Jazz-turned R&B singer Patrice Rushen met with commercial and artistic success when she signed with Elektra Records.  Now, Strut Records has revisited all five of her albums for the label plus an array of bonus tracks on the new 5-CD box set Feels So Real: The Complete Elektra Recordings 1978-1984.

After a trio of acclaimed (but modest-selling) fusion-influenced albums for Prestige Records in the mid-1970s, Rushen, an accomplished pianist/vocalist, joined the Elektra roster in 1978. Working with her Prestige producer Reggie Andrews, Rushen also bought in producer Charles Mims, Jr., who would be credited on all her albums for the label. All of her albums charted on Billboard's Top 100, and her singles began to cross over into the R&B charts, as well.  While "Hang It Up," "Haven't You Heart" and "Look It Up" were all respectable hits in the late '70s and early '80s, it was Straight from the Heart, released in 1982, that served up her biggest hit, the funky "Forget Me Nots." That single peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 4 on the R&B chart and No. 2 on the dance chart, and remains a staple of late-period disco. ("Forget Me Nots" enjoyed a second life in 1997, when it was sampled in the worldwide hit theme song to the sci-fi comedy Men in Black, as performed by the film's star, actor-rapper Will Smith.)

All five of Rushen's Elektra albums have been previously reissued on CD; Straight from the Heart got an expanded remaster from Rhino in 1996 with five bonus tracks while the others were reissued in bare-bones fashion by Wounded Bird in 2003. Edsel then tackled the catalogue in 2013 in multi-disc sets with 13 bonus tracks spread across the five albums, including just about all the rare 12" mixes released by Elektra.  Strut's box set also features 13 bonuses but does not replicate all of the previously-issued material.  Patrice (1978) has two previously unreleased extended takes plus the 12-inch single of "Hang It Up" and the Danny Krivit Edit of "Music of the Earth," but lacks "Play!" in its original 12-inch mix.  Pizzazz (1979) premieres an instrumental mix of "Givin' It Up Is Givin' Up" and has the 12-inch mixes of "Haven't You Heard" and "Let the Music Take Me," none of which were featured on the Edsel expansions.

Posh (1980) gains the 12-inch single of "Look Up!" but loses the short version of "Never Gonna Give You Up" which Edsel included.  Straight from the Heart (1982) has four bonuses, all 12-inch mixes: "Forget Me Nots," "Breakout," "I Was Tired of Being Alone," and "Number One."  It drops the single version of "Forget Me Nots" as well as the single of "Breakdown" which Rhino added back in 1996.  (These four tracks mirror those included on Strut's recent vinyl LP reissue of the album.)  Finally, Now (1984) offers another quartet of additions: the 12-inch mix and instrumental of "Get Off (You Fascinate Me)" and the single edit and dub version of "Feel So Real (Won't Let Go)."  Edsel's reissue didn't include the single edit but did add a distinct Instrumental Mix of "Feel So Real."

While not being complete as to all extant bonus material, Feels So Real features brand-new mastering from the original tapes by The Carvery as well as a 28-page booklet with photos and recording information.  You'll find this affordable primer on Rushen's Elektra period at the links below.

Patrice Rushen, Feels So Real: The Complete Elektra Recordings 1978-1984 (Strut, 2022) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: Patrice and bonus material

1. Music of the Earth
2. When I Found You
3. Changes (in Your Life)
4. Wishful Thinking
5. Let's Sing a Song of Love
6. Hang It Up
7. Cha-Cha
8. It's Just a Natural Thing
9. Didn't You Know
10. Play!
11. Music of the Earth (Danny Krivit Edit)
12. Hang It Up (12" Version)
13. Play! (Unreleased Extended Take) *
14. Didn't You Know (Unreleased Extended Take) *

Tracks 1-10 released as Elektra 6E-160, 1978
Track 11 released on Edits by Mr. K. Vol. 2: Music of the Earth - Strut 067 EP, 2010
Track 12 released on Elektra 12" single AS-11404, 1978

CD 2: Pizzazz and bonus tracks

1. Let the Music Take Me
2. Keepin' Faith in Love
3. Settle for My Love
4. Message in the Music
5. Haven't You Heard
6. Givin' It Up is Givin' Up
7. Call on Me
8. Reprise (Message in the Music)
9. Haven't You Heard (12" Version)
10. Let the Music Take Me (12" Version)
11. Givin' It Up is Givin' Up (Instrumental Version) *

Tracks 1-8 released as Elektra 6E-243, 1979
Track 9 released on Elektra 12" single AS-11436, 1979
Track 10 released on Elektra 12" single AS-11445, 1979

CD 3: Posh and bonus track

1. Never Gonna Give You Up (Won't Let You Be)
2. Don't Blame Me
3. Look Up!
4. I Need Your Love
5. Time Will Tell
6. The Dream
7. The Funk Won't Let You Down
8. This is All I Really Know
9. Look Up! (12" Version)

Tracks 1-8 released as Elektra 6E-302, 1980
Track 9 released on Elektra 12" single AS-11469, 1980

CD 4: Straight from the Heart and bonus tracks

1. Forget Me Nots
2. I Was Tired of Being Alone
3. All We Need
4. Number One (Instrumental)
5. Where There is Love
6. Breakout
7. If Only
8. Remind Me
9. (She Will) Take You Down to Love
10. Forget Me Nots (12" Version)
11. Breakout (12" Version)
12. I Was Tired of Being Alone (12" Version)
13. Number One (12" Version)

Tracks 1-9 released as Elektra E1-60015, 1982
Track 10 released on Elektra 12" single AS-11555, 1982
Tracks 11 and 13 released as Elektra 12" single 0-67999, 1982
Track 12 released on Elektra 12" single 0-67959, 1982

CD 5: Now and bonus tracks

1. Feels So Real (Won't Let Go)
2. Gone with the Night
3. Gotta Find It
4. Superstar
5. Heartache Heartbreak
6. Get Off (You Fascinate Me)
7. My Love's Not Going Anywhere
8. Perfect Love
9. High in Me
10. To Each His Own
11. Get Off (You Fascinate Me) (12" Version)
12. Get Off (You Fascinate Me) (Instrumental)
13. Feels So Real (Edit)
14. Feels So Real (Won't Let Go) (Dub Version)

Tracks 1-10 released as Elektra 60360, 1984
Track 11 released on Elektra 12" single ED-5003, 1984
Track 12 released on Elektra U.K. 12" single E9702T, 1984
Track 13 released on Elektra single 7-69742, 1984
Track 14 released on Elektra 12" single 0-66970, 1984