Masterjam

Masterjam is the platinum-selling eighth studio album by funk band Rufus (and their fifth album with singer Chaka Khan), their debut on the MCA Records label following their purchase and dissolution of ABC Records, released in 1979.

Masterjam
Studio album by
Rufus & Chaka
ReleasedNovember 1979
Recorded1979
GenreFunk, soul
Length39:31
LabelMCA
MCA 5103
ProducerQuincy Jones
Rufus chronology
Numbers
(1979)		 Masterjam (with Chaka Khan)
(1979)		 Party 'Til You're Broke
(1981)
Chaka Khan chronology
Chaka
(1978)		 Masterjam (with Rufus)
(1979)		 Naughty
(1980)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Christgau's Record GuideB–[2]
Rolling Stone(not rated) [3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]
Smash Hits6/10[5]

History

Produced by Quincy Jones, Masterjam was the band's fourth album to top Billboard's R&B Albums chart, and also reached number 14 on thePop chart. The album includes the singles "Do You Love What You Feel", their fourth #1 hit on the R&B Singles chart and also #30 on Pop, "Any Love" (US R&B #24, 1980) and "I'm Dancing for Your Love" (US R&B #43, 1980). In 1979, Chaka Khan found solo success with the release of the album, Chaka, and its parent single, "I'm Every Woman", which became her signature song years before "I Feel for You".

However, Khan wanted to remain a member of her long-standing band Rufus, a group she had joined in 1972. Since their 1973 debut, Khan had led on most of the group's songs. While Ron Stockert, an earlier member, had added vocals to the debut and their follow-up, Rags to Rufus, Stockert left after complaining of their label's focus on Khan, and Tony Maiden would begin to lead on more songs as the seventies drew to a close, Khan's presence continued to boost the group.

For their first album with MCA Records, which had absorbed ABC Records a year before, the group enlisted Jones to help them with the record (Khan had recorded with Jones the year before for his album Sounds...and Stuff Like That!!). The group, while still with Khan, was now starting to record without her, while Khan was starting to express a view of going solo for good while still performing with the group onstage. Despite this, the album became a success upon its release. Following Masterjam Chaka Khan recorded her second solo album Naughty and Rufus Party 'Til You're Broke, released in 1980 and 1981 respectively. Khan reunited with the band again in 1981 for the recording of Camouflage.

Jones had also brought in the Seawind Horns for help, as well as The Brothers Johnson for additional percussion help. Rufus even does a funked-up cover of Jones's own "Body Heat".

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Do You Love What You Feel"Hawk Wolinski4:27
2."Any Love"Wolinski,4:50
3."Heaven Bound"Bill Meyers, Billy Durham, Lorrin Bates3:45
4."Walk the Rockway"Tony Maiden4:04
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Live in Me"Rod Temperton3:54
6."Body Heat"Quincy Jones, Bruce Fisher, Leon Ware, Stan Richardson5:45
7."I'm Dancing for Your Love"Wolinski, John Robinson, Patti Austin, Peggy Jones4:31
8."What Am I Missing?"Chaka Khan, Mark Stevens4:03
9."Masterjam"Temperton3:34

Personnel

Production

Charts

Album

Chart (1979) Peak
[6]
U.S. Billboard Top LPs 14
U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs 1

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions
US
[6]		 US
R&B
[6]		 US
Dance
[6]
1979 "Do You Love What You Feel" 30 1 5
1980 "Any Love" 102 24
"I'm Dancing for Your Love" — 43 —

Later samples and covers

See also

References
  1. Elias, Jason. "Masterjam". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: R". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 12, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. Shewey, Don. "Masterjam review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 17, 2008. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
  4. Gersten, Russell (1983). "Rufus". In Marsh, Dave; Swenson, John (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Record Guide. Random House/Rolling Stone Press. p. 438. ISBN 0394721071.
  5. Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (January 24 – February 6, 1980): 21.
  6. "US Charts > Rufus". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
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