AOTW: Quincy Jones - YOU'VE GOT IT BAD GIRL (SP-3041)

[Captain Bacardi]

Quincy Jones
YOU'VE GOT IT BAD GIRL
A&M SP-3041

Released 1973
Peaked at #1 on Jazz Charts (1973), #94 on Pop Charts (1973)

Produced by Quincy Jones & Ray Brown

Format: Vinyl/8-track/CD/Quadrophonic LP/MFSL LP

Songs:

• 1. Summer In The City (John Sebastian/Steve Boone/Mark Sebastian) - 4:05
  2. Eyes Of Love (Quincy Jones/Bob Russell) - 3:28
  3. Tribute To A.F. - RO
  [list:926f10df7b](A) Daydreaming (Aretha Franklin) - 3:36
  (B) First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Ewan MacColl) - 3:35

4. Love Theme From "The Getaway" (Quincy Jones) - 2:35
5. You've Got It Bad Girl (Yvonne Wright) - 5:45
6. Superstition (Stevie Wonder) - 4:40
7. Manteca (Dizzy Gillespie/Walter Fuller) - 8:40
8. "Sanford & Son" Theme (Quincy Jones) - 3:05
9. Chump Change (Quincy Jones/Bill Cosby) - 3:19[/list:u:926f10df7b]

Musicians:
Quincy Jones - Vocals, Arranger
Keyboards - Dave Grusin, Eddie Louis, George Duke, Bob James
Bass - Ray Brown
Sax - Phil Woods, Jerome Richardson, Ernie Watts
Flute - Hubert Laws
Guitar - Dennis Budimir, Toots Thielmans
Trumpet - Cat Anderson
Harmonica - Toots Thielmans, Tom Morgan
Vocals - Valerie Simpson
Other musicians not listed

Recorded at A&M Studios, Hollywood; Sun West Studios, Hollywood; The Record Plant, Hollywood; The Burbank Studios; A&R Studios, New York
Recording Engineer: Phil Schier with Phil Ramone and Larry Levine
Assisted by Gary Ladinsky and John Henning
Mixed by Phil Schier, Quincy Jones and Ray Brown

Art Direction - Roland Young
Photography - Jim McCreary

Liner Notes - Roberta Flack



Capt. Bacardi

 

[seashorepiano]

Why did Quincy let go of jazz? Aside from the "Sanford and Son" theme, the rest of the album is terrible. Quincy's working toward r&b/pop here, which simply is not my bag. I like some r&b, but not this. The songs are mostly bland and divert too far from jazz for me. Quincy's fascination with the harmonica is inexplicable; he uses it almost everywhere! I don't like it!

Overall, the album gets one generous star from me. I bought it on Verve's "Originals" CD reissue months ago, and it's one of the top candidates for my upcoming trip to the used record store to help finance my next vacation.

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

For me, these albums are transitional - not the full on jazz of his early stuff, not the cool guilty pleasure pop-oriented albums like "The Dude". I do tend to think this, "Smackwater...",etc. , are the least interesting of his whole catalog.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I like some of this album but really dislike some of it. The best songs for me are "Summer in the City" (I like the bass line), "The Getaway" (it's haunting, I like that style), and the title track. The rest, I could do without but it's a pleasant background listen.

What does "Tribute to A.F. - RO" mean anyway? I know the A.F. stands for Aretha Franklin, but what's the RO? Or does it refer to Quincy's hairstyle?

 

[Dave]

I agree; a departure from Jazz, though at least some mild flirtation with it...

Jones now headed towards more MOR and R&B type territory... Some of it inspiring, some of it, due in part to it being dogged up by musical drudgery, a bit banal...

"The Theme from SANFORD & SON" seems a bit descriptive of the proceedings, as my "muddied by dated hackwork production" comment on another album, here equally applies...

As for "RO", I believe it's RO-berta Flack that Quincy is referring to...



Dave

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Hmm, never thought of her but given the songs, it makes perfect sense.

 

[jazzdre]

Hey cats, why so DOOOWN on this album? To me, this is GREAT stuff! First off, he takes a rock 'n' roll number like "Summer in the City" and completely REIMAGINES the tune in a way nobody would have ever thought to reimagine it;complete with cinematic strings and lovely vocals from Valerie Simpson, then "Eyes Of Love", which quite frankly is pretty schmaltzy, but to some degree, Q makes it work by bringing in Toots Theilmans.

With his tribute to Aretha Franklin and Roberta Flack, it feels like the tunes are bouncing on a bed of strings and woodwinds(on "First time", the woodwinds are flutes).You guys have to understand-Quincy was a major Hollywood composer in the 60s, so he brought some of that sensibility with him to his music; which is very evident on this particular album.More evidence of this is on his version of "You've Got It Bad,Girl" where the strings and rhythm and horn section seemingly wrap themselves around Q's vocals and each other.

