Customer Reviews

20th Century Masters: Millenniumm Collection 2

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are a true punk funker and fan of Rick James/Friends like me, this is a waste if you have the albums. But for those entering into the world of Punk Funk, this is a must have. I was wishing for Val Young's and Stone City Bands's album(s) to be re-issued, but I guess I will settle for this CD because it includes their most popular and requested tracks. RIP Rick...Punk Funk 4Ever and 4Ever missed.

This album has some very interesting and enjoyable songs in their full length versions but what about "If You Should Ever Be Lonely," by Val Young? I consider this to be the coolest song on the album but it only provides the radio edited version. When will record companies learn to stop fooling with their customers and provide only full length songs. It's a total turnoff to music fans like myself and no wonder why the music industry is suffering financially when they pull this crap all the time. Here is the list of songs and times this CD has to offer.

1. Standing On the Top (9:55)
2. All Night Long (5:45)
3. I'm a Sucker For Your Love (5:55)
4. Ebony Eyes (5:02)
5. Little Runaway (9:32)
6. Strut Your Stuff (4:00)
7. In My House (5:05)
8. Seduction (8:10)
9. If You Should Ever Be Lonely (3:52)
10. The Bells (4:20)
11. Fire and Desire (7:16)

Only recently I stumbled across THE BEST OF RICK JAMES & FRIENDS VOLUME TWO, songs on which the late great Rick James collaborated with recording artists such as Smokey Robinson, the Temptations, and the Mary Jane Girls. There are more knowledgeable music fans who can correct me if I'm wrong, but except for the glaring omission of Eddie Murphy's "Party All The Time," this collection includes the most popular songs Rick James created in support of other musicians in his too-short career.

But if the title of this C.D. denotes it as volume two, what was on volume one?

Here's hoping more Rick James C.D. reissues are in the works. While you can obtain the Mary Jane Girls' "In My House," and the Rick James/Teena Marie duet "Fire and Desire" on their respective hits collections, other THE BEST OF RICK JAMES & FRIENDS VOLUME TWO songs may be harder to find elsewhere. For example, I didn't know the Stone City Band recorded its own albums until seeing this C.D. includes two such selections, as I thought the group was strictly James' backing band, so who knows if you can find them anywhere but here.

This collection is nice for people who need rare extended mixes of Rick James-related songs. The FULL-LENGTH mix of 'Standing On The Top' (w/The Tempatations) is worth the price alone, and you get other goodies that you haven't heard in years...Seduction (12"Mix) - Val Young!! I question the inclusion of Val Young's 'If You Should Ever Be Lonely' because Rick didn't write or produce the song, and the music doesn't sound like a Rick James track at all! They should've included songs like 'Party All The Time' (Eddie Murphy featuring Rick James!! No matter what Eddie Murphy thinks of the song now..IT WAS A BIG HIT!), 'Slow Dancin' (Chaka Khan featuring Rick James), Loosy's Rap (Rick feat.Roxanne Shante'), and the under-rated 'Good Ol Days' (Rick James featuring Charlie Wilson). Without these tracks, and a questionable tracklist, this 'Rick James & Friends' collection falls short of what it could've been..a true masterpiece! Oh well, I'll simply remaster this CD & include the BONUS DUETS listed above!!! Maybe Uni will release a more comprehensive collection of Rick James productions in the future (let's hope so!!), but I don't feel like waiting!
Peace, SD
(of 'Chaka's World')

I love Rick James it doesn't matter if he is singing his material or it's one of his friends. Val Young's songs are hard to find classics.

This is a nice CD, but where is "Loosey's Rap"(with Roxanne Shante) and "Good Ol' Days" (with Charlie Wilson)? What about that one with Teena, "You Go To My Head," was that it?

This CD is worth having "Standing On The Top" (which is hard to find on CD, that Temptations "Reunion" album is out of print and sounds just horrible). Also, another gem on this CD is "The Bells." That is a beautiful song. I had it on repeat for about 45 minutes.

If you already have most of these songs, you can skip it. But if you don't have "The Bells" or "Standing On The Top" you won't be disappointed.

It seems that Rick at the end of his life would choose these very songs. Val Young and Candy were there till the end, and these are the tracks that most likely meant most to him personally. Val should be on here no matter what you may think. Eddie Murphy most likely didn't want that track added and Rick respected that. The track is seen as a joke by most people.
Respect that.

glad to see Rick as a Artist,writer,Producer,&the Other Proteges he had brought to the Forefront here. the stone City Band had some cool jams."little Runaway" is cool.Val Young "seduction(Make note of where Mary J.Bliege got her whole Game from) is still banging.Process&the doo Rags whose Debut Album came out on Sony Music because Motown didn't Green Light Rick's "Mary Jane Records" label back in 85 when it was due.Teena Marie&the Mary Jane Girls are Represented here as well.this is a Cool Tribute to the Musical Genius of Rick James.a Very Versatile Soul Brother RIP.