Rick James’ fifth solo album Glow is released today (3) in a digital deluxe edition by Motown/UMe. The new configuration of the 1995 release features 11 bonus tracks, and was previously available only as part of the “punk funk” soul trailblazer’s Complete Motown Albums digital collection.
Glow combined rock, funk, and R&B in James’ quintessential style, showcasing his versatility and vision and the tight eclecticism of the Stone City Band. The album reached the Top 50 of Billboard’s all-genre chart and No.7 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Highlights of the original album included the title track, which was a Top 5 success on the Hot Black Singles chart hit. Combined with “Glow (Reprise)” on a 12” single, it also hit No.1 on Dance Club Songs. James and the the Stone City Band performed “Glow” on an episode of the hit NBC-TV show, The A-Team, that year.
“Can’t Stop” was a Hot Black Singles and Dance Club chart Top 10 hit that was featured in the blockbuster film Beverly Hills Cop, starring Eddie Murphy. The connection between the two stars that year also included James’ production of Murphy’s solitary major pop hit “Party All the Time.”
The 11 bonus tracks on Glow: Deluxe Edition include the rare, original 12” mixes of “Glow” and “Spend the Night With Me,” as well as each song’s extended instrumental version; the 12” instrumental version of “Can’t Stop”; and the then-new songs from James’ hits collection from the previous year, Reflections. These include “Oh What A Night (4 Luv)” and “You Turn Me On,” plus the long 12” and instrumental versions of the latter.
September 3 at 9pm ET/PT also marks the premiere on Showtime of the acclaimed documentary Bitchin’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James, directed by Emmy nominee Sacha Jenkins. It features a wealth of rare footage from James’ memorable live shows, never-before-seen home video and original interviews with Bootsy Collins, Ice Cube, members of the Stone City Band, collaborators, and friends.
In Review Online wrote that the film “reclaims the memory of both the great musician and the troubled human at the artist’s core from being simply a source of cheap punchlines and glib catchphrases.” Tilt remarked that the film prompted the realization that James “was a talented musician who lived a much more interesting life than you probably thought.”
Twelve of James’ videos have now been remastered in HD, eight of them new to digital platforms, and will be available on the official Rick James YouTube channel. Recently added are the HD videos for “Super Freak” and “Give It To Me Baby,” marking the 40th anniversary of James’ Street Songs album, as well as his 1982 hit “Hard To Get.” September will mark the appearance of “Throwdown,” “Ebony Eyes” (featuring Smokey Robinson in long and edited versions), and “In My House,” which James wrote and produced for the Mary Jane Girls. Both the original long version and edited version of the video “Glow” will premiere on September 17.
Adding to the ever-growing appreciation of James among new fans are the digital deluxe editions of his entire Motown catalog, including Come Get It!, Bustin’ Out Of L Seven, Fire It Up, Garden Of Love, Street Songs, Throwin’ Down, Cold Blooded, and The Flag. Also available are digital releases of James’ productions, including three albums by the Stone City Band (In ’n’ Out, The Boys Are Back and Out of the Shadow) as well as singer Val Young’s Seduction and Rick James Presents Bobby M: Blow.
