80s in R&B, Hip Hop & Rap Music

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"Funk Classics: The 80's" (10/23/2001) R&B Various Artists, Universal Special ProductsBy the early '80s, R&B acts had to embrace more polished productions and synth-based grooves or face extinction. Without looking too hard for rare gems, Funk Classics: The 80's offers 12 of the better-known tracks from 1980-1988. What's here is really no big surprise: Rick James' "Super Freak," George Clinton's "Atomic Dog," and the Gap Band's "You Dropped a Bomb" all make an appearance. Their strength as a good flow makes up for their ubiquitous presence on sets of this nature. The Bar-Kays' "Freakshow on the Dancefloor," Skyy's "Call Me," and the always-fun "So Fine" from Howard Johnson work even better due to their lower profile. As the '80s were not a monolithic decade for R&B style-wise, neither is this set. The graceful post-disco of the Brothers Johnson's "Stomp!" just doesn't mesh with late-'80s tracks like E.U.'s "Da Butt" and Salt-n-Pepa's "Push It"; it doesn't really have to. Funk Classics: The 80's isn't meant to be an essential or comprehensive CD. This set does indeed deliver the hits, but there are not enough of them and the sequencing diminishes what little is here. ~ Jason Elias

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"Soul Hits of the 80's [Sony Music Box Set] [Box]" (02/17/2004) R&B Various Artists, Sony Music Distribution (USA)A budget three-CD set, Soul Hits of the 80's collects some of that awkward decade's soul moments from the Columbia/Sony catalog. Note the author's use of "moments" and the title's use of "hits," because they are, in fact, talking about the same songs. Not everything here was a hit, with some of the songs just squeaking into the Billboard Top 100; however, regardless of chart position, they do represent the era very well. There's a broad range of work here, from jazz crossovers like Stanley Jordan with "Heaven Sent You" and Grover Washington with "Summer Nights" to straight pop crossovers like Deniece Williams with "Let's Hear It for the Boy" and the classic and true hit "Easy Lover" by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins. Other actual chart-toppers here include "Juicy Fruit" by Mtume, Herbie Hancock with the seismic hit "Rockit," and one-hit wonder Johnny Kemp with "Just Got Paid." Luther Vandross, Teena Marie, Bill Withers, Babyface, and Regina Belle are a few of the others whose tracks pepper this 40-song (!) collection. It's not definitive, but does a fine job of representing just how broad soul music's reach had become in the '80s. ~ Wade Kergan

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"Ladies of the 80's, Vol. 1" (1999) R&B Various Artists, Madacy DistributionIncludes liner notes by Dave Roy Liner Note Author: Dave Roy. Illustrator: Brad Hamann. This budget-line series is a guilty pleasure that ranges from soft rock (Juice Newton's "Angel of the Morning," Brenda Russell's "Piano in the Dark") to dance-club lite fare (Taylor Dayne's "Tell It to My Heart," Melissa Manchester's "You Should Hear How She Talks About You") to teen-idol hits (Tiffany's "All this Time," Debbie Gibson's "Shake Your Love"). Other notables include Tracy Ullman's "They Don't Know," Dionne Warwick's "Heartbreaker" and Carly Simon's "Coming Around Again." Like the rest of this series, the disc has nonexistent liner notes and banal cover art that has nothing to do with the music on the CD. ~ Gina Boldman

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"Jukebox Hits of the '80s [Collectables] [Box]" (03/14/2006) R&B Various Artists, Collectables RecordsCollectables' Jukebox Hits of the '80s is an attractive package for consumers who want the biggest hits of the era. All 70 songs spread out over these five discs are recognizable. Unlike other similar sets, these songs are not re-recordings; these are the original hit versions. More than likely the casual listener will only need one track from Nena, Paul Young, Tommy Tutone, Toni Basil, or Quarterflash. The one major flaw of the series, besides lack of decent packaging, is that while disc one has 25 tracks, the other four feature half the songs per disc. This could have easily been contained to a more cost-effective three-disc set. ~ Al Campbell

