I can remember dancing with a crowd of 300 other high School students to Rick James singing 'You and I" in 1979. It was funky and different, and absolutely something I could not dance to. But, the girls liked to dance to it, and I liked the girls, so I danced. At the time, James was fresh and new. His song "Mary Jane" was banned at Artesia High school because it promoted drugs, so of course we did whatever we could to buy an LP or tape, then played it did it died. James was very cool, but real men listened to Led Zeppelin.
James became Super Freak a few years later, by then I was into punk, Super Freak did not get much airtime on KROQ, so I remember it only as a genre type hit and a favorite at many wedding receptions.
It was interesting watching James fall over the years. Every few years he made the press for beating a hooker, taking drugs, and oh yes… torture. I think he had a real bad drug problem. The press says he died of a pre-existing medical condition. Does drug addiction count?
Back in 79, we danced to Rick James; the next song would be Boston "More than a feeling". We danced to anything back then, but danced to nothing well.
I seem to collect an artist after he or she dies. Therefore, I imagine I will secure all of the Rick James MP3's I can (legally of course) and give them a listen to see what sticks.
