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>(80-81) Post Disco
1. Rick James - Street Songs (Greatest album of 1981, bar none)
2. Bobby Womack - The Poet
3. Slave - Stone Jam
4. Luther Vandross - Never Too Much
5. Change - Miracles
Here, The Doc likes the LOGG album, as well as well as the first record the Stone City Band put out. The Commodores final album with Lionel, In The Pocket, is underrated, ITDO. Evelyn King's first album w/Kashif handling the boards, I'm In Love, was the shit. Cameo's records released in these two years are even better than the stuff that followed (EXCEPT Alligator Woman). The Poet made the list because The Doc heard it often during this time. Also, there are three albums that The Doc must list here as personal classics, all produced by Quincy Jones: George Benson's Give Me The Night, The Brothers Johnson's Light Up The Night, and Quincy's own The Dude. All three albums are great examples of post-disco sounds.
>(82-83) Jheri Curl I
1. MJ - Thriller
2. Rick James - Throwin' Down
3. The Time - What Time Is It?
4. Steve Arrington - Hall of Fame Vol. 1
5. O'Bryan - Doin' All Right
Try as The Doc might, he will admit to liking Lionel Richie's two albums released under these years more than anything else in his solo career. But despite the album covers, it ain't really "Jheri Curl" music. This is when the Solar sound really took off. From the Whispers, but especially on Shalamar's Friends (1982), and certain songs from Carrie Lucas's album that was released the same time... was the only thing out there messin' with Rick, Prince, and MJ as the sound of the era ITDO. Atlantic Starr's Brilliance should be in this list too, it was one of the favorite albums The Doc liked here. Paradise did a good job of disguising Jesus Jook Joint music under post-disco sounds with World's Midnight. ConFunkShun's To The Max is a big favorite... as was 7 from '81 (The Doc thinks)? 80-83 was a great time for R&B, ITDO.
>(84-86) Jheri Curl II
1. Alexander O'Neal - Alexander O'Neal
2. Cameo - She's Strange (got the edge because of "Hangin' Downtown")
3. Jesse Johnson - Jesse Johnson's Revue
4. Cherrelle - Fragile (on this list for one song primarily)
5. Zapp - The New Zapp IV U (has some of The Doc's favorite Zapp songs of all time)
R&B was going in a weird direction here... The Doc tended to like singles released in this era more than albums. Though the albums The Doc did like, he really loved them. Chaka Khan's I Feel For You, completed the trilogy of CLASSICS she released under the guiding eye of Arif Mardin (Whatcha Gonna Do For Me, her self-titled album, and then that one...were The Doc's favorite work she ever did) You had cats trying hard to be Prince, and/or The Time. Thankfully Ebonee Webb came out at time before the "1999" sound was most identified as Princely. Also, at the tail end of this run was Anita Baker's second (and probably most famous) album, Rapture, which is far from the "Jheri Curl" motif...The Doc actually likes Alex O'Neal's first album more than the follow-up, though Hearsay is undeniably classic.
Also, Thomas McClary from the Commodores came out with a solo album...that ITDO proves that him leaving that group hurt just as bad as Lionel (songwriting, anyway).
>(87-89) New Jack
1. Alexander O'Neal - Hearsay (it's not at all New Jack but it was the best R&B album of 1987, ITDO)
2. Bobby Brown - Don't Be Cruel
3. Guy - Guy
4. Keith Sweat - Make It Last Forever
5. New Edition - NE Heartbreak
Again, The Doc can't tell you how much he tended to like the singles more than the albums in this era, though NE Heartbreak had some ill album cuts.
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