Customer Reviews

Send It

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was turned onto this record after hearing Larry Levan's Paradise Garage CD, which kicks off with the transcendentally brilliant "Bourgie Bourgie".

That tune alone is worth the price of admission. This is fantastically rich, lush music.

"Send It" has always been my favorite album by Ashford & Simpson. Every song is a winner. However, this reissue from Wounded Bird is not digitally remastered. In fact, the original reissue that was distributed on the Warner Brothers label a few years back sounds much crisper than this latest reissue. I repurchased this CD because it includes the original 12" version of "Don't Cost You Nothin", but, unfortunately, it sounds like it was probably ripped from a vinyl source (its obvious at the very beginning of the song). Again, because this is my favorite A&S album, I wanted to give it 5 stars but can only give it 4 stars because of the shoddy job Wounded Bird did in mastering the disc. I don't think I'll be parting with my original Warner Brothers copy anytime soon.

Ashford & Simpson have written hundreds of hits for other artists, but they kept a few for themselves on this project. It's a 10+

Alex Henderson said it all in his editorial review. This is one of A&S master pieces, but amazingly hard to get: I paid 50$ recently to replace my worn out LP. Now that some cheaper "Send it" are on sale, do as you're told and say SEND IT. Every track is a jewel.

I love this album for many reasons. No one puts feelings into words like Nick Ashford. I can feel what the songs are about, even if I can't find words to describe them. Valerie Simpson's great music is a perfect fit for her husband's emotional lyrics. I can't say enough good things about this or any other Ashford and Simpson album. Their music is the best I've ever heard.

Ashford & Simpson have written hundreds of hits for other artists, but they kept a few for themselves on this project. It's a 10+

Ashford and Simpson have recorded many great albums. Of their earlier albums, this collection of gems stands out as one of the most sultry, soulful and evenly produced. "Send It" has not lost any of it's beauty or energy in over 20 years. With it's soulful ballads (Let Love Use Me, Send It, Waited Too Long, Too Bad), high energy tunes (By Way of Love's Express, Top of the Stairs, Don't Cost you Nothing), to the rare treat of a beautiful instrumental (Bourgie Bourgie), "Send It" is a need for all Ashford and Simpson fans.

Interesting enough it was a song from this album that first exposed me to the music of Ashford & Simpson when I was a child. With the huge success that So So Satisfied had been this album made it to the record racks before the year was out and,even though there was a lot of functioning on momentum involved Ashford & Simspson were continuing to roll right along. Their production and outside writing begun to become a huge part of their lives again around this time and except the Ray Chew on keys here the band is basically the same. On this album however the cinematic touches of their music were being suplemented by what turned out to be a harder edged funk sound overall. "By Way Of Love's Express" starts out the affair with Phillip Woo's somewhat Asian sounding electronic Moog synthesizer turns beefing up this already rhythm funky soul jam as it was. "Let Love Use Me",as can be said of the title song are the slower tunes on this album,basically just two excellent examples of their signiture sound. As for "Don't Cost You Nothing"...well this song has it all;a bad beat,these incredible multiple bass lines (including the incredible popping lead) and one of the best funk SONGS around,not to mention one of the most riveting bass built jams I ever heard. My first exposure to this duo came from that song as heard on the James Earl Jones narrated PSA record album The U.s. Social Security Administration Presents: Genius on the Black Side - A Series of 5-minute Radio Shows Hosted By James Earl Jones (2 Record Box Set - Radio Station Air Check). Actually I got exposed to a lot of great music this way interestingly enough. One of the bonus tracks is a much appreciated extended mix of this song. "Top Of The Stairs" and "Too Bad" are two of the duo's more gospel inflected uptempo tunes and both showcase a strong gospel/funk musical hybrid musically as well as with the vocal arrangement. One of the most beloved songs on this album is "Bourgie Bourgie". All one can say for this tune is ERIC GALE!!!!!! The mans lead guitar line sets the jam up with the bass burbling that signifies and song and on it's many bridges the funk slap bass gets thrown in thick and in terms of melodic instrumentals it has to top that in the disco/funk arena and there's also a dance mix included as a bonus cut that jams this out even longer. "I Waited Too Long" ends the album with a gospel drenched pop soul delight that's a pointed reminder that their Motown era songwriting stamp had never abandoned them after they ventured out on their own in the early 70's. I tend to look at this as concluding a triade of related and somehow unreleated albums from 1976-77 starting with the sophmore set Come As You Are and more or less concluding here even though Ashford & Simpson would continue refing this sound as the decade came to a close.

Any one who could write I'm every woman has got to be the "BOMB"

Asford and Simpson this is A&S best work in my opion other albums they did were great as well but this has such timeless classics as "Top of the Stairs"(a killer) the tile "Send It", "Don't cost you nothing" a serious groove number, plus "Let love use me" and "Waited too long"

When albums now adays have a few good tracks if we are lucky for just over $1 a song this is great Value for a full Course musical meal

Bon Appetiet