Patrice Rushen – Feels So Real: The Complete Elektra Recordings 1978-1984 (2022)

After she mixed post-bop, soul-jazz, and jazz-funk with nimble ingenuity over three albums for the Prestige label, Patrice Rushen moved to Elektra, and with labelmates Donald Byrd, Lenny White, and Dee Dee Bridgewater extended the imprint’s commercial reach while continuing to obscure the distinctions between jazz and R&B. Elektra VP Don Mizell promoted the term jazz fusion. Musician James Mtume referred to his similar approach as sophisti-funk. Whatever the category, Rushen was in the top tier. She continually moved forward as a keyboardist, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, and producer with the five LPs — Patrice and Pizzazz, which hit the Top Ten of the jazz chart, followed by Posh and the Top Ten R&B albums Straight from the Heart and Now — expanded and gathered…

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…for this boxed set. Strut Records previously summed up the era with Remind Me: The Classic Elektra Recordings 1978-1984, and while the single-disc set balanced deep quiet storm gems like “Settle for My Love” and “Where There Is Love” with danceable hits such as “Haven’t You Heard” and “Forget Me Nots,” it left much to explore. “Hang It Up,” “Let the Music Take Me,” “Don’t Blame Me,” “I Was Tired of Being Alone,” and “Get Off (You Fascinate Me),” just to pick a track off each album, merely hint at the delights here that weren’t anthologized.

Feels So Real, packaged fold-out style with an informative and image-rich booklet, also adds well over a dozen bonus tracks — versions and dubs from the original 12″ singles, previously unreleased extended takes, and pioneering New York club DJ Danny Krivit’s re-edit of “Music of the Earth” (which Strut issued in 2010). — AMG

CD 1: Patrice and bonus material

1. Music of the Earth
2. When I Found You
3. Changes (in Your Life)
4. Wishful Thinking
5. Let’s Sing a Song of Love
6. Hang It Up
7. Cha-Cha
8. It’s Just a Natural Thing
9. Didn’t You Know
10. Play!
11. Music of the Earth (Danny Krivit Edit)
12. Hang It Up (12″ Version)
13. Play! (Unreleased Extended Take) *
14. Didn’t You Know (Unreleased Extended Take) *

Tracks 1-10 released as Elektra 6E-160, 1978
Track 11 released on Edits by Mr. K. Vol. 2: Music of the Earth – Strut 067 EP, 2010
Track 12 released on Elektra 12″ single AS-11404, 1978

CD 2: Pizzazz and bonus tracks

1. Let the Music Take Me
2. Keepin’ Faith in Love
3. Settle for My Love
4. Message in the Music
5. Haven’t You Heard
6. Givin’ It Up is Givin’ Up
7. Call on Me
8. Reprise (Message in the Music)
9. Haven’t You Heard (12″ Version)
10. Let the Music Take Me (12″ Version)
11. Givin’ It Up is Givin’ Up (Instrumental Version) *

Tracks 1-8 released as Elektra 6E-243, 1979
Track 9 released on Elektra 12″ single AS-11436, 1979
Track 10 released on Elektra 12″ single AS-11445, 1979

CD 3: Posh and bonus track

1. Never Gonna Give You Up (Won’t Let You Be)
2. Don’t Blame Me
3. Look Up!
4. I Need Your Love
5. Time Will Tell
6. The Dream
7. The Funk Won’t Let You Down
8. This is All I Really Know
9. Look Up! (12″ Version)

Tracks 1-8 released as Elektra 6E-302, 1980
Track 9 released on Elektra 12″ single AS-11469, 1980

CD 4: Straight from the Heart and bonus tracks

1. Forget Me Nots
2. I Was Tired of Being Alone
3. All We Need
4. Number One (Instrumental)
5. Where There is Love
6. Breakout
7. If Only
8. Remind Me
9. (She Will) Take You Down to Love
10. Forget Me Nots (12″ Version)
11. Breakout (12″ Version)
12. I Was Tired of Being Alone (12″ Version)
13. Number One (12″ Version)

Tracks 1-9 released as Elektra E1-60015, 1982
Track 10 released on Elektra 12″ single AS-11555, 1982
Tracks 11 and 13 released as Elektra 12″ single 0-67999, 1982
Track 12 released on Elektra 12″ single 0-67959, 1982

CD 5: Now and bonus tracks

1. Feels So Real (Won’t Let Go)
2. Gone with the Night
3. Gotta Find It
4. Superstar
5. Heartache Heartbreak
6. Get Off (You Fascinate Me)
7. My Love’s Not Going Anywhere
8. Perfect Love
9. High in Me
10. To Each His Own
11. Get Off (You Fascinate Me) (12″ Version)
12. Get Off (You Fascinate Me) (Instrumental)
13. Feels So Real (Edit)
14. Feels So Real (Won’t Let Go) (Dub Version)

Tracks 1-10 released as Elektra 60360, 1984
Track 11 released on Elektra 12″ single ED-5003, 1984
Track 12 released on Elektra U.K. 12″ single E9702T, 1984
Track 13 released on Elektra single 7-69742, 1984
Track 14 released on Elektra 12″ single 0-66970, 1984