Ask Rufus

1977 studio album by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan

Ask Rufus

Studio album by

Rufus featuring Chaka Khan

Released| April 12, 1977
Recorded| June, August, September and November 1976
Studio| Kendun Recorders (Burbank, California)
Genre|

* Funk
* soul

Length| 37:17
Label| ABC
AB 975
Producer| Rufus
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan chronology
| Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
(1975)  | Ask Rufus
(1977)  | Street Player
(1978)

|
|

Singles from  Ask Rufus

1. "At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)"
Released: March 1977
2. "Hollywood"
Released: April 1977
3. "Everlasting Love"
Released: August 1977

Ask Rufus is the platinum-selling fifth studio album by funk band Rufus (and their third album featuring singer Chaka Khan), released on the ABC Records label in 1977. The album spent three weeks atop the Billboard R&B Albums Chart in 1977. In 2020, it was ranked number 499 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

## Background

[edit]

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By 1977, Rufus and Chaka Khan, now a fragile yet still tight unit, were starting to drift in different directions. Recording sessions for this album were troublesome due to tensions between Khan and drummer Andre Fischer. Khan's recent marriage to businessman Richard Holland had driven a wedge between Khan and Fischer. Khan would later report that during a session, with Holland present, Fischer and Holland had an altercation over a song that led to a fight in the bathroom. Upon hearing the struggle, Khan fought Fischer and bandmates reportedly had to carry her away from Fischer.

As a result, the recording of Ask Rufus was longer than other albums. Ask Rufus would turn out to be the final album to feature Fischer, who was a member of the group for five years. Despite his departure, Ask Rufus continued the group's success as they headed to the late 1970s. On the plus side, they gained another band member via this session. Keyboardist David "Hawk" Wolinski joined up with the band after a stint with Madura, thus complementing founding member Kevin Murphy's playing as well. Also former member Dennis Belfield returned to co-write "Everlasting Love" with Wolinski and Murphy.

## Reception and legacy

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [1]
Christgau's Record Guide| C+[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide| [3]

Ask Rufus was the band's second album to top Billboard's R&B Albums chart and also reached No. 14 on Pop. The album includes the singles "At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)", their third No. 1 hit on the R&B Singles chart and also No. 37 on Dance and No. 30 on Pop, "Hollywood" (US R&B No. 3, US Pop No. 32) and "Everlasting Love" (US R&B No. 17). In 1978, the Ask Rufus album earned the band their second Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

In a contemporary review, Billboard called Ask Rufus "the work of a wholly matured artist" and Khan "a fully-rounded r&b-rock vocalist who can be silky as well as a raunchy screamer".[4] Carol Wetzel from the Spokane Daily Chronicle found the music "totally mature and full" yet danceable and highlighted by Khan's versatility and fluidity as a singer.[5] Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was less impressed, disregarding her development into a "sophisticated song stylist" because he felt she still lacked "sophisticated songs" to sing.[2]

The track "Hollywood" was later covered by Erykah Badu on the soundtrack to Spike Lee's 2000 movie Bamboozled, as well as being interpolated in India.Arie's song "Little Things" on her second album, Voyage to India; "Everlasting Love" was covered by Mary J. Blige on the 1996 Olympic Games album Rhythm of The Games and was also covered by Vanessa Williams on her seventh album titled Everlasting Love (2005)

In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 499 in their updated list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[6]

## Track listing

[edit]

Side oneNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

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|
|

1.| "At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)"| Tony Maiden, Lalomie Washburn| 4:20
2.| "Close the Door"| David Wolinski, Bobby Watson, Chaka Khan, André Fischer| 3:25
3.| "Slow Screw Against the Wall / A Flat Fry" (Medley: Instrumental Interlude)| Wolinski / Watson| 2:35
4.| "Earth Song"| Maiden, Traude Sapik, Khan| 5:05
5.| "Everlasting Love"| Kevin Murphy, Wolinski, Dennis Belfield| 4:46

Side twoNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

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|
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6.| "Hollywood"| Wolinski, Fischer| 4:10
7.| "Magic in Your Eyes"| Khan, Maiden| 3:51
8.| "Better Days"| Richard Holland, Khan| 4:14
9.| "Egyptian Song"| Wolinski, Khan| 5:10

