I saw online photos of her out and about on the town with blood dripping from the sides of her legs and slit wrists and I knew that something odd was going on with her. Probably the greatest voice of this generation, but the stresses of stardom and an addiction to drugs led to her downfall. Even with all of that, I believed that she would bounce back and have a second chance in life. This truly is tragic. All the great singers are starting to fade away.
Always a shame when someone of her prestige loses the fight..
I've been known to give this a spin on more than 1 occasion.. But It's not strictly a Whitney joint as such (But it is a damn fine edit!)..
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
This was the first time I ever heard her; barely 19 years old, singing a song first sung by Robert Wyatt. Right away, there was no denying that voice. The road of excess remains a one-way street. RIP.
*edit: youtubes not working for me for some reason.
Big_Stacks"I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
Hey,
This is a tragic loss to her family and the music world. I always believed her talent could transcend the pop music machinery, and at some point, I was hoping someone would channel her in such a musical direction. I thought that would occur as she aged (e.g., Chaka Khan's later work comes to mind) and I was intrigued by the possibility. Nonetheless, she had a huge impact on a generation of female vocalists. RIP Ms. Houston.
Houston's first joint hits in 1984. There was no reigning "queen" at the time.
Stacy Lattisaw was petering out by then. 83/84 had hits by R&B Queens from the previous decade. Donna Summer, Glaydys Knight, Chaka Khan( I Feel For You - forward thinking street cred song*), Patti LaBelle, Denice Williams. She fills a hole "missing" in R&B.
Clive Davis stops concentrating on Phyliss Hyman and throws his muscle behind the teenaged Houston.
The album is a hit. All folks are feeling it. She got ballads, Seinfeld Bass-slap joints, Slow Jams,....classic for the Freddie Jacson era.
Promoted as a Bourgie NJ girl. Fine. Davis crosses her over from jump street.
1986 - Janet Jackson - Control drops. Its way Funkier and Hipper than Houston, but she's no real threat because she dont have Houstons voice.
Janet is younger, good pedigree, can dance, fatter ass, and reps the bougie girl who sneaks out a night.
1987/88. Second album drops. Still killing shit. Blonde wig and all.
Jodey Whatley drops I looking For a New Love. Hipper w/ a forward Boho/UK Fashion sense. Funkier, but cant sing like Houston.
1989 - Allyson Williams drops the I Need You Lovin Remix. Str8 Street Banger. Uptown Ghetto Glam. FTSCS*
Teddy Riley's New Jack Swing emerges from the hood.
Janet Jackson bites Public Ememy's Black Militant imagery for Rhythym Nation 1814, and sings over hard beats.
Soul II Soul drops. UK cats flip the script and make US R&B rethink the game.
Michel'le comes Str8 Outta the west w/ Proto-New Jill Swing. Big voice, ballads and hard beats.
Whitney gets Booed at the Soul Train Awards. Lack of street cred. Too Pop.
1990 - Houstons third album. She still doin it. And is still on that Pop shit. Music and image wise.
Mariah Carey drops her debut. Working off of Houstons formula. Younger, Beige Soul, and can sing too.
EN Vouge debuts w/ a Hip Hop loop.
1991 - Strictly Business Soundtrack drops w/ Mary J. Blige - You Remind Me.
Whitney bangs out the National Anthem.
Mariah's second album drops. Shine is getting co-opted.
1992 - Pairs up w/ Kevin Costner and does Bodyguard. I Will Always Love You. Ultra Pop banger.
What's The 411? drops.
1993 - Toni Braxton drops. Anita Baker w/ NJS beats.
Janet drops Janet. Thats The Way Love Goes loops Papa Dont Take No Mess by James Brown.
1994 - AAliyah. R.Kelly........
Mary - My Life.
1995 - Waiting To Exhale. Good movie, Houston's wigs look good.
Exhale (Shoop-Shoop) is a hit. But the core of the album is Mary's Not Gon Cry.
Carey w/ smartest move of her career, gets Big Baby Jesus to rap on her Fantasy remix w/ a the Tom Tom Club sample.
She infiltrates the Hip Hop club and gets FTSCS*. Continues this formula for the rest of her career. Letting go of the Bourgie suburbian shit.
1998 - finally gets w/ the program and does Heatbreak Hotel w/ Faith Evans and Kelly Price.
