Process And The Doo Rags - Too Sharp

If there’s one thing I’m partial to, it’s a Rick James side-project. And James had quite a few of them, all imbued with his trademark production, melodic style, and lyrical tropes (dutty women and genitals, largely). This album formed part of his early to mid-80’s peak period, where he just couldn’t produce enough great music...it makes you wonder where he got all his energy from.

The concept behind P&TDR was a 50’s doo-wop vocal harmony group, plying their trade against a modern musical background. They were dressed all 50's: zoot suits, processed hair, popped collars, correspondent shoes, but manage to still look very 1980's.

The first side of the album is made up of quality dance tunes, with added live audience sounds in-between, rather oddly.

The second side drops the tempo after the first track, and includes a hat-trick of cover versions, some of which work better (the acapella version of Thin Line Between Love And Hate) than others (Daddy’s Home).

The sleeve photo shoot has them standing outside a theatre. My internet sleuthing shows this to be The Little Harlem in Buffalo, New York – Rick James’s home town. This building was of considerable historic significance to the Black and Queer communities in the area.

Incidentally, this is an Aussie white label, which was once in the possession of 2BBB radio in Bellingen, NSW.

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Rick James - The Flag

This was an album I really wanted when it came out in 1986, but didn’t buy...until this week.

It’s widely regarded as being James’ worst album, what with it being his final album for Gordy and him going through the end-of-contract motions, and his voice being ravaged by his enthusiastic cocaine use. But, you know what? It’s not too bad.

There are benefits to an album being considered generally shit. It was cheap and has never been played.

This was touted as his ‘political’ album. In order to reinforce this, the sleeve has James standing in front of an anarcho-syndicalist flag background, and on the rear and inner sleeves he’s holding little anacho-syndicalist flags.

Honestly, I had no idea what anarcho-syndicalism was in 1986 - I had yet to be fully radicalised by the woke leftists. James, however, was well ahead of the game: the album features such tracks as The State Is A Result Of Class Stratification, Established And Maintained In Order To Protect The Monopoly Of Capitalists Over The Economy, Direct Action, and the ballad Workers Must Prepare For The Overthrow Of Capitalism And The State.

It doesn’t really, more's the pity – it’s just more songs about 'freaks' and his cock. And one song about nuclear war.

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