I know you have pressing questions like “What happened to your hair?” and “What about the rest of your trip to France?” and the like. Well, I’ve learned not to make promises that I either can’t keep or lose interest in keeping, but I’m going to make a concerted effort to do both very soon. In the meantime, you get to enjoy me on the receiving end of a meme tag (courtesy of Steven):
First Record[s] Purchased: The year was 1981. I bought both Patrice Rushen’s Forget Me Nots and Kraftwerk’s Numbers on 45.
First Album Bought: Teena Marie’s It Must Be Magic, on vinyl
First Concert: I won tickets from WPGC to Madonna’s Who’s That Girl tour. I think I had a good time, but I don’t remember much of it. It could have been Prince, The Time and Vanity 6 at the D.C. Armory back in 1985, but my mother wouldn’t let me go. Instead, she went.
Favorite Music Movie: It hasn’t been made yet.
Favorite Female Singers: Sarah Vaughan, Minnie Riperton, Sandra St. Victor, Billie Ray Martin, Chaka Khan, Patti Labelle, Teena Marie, Lalah Hathaway, Rachelle Ferrell (did anybody go to her recent show at the Blue Note?), Lisa Fischer and Ledisi. And Aretha, too. And Linda Jones! And Denise LaSalle!!! And Annie Lennox!!!!!
Favorite Male Singers: Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, George Benson, Al Jarreau and Luther Vandross and, okay, Prince. Oh, and Maxwell!
Favorite Female Musicians: Sheila E. (drums/percussion), Lisa (flute)
Favorite Male Musician: Prince (guitar, keyboards, drum programming), Babatunde Olantunji (percussion), Stevie Wonder (clavinet)
Favorite Music Book: Don’t have one …
Favorite Lyrical Songwriters: Siouxsie Sioux, Annie Lennox & Dave Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Teena Marie, Nona Hendryx, Cole Porter, Antonio Carlos Jobim
Favorite Producers: Osunlade, Masters at Work, Flood, Sly & Robbie
Favorite Record Label: Strictly Rhythm, Atlantic (70s-early 90s), Casablanca, Salsoul, SOLAR
Favorite Magazines: DJ Times
Favorite Bassists: Terry Lewis
Favorite Album Cover: The Family. Shot by legendary portrait photographer Horst P. Horst. Prince knew to relegate his lesser photographic experiments to the inside of the album jacket.
Favorite Music DVD VHS: Grace Jones’ A One Man Show and Prince’s Sign O’ The Times. It’s a damn shame that neither is on DVD yet.
Favorite Teen Idol: Adam Ant
Artists Who Disappointed You: Prince. Yes, hip-hop fucked him up. I also think he sounded better when he wasn’t trying to impress anybody.
Artist You Will Always Believe In: I’m not really sure what this means. Every artist has their moment(s) and shoots their shot. In terms of consistency, Deee-lite and Sade. And Madonna.
Singer Who Makes Your Skin Crawl: Ashanti. Chile, please!
Singer Who Makes You Swoon: Minnie Riperton. Yeah, she had those high notes, but there was a sweetness about her music that really made it magical. I believed her.
Favorite Sounds: Drums!
Album You Will Always Defend: Brazillian Romance, the final album of Sarah Vaughan. Yeah, parts of it are fluffy and she isn’t in the best of voice, but this is Sassy, through and through. Touching.
Album[s] You Own That No One Else Does: House of Gypsies’ Gypsymen, Cindy Mizelle’s [Cindy Mizelle], Electribe 101’s Electribal Memories,
Classic Album You Own and Love: Stevie Wonder’s Songs In The Key Of Life
Classic Album You Own but Don’t Like:
Artist[s] You’re Supposed to Like but Don’t: Anthony Hamilton (but I love Fantasia! Go figure …), John Legend (seems like I’ve heard it all before), Kindred (maybe it’s that part of me that’s so anti-Family Values)
Genres You Stay Away From: Most stuff that calls itself rock.
Song You Can’t Stand by an Artist You Like: Teena Marie’s Lovergirl … damn, I HATE that song! Glad it worked for her, though …
Band [Or Group] That Should Break Up: I can’t think of any good ones that are still together.
Bands [Or Groups] That Should Re-form: The S.O.S. Band with Mary Davis. A Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis production. And En Vogue! I’d love to hear them do a cover of “The Edge of a Dream” by Minnie Riperton. I think it would be good for them.
Guilty Pleasure: I can listen to Sarah Vaughan and nothing else for weeks.
Concert[s] You Wish You’d Seen: see above, also any Rufus feat. Chaka Khan in the 1970s, much more Prince
Favorite Album: Really, too many to list. If I change my mind, I’ll edit this.
Dream Collaborations: Janet Jackson and Caetano Veloso. I think he would turn her OUT!
Maxwell, huh? Hmm… …and now, you mentioned Jam and Lewis which surprised the hell out of me. Didnt know you liked em. Also didnt know that your favorite instrument was drums. We should talk.
Hmph! Going through your list made me wish I could reach through cypberspace and bitch-slap the shit out of you! How could you not have a favorite book—considering all the consultations I’ve given you about literary gems over the years? Could it be because you don’t read (enough)? Sitting in front of that damned computer all day long!
And you have the temerity to not like Kindred The Family Soul? I say: “‘Bitch’, go to hell!” (For awhile, anyway, until the fat melts off your damn brain. ;-)
Well, I’m glad to know that you haven’t totally lost it. At least you mentioned Aretha Franklin. (Why “Sparkle” or “Amazing Grace” wasn’t highlighted troubles me. And I know you purposely didn’t mention Anita Baker to hurt me. Any Black gay man who cannot acknowledge Anita’s classic and hallmark, “Rapture,” as excellent is *##^%$!!) Yet, you do get credit for mentioning Sade, and Luther—a phenomenally gifted Afro Homo, albeit self-hating. Yeah, I said it! Self Hate-ing!) And credit is also due for remembering Lisa Fischer. (Though it’s lost on me why Regina Belle is not on your list.)
Well…um…uh…please get back to something you do well (or better, at least), like photography or writing social commentary. And leave the music critiques to some of other “brethren” who have better ears.
to a response of one of your post, you use to listen to sarah vaughan during the valentine’s day me it’s Roberta flack with Donny hathaway(the duet, the closer i get to u is really appropriate :o) ) u mentioned him as a favourite singer and he is really great.i have the live album too and i can’t get enough of his voice.
The fact you mentioned The Family already validates you as a music fan, as far as I’m concerned. It’s the last of the finest funk albums period. I haved at least three vinyl copies of it, and I always will buy it if I come across it, whether it be a Goodwill, or used record store.