Millie Jackson - The Tide Is Turning

Pop Trash regulars will be familiar with my love for Millie Jackson. The R'n'B icon is one of my favourite divas and I've devoted quite a few posts to her over the past couple of years. At her best, Millie J was in a league of her own. She went where other divas feared to tread, singing about relationships and sex with unprecedented candor and biting humour. In the process, she created her own genre of foul mouthed, comedic soul music and recorded some of the most memorable albums of the 1970s and 80s. Unfortunately, "The Tide Is Turning" isn't one of them. You might wonder why I would write about one of Millie's lesser albums when there are so many gems in her back catalogue to gush over. The reason is simple - I can't find a single review of the album online. Hell, it doesn't even have a Discogs entry! While not a masterpiece, "The Tide Is Turning" is still a fine album. Even a sub-par Millie Jackson still runs rings around most bitches!

By 1988 Millie had already released 20 albums in a career spanning almost two decades. She was also in the middle of a surprise comeback. Her previous offering, "An Imitation Of Love", had unexpectedly spawned two top 10 R'n'B hits - bringing her back to the mainstream after a couple of colourful detours. That album was Millie's first for Jive Records and it signalled a radical change of image. The filthy lyrics and foul language that made Ms Jackson famous in the first place were toned down and her comedic interludes were cut. For "The Tide Is Turning", Jive stuck to the same blueprint. Only this time around, the raunch was removed altogether and the song selection is dominated by pretty but heavily produced ballads. As a result, they lost what makes Millie so special. Her edge.

You Knocked The Love (Right Outta My Heart)


The album begins on high with the languid but lovely title track. Produced by Timmy Allen (who went on to work with Britney and The Backstreet Boys), "The Tide Is Turning" is a sweet ballad that wouldn't sound out of place on an Anita Baker record. It's subtle and restrained - two adjectives that you wouldn't normally associate with Millie! The next track and the album's only single, "Something You Can Feel", is 80s R'n'B at its least inspiring. Written and produced by soul legend Eddie LeVert, his son Gerald and Marc Gordon (both members of popular 80s group LeVert), the track is a miserable imitation of the Jam & Lewis sound. There's no hook, no melody and not much of a chorus to mention.

After a brief uptempo detour, Millie reverts to ballad mode on the self-penned "Are You That Someone". While pleasant enough, Loris Holland's production is a little too clean and sterile for my liking - making the song one of the album's least appealing moments. The balladry continues on "In My Dreams" but Team LeVert get it right this time, delivering a juicy chunk of soul that Millie really gets her teeth stuck into. I love everything about this. The melody is charming, Millie J gets to show off the full range of her powerful pipes and the lyrics are sweet without being too soppy. "You Knocked The Love (Right Outta My Heart)" is not only a welcome change of pace in the wake of so many ballads, it's also one of the few tracks that can be described as typically Millie. The outrageous lyrics are back ("I thought you were on a mission from Hades, you were like a mad dog with a case of the rabies!"), as is the controversial subject matter (domestic violence). The vocal on this is just fierce - Millie J gives her deadbeat man a verbal beating! Timmy Allen's production is also a lot of fun, from the very 80s guitar solo to the sax.

Cover Me (Wall To Wall)


After a slow start, "The Tide Is Turning" has well and truly gathered momentum by "Cover Me (Wall To Wall)". This is the album's only real upbeat pop anthem and Millie makes the most of it, wringing the saucy lyrics for every last drop of attitude. The song is the handiwork of Jon Astrop, who produced many of Samantha Fox's 80s hits. I wish he had collaborated with Millie on more tracks because this sound is perfect for her. "The Tide Is Turning" comes to a close with two great ballads. "Let Me Show You" is a soft and delicate delight, while "I Almost Believed You" is as pretty as it is sincere. The latter is also the album's only cover version. "I Almost Believed You" was first recorded by Michael Bolton five years earlier but Millie really makes it her own.

Writing this post, I can't help but feel "The Tide Is Turning" has been unjustly forgotten. It's not only an enjoyable album but I think its failure played a big role in Millie's decision to record "Back To The Shit" - the 1989 trash classic that essentially ended her career. On that opus Millie makes several quips about "The Tide Is Turning". She pointedly refers to it as the album that nobody bought and shares her frustration at not being played on the radio. Her answer was to return to her foul mouthed roots (ie. to get back to the shit) and give her fans what she thought they wanted. Millie might have overreacted slightly. I'm sure "The Tide Is Turning" would have been a success with a better lead single and more of her famous attitude. As it is, the album showcases Millie's most underrated gift - her voice.

