Added: 2 years ago
From: ladybret
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  • MF Doom brought me here!

  • wale brought me here. good song!

  • Shout out to wale and best of all Ronnie

  • thumps up if Wale brought you here!

  • Rasmentalism - Pierwszy i Ostatni raz. Peace~!

  • friends......they call you when they need something

  • I remember listening to this on KJLH in Southern California. Brings back some fond memories..

  • Nice

  • does anyone know any other instrumental songs that sound like the synth intro from this song?

  • 2 people don't have friends just strangers

  • God this song is good, its the harmony that really gives me goosebumps.

  • MF Doom, i think, right? Anyone?

  • @DistantDreamer1984 MF Doom, Wale & probably one or two others.......

  • Someone sampled the funky shit that starts around 1:07 and i can't remember who or what song

  • @DistantDreamer1984 watch?v=_MLsLFIRGHQ probably it's not him, by the way is a masterpiece

  • Let me also say this.... Mr. Oliver released his album with the song he co-wrote ( Friends and Strangers) obviously before Ronnie Laws released his cover of song in the same year. What happened, Oliver's version was barely played on RB/Soul stations. So, when Laws released his version of the song a of couple months AFTER Oliver's, people assumed Laws wrote the song.A WBMX Dj in Chicago, played Oliver's version all the time. I bought Oliver's 45 first and a couple weeks later his album. :)

  • @ladybret Really? Tell me when Jamerican Man was released. Nobody is saying Oliver didn't write lyrics for the song. But the song didn't originally have lyrics, just a different chorus. I can tell you when both albums were released, but I'll wait for your answer. The connection between the two songs is William Jeffrey and Wayne Henderson. Henderson produced both albums and Jeffrey was a long-time collaborator with Ronnie Laws.

  • @ladybret Which makes more sense? Laws loved the song so much that he changed the chorus, covered the song and TITLED HIS ALBUM after a cover version? Or, Henderson produced both albums, brought the song to Oliver and asked him to write lyrics for it and record a different version? Laws recorded this song in March and released it in early May 1977. So tell me when you bought that 45?

  • @ladybret Search Billboard archives 1977. 4-16-77, pg 35. Full page ad for Laws upcoming album, released two weeks later. Now search 12-24-77, pg 144. Recommended soul single releases, including David Oliver's version of Friends and Strangers. That Laws was one sneaky dude to have pulled that one off, releasing a cover version months before the original came out.

  • @oldaverich Yeah I searched Billboard,. :) I also searched Billboard for David Oliver's album the erroneously stated his self-titled album, David Oliver was released in 1978. That's not true, the same album was released the same year under different album titles. 1977 LP, "Jamaican Man," and "David Oliver". I can assure you Law's never released that song before Oliver's. :)

  • @ladybret Assure all you want. Laws album FRIENDS AND STRANGERS came out in April 1977 and Oliver's album JAMERICAN MAN came out in October 1977. Find some facts that dispute that or let's put a rest to this discussion. Your search of Billboard was not that thorough, but I'm tired of trying to convince you. Ms was the first single off that album and it was a great song, but it didn't come out before April 1977. Your assurances aren't very reassuring because you are wrong.

  • @oldaverich IN FACT, if you wanna search William Jeffrey, you will find he was instrumental in Ronnie Laws' Every Generation and Debra Laws' Very Special. He was a long-time collaborator of Ronnie Laws. Wayne Henderson produces FRIENDS AND STRANGERS and he produced JAMERICAN MAN. He gave Oliver the song to add lyrics to. Your version of history is interesting, but sadly it is wrong.

  • @oldaverich , Oh come on now, don't give up. lol Even so, Mr. Laws was in the studio January, February and the end of March 1977 recording "Friends Of Strangers. Now unless, they did a rush job, there's no way that album came out in April of 1977. No way, try again. :)

  • @ladybret YES, the Ronnie Laws album first CHARTED on April 30, 1977. Which means it was released in April. Again, Billboard. Do your homework and quit arguing with me.

