Rick James - Reflections (1984)

“Reflections” is a compilation of Rick James songs released in 1984. It was released on the Gordy Records imprint of Motown Records.
In 1984, six years after Rick James made his relatively audacious recording debut for the relatively cautious Motown, the label compiled Reflections, the punk-funk legend's first of several greatest-hits collections. Reflections includes many of James' best-known hits to date, namely "You and I," "Mary Jane," "Bustin' Out (On Funk)," "Give It to Me Baby," "Super Freak," and "Dance Wit' Me." More notably, however, it includes a trio of previously unreleased songs: "17," "Oh What a Night (4 Luv)," and "You Turn Me On," the first of which became a sizable hit. Reflections thus served its purpose as a stopgap release for 1984, the first year yet that James hadn't released a full-length: it served as a concise jumping-on point for any new fans drawn in by the previous year's chart-topping "Cold Blooded" and the pop crossover Smokey Robinson duet "Ebony Eyes," and it also served as an unnecessary but tempting teaser for diehards curious to hear a few new songs. Even so, “Reflections” became an obsolete collection years later, once it was supplanted by such better-compiled ones as Bustin' Out: The Very Best of Rick James (1994), Ultimate Collection (1997), and Anthology (2002). And that's perfectly fine because “Reflections” is an uneven sampler, picking just the cream of the crop and leaving out a lot of great songs, and it's also a skimpy one, displacing potential picks like "Love Gun" and "Big Time" with the so-so new songs and clocking in overall at a brisk ten-song running length.
This album is dedicated to Marvin Gaye & family, Jan, Nona & Frankie, May U 3 Live & Love On

Track listing

01.  "17"   (Rick James)  - 6:40 
02.  "Oh What A Night (4 Luv)"   (Rick James)  - 5:07 
03.  "You Turn Me On" Lead Vocals [Female] – Bruni Pagan   (Rick James)  - 4:44 
04.  "Fire And Desire" Vocals [Uncredited] – Teena Marie   (Rick James)  - 5:30 
05.  "Bustin' Out"    (Rick James)  - 3:55 
06.  "You And I"   (Rick James, Art Stewart)  - 3:38 
07.  "Mary Jane"   (Rick James)  - 3:58 
08.  "Dance Wit' Me"   (Rick James)  - 4:04 
09.  "Give It To Me Baby   (Rick James)  - 4:09 
10.  "Super Freak"   (Rick James, Alonzo Miller)  - 3:24 

Credits
Backing Vocals, Bass, Keyboards, Lead Vocals, Synthesizer – Rick James
Saxophone [Saxophones], Written-By – Daniel LeMelle
Backing Vocals – Process And The Doo Rags, William "Bunty" Hawkins
Backing Vocals, Strings, Synthesizer – Levi Ruffin
Bass Guitar – Jerry Livingston 
Drums, Percussion – Jerry Rainey
Guitar [Guitars] – Kenny Hawkins
Percussion – Nate "Guido" Hughes
Saxophone [Saxophones] – Bobby Militello
Synthesizer, Grand Piano – Greg Levias
Timbales – Jerry Gonzales
Trumpet, Backing Vocals – LaMorris Payne

Production
Engineer – Tom Flye
Engineer [Assistant] – Bill Waldman
Producer, Arranged By, Arranged By [Horns], Written-By – Rick James
Producer, Arranged By, Arranged By [Horns] – Daniel LeMelle
Co-producer – Art Stewart
Arranged By – Peter Cardinali
Design – Andy Engel
Art Direction – Johnny Lee
Photography By – Ron Slenzak

Companies etc
Distributed By – MCA Distributing, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Motown Record Corporation
Published By – Stone City Music
Published By – Jobete Music Co., Inc.
Published By – Stone Diamond Music Corp.
Recorded At – Joint Recording Studio
Mixed At – Joint Recording Studio
Mastered At – Bernie Grundman Mastering
Mastered At – Sterling Sound
Mastered By – Jose Rodriques

Notes
Compilation ℗ 1984 Motown Record Corporation.
Recorded and mixed at The Joint Studio "A", Buffalo, New York
Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, California
'17' mastered at Sterling Sound, New York City 
Management: Mary Jane Productions, 6255 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 1700, Hollywood, California 90028.; Mary Jane Productions, 2600 Main Place Tower, Buffalo, New York 14202.
Genre:  Funk, Soul
Length:  56:58
Label:  Gordy Records

© 1984