Millie Jackson - Back To The Shit

Ok, let's just get it out of the way. Millie Jackson's "Back To The Shit" is (sadly) remembered for one thing and one thing only. The notorious cover. As far as I'm concerned, the photograph of Millie squatting on the toilet in her finest evening wear should be hanging in the Louvre next to the Mona Lisa. This masterpiece is high art! My favourite thing is the expression on Millie's face. I can never tell if she's having an orgasm or about to squeeze one out! Unfortunately, not everyone shares my appreciation for the finer things in life. "Back To The Shit" is often cited as having the worst cover of all time, while the album itself basically killed Millie's career. Needless to say, it's always been a favourite of mine and I thought it was about time I honoured this holy opus on Pop Trash Addicts.

Millie Jackson was a consistent presence on the American R'n'B charts throughout the 70s and 80s, scoring several top 10 hits and receiving multiple Grammy nominations. That all came to a screeching halt, however, with the release of 1989's "Back To The Shit". The fabulous cover caused a scandal but it was the album's shocking subject matter that triggered the biggest backlash. Millie's gutter mouth and saucy lyrics had made her famous but the general consensus was that she had finally gone too far by talking about getting head from lesbians, dildos, morning flatulence, oral sex, douching and "starchy" toilet seats! Time has taken the edge off some of the material but "Back To The Shit" is still outrageous even by today's standards.

A live album comprised of equal parts stand up comedy and music, "Back To The Shit" is more than just a curiosity. It's a short trip to heaven for fans and a wonderful time capsule of late 80s pop culture. Millie J kicks off the show with a scorching rendition of her 1986 hit "Hot! Wild! Unrestricted! Crazy Love" before launching into the opening monologue "Getting To Know Me". Millie makes her intentions clear from the outset by lamenting her failed attempt to clean up her image (on the highly underrated "The Tide Is Turning") and sets the tone for the album by talking about being propositioned by lesbians ("I do like head, yes, but I'm a greedy bitch. I want something to go with it!") and dildos. That bombshell is followed by a beautiful performance of "An Imitation Of Love", one of Millie's loveliest ballads.

The second comedy routine, "Love Stinks", is an expletive filled exploration of the dark side of romance that covers insightful topics such as pissing on the seat (Millie's handy hint - cut up your wig and glue it around the toilet to improve your boyfriend's aim. Think about it!) and skid marks. The proceedings plummet to a breathtakingly fabulous new low when Millie turns her attention to women's bathroom habits on "Muffle That Fart". Ms Jackson goes where nobody has dared to go before or since by discussing her loud morning flatulence. Call it low brow if you wish, I just find it piss your pants hilarious! "I'm Waiting Baby" is something akin to musical comedy with Millie singing about being stood up at a hotel. It's cute but completely overshadowed by the next track, a stunning cover of The Shirelles' "Will You Love Me Tomorrow". Everyone from Amy Winehouse to Laura Branigan has interpreted this classic but Millie's is the only version that stands toe to toe with the original.

"Investigative Reporting" has to be heard to be believed. Millie talks about a very memorable episode of Oprah (involving a woman whose vagina was sown shut by her ex-husband) and tears strips off Robin Givens. It comes as something of a relief when Millie returns her focus to singing and belts out her fabulous top 10 hit "Love Is A Dangerous Game". The song proves to be a short respite from the filth when this fabulous bitch turns her attention to AIDS and safe sex on "Sho Nuff Danjus". In my opinion, they should play this at the beginning of every school assembly. Millie even impersonates Dr Ruth while instructing the audience on how to use a condom. My favourite quip: "Pretend you're Diana Ross, reach out and touch the dick!" I'm sure Miss Ross was not amused! "Sho Nuff Danjus" proves a fitting end to an outrageous but always entertaining evening with one of music's most colourful and captivating characters.

"Back To The Shit" has been out of print for years and was only released on CD in Japan. It's worth looking for a copy on Ebay. "Back To The Shit" occasionally pops up but can be quite expensive.

Oh Yes, I'm Gonna Be Smokin'!

When everything goes to shit and I feel completely miserable, one of the few things that never fails to cheer me up (apart from hard drugs) is the legendary Millie Jackson. I've already written several posts about this goddess but they barely cover the tip of the iceberg given that Millie's career spans several decades, many musical genres and more fabulous hairstyles than your average drag queen. This post will focus on her 1978 opus "Get It Out'cha System" with its winning mix of hilarious spoken interludes, interesting cover versions and fantastic music.

