The Very Best of Rufus with Chaka Khan | ||||
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Greatest hits album by Rufus with Chaka Khan | ||||
Released | 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1974–1979 | |||
Genre | Soul, funk | |||
Length | 42:54 | |||
Label | MCA | |||
Producer | Rufus, Bob Monaco, Quincy Jones, Roy Halee | |||
Rufus chronology | ||||
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Chaka Khan chronology | ||||
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The Very Best of Rufus with Chaka Khan is a greatest hits album by funk band Rufus and singer Chaka Khan,originally released on the MCA Records label in 1982. The collection comprises ten of the group's biggest hits on the ABC/MCA labels,including "You Got the Love","Sweet Thing","At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)","Do You Love What You Feel","Tell Me Something Good","Stay","Hollywood" and "Dance Wit Me".
The Very Best of... was released in late 1982,prior to the recording of the band's two final albums,both for the Warner Bros. Records label,and does consequently not include their hits "Ain't Nobody" and "One Million Kisses",both from the 1983 double-set Stompin' at the Savoy - Live . However,it doesn't contain any material from their 1973 self-titled debut album or their recent album at the time,1981's Camouflage . It also doesn't contain any material from the Khan-less albums Numbers (1979) and Party 'Til You're Broke (1981).[ citation needed ]
The ten track Very Best of Rufus featuring Chaka Khan was re-released on CD by MCA/Geffen Records in the mid 1990s in both the US and Europe and is to date the only career retrospective available with the band. Rufus and Chaka Khan's ABC/MCA back catalogue (1973–1982) is as of 2003 distributed by the Universal Music Group.[ citation needed ]
In a contemporary review, Billboard said The Very Best Of revisits the group's "spine-tingling brand of soul-gone-funk",which remains potent because of Khan's singing. [1] Village Voice critic Robert Christgau said the compilation contained Khan's "great Rufus songs". [2] Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave it four-and-a-half out of five stars in his review for AllMusic, [3] and Dave Thompson gave the record an eight out of 10 in his 2001 book Funk. "All the hits and no misses",he wrote. "A great comp". [4]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Do You Love What You Feel" (from Masterjam , 1979) | David Wolinski | 4:30 |
2. | "Tell Me Something Good" (from Rags to Rufus , 1974) | Stevie Wonder | 4:40 |
3. | "Dance Wit Me" (from Rufus featuring Chaka Khan , 1975) | Gavin Christopher | 4:00 |
4. | "Hollywood" (from Ask Rufus , 1977) | André Fischer, David Wolinski | 4:09 |
5. | "Stay" (from Street Player , 1978) | Richard Calhoun, Chaka Khan | 5:42 |
6. | "Once You Get Started" (from Rufusized , 1974) | Gavin Christopher | 4:31 |
7. | "You Got the Love" (from Rags to Rufus, 1974) | Chaka Khan, Ray Parker Jr. | 4:45 |
8. | "At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)" (from Ask Rufus, 1977) | Tony Maiden, Lalomie Washburn | 4:21 |
9. | "Please Pardon Me (You Remind Me of a Friend)" (from Rufusized, 1974) | Brenda Gordon, Brian Russell | 3:06 |
10. | "Sweet Thing" (from Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, 1975) | Chaka Khan, Tony Maiden | 3:20 |
Yvette Marie Stevens, better known by her stage name Chaka Khan, is an American singer. Known as the "Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. With the band she recorded the notable hits "Tell Me Something Good", "Sweet Thing", "Do You Love What You Feel" and the platinum-certified "Ain't Nobody". Her debut solo album featured the number-one R&B hit "I'm Every Woman". Khan scored another R&B charts hit with "What Cha' Gonna Do for Me" before becoming the first R&B artist to have a crossover hit featuring a rapper, with her 1984 cover of Prince's "I Feel for You". More of Khan's hits include "Through the Fire" and a 1986 collaboration with Steve Winwood that produced a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, "Higher Love".
Rufus is an American funk band from Chicago best known for launching the career of lead singer Chaka Khan. They had several hits during their career including "Tell Me Something Good", "Sweet Thing", "Do You Love What You Feel", and "Ain't Nobody". Rufus and Chaka Khan were one of the most popular and influential funk bands of the 1970s; they had four consecutive number-one R&B albums, ten top 40 pop hits, and five number-one R&B singles among other accolades.
