Chaka Khan - What Cha´ Gonna Do For Me (1981) (vinyl Lp) - €10,00

What Cha' Gonna Do for Me is the third solo album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1981.

As a vocalist, Chaka Khan is the one of the very few who often doesn't need great material to prosper. Thankfully, on What Cha' Gonna Do for Me that isn't the case. 

Teaming again with Arif Mardin, slowly but surely the two began to craft an even more successful and innovative sound. This effort not only bests the work before it, but it is Mardin's most fulfilling production since 1974's Average White Band. 

The cover of "We Can Work It Out" gets a brash and funky Stevie Wonder-style arrangement, with Gregory Phillanganes doing great synth work. The biggest hit here is the melodic title track and has Khan's patented mix of sexiness and intelligent phrasing. 

The best song here, "I Know You, I Live You," displays the brilliant bass and drum team of Anthony Jackson and Steve Ferrone, whose innovation all but rendered Rufus obsolete. 

Their pounding yet refined sound is also on "We've Got Each Other," a hooky and propulsive duet with Khan's brother Mark Stevens. The ambitious and much loved "And the Melody Still Lingers On (Night in Tunisia)" had Mardin and Khan creating pithy lyrics that paid homage to '40s jazz legends as well as all other subsequent musical geniuses. 

The track features a clavitar solo from Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, and an "excerpted" solo break from Charlie Parker. Throughout What Cha' Gonna Do for Me, Mardin seems to get amazing vocals from Khan and has he certainly had fun playing with her voice. 

What Cha' Gonna Do for Me is arguably the best effort of their partnership.

Three singles were released from What Cha' Gonna Do: the Beatles cover "We Can Work It Out" (US R&B #34), the McCrarys cover "Any Old Sunday" (#68) and the album's title track which became a number one hit on Billboard R&B Singles chart. 

On Billboard's charts, the album reached #3 on Black Albums, #33 on Jazz Albums, and #17 on Pop Albums. 

This would be Chaka's highest-charting album until her 1980s-era breakthrough I Feel For You. 

Its popularity among jazz audiences was likely due to the inclusion of the Dizzy Gillespie composition "Night In Tunisia" with a guest appearance by Gillespie himself as well as what today would be called a 'sample' of Charlie Parker's legendary four bar alto break from his 1946 recording of the title. Khan's vocal interpretation also features lyrics written by the singer herself. 

This album was nominated for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female in 1981.

The instrumental intro to "Fate" has been sampled by a host of dance acts all through the 1990s and 2000s, most notably by Stardust on their 1998 hit single "Music Sounds Better With You" and a section of "I Know You I Live You" also features on "Bad Habit" by ATFC & Onephatdeeva feat. Lisa Milett.

Side A         
A1.  We Can Work It Out - 3:41 
A2.  What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me - 3:52 
A3.  I Know You, I Live You - 4:28 
A4.  Any Old Sunday - 3:36 
A5.  We Got Each Other - 3:54 

Side B
B1.  And The Melody Still Lingers On (Night In Tunisia) - 5:01 
B2.  Night Moods - 4:18 
B3.  Heed The Warning - 4:32 
B4.  Father He Said - 3:51 
B5.  Fate - 3:18 
B6.  I Know You, I Live You (Reprise) - 1:18

Personnel

• Chaka Khan – vocals, background vocals
• Steve Ferrone – drums all tracks except 1, 6
• Anthony Jackson – bass all tracks except 1, 6
• David Williams – guitar all tracks except 1, 6
• Hamish Stuart – guitar all tracks except 1, 6
• Larry Williams – keyboards, flute, saxophone, synthesizer all tracks except 1, 6

Companies, etc.

• Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
• Copyright © – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
• Pressed By – Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Los Angeles
• Published By – Maclen Music, Inc.
• Published By – Average Music
• Published By – Ackee Music, Inc.
• Published By – Longdog Music
• Published By – Chaka Khan Music
• Published By – Deniz Music Inc.
• Published By – Island Music
• Published By – Restless Music 
• Published By – Youngstown Music
• Published By – Intersong Music
• Published By – MCA Music
• Published By – Chappell Music
• Published By – ATV Music Corp.
• Published By – Campashé Music
• Published By – Blackwood Music Inc.
• Recorded At – Mountain Studios
• Recorded At – Atlantic Studios
• Recorded At – Sunset Sound
• Recorded At – The Automatt
• Mastered At – Sterling Sound
• Lacquer Cut At – Sterling Sound

