Jesse James

 

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Jesse James

James McClelland aka "Jesse James" was born in 1943 in El Dorado, AR. He moved to the Bay Area while still a child, and came up during the early '60s singing in nightclubs (where his name was changed by an MC who couldn't pronounce his given name). He recorded a few singles for the area labels Shirley and Hit (several with guitar work from Sly Stone), then made the big time when he switched to 20th Century. "Believe in Me Baby, Pt. 1" was a moderate pop (#92) and R&B (#42) hit during 1967, and his self-titled debut LP followed the next year. His biggest hit, 1972's "At Last" hit R & B #25 and he scored another hit in 1987 with his signature song "I Can Do Bad By Myself" (R & B #61). He recorded for various small labels during the '70s and '80s (Zea, Moonlite Hope, Midtown, T.T.E.D.) before starting his own label, Gunsmoke.
 

Album Discography

"Jesse James" (20th Century Fox 1968)

1. Facts Of Life "68"
2. Thank You Darlin'
3. I'll Always Love You
4. Until You Girl
5. Believe In Me Baby (Part 1)
6. Believe In Me Baby (Part 2)
7. If You're Lonely (Take My Hand)
8. Green Power
9. Time After Time
10. Bring My Baby Back
11. At Last

"It Takes One To Know One" (T.T.E.D. 1988)

1. Im Gonna Be Rich and Famous
2. Something To Believe In
3. You Got The Smoke, I Got The Fire
4. When I'm With You
5. I Can Do Bad By Myself
6. Love The One You With
7. It Takes One To Know One
8. Don't Get Amnesia On Me Babay
9. You Got the Smoke, I Got the Fire vers 3

"I Can Do Bad By Myself" (Gunsmoke 1988)

1. I Can Do Bad (By Myself)
2. It Ain't Rainin' on Nobody's House But Mine
3. Love on the Side
4. Blue Weekend
5. Cheatin' in the Next Room [Live]
6. When Can We Do This Again
7. Another Man's Woman

"Lookin' Back" (Gunsmoke 1990)

1. If You Want A Love Affair
2. I Don't Want It To End
3. Don't Take Away Your Love
4. I Never Meant To Love Her
5. More Than A Friend Of Mine
6. Love Vibes
7. At Last
8. You Ought To Be Here With Me

"Operator Please Put Me Through" (Gunsmoke 1993)

1. Operator Please Put Me Through
2. We're Gonna Make It
3. Visiting Rights
4. Forever
5. Something to Believe In
6. I Can Do Bad by Myself
7. Believe in Me Baby
8. Where's My Mommie?
9. I've Been There Before
10. Why
11. One and Only Love
12. What Happened to the Dream (Did He Die in Vain?)

"It Just Don't Feel The Same" (Gunsmoke 1997)

1. It Just Don't Feel the Same
2. You Want Everything But Me
3. Why Do You Have to Lie?
4. Rich and Famous
5. I'm Not Gonna Go Down
6. First Day of My Life
7. I Can't Help But Smile
8. Can You Picture Me
9. Are You Gonna Leave Me
10. I Get a Rise
11. At Last
12. What Happened to the Dream?
13. What Happened to the Dream? II

"Versatility" (Gunsmoke 1998)

1. I Can Do Bad by Myself - (Remix)
2. I Never Meant to Love Her
3. It Takes One to Know One
4. At Last
5. Something to Believe In
6. Don't Get Amnesia
7. If You Want a Love Affair
8. I Wanted You So
9. Don't Nobody Want to Get Married, Pt. 1
10. Don't Nobody Want to Get Married, Pt. 2
11. You Ought to Be Here with Me
12. I Don't Want It to End
13. Don't Take Away Your Love
14. When We Become as One
15. I Can Do Bad by Myself
16. You Were Doing Bad When I Met You
17. I Call on You
18. Believe in Me Baby, Pt. 1
19. Believe in Me Baby, Pt. 2
20. I Need You Baby