Gavin Christopher was an American R&B singer, songwriter, musician, and producer.
I Feel for You is the fifth solo studio album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1984.
Rags To Rufus is the gold-selling second studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the ABC Records label in 1974. It reached number 4 on both the Pop and Black Albums charts. It is notable for the hit singles "Tell Me Something Good", written by Stevie Wonder, and "You Got the Love", written by lead vocalist Chaka Khan and Ray Parker Jr. In 1975, "Tell Me Something Good" earned the band its first Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
Chaka Khan is the fourth solo album by American singer Chaka Khan. It was released on the Warner Bros. Records label on November 17, 1982. Khan worked with frequent collaborator Arif Mardin on the album, who would produce all the tracks on Chaka Khan. The "Be Bop Medley" won the pair Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices at the 26th awards ceremony.
Stompin' at the Savoy – Live is an album by American R&B/funk band Rufus with singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1983.
Life Is a Dance: The Remix Project is a remix album of recordings by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released by the Warner Bros. Records label in 1989. The compilation takes its title from a track included on Khan's 1978 solo debut album Chaka.
Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1 is a compilation album of recordings by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, first released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1996. Although the compilation, which reached #22 on Billboard's R&B chart and #84 on Pop, was given the "Vol. 1" tag, it remains without a sequel to date.
Rufus is the debut album by American R&B and funk band Rufus, released on the ABC Records label in 1973 fronted by singers Chaka Khan and Ron Stockert. The album is notable for an upbeat rock/soul sound that would be replaced by a more heavy direction into funk and jazzy-styled recordings.
Rufusized is the gold-selling third studio album by funk band Rufus, featuring Chaka Khan, on the ABC Records label in 1974, their second album release that year. The album peaked at number 7 on the Billboard album chart the week ending March 1, 1975.
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan is the gold-selling fourth studio album by the funk band Rufus and Chaka Khan, released on the ABC Records label in 1975. It remained on top of the R&B album chart for six consecutive weeks.
Ask Rufus is the platinum-selling fifth studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the ABC Records label in 1977. The album spent three weeks atop the Billboard R&B Albums Chart in 1977. In 2020, it was ranked number 499 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Street Player is the sixth studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the ABC Records label in 1978. Street Player was the band's third album to top Billboard's R&B Albums chart and also reached number 14 on Pop. The album includes the singles "Stay" and "Blue Love".
Numbers is the seventh studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the ABC Records label in 1979. It was the band's first album without Chaka Khan on lead vocals. Instead, band members Tony Maiden and David "Hawk" Wolinski shared lead vocal duties, with additional female leads by Helen Lowe and Maxayne. The album reached #15 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart, #81 on Pop and included the single release "Keep It Together ".
Masterjam is the platinum-selling eighth studio album by funk band Rufus. Released in 1979, it was their debut on the MCA Records label following their purchase and dissolution of ABC Records.
Party 'Til You're Broke is the ninth studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the MCA Records label in 1981. Party 'Til You're Broke which was the band's second album not to be fronted by Chaka Khan reached number 24 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart and number 73 on Pop and included the singles "Tonight We Love" and "Hold on to a Friend", making Party 'Til You're Broke the most successful Khan-less album from Rufus.
Camouflage is the tenth studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the MCA Records label in 1981. Camouflage peaked at number 15 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart and stalled at number 98 on Pop. The album includes the singles "Sharing the Love" and "Better Together".
American R&B/soul singer Chaka Khan has released thirteen albums during her solo career. Her first solo single was "I'm Every Woman", also released in 1978. She has released a total of 46 solo singles throughout her career. Khan has placed four albums in the top twenty of the Billboard albums chart, scored one top 10 and four additional top-40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. On the Billboard R&B Songs chart, Khan hit the top 10 ten times including five number ones (including two as a featured artist. On Billboard's Dance Club Chart, Khan had six number ones and another number one as a featured artist. On the UK Singles Chart, she has scored three top 10s, eight additional top 40 singles.
One Way is an American R&B and funk band that was popular in the late 1970s, and throughout most of the 1980s, led by singer Al Hudson. The group's most successful record was "Cutie Pie", which reached number 4 on the Billboard Soul Singles chart and number 61 on the pop chart in 1982.