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"Soul of the 80's, Vol. 1" (1999) R&B Various Artists, Madacy DistributionIncludes liner notes by Dave Roy Personnel: Rick Iantosca (guitar, keyboards, percussion). Illustrator: Brad Hamann. Arranger: Rick Iantosca. This budget-line disc is a pleasant mix of ballads (Larry Graham's "One in a Million You," Atlantic Starr's "Always," Shirley Murdock's "As We Lay") and dance lite (Al B. Sure's "Night and Day," Ready for the World's "Oh Sheila," Levert's "Casanova"). The collection is a decent, albeit incomplete, slice of '80s soul hits. Like the rest of this series, the disc has nonexistent liner notes and banal cover art that has nothing to do with the music on the CD. ~ Gina Boldman

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"Soul Hits of the 80's [Sony 2000]" (2000) R&B Various Artists, Sony Music Distribution (USA)

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"Soul Funk 80s" (05/27/2003) R&B Various Artists, Madacy DistributionLiner Note Author: David Roy. Photographers: Waring Abbott; David Corio; Raymond Boyd. Rather than home in on a tightly constricted time span, the 12 tracks on Madacy's Soul Funk 80s compilation span the whole decade, from Mtume's "Juicy Fruit" to Terence Trent D'Arby's "Wishing Well." The compilation does, however, keep something of a focus on songs that are upbeat, and they were all major hits when they were released. Otherwise, it's a fairly random selection, but the quality level is undeniable, with the likes of Earth, Wind & Fire's "Let's Groove," Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam's "Head to Toe," Teena Marie's "Ooh La La La," Surface's "Closer Than Friends," and Babyface's "It's No Crime" leading the way. ~ Andy Kellman

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"I Want My 80's Box [Box]" (07/17/2001) R&B Various Artists, Hip-O RecordsLiner Note Author: Kevin Flaherty. Released more or less in conjunction with MTV's 20th anniversary in 2001, this triple gatefold sleeve set (not a box as the title implies), with an appropriately gaudy 27-page book, delivers 42 typical examples of songs associated with the music channel in its fledgling years. With 35 Top Ten tracks, ten of which topped the charts, there's no shortage of video as well as radio memories incorporated into these three loosely chronologically arranged discs. Like many Hip-O releases, this favors music already owned by the Universal conglomerate. As such, some early MTV staples like Men at Work, Cyndi Lauper, and especially Duran Duran are MIA. Although their omission doesn't make this a substantially weaker set to the casual fan, more zealous listeners might notice the gaps. Covering the years from the network's sign-on during the afternoon of August 1, 1981 (with the Buggles' now classic "Video Killed the Radio Star"), until 1986, the collection gravitates to the slicker pop/new wave/R&B end of the scale, sacrificing edgier acts like the Clash, Stray Cats, and Prince, who were just as important to its early growth. Overall, the track list speaks for itself. The discs max out time-wise at a relatively conservative hour each, sticking firmly to a self-imposed 14-track limit, leaving at least 45 minutes of unused time across the triple album. Although the songs are sequenced to best blend into each other (synth pop standbys Eurythmics, a-ha, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and the Fixx are positioned together on disc two), the mood sometimes wildly shifts direction. Disc three includes Suzanne Vega's plaintive, folksy "Luka," Yello's jittery high-tech "Oh Yeah," and Tiffany's brittle, ear-wincing version of "I Think We're Alone Now." Aside from sentimental value, it's difficult to imagine anyone would want to hear all three within the same 15-minute time span. But, nostalgia is what this is all about. Ultimately, this is a representative enough sampling bound to elicit knowing grins and fond memories at your next '80s party from now-aging boomers who remember the good ol' days when MTV actually aired videos. It'll jolt them back to the time these songs ruled the cable waves, for better or worse creating an indelible mark on their musical upbringing. ~ Hal Horowitz

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"Body and Soul: The 80's" (04/04/2006) R&B Various Artists, Time/Life MusicLiner Note Author: John Morthland. Photographers: David "Dudu" Fisher; Neal Preston; David Corio.