And gets her latte pas on w/ Lauryn Hill - My Love Is Your Love remix that has some Jeep Beat crediblity.
Its Not Right Its OK does Ok.
By then its too late. The game moved past her. She and Davis failed to embrace the skreets IMO.
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
Damn, fascinating analysis there, batmon. A pity you didn't post it a little earlier. One of my boys became the new editor of Q last week, and he called me up yesterday morning wanting 500 words on Whitney by first thing. I could definitely have riffed on some of this.
The way I saw it, and I know this got cut from the final piece so I can say it here, is that Davis saw a chance to fill the gap in the market created by Diana Ross' post-Motown slide into irrelevance; a new pop-soul diva, a black Streisand (but not too black). They went all out for the brass ring, took the cash, the plaques and the gongs, and left the "authenticity" arguments to the purists who'd never have bought a Whitney record even if she'd come out like Etta James. For me, her failure to embrace the skreets only became an issue when she tried to embrace the skreets, something she didn't really need to do. The likes of Toni Braxton weren't even seeing her, no matter how many hot club joints they had. Whatever you thought of her material - and there's plenty of it that I could live another five lifetimes without ever hearing again - she changed the face of black pop every bit as much as MJ or Prince, and, for better or worse she redefined the very idea of what singing was over the last quarter-century.
I just think she would have lasted longer incorporating samples in her music or doing a little of what the new girls were doing.
Can i get one song w some eats on it? Could i get on a hip hop song w Whitney on the Hook. Even a Bobby Brown song.
She would not be compromising her Pop status in 94 by doing a little Hip Hop Soul.
Im not saying she should have gone all hood, but look at what Mariah did. She and her camp made the atttempt to acquire the new R&B demographic.
Whitneys voice is her weapon. She could have easily dabbled in Sade type shit, Erykah type shit, etc. All the musical changes that happened during her run she never adjusted her style until it was too late. After she got booed at the Soul Train Awards her camp thrusted her deeper into the Pop camp.
Even MJs washed up ass got with Teddy Riley on Dangerous. And Prince got to rappin on My Name Is Prince.
Comments
Appears so. Crack is wack!
Rest well, Whitney.
This is the only Whitney song I like:
I've been known to give this a spin on more than 1 occasion.. But It's not strictly a Whitney joint as such (But it is a damn fine edit!)..
http://soundcloud.com/scrimshire/whitney-loleatta-million-dollar-bill
rip whitney
RIP Whitney
RIP Whitney
This was the first time I ever heard her; barely 19 years old, singing a song first sung by Robert Wyatt. Right away, there was no denying that voice. The road of excess remains a one-way street. RIP.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Whitney-Houston-Whitney-LP-1987-Sealed-C-O-Buzz-Sticker-/190639554942?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item2c6300c17e#ht_500wt_1069
what a sick track, revelatory. just listened 4 times in a row. thanks for sharing...
RIP
*edit: youtubes not working for me for some reason.
This is a tragic loss to her family and the music world. I always believed her talent could transcend the pop music machinery, and at some point, I was hoping someone would channel her in such a musical direction. I thought that would occur as she aged (e.g., Chaka Khan's later work comes to mind) and I was intrigued by the possibility. Nonetheless, she had a huge impact on a generation of female vocalists. RIP Ms. Houston.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
Yeah. You're going to see this across the board. Itunes for the greatest hits album bumped up to $17.00 for a digital album.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/WHITNEY-HOUSTON-LAST-DOCUMENTED-SIGNED-LP-RECORD-ALBUM-Grammy-Awards-2012-/280825738450?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item416284b4d2#ht_7499wt_1185
:shame_on_you:
I always had my own theories about what went wrong career wise so will hold it for the appropriate time and place.
That's her label jacking up the price rather than iTunes but what a shameless thing to do.
Stacy Lattisaw was petering out by then. 83/84 had hits by R&B Queens from the previous decade. Donna Summer, Glaydys Knight, Chaka Khan( I Feel For You - forward thinking street cred song*), Patti LaBelle, Denice Williams. She fills a hole "missing" in R&B.
Clive Davis stops concentrating on Phyliss Hyman and throws his muscle behind the teenaged Houston.
The album is a hit. All folks are feeling it. She got ballads, Seinfeld Bass-slap joints, Slow Jams,....classic for the Freddie Jacson era.
Promoted as a Bourgie NJ girl. Fine. Davis crosses her over from jump street.