Credits

• Art Direction – Richard Seireeni
• Bass – Anthony Jackson (tracks: A2 to A5, B2 to B6)
• Coordinator [Production Coordination In Los Angeles] – Frank DeCaro
• Coordinator [Production Coordination In New York] – Chrissy Allerdings
• Drums – Steve Ferrone (tracks: A2 to A5, B2 to B6)
• Engineer [Assisting Engineer (Chief Engineer), Mountain Studios] – David Richards
• Engineer [Assisting Engineer, Atlantic Studios] – Bob Warner, Michael O'Reilly
• Engineer [Assisting Engineer, Sunset Sound] – David Leonard
• Engineer [Assisting Engineer, The Automatt] – Wayne Lewis
• Guitar – David Williams (tracks: A2 to A5, B2 to B6), Hamish Stuart (tracks: A2 to A5, B2 to B6)
• Illustration [Additional Illustration] – Tim Wild 
• Keyboards, Flute, Saxophone, Synthesizer – Larry Williams (tracks: A2 to A5, B2 to B6)
• Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Chaka Khan (tracks: A1 to A5, B2 to B6)
• Liner Notes – Arif Mardin
• Management – Jack Nelson
• Mastered By [Mastering Engineer] – George Marino
• Photography By – Gordon Munro 
• Producer – Arif Mardin
• Recorded By, Mixed By – Lew Hahn (tracks: A2 to A5, B2 to B6)

Recorded at Mountain Studios, Montreux, Switzerland
Additional recording at Atlantic Studios, New York; Sunset Sound, Los Angeles; The Automatt,
San Francisco
Mastered at Sterling Sound, New York

Notes
Release: 1981

Format:  LP, Vinyl
Genre:  Soul, Funk 
Label:  Warner Bros. Records
Catalog#  WB 56888

Vinyl:  Goed (VG)
Cover:  Goed (VG)

Prijs: €10,00

Chaka Khan - I Feel For You (LP) (1984) - €10,00

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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.

After having balanced her two simultaneous careers as a member of the band Rufus and a solo performer during the years 1978 to 1983, which culminated with the release of the final Rufus & Chaka Khan album Stompin' at the Savoy – Live, after which the band dissolved, Khan recorded the album that was to make her a pop star with mainstream chart success: 1984's I Feel for You.

When Chaka Khan recorded her fifth solo album, I Feel for You, in 1984, she knew that R&B had changed a lot since the 1970s. 

Horn-powered funk bands, strings-laden Philadelphia soul, and orchestral disco were out of vogue, and the urban contemporary audiences of 1984 were into a more high-tech, heavily electronic style of R&B. 

Many artists who had been huge in the 1970s found that they no longer appealed to black radio programmers, who had abandoned them and turned their attention to electro-funksters and Prince disciples. 

But Chaka Khan had no problem keeping up with the times; I Feel for You made it clear that she could easily be relevant to the urban contemporary scene of 1984. No one would mistake I Feel for You for a Rufus project from 1975 -- it's way too high-tech -- and yet, everything on the album is unmistakably Chaka Khan. 

That is true of up-tempo items like "Love Is Alive" (an interesting remake of Gary Wright's 1976 hit) and "La Flamme," as well as the ballad "Through the Fire," which was a big hit on urban radio but crossed over to adult contemporary stations in a major way. 

"This Is My Night" (which was written and produced by the System) also became an urban radio hit, but the album is best known for Khan's unlikely remake of Prince's "I Feel for You." 

When Prince first recorded "I Feel for You" in 1979, it wasn't a hit; Khan's version, however, soared to number one on Billboard's R&B singles chart. 

Khan had a very different take on the song than Prince; while his original version was subtle and restrained, Khan went for exuberance and added a strong hip-hop flavor. 

Side A

1.  This Is My Night - 4:38

2.  Stronger Than Before - 4:21

3.  My Love Is Alive - 4:42

4.  Eye to Eye - 4:38

5.  La Flamme - 4:27

Side B

1.  I Feel for You - 5:44

2.  Hold Her - 5:14

3.  Through the Fire - 4:45

4.  Caught in the Act - 3:45

5.  Chinatown - 4:37

Musicians

• Chaka Khan – lead vocals, backing vocals
• David Frank – keyboards, synthesizer track: 1, keyboards, synthesizer, programming track: 6
• Mic Murphy – backing vocals track: 1
• Steve Ferrone – drums tracks: 1, 4
• Paul Pesco – guitar track: 1
• Philippe Saisse – additional keyboards track: 1, keyboards, synthesizer, programming track: 5, 6, 10
• Steve Lukather – guitar track: 7
• Nathan East – bass guitar track: 2, 8
• John Robinson – drums track: 2, 7, 8
• Dann Huff – guitar track: 2
• Robbie Buchanan – keyboards, synthesizer track: 2, keyboards, synthesizer, programming track: 6
• Craig Siegel – Fairlight programming track: 2
• John Robie – keyboards, synthesizer, programming track: 3
• Cruz Sembello – backing vocals track: 4
• Tony Maiden – rhythm guitar track: 4
• Michael Sembello – guitar solo, backing vocals track: 4
• Danny Sembello – keyboards, synthesizer track: 4
• Don Freeman – keyboards, synthesizer track: 4
• Rob Mounsey – Synclavier track: 4
• Hamish Stuart – backing vocals track: 5
• Mark Stevens – backing vocals track: 5
• Reggie Griffin – guitar, bass, keyboards, synthesizer, programming track: 6
• Stevie Wonder – chromatic harmonica track: 6
• Grandmaster Melle Mel – vocals track: 6
• Steve Porcaro – keyboards track: 7
• Hawk – bass, keyboards track: 7
• James Newton Howard – keyboards track: 7
• Michael Landau – guitar track: 8
• David Foster – keyboards, synthesizer track: 8
• Marcus Ryle – programming track: 8
• Alec Milstein – backing vocals track: 9
• Vadim Zilberstein – guitar track: 9
• Keith "Plex" Barnhart – keyboards, synthesizer track: 9
• Joe Mardin – drums track: 9

