Crawford and Michael Jeffries. The songs, as was common in the days when music was made for films and not vice versa, are really pertinent to the storyline and the haphazard, zany existence of the main character. This is, I fear, only available as an LP and not on CD. One track, however, can be found as a 'bonus' track on Randy Crawford's "Abstract Emotions" CD from 1986. I've posted a link below so you can get the feel of this wonderful, feelgood track. Randy Crawford is an artist who has so much potential and has delivered much in the way of quality goods. This is a track that does not have enough exposure and it's about time it was really given the props it deserves.

Randy's song "I Don't Wanna Be Normal" is SUPERB. The lyrics are so relevant to many people's lives, and is an enabling song which makes you feel like you can shatter the chains and do what you really need to do. I live this way and am happy to have jumped outside the sheep pen many years ago. Thank God I'm not 'normal'! Whatever that means. The song is produced by Rufus' "Hawk" Wolinski and James Newton Howard. A brilliant song oozing an effortless positivity. The version below has been extended and not as good as the album version though! My second choice is a track called "Hard To Say" by James Ingram. Man, this guy can project his voice like no other and this song has to be one of the best, rarest and least known songs he has recorded. Can we not have this on a compilation, please, Mr. Warner Brothers???? This is another epic Hawk Wolinski / James Newton Howard collaboration. Thirdly is the single, "Razzle Dazzle" by Michael Jeffries. A shade poppy perhaps, but of it's time and great fun. The album featured tracks from the likes of Brenda Russell, Tata Vega, Mavis Staples and the Isley Brothers. Well worth picking up.

Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe

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Change - Turn On Your Radio - 1985 - Atlantic

Change were a perfect vehicle for the genius of Jacques Fred Petrus in the 80s and together from 1980 to 1985 they turned out some mighty fine dancers and ballads. The 80s was a great period for both ballads and club orientated tracks – a phenomenon that was killed off in the 90s when the lunatics at the record companies took over the asylum. They are still very much in control now unfortunately so it's more than a pleasure to re-evaluate these classic albums. I am sure that you already know this LP, but if not then you are in for a treat. The opening cut is a typical tapper from the period; the melody is not dissimilar from what Nile Rodgers was doing at the time with Chic, and this is no real surprise is it?! Some may say its dated. Perhaps. I think it towers over anything that is released today. And the more of this sort of material that comes onto the market the better, as far as I am concerned.

“Let's Go Together” is, simply put, an 80s masterpiece. This breezy style was a perfect match to anything that Messrs Jam & Lewis were producing at the time. Debra Cooper sounds delicious on this type of groove. Oh how I miss the 80s!!! Her performance on the gorgeous “Mutual Attraction” is, again, exemplary. No wonder Craig T. Cooper made great use of this Lady on his albums in the 80s and 90s. This is summer time soul music; top down, driving along the coast with all speakers blaring. The perfect accompaniment to a hot summer's day. Twenty-two incredible years have past and this song has not aged one day. This, the album version, is far superior to the remix that came out which seemed to strip it of all that made it great and good. Here it is in full remastered 80s perfection. The ballads should not be overlooked either. “You'll Always Be A Part Of Me” is another summery moment which has not dated or deteriorated and reminds me so much of The SOS Band. If only this could be released legitimately on CD!

Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe

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Michael McDonald - No Lookin' Back - 1985 - Warner Brothers

Michael McDonald is a true star and his talent knows no bounds. Recently his career with Motown (or what passes as it) has taken him to new heights of popularity within the US. Michael is known and loved in the UK too, and his work with the Doobie Brothers, Kenny Loggins, Chaka Khan, George Benson and Patti LaBelle has helped him make a home in many hearts here, of people of all musical persuasions. This 1985 album is, primarily, a rock CD BUT as always, this great man throws in a few KILLER soul grooves which no soul fan in their right man would want to pass over. As it happens, liking rock as I do there are a few killer rock tunes too and if you're the same then check out the strong title track which was a big US hit. Ballads have always been Michael's speciality. His soulful voice and sympathetic production by Ted Templeman are unbeatable, and if you check out my chosen songs below I am sure you won't disagree with this.

