Jackson, Millie

Band members               Related acts

- Millie Jackson -- vocals

 

 

 

- none known

 

 

 

Genre: soul

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  Still Caught Up

Company: Spring

Catalog: SPR-6708

Country/State: Thomson, Georgia

Year: 1975

Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+

Comments: --

Available: 1

GEMM Catalog ID: 5200

Price: $10.00

 

 Even the best Millie Jackson albums can be trying affairs.  She has a tendency to try to compensate for her vocal limitations by going off on extended raps, simply trying to power her way through songs with appalling results, or in her later career simply trying to shock her audience with increasingly raunchier material.  Luckily 1975's Brad Shapiro and Jackson produced "Still Caught Up" showcased prime the singer before she started to rely heavily on any of those tactics.  Having earned a Grammy for 1974's "Caught Up", you couldn't really blame her for going back to the creative well for a follow-up.  The result was reminiscent of the early LP, though equally enjoyable making for her  last really good album  Jackson's cover of Tom Jan's 'Loving Arms' started the collection with a strange pseudo-live lounge feel that reappeared from time to time throughout the set.  Complete with audience noises and end-of-song narrative her cover wasn't bad, but didn't come close to the original. It was also kind of strange in painting Jackson as a helpless victim of love.  She's never been particularly appealing in that role.  In contrast the Millie Jackson we've all come to love had a sharp edged tongue that mercilessly slashed cheating and lying partners and friends to ribbons. Her gritty voice and revenge fueled fury made Jackson-penned tracks like 'The Memory of a Wife', 'Tell Her It's Over' and 'Leftovers' both enjoyable and scary (be sure to check out the weird twist at the end of her cover of Mac Davis' 'I Still Love You (You Still Love Me)').  

"Still Caught Up" track listing:

(side 1)

1.) Loving Arms   (Tom Jans) - 3:42

2.) Making the Best of a Bad Situation   (Richard Kerr - Gary Osbourne) - 2:54

3.) The Memory of a Wife   (Phillip Mitchell) - 5:17

4.) Tell Her It's Over   (Phillip Mitchell) - 4:06

 

(side 2)

1.) Do What Makes You Satisfied   (Millie Jackson - K. Sterling) - 3:24

2.) You Can't Stand the Thought   (Phillip Mitchell) - 2:53

3.) Leftovers   (Phillip Mitchell) - 4:33

4.) I Still Love You (You Still Love Me)   (Mac Davis - Mark James) - 4:32

 

 

Genre: soul

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  Get It Out 'Cha System

Company: Spring

Catalog: SP-1-6719

Country/State: Thomson, Georgia

Year: 1978

Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+

Comments: still in shrink wrap

Available: 1

GEMM Catalog ID: 5202

Price: $10.00

 

Let's be honest here.  If you're buying a Millie Jackson LP then you have a pretty good idea of what the material is going to be like.  That said, 1978's "Get It Out 'Cha System" was actually one of Jackson's more consistent and enjoyable efforts.  Co-produced by Jackson and Brad Shapiro, nothing here was a major departure from her earlier catalog.  Tracks such as 'Keep the Home Fire Burnin'', 'Logs and Thangs' and 'Sweet Music Man' were fairly standard "I don't take no crap from loser guys" vamps. Jackson was in fine voice throughout; occasionally recalling Gladys Knight - check out the surprisingly mainstream ballad 'Why Say You're Sorry'.  In fact, to my ears the only real misstep here was a needless cover of Dolly Parton's mega hit 'Here You Come Again'. 

 

Spring tapped the album for a couple of singles:

 

- 'Go Out and Get Some' b/w 'Sweet Music Man' (Spring catalog number SP-185)

- 'Keep the Home Fire Burnin'' b/w 'Logs and Thangs' (Spring catalog number SP-189)

 

(Um, note to the album cover designers ... while there's no denying Jackson was pretty hot, dressing her in what looked like an over-sized diaper wasn't exactly the most sexy move of the year.)  

 

"Get It Out 'Cha System" track listing:

(side 1)

1.) Go Out and Get Some (Get Out 'Cha System)   (Millie Jackson - B. Klein) - 2:47

2.) Keep the Home Fire Burnin'   (Steve Alaimo - Benny Latimore) - 3:-9

3.) Logs and Thangs   (Millie Jackson - Benny Latimore) - 5:46

4.) Put Something Down On It  (Bobby Womack - Cecil Womack) - 5:31

 

(side 2)

1.) Here You Come Again   (Barry Mann - Cynthia Weil) - 3:10

2.) Why Say You're Sorry   (Millie Jackson - Brad Shapiro) - 3:42

3.) He Wants To Hear the Words   (Hirsh - Wakefield) - 3:14

4.) I Just Wanna Be with You   (Millie Jackson - Brad Shapiro) - 3:57

5.) Sweet Music Man   (Rogers) - 6:14 

 

 

 

  Andrew Hamilton

Genre: soul

Rating: ** (2 stars)

Title:  Hard Times

Company: Spring

Catalog: SP-1-6737

Country/State: Thomson, Georgia

Year: 1982

Grade (cover/record): VG / VG

Comments: --

Available: 1

GEMM Catalog ID: 5274

Price: $10.00

 

Co-produced by Brad Shapiro and Jackson, comparatively speaking 1982’s “Hard Times” found Ms. Jackson in a relatively laidback mood.  The title track and ‘Mess On Your Hands’ (with a hysterical ‘sh*t on your finger chorus’) were about as close as it came to the feminist anger that powered so much of her earlier work. ‘Special Occasion’ and ‘I Don’t Want To Cry’ were straight forward ballads – pretty, but nothing particularly impressive.  As you’d expect from the title, ‘The Blues Don’t Get Tired of Me’ was a routine blues workout. Elsewhere, ‘Feel Love Comin’ On’ and ‘Bluefunkes’ were funkier efforts, though the latter went on a couple of minutes too long and it sounded like Jackson was repeatedly singing one of radio’s banned ‘nasty words’.  The track also included a nice jab at Reaganomics.  While I’d love to recommend it, this one’s largely forgettable – neither here best, nor her worst.

 

"Hard Times" track listing:

(side 1)

1.) Blufunkes   (Millie Jackson – B. Tyree – D. Farmer) – 6:00

2.) Special Occasion   (Sam Dees) – 4:43

3.) I Don’t Want To Cry   )C. Jefferson – L. Dixon) – 4:13

4.) We’re Gonna Make It   (B. Davis – C. Smith – R. Miner – G. Barge) – 2:58

(side 2) 

1.) Hard Times   (Millie Jackson – Brad Shapiro) – 4:22

2.) The Blues Don’t Get Tired of Me   (W.T. Davidson) – 2:57

3.) Mess On You Hands   (Sam Dees) – 2:59

4.) Finger Rap   (Millie Jackson – Brad Shapiro) – 2:34

5.) Mess On Your Hands (reprise)   (Sam Dees) – 2:04

6.) Finger Rap (reprise)   (Millie Jackson – Brad Shapiro) – 1:55

7.) Feel Love Comin’ On   (T. Seals – E. Sester – F. Miller) – 4:08

 

 

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