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"Hit Me with Your 80's Box! [Box]" (01/29/2002) R&B Various Artists, Hip-O RecordsCompilation producers: Mike Ragogna, Pat Lawrence. Includes liner notes by Kevin Flaherty. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Liner Note Author: Kevin Flaherty. Photographers: B.C. Kagan; Larry Williams . Hit Me With Your 80's Box! is a sequel to Hip-O's previous three-disc compilation, I Want My 80's Box!, released six months earlier, and like its predecessor, it contains 42 pop singles chart entries from the 1980s, most of them released between 1981 and 1986, and all of them familiar to anyone who watched MTV in those years. In its first five years of existence following its premiere on August 1, 1981, MTV, which broadcast music videos pretty much 24 hours a day (as opposed to the varied programming that characterized the network 20 years later), heavily influenced the pop charts, contributing to the success of a raft of videogenic stars such as Duran Duran, Rick Springfield, and Billy Idol, all of whom are featured here. The set is not quite as hit-laden as I Want My 80's Box!, which contained 35 Top Ten hits, among them 15 chart-toppers; the statistics here are 31 Top Tens, of which ten went to number one. But the orientation is still the same -- the trendy dance-pop music of the first half of the '80s. Tracks have been licensed from all of the major labels, overcoming one of the usual problems with compilations. But other typical weaknesses remain. The sequencing makes no particular sense, though it moves in very rough chronological order, such that the early-'80s tracks are on the first disc and the third disc contains a track (Technotronic's "Pump Up the Jam") that actually peaked in the charts in early 1990. And the selection consists of recordings that are compiled over and over, the big hits of lots of minor artists rather than big stars. So, this is not a comprehensive collection of the decade's most popular music. But if you grew up in the '80s, there's plenty here to enjoy. ~ William Ruhlmann

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"Soul Love 80s" (05/27/2003) R&B Various Artists, Madacy DistributionLiner Note Author: David Roy. Photographers: Waring Abbott; Raymond Boyd. Madacy's Soul Love '80s offers a decent but random assortment of popular R&B hits. For some strange reason, most '80s compilations tend to favor the early half of the decade, and this one's no exception. As can be expected by the title, the disc is pretty reliant on ballads, but it does throw in a couple upbeat selections for the sake of variety. While a bit run-of-the-mill -- there's nothing in the way of under-recognized greats -- there are several highlights, including the Isley Brothers' "Between the Sheets," Lisa Lisa's "Lost in Emotion," Regina Belle's "Come to Me," Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing," and Luther Vandross' "Never Too Much." ~ Andy Kellman

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"80's Urban Beats and Grooves" (09/17/2002) R&B Various Artists, Universal Special ProductsThe budget compilation '80s Urban Beats & Grooves mostly delivers on what the title promises, offering ten tracks from that decade, including the stripped-down funk balladry of Rick James' "Cold Blooded" and Cameo's "Candy," as well as the urban pop of Oran "Juice" Jones' "The Rain" and the new jack swing of Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative." Ready for the World's "Love You Down" and Gwen Guthrie's "Ain't Nothin' Goin' on But the Rent" are two of the other standout tracks. ~ Heather Phares The budget compilation '80s Urban Beats & Grooves mostly delivers on what the title promises, offering ten tracks from that decade, including the stripped-down funk balladry of Rick James' "Cold Blooded" and Cameo's "Candy," as well as the urban pop of Oran "Juice" Jones' "The Rain" and the new jack swing of Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative." Ready for the World's "Love You Down" and Gwen Guthrie's "Ain't Nothin' Goin' on But the Rent" are two of the other standout tracks, although songs by Klique, Angela Winbush, and Joyce Kennedy are pleasant but not especially captivating. Overall, the short length and fair-to-middling song selections on '80s Urban Beats & Grooves make it worthwhile only if you've been looking for one of the songs that appear here and don't want to pay a lot of money for it. ~ Heather Phares

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"80's Dance Party [Sony]" (03/01/1996) R&B Various Artists, Sony Music Distribution (USA)Sony Music Special Products' 80's Dance Party may be a little uneven, but it contains enough fine singles -- Herbie Hancock's "Rockit," Mtume's "Juicy Fruit," Teena Marie's "Lovergirl," Earth Wind & Fire's "Let's Groove," the Weather Girls' "It's Raining Men," Shalamar's "Dancing in the Sheets," Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam's "Lost in Emotion" and Philip Bailey's "Walking on the Chinese Wall" -- to make it worth its budget price. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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