"Get It Out'cha System" is really quite breathtaking in its scope and variety of sounds. The title track sets the tone with a funky groove that borrows elements from soul and disco. That formula continues with the infectious "Keep The Home Fires Burning". However, the first real dose of Millie genius is the third track, "Logs And Things", which is really only an extended spoken introduction to the next song, "Put Something Down On It". Millie is famous for linking tunes with humorous skits and interludes but "Logs And Things" takes the biscuit. The song (for want of a better word) is basically a warning to Millie's man that he had better start satisfying her needs or else. Only instead of her usual direct approach, Millie uses the most hilarious mix of bad metaphors ever committed to record. Let's just say that these "logs" have nothing to do with forestry! Nobody puts a man in his place quite like Millie J!

The album's second treasure is Millie's lovely cover of "Here You Come Again", which Dolly Parton rode to the top of the charts a year earlier. Millie's version shows her in a softer light than usual and the result is adorable. Ms Jackson then returns to more familiar waters with the soulful and funky, "Why Say You're Sorry". Like all good Millie anthems, she tears strips off her man in the intro. "He Wants To Hear The Words", on the other hand, is a surprisingly straightforward pop number. Thankfully, Millie snaps out her malaise on "I Just Wanna Be With You". This delightful anthem is a charming Motown throwback with some gorgeous harmonising between Millie and her backing singers. "Get It Out'cha System" ends on a high note with an amazing cover of Kenny Rogers' "Sweet Music Man", which is given a full Millie J makeover, complete with the obligatory comedic intro. "Get It Out'cha System" isn't Millie's finest hour but it is surely one of her most entertaining.

Millie's stunning opus can be purchased from most online retailers. I bought my copy from Amazon UK.

Millie Jackson's 80s Epic

I've made no secret of my Millie Jackson obsession. Few artists have dabbled as successfully in as many musical genres as Millie J. The great woman started her career with a string of highly acclaimed deep soul albums before experimenting with funk, disco, rap and country music. One of Millie's most satisfying musical adventures is her brief stint as an 80s pop queen with one of the most fabulous and foul mouthed recordings in musical history. Here is a review I wrote for Amazon:

Millie fans are divided about her 1980s material. Some think she became a parody of herself, while others (myself included) simply think she captured the zeitgeist perfectly and took her zany brand of entertainment to dizzying new heights. E.S.P. encapsulates every tawdry thing I love about the 80s, from Millie's sequined headband on the glorious cover art to her mind blowing reply to Olivia's "Physical".

The album begins with the title track, an upbeat dance number complete with 80s synthesisers. Initially I found it difficult to accept Millie's gritty soul voice with cheesy 80s keyboards but by the second verse I was completely taken with Millie's new musical direction. "Too Easy Being Easy" is both a nod to Millie's 70s output and a glance at her future direction. The song is similar in structure to older tunes like "All The Way Lover" but the witty interludes are no longer spoken, but rapped! This song is so funny, it hurts. Basically Millie is told by a female fan that she doesn't appeal to men. Needless to say, Millie J sets the bitch straight! This could also be the only song in existence that rhymes "herpes" with "V.D.s" - genius!

"This Girl Could Be Dangerous" is straightforward 80s pop, while "I Feel Like Walkin' In The Rain" is the closest thing here to an old school R'n'B number. Personally, I think the sound is very reminiscent of many of the songs on Tina Turner's "Private Dancer". This is followed by the album's undisputed highlight and perhaps the campest song ever recorded. "Sexercise" is a jaw dropping reply to Olivia Newton John's "Physical". Millie states that her bedroom is her gym and gives the listener a series of "sexercises" to perform. This song has to be heard to be believed. I love her advice to larger ladies and skinny women ("bone bruisers"). This is a camp classic.

Millie continues with the raunch on "You're Working Me", a pulsating dance number with some first class groaning. It seems Millie really had sex on the mind because the next song is dirty in the best possible way. The title, "Slow Tongue (Working Your Way Down)" says it all! This slow groove sounds like Isaac Hayes at his best. The album ends with a corker, "Why Me" is the story of a down trodden woman whose husband and son are in jail. This song is classic Millie.

Nobody does it quite like Millie J. This album is essential for any fan of 80s pop or camp lyrics. However, fans of Millie's very early output may prefer to skip this one.

I have already posted "Sexercise" but a classic of this calibre deserves a second showing. The song is not only poptastic and hilarious but also quite instructional. I've found the "a,e,i,o,u" mouth exercises most useful! One of the album's other highlights is the fabulously sleazy "You're Working Me". 80s pop music does not get much better than this burst of sonic filth. I've also included Millie's "Sexercise" for the 1990s, the delightful titled "Butt-A-Cize".

"Extra Sexual Persuasion" is highly recommended for fans of camp pop music. You can purchase your copy from Amazon.