  • @oldaverich Oh, if read the production notes on the album, it will tell exactly when and what months months that album recorded. :smile:

  • @ladybret OK, I was wrong. Ronnie Laws - Friends and Strangers album first charted at #43 on Billboard Top Soul LPs on May 7, 1977. I was a week off, but it was released the end of April. SEARCH THE BILLBOARD ARCHIVE SITE FOR MAY 7,1977 PAGE 66. NOW, find proof that the David Oliver album came out before this. Alas, you cannot.

  • @oldaverich AND WHEN YOU GET DONE looking at 5/7/77, look at 12/24/77, pg 144. That's the day Billboard recommended David Oliver - Friends and Strangers as a hot up and coming single. Can we PLEASE put this to rest? Because 5 means May and 12 means December...and May comes a week or two before December. The song was ORIGINALLY Ronnie Laws'. Oliver added lyrics when he covered it.

  • Ronnie Law's didn't write this song; Mr. Laws had not part in the composition of this song. David Oliver, William Jefferey, and Ruth Robinson wrote ... collaborated on "Friends and Strangers". Oliver and Laws did released this song on their respective albums in 1977 not 1975. I own both albums and the 45 single of this song by both gentlemen. Oliver, Jeffrey, and Robinson or duly noted as songwriters on all records.

  • @ladybret I did not say Laws wrote the song...the composition is by William Jeffrey. AFTER Laws released the song, David Oliver wrote lyrics and performed the cover version you keep talking about. I also never said it was released on 1975. BOTH were released in 77. I said to search the song Always There...also composed by Jeffrey on a 1975 album by Ronnie Laws. Jeffrey wrote songs on many Ronnie Laws album. Oliver is NOT credited on the Ronnie Laws album, which I bought in 1977.

  • @ladybret I don't mean to argue and I apologize for the tone, but you aren't correct. Look at the Ronnie Laws albums Pressure Sensitive (1975) and Fever (1976) and you will find Jeffrey-written songs on each. He also wrote Friends and Strangers for Laws 1977 album. Oliver later added lyrics and released his version. You won't find Oliver credited on the Laws album which came out over six months before Oliver released the song.

  • @oldaverich Your tone is cool, words on a board are "flat". Besides, this is what audio-file fans do... we debate.  LOL! So, it's all good. :)

    Oliver didn't write the lyrics to this song his wife, Ms. Robinson did. Oliver and Jeffery composed the music. This isn't my first time discussing who wrote what for who or when for "Friends and Strangers. As I've mentioned, my vinyl pressing contains the names of ALL 3 people. With all due respect, the copyright should end it. :)

  • @ladybret Now this is the type of debate that an old head like me can feel :)

  • @sfcphilip LOL! Oh yeah, love it too. I'd rather wish people would do this more often than in the comments section than speak foolishness. :)

  • I bought this album when it came out. What a great song He was awesome one of my Favorites! Thank you so much for putting it up!...........smiles

  • Simply beautiful music, as well as a reminder of how far today's music has deteriorated.

  • Dave Grusins version with Marcus Miller on bass should be listened to by anyone who likes this version.

  • THIS REMINDS ME OF MY DAD GROWING UP LTSTENING TOO THIS GOOD MUSIC

  • Totally classic groove. Such a high level of musicianship. Tons of soul. Timeless.

  • Yeah. The good old stuff. What a groove!!!

  • Comment removed

  • THIS SONG,REMINDS ME OF MY HOMETOWN,DETROIT MI...ME AND MY BIG BROTHER WAS SO TIGHT,MAN I MISS HOME!!! (RODNEY J...8/11/1957

  • i play this song every time i go to the casinos

  • Awesome thank you so much for this. Just beautiful!

  • Cool. :)

  • MF DOOM probably gave this song the best justice with his sample. Like this song, a lot. Any suggestions for stuff like it?