"It's Not So Bad After All" (Gunsmoke 2006)

1. It's Not So Bad After All
2. You're All in My Dreams
3. You Got to Play (If You Wanna Play
4. Let Me Be Your Pacifier
5. High Speed in the Ambulance
6. What Happen to the Dream
7. I'd Rather Eat Soup with You Than Steak with Somebody Else
8. I'm Not Going Nowhere
9. When Are You Coming Home
10. Operator Please Put Me Through
11. Forever
12. You Want Everything But Me
13. First Day of the Rest of My Life
14. I Get a Rise
15. It's Not So Bad After All-Remix

**1/2 Jesse James' "I Can Do Bad By Myself" is still a stone classic to this very day. It's been covered by the likes of Joyce Lawson, Poonanny, Pat Brown and other Soul/Blues steadies (plus Artie White did a song called "I Did Alright By Myself" by Bob Johnson & Sam Mosley that steals the melody). Unfortunately James hasn't had a major hit since. That could change with the clever and very similar title track to the uneven "It's Not So Bad After All". James sings "It's not so bad after all 'cuz I can do bad myself/I just needn't some help that's all!". If you recall he said he didn't need no help 'cuz he could do bad all by himself before. The Soul/Blues track is a tad misleading overall as the majority of the record follows the same Urban Adult Contemporary and Pop path he was on in the 90s. AC ballads like "You're All In My Dreams", Bobby Patterson's "I'd Rather Eat Soup With You Than Steak With Somebody Else", "Let Me Be Your Pacifier", "I'm Not Going Nowhere" dominate instead of funkier material like "You Got To Pay (If You Want To Play)". Sweet and Soulful stuff but a little more "Southern Soul" would've been nice. There's a sad footnote to this release. James' son Sean James McClelland aka "Fuzz" was murdered during the recording of this project. As a tribute a Tupac-like rap song by Fuzz is included on the LP ("High Speed In The Ambulance").

"Get In Touch With Me" (Gunsmoke 2009)

1. If He Can't Hold His Pants Up How Can He Hold You Up
2. Get In Touch With Me
3. Hoochie Mama
4. Hoochie Mama - (remix)
5. I Can't Help But Smile
6. Ghetto Booty
7. It's Time For a Change
8. It's Time For a Change - (remix)
9. It Doesn't Seem Like Christmas To Me
10. Share Your Love (With Someone Else)
11. Smoke and Fire
12. Visiting Rights
13. If He Can't Hold His Pants Up How Can He Hold You Up - (remix)

"Do Not Disturb" (Gunsmoke 2012)

1. Let's Get a Room Somewhere - (featuring Millie Jackson)
2. At Last
3. I Can Do Bad By Myself - You Were Doing Bad When I Met You - (featuring Synethia)
4. Are You Gonna Leave Me
5. It Just Don't Feel the Same - (featuring Millie Jackson)
6. God Got Your Back
7. I Never Meant To Love Her
8. Where Do Lonely Lovers Go
9. Can You Picture Me
10. How Can He Hold You Up If He Can't Hold His Pants Up
11. A Change Is Gonna Come
12. Let's Get a Room Somewhere/Live XXXX
13. Jesse James Interview - (featuring Frankie M.)

  "I Lost My Baby On Facebook" (Gunsmoke 2015)

1. I Lost My Baby On Facebook
2. Can I Still Be Your Friend
3. Sexy Booty
4. Rick & Famous
5. God's Got Your Back
6. Your All In My Dreams
7. Pt. 1 Why Do U Have 2 Lie
8. Pt. 2 Why Do U Have 2 Lie
9. Hate Will Destroy the World (Trayvon Martin Story)
10. How Can He Hold You Up [Remix] - (remix) If He Can't Hold His Pants Up
11. It Doesn't Seem Like Xmas 2 Me
12. featuring Adonai) I Lost My Baby On Facebook [Remix]

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