"Any Foolish Thing"is not a track to ignore. In fact, ignore this at your peril. Soulful, summery and awesome are three ample words to describe this song. The Doobies / Steely Dan's saxophonist, Cornelius Bumpus, shows that he can blow a sax as soulful as any of the best of the rest, and with complete ease too. This groove canters along brilliantly and is one for a nice long car drive along the coast. Oh, I couldn't imagine my collection without this. My second choice is the KILLER "Our Love" - a dreamy, hazy song that unashamedly sends me to heaven. Paulinho Da Costa's almost reverent percussion sits alongside a gentle, floating bubbling keyboard line courtesy of Michael McDonald himself along with Brian Mann. This is one of Michael's finest ever recordings, and when I heard the 12" remix I almost had a seizure. Everything that made this track brilliant had been stripped out. thankfully this is cheap as chips on CD, and if you only want the 2 highlighted tracks then they're there on Amazon to download as well. Please don't miss these.

Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe

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Kenny Loggins - Vox Humana - 1985 - Columbia

Please don't be surprised or horrified to see a few, shall we say, 'non-soul' names appear on these pages. There is a LOT of very soulful material out there that many would know nothing about otherwise. This album contains but one track that would be of interest to you and I but I promise you it is beyond essential. I first heard this superb song championed on Robbie Vincent's Radio One show back at time of release in 1985 and instantly fell head over heels in love with it. You may recall a few notable cover versions by the late George Howard, and Juvetta Steele back in the early 1990s. This was released as a single, and was an essential purchase itself for the excellent B-Side which was Kenny's 1979 collaboration with Michael McDonald, This Is It". So, if you're a vinyl junkie then head out and seek that 12". If not then you will be happy to know that the track itself is available on CD and better still - the CD version is almost a minute LONGER than the original vinyl LP or 12" single - with extra sax courtesy of David Sanborn!

"Love Will Follow" is in my top 5 1980s soul tracks. I hold it in such high esteem. Bringing back very warm memories and reminding me (erroneously, of course) of long, hot summers this song will haunt you, serenade you and give your spine a tingle. If you know this song then no explanation is needed. If not, please check out the full 7:14 sound sample below. Some great names contribute to this most beautiful of 80s slow jams. Nathan East appears on Bass, Michael Landau and David Williams on guitar, Geg Phillenganes on synth, John Barnes on DX-7 drum programming and Derek Nakamoto of Hiroshima fame throwing his weight in on programming too. The deep, resonant synth kicks off the track, slipping into the most delicious summertime groove. Simply gorgeous and far more soulful than ANYTHING recorded today. And all from the man who brought us "Footloose". Incidentally, this fabulous cut was co-written by Kenny along with a certain Tom Snow whose credits include TV theme tunes such as the X-Files and Ghost Whisperer. Amazing!

Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe

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René And Angela - Street Called Desire - 1985 - Mercury

Amazing, wasn't it, what soul tracks made it high into the UK hit parade. This 1985 album saw a massive hit in the form of "I'll Be Good" and I was very happy - and surprised - that this was such a big hit, but that was then. It was still possible then for great songs to make it - I remember November 1984 when the UK Top Ten featured the Dazz Band, the Temptations and Chaka Khan. Oh for those days again! LOL. This was the last pairing for René Moore and Angela Winbush, and what an album it was. Crammed with the smoothest ballads and hippest dance floor burners, "Street Called Desire" was enough to cause a stir in quite a few places. This set saw the use of rapper, Kurtis Blow, on the excellent - if dated - "Save Your Love (For #1)". This was novel at the time - Chaka had worked with Grandmaster Flash so why not. Talk about a slippery slope! LOL.

The crowning dance cut has to be "I'll Be Good". Such a great track and so infectious that anybody and everybody I've played this to have immediately loved it. Twenty-three years on and I get the same rush hearing it as I did back in 1985. Not a mean feat. the funkiness of the synthline and bassline is exceptionally addictive. Vocally René and Angela are on top form here. I think that Angela slipped into too safe a territory with her own work, and accusations that a lot of her work sounds too samey may well stem from that. I happen to like it, so am not worried either way BUT I understand where these comments stem from. Her unique style is easily discernible in the gorgeous "Your Smile" with, almost, a Reggae-type bass guitar rhythm and exotic synths. "Your Smile" was released as a single and didn't fare as well but for me is still a true piece of quality 80s soul music. Again, a similar plaudit can apply to "You Don't Have To Cry" which contains a luxurious melody that appears to have formed the foundation for a few later excursions from this sexy Lady - I am immediately thinking of of "Angel" or even "Hello Beloved". Reissued on CD by Mercury, I believe they have bolted on a few extra cuts - and quite inexpensive too.

Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe

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The Commodores - Night Shift - 1985 - Motown

The first album without the great Lionel Richie, and the gang replace him with a tremendous talent in the form of Britain's very own Liverpudlian J.D. Nicholas. Whoever thought a Scouser would ever front a group such as the Commodores! Strange, but true. This, their final outing for Motown contained some great tracks which are still available to locate on CD today. Everyone knows and loves the Commodores - one of Motown's few shining stars of the 1970s - well, sales-wise at any rate, and it was great to see these guys and other classic giants such as the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops and Betty Lavette amongst others striking out in the 1980s and having hits at a time when many established artists were finding it difficult to stay in the game. "Nightshift" spawned the HUGE hit of the same name - a song that still, today, gives me butterflies when I hear it start. Such a gorgeous track, a testament to the great vocalists Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye who had recently passed away. This song, being a smash hit aside contains some very touching and personal lyrics, and Walter Orange nails this perfectly. Today I still get chills when I hear it. Such a beautiful song - and one that these greats can be proud of.

A track that sends me to heaven is "Lay Back". The softly pounding beats, drunken guitar and freaky synth is a perfect backdrop for close, tight harmonies and J.D. Nicholas is a masterful vocalist on this sexy, seductive number. If anyone from the younger generation wants to know why I love the 80s so much I can easily point to songs like this. However much I love today's quality stuff nothing can beat 80s tunes like this. This song is produced by Peter Wolf who also worked on the excellent debut solo album by El Debarge a year later. Peter also worked on a lot of classy rock material too - my favourite being Starship's "We Built This City". A talented producer who could turn out a soul gem as much as a rock hit. Bobby Caldwell's inclusion, "Janet" was also a single but made no inroads; a pity as this song is very good. As an 80s album I can thoroughly recommend this to you without hesitation.

Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe

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Patti Austin - Gettin' Away With Murder 1985 - Qwest

Patti Austin. This Lady is a force of nature and her talent knows no bounds. Turning from jazz to pop to soul and even house music, Patti Austin is as versatile a performer you are ever likely to come across. This is a smart little album and an essential purchase if you are also a fan of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It was in the mid-late 1980s that these guys were at their peak and their productions were able to pack a dancefloor or pull back the satin sheets. The magic that these two wove in the 80s was unparalleled. If you love the work of Cherelle, Alexander O'Neal, The SOS Band and so on then you will definitely either own it or should be heading over to Amazon to snap up a copy. Thankfully, following a Japanese issue on CD in the early 90s, US label Wounded Bird have picked up the rights and have given it a fresh, new life on CD. On this 1985 album, Austin, Jam and Lewis collaborate on some real MAGIC. If you love compulsive dancers or blisteringly haunting ballads then "Gettin' Away With Murder" is for you.

You may recall the impressive single, "The Heat Of Heat", which was a superb tune - still is - and perfect for a hot summer's day. This is Jam & Lewis at their prime. This is classy soul music for grown ups, and it saddens me that to keep in the game they have lowered their appeal to a much younger, less discerning market. Add to that the masterly Tommy Lipuma crafted uptempo "Anything Can Happen Here" and Monte Moir's spine-tingling "Only A Breath Away" and you have nothing but adult R&B heaven. Monte Moir was - and still very much is - a master of the ballad and this song is one of his very best, bearing his strong production signature throughout. The crowning glory is the scintillating Jam & Lewis ballad "Summer Is The Coldest Time Of Year"...possibly the guy's finest moment. Check the quality of this gem and then look at what they do today. There is simply no comparison. This is sheer beauty and genius on many levels and 24 years on still makes the hair on the nape of my neck stand up. Oh, how I miss the 1980s.

Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe

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