The Obscure Album of the Day

[L.Kizzle]

I'll bend many genres when I start this series, "The Obscure Album of the Day."

I'll bring to ISH, great albums released throughout the years (well, at least great to me) that didn't get the time of the day when it was released. But over time has become a cult classic (I know cult classic are films, but don't know what to call them for music, lol.)





The first is a 1985 album released by the first group signed to Prince's Paisley Park imprint (I almost went with another group from this same label for the first installment, maybe in the future.) This band was called The Family, who were actually birthed from the ashes of The Time. Two original Time members, Jellybean Johnson and Jerome Benton are put in the groups. One of the recent Time members added after Jam/Lewis/Moir departed was St. Paul Peterson. he took lead vocals, Prince's girl Susan (Wendy's sister) and sax man Eric Leeds (Alan's brother.)


I discovered this record years ago goin' through my fathers old record crates. It's a unique brand of funk, classical orchestrations, R&B and pop. It charted for a few weeks on the R&B charts and was quickly forgot about. I quickly fell in love with it. Every track is great, and you my recall a popular Sin

[Dasher]

This was a great record. I haven't heard or thought about it in ages. Good first choice for your first Obscure Album of The Day Thread.

[johndeeregreen]

his band was called The Family, who were actually birthed from the ashes of The Time.

You don't say.

[KevinNYC]

My favorite Minneapolis band

My favorite Replacement story is that when compact discs started replacing albums the band were appalled that Twin/Tone (their first label) was planning to release their early albums on CD. So they had a few drinks and stewed about it. Then had a few more drinks and then went over to Twin/Tone. They gave the receptionist some line about working on remixes, grabbed as many of the master tapes as they could find and went and threw them in the Mississippi. To which Paul expressed hope that Prince, who lived in a big purple house downriver, would see the tapes floating by like Moses, rescue them, play them, and reconsider his musical approach.

"I'll be sad in Heaven
You won't follow me there


Jesus rides beside me
Never buys any smokes."

[L.Kizzle]

You don't say.

Yeah. After Morris and Jesse left, it was over for the Time.

[L.Kizzle]

Here is another 80s' obscure album. But it's from the most famous music family ever. Michael lil brother / Janet's older brother, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Jackson 5/Jacksons. Randy Jackson put out his first solo album (titled Randy & The Gypsys, I guess the Gypsys were the cats on the cover, whatever.)

One reason it might have failed, in 1989 5ive Jacksons records were on the shelves. A Jacksons brother record (2300 Jackson Street), and solo releases from Janet (Rhythm Nation), Jermaine (Don't Take It Personal) and Jackie's Be The One. All of them charted except for Randy's releases.

Randy's was signed to A&M Records, the same label sister Janet was on as she helped him secure a record deal ... about 10 years earlier Janet was featured on her first ever recording, another obscure Randy release, his first single titled Love Song For Kids. I guess A&M's promotion was geared towards one Jackson, her's went on to be the best selling of the year while Randy's fell by the waist side. Although it was quoted by brother Jackie on the Donahue TV Show that Randy's record was better than Janet's.


This records is pure greatness. Industrial sounds, ,mixed with some of that new 'New Jack Swing' flavor and a few funk jams. Randy did most of this album on his own acting as Prince. Michael said he's he most talent musician in the family. Wile the J5 were on the road, he'd practice on the brothers instruments until he got it down better than them and would show the,


1 Perpetrators
4 Luv Thang
3 Love You Honey
4 You Got a Lady
5 The Love We Almost Had
6 Gigolo
8 I Need You

[L.Kizzle]

bump

[WillyJakk]

Love that "Screams of Passion" joint.

Used to love listening to that.

Love the abstract noises in that record.

Nice post.

[LJJ]

So far we've got a side project from THE TIME, and one of the JACKSONS.


This is some obscure shit alright.

[L.Kizzle]

With Heavy D sadly in the news now, we have his timeless hip-hop music to listen too. But a few years back after 10 years of not releasing music and mainly acting in films and television, he released an album called Vibes. But this was a different Heavy, gone was hip-hop and in was reggae. He went back to his Jamaican roots for this one.

I was flipping the stations a few years back, landed on BET J (now Centric) and a video caught my ear (eyes.) I said to myself "man, this sounds good, I wonder who sings it he looks like Heavy D." After the video was over, I found out the song was called "Long Distance Girlfriend" and sure enough it was by Heavy D.

A lot of Heavy D fans don't even know he dropped an album in 2008, yet alone a reggae joint. IT didn't chart here in the states, but was a number 2 album in Jamaica.

Rest in Power Heavy D.

1 Long Distance Girlfriend
2 No Matter What
3 Queen Majesty
7 Private Dancer
9 Chasing Windmills

[L.Kizzle]

Shuggie Otis is the son of Jazz great Johnny Otis and should be a legend in his own right, but that's just how things go. He started his career at an early age playin with his pops and landed a gig with Alice Kooper at 15 playing on his album. He released three solo albums from 1970 to 1974 with this being is last (Inspiration Information.) His other 3 are just as obscure I just went with this one cause he experimented more than his others.

Inspiration is a great jazz/blues/funk/rock/rhythm and blues work-out were Sly Stones meets Jimi Hendrix meets Velvet Underground me his pops Johnny Otis. He experiments with different sounds including a drum machine, new to the game at that time.

It found a new following after it was remastered in 2001 (when I discovered it.)





1 Inspiration Information
2 Island Letter
3 Sparkle City
4 Aht Uh Mi Hed
5 Happy House
6 Rainy Day
7 XL-30
8 Pling!
9 Not Available

[KevinNYC]

Sly Stones meets Jimi Hendrix meets Velvet Underground me his pops Johnny Otis.

Not something I expected to read on ISH. Have you heard much Velvet Underground?

I hope Sly can get it together, he apparently just went into rehab. When I was in college I worked on a film gig that took me to a record studio and the engineer mentioned that Sly Stone recorded there recently. Actually they didn't too much recording because Sly just spent two week freebasing in the bathroom.

[L.Kizzle]

My first hip-hop album for this series. And since it's holiday season, let's get in the spirit with Mr. Make Em Say Ughh, Master P. Well, this was before he was sayin' ughh. This goes back to his first hip-hop home, the Bay Area of Richmod, California.

He really started to make a name for himself in the region in 1993. By early 94, he had released the Bay Area classic "The Ghettos Tryin To Kill Me." With his name and new found pull, he got his west coast brothern together to drop another classic and his first chart entry ever with West Coast Bad Boyz Vol 1: Anotha Level of the Game mid-94.

This record here "Master P Presents West Coast Bad Boyz: High Fo' XMas" was his first release after his success with the original WCBB. It was released in November just for the holiday season. But this went way under the rader, it was out for a few months, was quickly discontinued as P signed a deal with Priority early the next year.

Even No Limit fans don't know about this release as it wasn't even promoted in any previous No Limit releases. I think it just ended up in stores one day lol. The track Christmas in da Ghetto dates from 1992






1 High Fo' Xmas [Master P; Silk; JT Tha Bigga Figga & San Quinn]
2 Intro
3 Lock Up fo' Xmas [King George]
4 Talk (skit)
5 Jacking for da Holidays [Master P]
6 Chillin' N da Game [Mafiosos]
7 Ghetto Night (skit)
8 Christmas in da Ghetto [C-Murder & Master P]
9 Hood Carols [Master P & C-Murder] lol at this skit
10 Rev. Do Wrong Xmas Party [King George; Big Ed; Dangerous Dame & Lil' Ric]
11 No Limit Party

[L.Kizzle]

Bump

[DevilsAssassin]

Bump

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