  • What year was this? I want to say 1977 but I forget. Very nice track!

  • @76grandprix I believe you're correct. Recorded in 1977 as far as I know

  • I used this in 04 been loving this song since I was 12 thanks daddy for putting me on to this

  • WOW WALE SAMPLED THIS SONG

  • Berkley-Oakland music!!

  • I like Dave Grusin's version better. Hey, a matter of taste.

  • PLEASE BRING BACK THOSE JAZZY DAYS THANKS FOR SHARING

  • Wale. Lol

    

  • Optical illusion alert: Two motorcycles make up two smiling robots!

  • My dad was big into Jazz and had several pop jazz albums back then in the seventies including Crusaders, Bob James, Spyro Gyra, Stanley Clarke etc. This was another one he had. Great tune.

  • hmmm something tells me these aren't the guys that are opening for a alesso on friday...

  • All the youngsters are sampling this in their songs, Kirk Franklin's new cut, Wale, and others

  • @vlrparks I know but Kirk did not mention it when i read the credit, shame on him!

  • @jdogg66 They should have mentioned it. Love me some Kirk. But these youngsters wouldn't know what to do without sampling these old school jams.

  • @vlrparks for real

  • damn im 49 i can remember the album cover. thought it was an alien back then ... duh it's a motorcycle...lol

  • @megaflex48 Hehe, it does look like an alien. :-D

  • @megaflex48 looks like a robot dog wearing a bow tie to me lol

  • @crybaby587: I had this album back in late 70s when i was a teen....i stared at it for months trying to figure out what it was....finally, it occurred to me that it was 2 motorcycles from an "above-view", as if you were on it looking at the gauges...trippy pix.....still have it after all these years...

  • Aah jus luv ya I jus luv ya Mr. Laws you are miraculous to me

  • I am grateful to your Pops!!! I am not a trained musician but I sure have been able to MEMORIZE every beat from EVERY COOL tune since I took up jazz drumming in 1981 (Grover Washington Jr Winelight Album) I really enjoy the Laws family they are very gifted and your Dad is a great drummer cause I copied his unique style and YAHOO!! can play still beat for beat -- Awesome!!

  • classic!!!!!! luv listenin to good ole music especially since my dad is the drummer on this album....gotta give it up to pops!!

  • @mrzrice Your pops is Steve Gutierrez?

  • @mrzrice How cool is that. What is your Dad's name. Wish him well. This is slow burn.

  • just finished listening to becha dont know by najee, now this..nice evening at home.

  • I Only played this becuz its Wale - friends & strangers instrumental

  • MF Doom

  • like this if you listen to this in 2011? :)

  • Ooh. Love this. Thank God for Youtube and thanks to the OP.

    Blessings

  • for anyone interested, The Cool Kids also sampled this on "Volume II" off the Tacklebox mixtape.

  • This is life! Ronnie Laws!

  • thanks for enlightening and may more come my way thanks 

  • Another classic from one of the greatest of all time,you can beat this classic.Thank you for posting i have this on my fb photo and many more on vinyls 70's was special time for jazz fusion though i was a boy but i was lucky as teen in the 80's i was able to buy these albums for peanuts on vinyls especially in the 90's when most people where getting excited on cd's i was busy collecting gems on vinyls for instance i have 3 copies of this masterpiece on Lp i paid 20 pence.I'm lovin' it.Great

  • Man those were the days!!! just kicking it and chillin!!!

  • Just sit back or take a drive, put this tune on and enjoy what real music has to offer! This is one of Ronnie Laws best!

  • is that nas hero sample?

  • EVERYONE LISTINING TO THIS, LITERALLY KILL EVERY FUCKIN BODY WHO DISLIKES DIS SONG !! THEY ALSO HAVE NO TASTE IN MUZIC. !! KILL 2 NIGGA'S IMMEDIATELY !!!!

