Rick James

For much of his wildly unpredictable career, any attempt to pin down punk-funk overlord and occasional jailbird Rick James was destined to fail. From the mid-'60s to the mid-'70s, he played journeyman roles for several outfits, in various countries, but was destined for greater things. We give you, for openers, his timeless signature, "Super Freak" — from Street Songs, the 1981 concept album about prostitution — and the first single he cut for Motown in the late '70s: that magnificent, super-tight, eight-minute jam "You and I." There's more from James, with the Stone City Band, in Next Steps.

You want some more red-hot Rick James action? There's plenty of it here, including a ripe bunch of cuts from debut album, and funk-rock fusion landmark, Come Get It! (1978), recorded with the Stone City Band: "Hollywood" showcases his gifts as a balladeer, and he mines a classic club groove with "Be My Lady." "Can't Stop" — from 1985's Glow — also appeared on the soundtrack to Beverly Hills Cop, whose star (Eddie Murphy) would later venture onto record with James-penned material. Throw in some wicked duet work with Teena Marie, and you're set. You won't believe who's playing guitar with James in Deep Cuts . . .

The incredible story of Rick James becomes a little surreal here, as we rewind to 1966, when — under the name Ricky James Matthews (he was born James Ambrose Johnson, Jr.) — our hero was in Toronto fronting the Mynah Birds: check out his unstoppable vocal on "It's My Time" and marvel at the fact that, backing him on guitar somewhere deep in the mix was the song's co-author, future rock legend, Neil Young. The Mynah Birds flew their separate ways when the U.S. Navy caught up with James for going A.W.O.L. two years earlier.

Rick James was many things — he was a funk-bass wizard and punk-funk pioneer; a duet partner for Motown label-mate Smokey Robinson (they scored with soul ballad "Ebony Eyes" in 1983); the producer who masterminded many a killer lick for the Mary Jane Girls and reinvented the Temptations in 1982, with the single "Standing on the Top, Pt. 1"; he was even the itinerant singer who once led a band with future godfather of grunge, Neil Young. Hell, it was Rick James who enabled MC Hammer to loop his way to fame with "U Can't Touch This" and soundtracked the jaw-dropping final dance in Little Miss Sunshine. Let the record show that we find Rick James guilty of exceptional punk-funk in the first degree.