On April 7, 1981, “Gordy Records” label released “Street Songs”, the fifth Rick James album. It was recorded December 1980 – January 1981, at the “Record Plant” in Sausalito, California and “Motown / Hitsville U.S.A. Recording Studios” in Hollywood, and was produced by Rick James. In July 1981, the album was certified Platinum in US by “RIIA”.
Personnel:
- Rick James – lead vocals, guitar, bass, drums, timbales, percussion, string and horn arrangements, design concept
- Tom McDermott – guitar, percussion
- Erskine Williams – keyboards, clavinet, organ
- Levi Ruffin Jr – synthesizer, backing vocals
- Oscar Alston – bass, percussion
- Lanise Hughes – drums
- Steve Price – drums
- Armando Peraza, Bugsy Wilcox, Nate Hughes, Raul Rekow – percussion
- Donny Keider – vibraphone
- Daniel LeMelle – alto and tenor saxophone, horns, flute
- Fernando Harkless, Roy Roper – trumpet
- John Ervin – horns, trombone, flute
- Cliff Ervin – horns, trumpet, piccolo flute, flugelhorn
- The Mary Jane Band (JoAnne McDuffy, Lisa Sarna) – singers
- Jane’t DuBois, Jackie Ruffin, Julia Waters Tillman, Lawrence Hilton Jacobs, Levi Ruffin, Jr., Marci Thomas, Maxine Waters Willard, Pattie Brooks, The Mary Jane Band – singers
- Aaron Dublin, California St. Clair, Daniel LeMelle, Levi Ruffin, Jr., Lisa Sarna, Oscar Alston, Teena Marie, Victor Reed – handclaps
- Stone City Band – backing band
- Charles Veal Jr – concertmaster
- Daniel LeMelle – string and horn arrangements
- Reggie Andrews – string arrangements
- Bobby Brooks, Tom Flye – recording, mixing
- Rick Sanches – recording
- Michael Johnson, Tony Autore – engineer assistant
- Johnny Lee – art direction
- Ginny Livingston – design
- Norman Moore – logo design
- Ron Slenzak – photography
Track listing:
All tracks by Rick James, except where noted.
- Give It to Me Baby
- Ghetto Life
- Make Love to Me
- Policeman
- Super Freak – Rick James, Alonzo Miller
- Fire and Desire
- Call Me Up
- Below the Funk
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