Rate-O-Rama: Early in the Morning

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Rate-O-Rama is a reader participation game.

Every Thursday evening I will publish a Rate-O-Rama article which will feature three versions of a popular song.

The object is to listen to each of the music videos provided within the post.

After listening to each video you can rate each song in the comments section below.

(You must be a member to comment. If you are not a member you can join Vocal Media for FREE. You don’t ever have to pay for membership unless you choose to upgrade your membership)

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The rating method is easy. Simply give each song a rating of 1 to 100.

(The more you like the song the higher the rating).

If possible, please provide a brief comment to let us now what you think of each song.

After a week (Wednesday evening) I will tally the ratings and in the next Rate-O-Rama post, I will announce the average rating each song received.

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Last week we featured the Adult Contemporary classic: "Come in From the Rain" as recorded by Melissa Manchester (1976), Captain & Tennille (1977), and Diana Ross (1977).

The following are the average ratings for each song as a result of the votes:

🥇 Diana Ross: 85.2

🥈 Melissa Manchester: 73

🥉 Captain & Tennille: 63.3

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The Twenty-Eighth Edition of Rate-O-Rama features three renditions of the R&B Funk classic: “Early in the Morning."

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The Gap Band (1982)

The Gap Band is a funk and R&B band comprised of three brothers Charlie, Ronnie, and Robert Wilson (along with variable supporting musicians). Charlie Wilson did the majority of lead vocals. He co-wrote “Early in the Morning” with supporting musicians Lonnie Simmons (guitar and percussion) and Rudy Taylor (keyboards).

“Early in the Morning” became the band's first of two Top 40 hits in the US and was #1 on the R&B chart. The song is the opening track on the 1982 Platinum-certified album Gap Band IV.

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Robert Palmer (1988)

Robert Palmer made his US chart debut in 1974 and flirted with global success in 1978 and ‘’79. But, it was in 1985 with the release of his album Riptide that Robert Palmer hit his stride. He changed his style to a blue-eyed soul R&B flavor and he found huge success. He continued this style with his album Heavy Nova, which includes the hit “Early in the Morning.”

Palmer charted well with “Early in the Morning” taking it to #19 in the US which was five points higher than Gap Band's placing.

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B.E.F featuring Richard Darbyshire (1991)

The abbreviation B.E.F. stands for British Electronic Foundation, a band formed by former Human League members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh. They featured various lead vocalists for their albums. In 1991 they employed Richard Darbyshire to provide the lead vocals on “Early in the Morning.” Darbyshire was the lead singer for the synth-pop / new wave group Living in a Box.

B.E.F. did not release the song as a single but it did receive some club play at the time.

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My Thoughts

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The Gap Band:

“Oops upside my head, I said oops upside my head. Oops upside my head…,” this is the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the name The Gap Band. They are one of my all-time favorite bands and I love everything they've released.

The Gap Band really heats the funk up with their uplifting performance of this song. Their vocals, supersonic synth sounds, dynamic bass lines, superb guitar solos put together one of the greatest R&B songs of the 1980s. Brother Charlie Wilson does a great job with his lead vocals. I must give The Gap Band a solid 100.

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Robert Palmer:

Robert Palmer was a class act and I really like what he did with this song. He slowed the tempo down a bit and put a bluesy feel to it while maintaining the funk and soul that the song is intended to have. His vocal timing is perfectly executed which accents the rhythm of the song - you can really feel the heat. I give Mr. Palmer a solid 98.

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B.E.F. featuring Richard Darbyshire:

What can I say “Early in the Morning” is simply a great song with a catchy hook. B.E.F.'s rendition is solid. It's high on the synths but that's to be expected from former Human League band members. Richard Darbyshire puts in a strong vocal performance however his delivery isn't quite as smooth or fluid as that of Charlie Wilson or Robert Palmer. I give B.E.F. a 92. (In the photo Richard Darbyshire is the one with the lighter color suit with the blonde hair. The man in the front wearing the dark suit is Martyn Ware)

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I will be back next week with the results of this Rate-O-Rama Edition.

Last Week's Rate-O-Rama:

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With Love, RHC ❤️