I love the way he plays with "Manteca";going uptempo, then down tempo. "Sanford And Son" is practically an American institution;it's so recognizable that even people in Istanbul probably recognize the tune when they hear it! "Chump Change",which was co-written by Bill Cosby of all people, has that big-band groove going with R&B funk flavor. The only clunker for me on the album was Q's version of "Superstition". I'm so used to Stevie's version what with its hard driving funk/rock sound, that this little jazzy tip didn't work for me.

It was at this time in Quincy's musical life that he had decided to give up his hardcore,Wynton like view of what jazz is and embrace ALL types of music. He also had to be influenced by what Miles and Herbie Hancock was doing at the time, as well as Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. I also believe his A&M albums helped lay the foundation for 70s R&B/soul music, as well as the contemporary jazz scene back then;whatwith its meshing of Hollywood strings, tight rhythms, and jazz mixed in with funk, rock and pop.

Also remember:THIS is the man that has worked with EVERYBODY from Sinatra to Lesley Gore, from Herb Alpert to Charlie Mingus, and of course the great Michael Jackson.Come to think of it, if not for Q, Michael wouldn't have been as great as he became! So it was greatness creating greatness!

 

[Mike Blakesley]

jazzdre - I can't really disagree with anything you wrote. I guess when it comes right down to it, the only songs on the record I really DISlike are "Manteca" (to me it goes on too long) and the Sanford theme for the same reason. I guess I was so used to the 20-second TV version that a 3-minute version just seemed to be too stretched.

I don't think Quincy gets enough credit for the success of Michael Jackson. You can tell what his contribution had been when you listen to the DANGEROUS album, on which he was not involved; MJ was better at pop music than the harder-core funk sound, and it was that lush pop that Q brought to the table. The Jacksons in general had been heading toward that sound when Michael started to work with Quincy, but it was the collaboration with Q that knocked it out of the park.

 

[Rudy]

Hey cats, why so DOOOWN on this album?

Not me--I like this one. It's a good early funk/R&B project with some remaining jazz elements. Sort of a "bridge" album between the past albums and Body Heat (which follows it, and plunges head first into the mainstream).

I still can't listen to the "Sanford & Son" theme without getting a smile on my face. "Lamont, you big dummy!" A longer version (albeit not the full album-length version) is heard in the TV series over the ending credits. Novelty aside, there's some good, greazy soul in that music!

So...nobody yet picked out Stevie Wonder and Bill Withers making unbilled appearances in "Superstition"? Stevie's all over it with harmonica, and Bill Withers takes the second verse ("...wash your face and hands..."). Billy Preston is in the mix there as well. Quincy does a decent lead vocal on "You've Got It Bad Girl", another low-key song of Stevie's that I've always liked.

Q does a neat time-signature and tempo shift on "Manteca" among the jazz/funk workout he turns it into. Certainly a different angle than most big bands take with this song.

I can't say this is a top Q album, but it's still a pretty good one. I find the slower songs are good chill-out down-tempo R&B/funk, and there are still some fun, lively moments among the other tracks. And still some jazz licks in there to bridge with the past. Being a fan of funk, R&B, soul, jazz and blues, this album hits all of them and hints at what is coming down the pipeline in the near future.

 

[Rudy]

BTW, I also echo what Mike said: without Q, I don't think MJ ever would have made those three albums that made him a legend. MJ had the talent, but Q was able to focus and embellish it as producer to make them what they were. It's not like they were Quincy Jones albums with MJ as guest, either: Q just new best how to bring out and present the artist.

Versatility: that's Q in a nutshell. Roots in jazz, skilled at orchestration (his soundtrack work), and yet he was able to tackle everything else from jazz fusion to funk, R&B and rap, and pop music (MJ), and did it all like the skilled musician/producer that he is. The A&M albums show him in that transition period from jazz band leader to his R&B/funk/soul/pop destination he'd end up at in the 80s.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

This is a pretty decent album, but I agree it's not Q's best work, but it's far from his worse. Q is/was an innovator and this album stretches the listener into another direction, and there's nothing wrong with that as long as the integrity is there, and it is on this album. I didn't really care for "Superstition" because Stevie Wonder's version was so perfect any other version pales in comparison. "Manteca" is okay, thanks to Cat Anderson's screaming trumpet. Count me in as a fan of the "Sanford & Son" theme as well. I love the groove on that tune. The vocals do wear a little thin on me, though.


Capt. Bacardi