Melvin Van Peebles was an American actor, filmmaker, writer, and composer. Over his career he recorded several albums with various musicians, and also recorded soundtracks.
Studio albums edit
- Brer Soul (1968)
- Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death (1970)
- As Serious as a Heart-Attack (1971)
- What the....You Mean I Can't Sing?! (1974)
- Ghetto Gothic (1995)
- Nahh... Nahh Mofo (2012)[1]
- The Last Transmission (2014, with The Heliocentrics)[2]
Compilations edit
- X-Rated By an All-White Jury (1997) – including Brer Soul, Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death and As Serious as a Heart-Attack
Soundtrack albums edit
- Watermelon Man (1970)
- Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)
- Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death (1972)
- Don't Play Us Cheap (1972)
Details edit
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song edit
In 1971, to help promote his film, Van Peebles released this soundtrack album, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song which featured Earth, Wind & Fire.
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Melvin Van Peebles
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sweetback Losing His Cherry" | 2:45 |
| 2. | "Sweetback Getting It Uptight And Preaching It So Hard The Bourgeois Reggin Angels In Heaven Turn Around" | 5:00 |
| 3. | "Come On Feet Do Your Thing" | 4:15 |
| 4. | "Sweetback's Theme" | 7:36 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hoppin' John" | 2:25 |
| 2. | "Voices" | 0:15 |
| 3. | "Mojo Woman" | 3:47 |
| 4. | "Voices" | 0:17 |
| 5. | "Reggins Hanging On In There As Best They Can" | 2:58 |
| 6. | "Voices" | 1:13 |
| 7. | "Won't Bleed Me" | 2:41 |
| 8. | "The Man Tries Running His Usual Game but Sweetback's Jones Is So Strong He Wastes the Hounds (Yeah! Yeah! and Besides That He Will Be Comin' Back Takin' Names and Collecting Dues)" | 4:25 |
| Total length: | 31:51 | |
As Serious as a Heart-Attack edit
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Melvin Van Peebles
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rufus & Ruby" | |
| 2. | "Mothers Prayer" | |
| 3. | "The Country Brother & The City Sister" | |
| 4. | "Chippin" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Just Don't Make No Sense" | |
| 2. | "Dearmistuh P" | |
| 3. | "Love, That's America" | |
| 4. | "I Remember" | |
| 5. | "My Pal Johnny" |
Musicians edit
- Rhetta Hughes - guest vocalist on "Mother's Prayer"
- Doug Carn - keyboards
- John Boudreaux Jr. - drums
- Tom Scott, Albert Hall, Jr. - horns
- William Henderson - strings
- Clydie King, Venetta Fields, Rhetta Hughes, Jessica Smith - backing vocals
Engineers edit
- Robert Appère - recording and mix
- Dick Burns - mix
- Produced And Conceived By Melvin Van Peebles
- All Words And Music By Melvin Van Peebles
- All Selections Published By Almo Music Corp./Yeah Inc., Ascap,
- Except "Love That's, America," Colgems Music, Ascap
- Art Direction: Roland Young
- Album Design: Chuck Beeson
- Photography: Jim McCrary
What the....You Mean I Can't Sing?! edit
In 1974, Van Peebles released his first album that had less spoke word and a good deal of singing on the tracks.
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Melvin Van Peebles, except for "Superstition", written by Stevie Wonder
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Birth Certificate Ain't Nothing But A Death Warrant Anyway" | 3:57 |
| 2. | "So Many Bars" | 4:11 |
| 3. | "Save The Watergate 500" | 3:21 |
| 4. | "Superstition" | 5:05 |
| 5. | "There" | 3:58 |
| 6. | "Come On Write Me" | 3:42 |
| 7. | "Eyes On The Rabbit" | 5:09 |
| 8. | "My Love Belongs To You" | 10:22 |
| Total length: | 39:48 | |
Musicians edit
- Melvin Van Peebles – lead vocals
- Kenny Altman – bass
- Bob Babbitt – bass
- David Cohen – guitar
- George David – guitar
- Leopoldo Fleming – percussion
- Jerry Friedman – guitar
- Rhetta Hughes – background vocals
- Tali Jackson – drums
- Arthur Jenkins – keyboards
- Bob Mann – guitar
- Barbara Massey – background vocals
- Andrew Smith – drums
- Warren Smith – percussion
- J. Steven Soles – guitar
- Tasha Thomas – background vocals
- Christie Thompson – keyboards
- Harold Wheeler – arranger, conductor, keyboards
Production edit
- Charles Blackwell – executive producer
- Tony Bongiovi – remixing
- Gary Hobish – remastering
- Michael Myers – liner notes
- Abdullah Rahman – artwork
- Dave Rubin – cover design
- Mark Rubin – cover design
- Stephen Y. Scheaffer – engineer
- LeBaron Taylor – executive producer
- Pat Thomas – reissue producer
- Melvin Van Peebles – liner notes, photography, producer
References edit
- ^ "Melvin Van Peebles Biography". Tvguide.com. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
- ^ "Heliocentrics & Melvin Van Peebles – The Last Transmission". Rappcats. October 1, 2014. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2019.