Randolph Baker
Getting Next To You

Originally released in tiny quantities on the J&R imprint out of Florida and with only limited self-distribution from Baker himself, this 1982 rarity has been resurrected in slightly different form for an eager audience to (re)discover. The album first appeared as a 9 track offering called ‘Reaching For The Stars’ but this new issue extracts the four best tracks plus an unreleased instrumental to deliver a banging 5 track winner.  The album here reveals a fascination with the fading disco trends of the time in tracks like the swaggering ‘Getting Next To You’ and ‘Party Life’ as well as the bustling, aptly titled ‘Jazzman’ that combines Jazz with fusion and funk as well as a disco undercurrent. ‘Calling Me’ is another homespun disco effort that brings to mind the kind of soulful dance sounds that were big at the Paradise Garage and Loft at the time but no doubt remained unknown to devotees of those spaces. Well crafted and keenly curated package.