## Personnel

[edit]

Rufus

* Chaka Khan – lead vocals, background vocals
* Tony Maiden – guitar, background vocals
* Kevin Murphy – keyboards, background vocals
* Bobby Watson – bass, background vocals
* André Fischer – drums, background vocals
* David "Hawk" Wolinski – keyboards, background vocals

with:

* Milt Holland – percussion
* Ronnie Wood – guitar on "A Flat Fry"

## Production

[edit]

* Rufus – producers
* Gary Starr – engineer
* Michael Schuman – assistant engineer
* Clare Fischer – string arrangements and conductor
* Charles Garnett, Tony Maiden – horn arrangements on "At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)"
* Brett Lopez – photography

## Charts

[edit]

Album

Chart (1977)  | Peak
[7]

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U.S. Billboard Top LPs | 12
U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs | 1

Singles

Year  | Single  | Peak chart positions

|
|

[7] | US
R&B
[7] | US
Dance
[7]
1977  | "At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)"  | 30  | 1  | 37
"Hollywood"  | 32  | 3  | —
"Everlasting Love"  | —  | 17  | —

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

United States (RIAA)[8] | Platinum  | 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## Later Samples

[edit]

* "Close the Door"
* "Who's Crew" by Tracey Lee from the album Many Facez
* "Better Days"
* "Finally Made It (Interlude)" by Mary J. Blige from the album Love & Life

## See also

[edit]

* List of number-one R&B albums of 1977 (U.S.)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Elias, Jason. "Ask Rufus review". Allmusic. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
2. ^ a b 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. ^ 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.
4. ^ "Billboard's Top Album Picks: Spotlight". Billboard (published January 29, 1977). January 29, 1977. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
5. ^ Wetzel, Carol (February 10, 1977). "Ask Rufus -- At Crisler". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
6. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
7. ^ a b c d "US Charts > Rufus". Allmusic. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
8. ^ "American album certifications – Rufus – Ask Rufus". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 13, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Ask Rufus at Discogs

* v
* t
* e

Chaka Khan

Albums with Rufus|

* Rufus (1973)
* Rags to Rufus (1974)
* Rufusized (1974)
* Rufus featuring Chaka Khan (1975)
* Ask Rufus (1977)
* Street Player (1978)
* Numbers (1979)
* Masterjam (1979)
* Party 'Til You're Broke (1981)
* Camouflage (1981)
* The Very Best of Rufus featuring Chaka Khan (1982)
* Seal in Red (1983)
* Stompin' at the Savoy – Live (1983)

Studio albums|

* Chaka (1978)
* Naughty (1980)
* What Cha' Gonna Do for Me (1981)
* Echoes of an Era (1982)
* Chaka Khan (1982)
* I Feel for You (1984)
* Destiny (1986)
* CK (1988)
* The Woman I Am (1992)
* Come 2 My House (1998)
* ClassiKhan (2004)
* Funk This (2007)
* Hello Happiness (2019)

Compilations|

* Life Is a Dance: The Remix Project (1989)
* Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1 (1996)
* I'm Every Woman: The Best of Chaka Khan (1999)
* Dance Classics of Chaka Khan (1999)
* The Platinum Collection (2006)

Notable singles
and songs|

* "Tell Me Something Good"
* "You Got the Love"
* "Once You Get Started"
* "Sweet Thing"
* "Jive Talkin'"
* "At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)"
* "I'm Every Woman"
* "Stuff Like That"
* "Do You Love What You Feel"
* "What Cha' Gonna Do for Me"
* "We Can Work It Out"
* "Fate"
* "And the Melody Still Lingers On (Night in Tunisia)"
* "Got to Be There"
* "Ain't Nobody"
* "I Feel for You"
* "This Is My Night"
* "Through the Fire"
* "Eye to Eye"
* "Love of a Lifetime"
* "Higher Love"
* "I'll Be Good to You
* "Love You All My Lifetime"
* "My Funny Valentine"
* "Missing You"
* "Never Miss the Water"
* "Don't Talk 2 Strangers"
* "All Good?"
* "Disrespectful"
* "Soul Survivor"
* "Angel"
* "Immortal Queen"

Related articles|

* Discography
* Rufus (band)
* Here Come the Girls

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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