Ask Rufus
Rufus's final album with drummer Andre Fischer.
Ask Rufus, the funk band’s fifth album, hit stores in 1977 on ABC Records and went platinum. It held the top spot on Billboard’s R&B Albums Chart for three weeks that year. In 2020, Rolling Stone placed it at number 499 on its list of the 500 greatest albums ever.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
- Released
- January 19, 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
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Track listing from the source article.
Background
By 1977, tensions within Rufus and Chaka Khan were growing, particularly between Khan and drummer Andre Fischer. Khan's marriage to Richard Holland worsened the rift; during a recording session, Fischer and Holland fought in the bathroom, and Khan joined the altercation before bandmates separated them. The resulting sessions for Ask Rufus took longer than previous albums. This was the last Rufus album to feature Fischer, who had been with the group for five years. Keyboardist David "Hawk" Wolinski joined the band during these sessions, complementing Kevin Murphy's playing, and former member Dennis Belfield returned to co-write "Everlasting Love" with Wolinski and Murphy.
Reception and legacy
Ask Rufus was the band's second album to top Billboard's R&B Albums chart and reached number 14 on the Pop chart. Its singles included "At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)", which became their third number one on the R&B Singles chart and also charted on Dance and Pop; "Hollywood" (number 3 R&B, number 32 Pop); and "Everlasting Love" (number 17 R&B). In 1978, the album earned Rufus a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Billboard described the album as the work of a wholly matured artist and Khan as a fully rounded R&B-rock vocalist. Carol Wetzel of the Spokane Daily Chronicle found the music mature and full yet danceable, highlighting Khan's versatility. Robert Christgau of the Village Voice was less impressed, feeling she still lacked sophisticated songs. "Hollywood" was later covered by Erykah Badu on the soundtrack to Spike Lee's 2000 film Bamboozled and interpolated in India Arie's "Little Things"; "Everlasting Love" was covered by Mary J. Blige on the 1996 Olympic Games album Rhythm of The Games and by Vanessa Williams on her 2005 album Everlasting Love.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Ask Rufus released?
Ask Rufus was released on January 19, 1977.
Which label released Ask Rufus?
Ask Rufus was released by ABC and AB 975.
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