Production

• Arif Mardin – record producer tracks: 1–3, 5–7, 9, 10
• Lew Hahn – audio mixing tracks: 1, 2, 5–7, 10
• Robbie Buchanan – producer track: 2
• John Robie – producer, audio mixing track: 3
• Russ Titelman – producer track: 4
• Elliot Scheiner – audio mixing track: 4
• David "Hawk" Wolinski – producer track 7
• James Newton Howard – producer track: 7
• David Foster – producer, musical arranger track: 8
• Humberto Gatica – producer, audio mixing track: 8
• Joe Mardin – producer, audio mixing track: 9
• Bill Dooley – audio mixing track: 9
• Michael O'Reilly – audio mixing track: 9

Notes

Release:  1984

Format:  LP, Vinyl

Genre:  Soul, Post-disco

Label:  Warner Bros. Records

Catalog#   925162-1

Vinyl:  Goed (VG)

Cover:  Goed (VG)

Prijs: €10,00

Chaka Khan - Destiny (1986) - €10,00

Destiny is the sixth studio album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1986.
Destiny was Khan's follow-up to the platinum-selling I Feel for You and was as high tech as its predecessor—symptomatically and characteristically for its period with more producers and sound engineers credited in the liner notes than musicians—but was musically more geared towards rock and pop than soul and R&B, most prominently on tracks such as "So Close", the self-penned title track "My Destiny", "Who's It Gonna Be" and "Watching the World" featuring Phil Collins on drums and backing vocals.
The album spun off five single releases, the first being "Love of a Lifetime", co-written, co-produced and featuring backing vocals by Green Gartside of British band Scritti Politti (US Pop #53, US R&B #21, UK #52). The second single "Tight Fit" was a midtempo R&B ballad, just like "Eye to Eye" from I Feel for You produced by Russ Titelman, which reached #28 on the US R&B chart. The satirical "Earth to Mickey" (When are you going to land?), featuring Khan both singing and rapping (and keyboardist Reggie Griffin rapping in the role of 'Mickey'), was released as the third single in early 1987 and only just made the Top 100 of the R&B chart, peaking at #93. The dramatic ballad "The Other Side of the World", written by Mike Rutherford of Genesis and B. A. Robertson and which had first been released as part of the White Nights soundtrack album in late 1985, reached #81. The fifth single "Watching the World" never charted. The album itself fared slightly better, reaching #25 on Billboard's R&B albums chart, but stalling at #67 on Pop and #77 in the UK. Destiny however gave Khan another Grammy nomination in 1987 for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female. The track "My Destiny" was used as the theme song for Richard Pryor's motion picture Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling.
The closing track, the heavily edited one minute thirty-nine seconds "Coltrane Dreams", a tribute to John Coltrane, had a backing track mainly made up of samples of Khan's voice. The actual full-length version of the track (4:54) was only released as the B-side of the 12" single "Love of a Lifetime".
"Love of a Lifetime", "Tight Fit", "Earth to Mickey" and "Watching the World" were all released as 12" singles including extended remixes.
While the success of Khan's own single releases in 1986 was limited to the R&B charts, she appeared as featured vocalist/vocal arranger on two worldwide pop/rock chart hits that same year, Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" and Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love"; on the latter she was only credited for 'vocal arrangement' in the liner notes. The song was originally recorded with Khan sharing lead vocals with Palmer but due to contractual problems between Warner Bros. Records and Island Records her own vocals were removed from the final mix.


Side A
A1.  Love Of A Lifetime - 4:20
A2.  Earth To Mickey  - 5:37
A3.  Watching The World  - 4:42
A4.  The Other Side Of The World - 3:39
A5.  My Destiny - 4:38

Side B
B1.  I Can’t Be Loved - 4:30
B2.  It’s You - 4:17
B3.  So Close - 4:17
B4.  Tight Fit - 4:37
B5.  Who’s It Gonna Be - 4:35
B6.  Coltrane Dreams - 1:38


Notes
Release:  1986
Format:  LP
Genre:  Soul, Funk
Label:  Warner Bros. Records
Catalog#  925425-1
Prijs:  €10,00

Vinyl:  Good
Cover:  Good