'80s R&B

The last days of disco signalled the glorious rise of R&B in the '80s, as soul, funk, and a healthy portion of good lovin' converged against a silky-smooth production backdrop to create pure pop ecstasy. Once these tunes enter your soul, your body will melt like chocolate fondue. Get it on with Freddie Jackson ("You Are My Lady") and Marvin Gaye ("Sexual Healing"), before groovin' down to the epic, cinematic funk of Michael Jackson's "Thriller," taking a sweet trip through the octaves with Whitney Houston ("Saving All My Love for You"), and shakin' those shoulder pads to Billy Ocean's "Caribbean Queen (No More Love On the Run)." The path to our '80s Next Steps is as smooth as . . . you know the fabric we're talkin' about.

Although the super-sexy ballad was '80s R&B's late-night calling card, the decade never ran short of funky, synth heavy dance cuts. Prepare to bust some retro-moves to the blueprint for future boy bands, New Edition ("Cool It Now"), and Herbie Hancock's body-poppin' classic "Rockit." In need of a forgotten gem? Then don't overlook the sublime Oran "Juice" Jones' hit, "The Rain," and if you want to party — really want to party — then simply cue up "Stomp!" by the Brothers Johnson (comprised of George, who went by the moniker "Ligntning Licks," and Louis, a.k.a. "Thunder Thumbs") and let the good times roll. The '80s R&B scene was lively on both sides of the Atlantic, as you'll discover in Deep Cuts.

Most of the finest R&B acts of the '80s hailed from the States, where the biggest party was cookin', but links across the Atlantic were strong — London's Loose Ends scored big in the U.S.A. in 1986 with "Slow Down," former Shalamar member Jody Watley spent formative time in England's capital city before her solo breakthrough, "Looking for a New Love," and former soldier (and Golden Gloves boxer) Terence Trent D'Arby ("Wishing Well") cut his demo in the U.K. Superstars like Aretha Franklin ("Freeway of Love") and Smokey Robinson ("Just to See Her") may have been old-school American through and through, but their appeal was — as ever — truly international.

May your lovin' be sweet, your groove smooth, and your funk flavourful as we offer you a satin-lined bag full of the R&B classics that defined the '80s — one of the genre's signature decades with its perfect mix of legends, groundbreakers, studs and sirens. Warm up with fresh-as-ever cuts from Soul II Soul ("Keep On Movin'"), Sade ("The Sweetest Taboo") and Luther Vandross ("A House Is Not a Home"), before testing your robotic skills to their very limits with Cameo's electro-funky "Word Up" and Zapp's "Computer Love." Then take it down while turning up the heat with some after-midnight exotica from Atlantic Starr ("Secret Lovers") and the Isley Brothers ("Between the Sheets"). Oh yes, in the immortal words of DeBarge, it's time to "feel the beat of rhythm of the night."