1986 - Janet Jackson - Control drops. Its way Funkier and Hipper than Houston, but she's no real threat because she dont have Houstons voice.
Janet is younger, good pedigree, can dance, fatter ass, and reps the bougie girl who sneaks out a night.
1987/88. Second album drops. Still killing shit. Blonde wig and all.
Jodey Whatley drops I looking For a New Love. Hipper w/ a forward Boho/UK Fashion sense. Funkier, but cant sing like Houston.
1989 - Allyson Williams drops the I Need You Lovin Remix. Str8 Street Banger. Uptown Ghetto Glam. FTSCS*
Teddy Riley's New Jack Swing emerges from the hood.
Janet Jackson bites Public Ememy's Black Militant imagery for Rhythym Nation 1814, and sings over hard beats.
Soul II Soul drops. UK cats flip the script and make US R&B rethink the game.
Michel'le comes Str8 Outta the west w/ Proto-New Jill Swing. Big voice, ballads and hard beats.
Whitney gets Booed at the Soul Train Awards. Lack of street cred. Too Pop.
1990 - Houstons third album. She still doin it. And is still on that Pop shit. Music and image wise.
Mariah Carey drops her debut. Working off of Houstons formula. Younger, Beige Soul, and can sing too.
EN Vouge debuts w/ a Hip Hop loop.
1991 - Strictly Business Soundtrack drops w/ Mary J. Blige - You Remind Me.
Whitney bangs out the National Anthem.
Mariah's second album drops. Shine is getting co-opted.
1992 - Pairs up w/ Kevin Costner and does Bodyguard. I Will Always Love You. Ultra Pop banger.
What's The 411? drops.
1993 - Toni Braxton drops. Anita Baker w/ NJS beats.
Janet drops Janet. Thats The Way Love Goes loops Papa Dont Take No Mess by James Brown.
1994 - AAliyah. R.Kelly........
Mary - My Life.
1995 - Waiting To Exhale. Good movie, Houston's wigs look good.
Exhale (Shoop-Shoop) is a hit. But the core of the album is Mary's Not Gon Cry.
Carey w/ smartest move of her career, gets Big Baby Jesus to rap on her Fantasy remix w/ a the Tom Tom Club sample.
She infiltrates the Hip Hop club and gets FTSCS*. Continues this formula for the rest of her career. Letting go of the Bourgie suburbian shit.
1998 - finally gets w/ the program and does Heatbreak Hotel w/ Faith Evans and Kelly Price.
And gets her latte pas on w/ Lauryn Hill - My Love Is Your Love remix that has some Jeep Beat crediblity.
Its Not Right Its OK does Ok.
By then its too late. The game moved past her. She and Davis failed to embrace the skreets IMO.
The way I saw it, and I know this got cut from the final piece so I can say it here, is that Davis saw a chance to fill the gap in the market created by Diana Ross' post-Motown slide into irrelevance; a new pop-soul diva, a black Streisand (but not too black). They went all out for the brass ring, took the cash, the plaques and the gongs, and left the "authenticity" arguments to the purists who'd never have bought a Whitney record even if she'd come out like Etta James. For me, her failure to embrace the skreets only became an issue when she tried to embrace the skreets, something she didn't really need to do. The likes of Toni Braxton weren't even seeing her, no matter how many hot club joints they had. Whatever you thought of her material - and there's plenty of it that I could live another five lifetimes without ever hearing again - she changed the face of black pop every bit as much as MJ or Prince, and, for better or worse she redefined the very idea of what singing was over the last quarter-century.
I just think she would have lasted longer incorporating samples in her music or doing a little of what the new girls were doing.
Can i get one song w some eats on it? Could i get on a hip hop song w Whitney on the Hook. Even a Bobby Brown song.
She would not be compromising her Pop status in 94 by doing a little Hip Hop Soul.
Im not saying she should have gone all hood, but look at what Mariah did. She and her camp made the atttempt to acquire the new R&B demographic.
Whitneys voice is her weapon. She could have easily dabbled in Sade type shit, Erykah type shit, etc. All the musical changes that happened during her run she never adjusted her style until it was too late. After she got booed at the Soul Train Awards her camp thrusted her deeper into the Pop camp.
Even MJs washed up ass got with Teddy Riley on Dangerous. And Prince got to rappin on My Name Is Prince.
She stayed in her Plastic Bubble way too long.