  • Lord have mercy.....I`m a blue eyed soul sista Italian from CT. and I would work out every AM b4 goin on duty @ my hospital... at the time in `77down in Hoooouston...now I`m retired home and still rockin to this awesome sound~~~!! Ahhh still makes me feel 22 years old~~~ nothings changed!! Love love love all you Friends and Strangers!!!...Lucieskydiamond­s xoxoxo

  • I hear you...this is one of my Marine Corps songs that kept me sane during boot camp in 1978...some times you have to take yourself to another place ...and that was a s good a place as any.....

  • LUV IT!!!!!!!!

  • finally...the views hit 90,000 and up. ppl are finally listening to good music.

  • Remember when album covers were art?! Takes me back to 1976, a pivotal point in my life..just had enlisted in the Marine Corps..now 35 years later, it still moves me just as much as then!!! :-) BTW: I'm still searching for an "updated" version that Ronnie did...unfortunately, I only heard it once, and this version always comes up from a search.

  • The two persons that don't like this song don't know anything about music.

    Morons

  • @phil14true

    Now...now. lol

    Now... now. It takes all kinds.... lol

    So two people don't like this song, we do and that's all that matters. :)

    Peace.

  • @ladybret THANK YOU!! I blame Youtube for changing the rating system. When it used be the 1-5 stars rating, NO ONE mentioned "how could *insert number* people not rate *insert video title* 5 stars?" I'll never understand why the # of dislikes bothers some so much, goading them to leave an unnecessary comment. Really? it's such minutia. Someone once told me, people see negative more so than they see positive. What a shame.

  • I'm so down today but listening to music like this brings back good times which makes me smile.. great music stands the test of time...

  • @phil14true Your dead wrong. They're fucking assholes.

  • @phil14true Really?? Commenting on 2 people?? TWO PEOPLE?? pshaw! You're the type that can't see the forest for the trees.

  • @phil14true  I agree, How can you not like this song. I truly believe those of us who Love this song can relate this to a time in our lives.

  • Optical illusion alert: Two motorcycles make up two smiling robots!

  • Nice!!

  • Awesome music for chilling out!

  • useta was cut many thanks!!!

  • Can ANYONE say "Do Me BABY?" hello PRINCE you ripped off the intro lol

  • Does anyone know if Nas sampled this song in "Hero"

    I think it sounds just like it but I checked it out and it doesn't seem that way

    I'm just really curious as to if Nas sampled this song

    Thanks for any info

  • yeaa

  • Charles Hamilton - Brighter Days.

  • 1:12 deep fried frenz sample

  • This song is fantastic. I used to drive my Datsun 280Z and listen to this album on an excellent cassette tape. It still sounds sensational!! Peace & Love vibrations to everyone, everywhere!!

  • This jam is taking me back to prime living 35 years ago !! I was 19 and let dis cat jam on my soul regularly, Now almost 50, this song penetrates my soul. Great talent never dies.  Signed: Black girl in a white body.

  • ahhhhhh my youth of 1978...that sweet bird has flown far from my past....sigh

  • BASSI MAESTRO - L'AMORE DOV'E'

  • inspired so many good songs.

  • It's amazing how TIMELESS ol' school music is! You would never think that this jam was cut over 30 years ago!

  • it's perfect for the porn i'm watching in the background at the same time

  • deep fried frenz - MF DOOM!!!!!

  • WALE!

  • Sooooooo serious,so nostalgic,so groovy!!! WOW

  • and Charles Hamilton but DOOM is above all

    

  • Very sexy tune!!

  • i discovered this song not too long a go. gotta love this funk! who cant?!

    I do some remixes and mashes and stuff. I did one of this song, so if you want to check it out, i would greatly appreciate it :) check maa channel :D"

  • Crusing Jazz!

  • lovely thx

  • ONE OF THE BEST,GO RON.

  • Wale brung me here!

  • This is a awesome song and Ronnie Plays it so awesome!

  • Mają sampel od W.E.N.Y:)POZDR

  • @piotrekxx17 Zastanów się co ty piszesz, chyba gdyby się cofnął o 30 lat i w pieluchach nagrał to po pierwsze, a po drugie to sampel był wykorzystany przez Rasmentalism a nie W do E. Nie pozdrawiam :)

  • @MrSzostaku nie spinaj się , nie załapałeś że żartuje?

  • I love the creativity of the cover. The top view of a motorcycle disguised to look like an alien! Genius...

  • @LostHero245 Not recycled...recreated =)

    Thanks Charles Hamilton.

  • MF DOOM and Wale brought me here. And I'm so glad they did

  • I always think of Earth, Wind and Fire when I hear this tune.

  • DEEP FRIED FRIENZ

  • The greatest hit I adored by Ronnie Every Generation and definitely place him with other great and talent that no other can replace them the late Grover Washington and George Howard .Thanks for sharing.

  • DOOM sampled it better, and used it first. You Wale faggots need to sit down.

  • Charles Hamilton - Brighter Days

  • MF Doom's>Wale's.

  • Deep fried frenz

  • @LostHero245 ...agreed...

  • Something random but I think they used a MIDI version of this for sonic the hedgehog.... I might be trippin, but I'm pretty sure that's a song on it...

  • @LostHero245 Thank DOOM

  • Krit, Wale & MF DOOM!

  • KRIT

  • summer fool, ronnie laws, now posted.

  • 1:06 MF DOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Thanks for uploading this. Been looking for this one for 10 years!

  • Rasmentalism - Pierwszy i ostatni raz

  • ha ha i remember work at the record stoe in detroit ,called detroit audio systems, we had stacks, and stacks of this album and they all sold out. smiles ah the sweet sounds and that riff on synths was larry dunn keyboardist from, earth , wind& fire. and various other accomplished musicans, larry carlton roland bautista are feature on this album. they did it that way back then togetherness, you do your thing and come and help me do mines, wish i could go back there.

  • this is an actual song. the hip-hop versions are just loops.

  • Wale's mixtape brought  me here :D

  • which nas song sampled this?

  • After listening to this song for over years and it still sounds as good as it did the very first time!

  • Sage - Strangers

  • 1:06 MF DOOM !!!

  • it's like a sound track hit from Rocky.

  • @LostHero245 I think you mean thanks D.O.C.

  • This takes me straight back to my childhood- my daddy played this all the time!

  • @naturalgirl32 Mine did too, as I helped him when he was cleaning out the fish tank and other household chores.

  • @naturalgirl32 Mine did too, as I helped him when he was cleaning out the fish tank and other household chores.

  • @naturalgirl32 ...thats word,priceless feelings...reminds me of my childhood sounds...the end of the best times in life

  • I love Ronnie Laws...this is real music !!

  • This is far too beautiful for words.

  • Gotta thank Wiz for bringin me here.

  • dididididdididiidi

  • let me dig in my wax museum and pull this gem out......aahhh nice.....album cover art 4ever....

  • Charles Hamilton-Brighter Days. Dope song.

  • @ladyberet Thank you!

  • Aaaaahhhhh! this is beautiful!  This is really great music. It's funny how back then we took this music for granted. This was the norm. Now I really appreciate the music of the past because today's noise and confusion cannot hold a candle to what was produced in the 70's and 80's.

  • hey wanna get into jazz if anyone knows any really good artists then please tell me

  • @Rorschachxx1985 that is not so easy, depends on what type of jazz. I'll give you some from different genresand you can sort it out when you hear them. Bill Evans, Pat Metheny, Joe Sample, Crusaders, Art Blakey, John Coltrane, Andy Narell if you like steel drums, Kim pensyl, Herbie Hancock, Eliane Elias, kenny Baron, Jeff Lorber you will love, Neil Larsen just to name a few. check them out.