Throwin' Down
album by Rick James
Throwin' Down is the sixth studio album by Rick James, released in 1982 via the Gordy imprint of Motown Records. It peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200. Although not as popular as Street Songs, Throwin' Down is certified gold by the RIAA. It was nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album.
Production
Michael Walden, Roy Ayers, and Grace Slick appear on the album.
Critical reception
Robert Christgau wrote: "Stealing his licks from G. Clinton & Co. (or maybe himself, who cares anymore?), he's the nearest thing to a pop musician in the rock and roll sense that today's black charts—not to mention today's white charts—can offer." The Washington Post wrote that "the musical settings are clumsy reworkings of Parliament's funk and the Temptations' psychedelic soul." The Boston Phoenix said that the album "is the sort of follow-up record you'd expect from a journeyman rocker who’s just stumbled into the Top 10 with a hot single. ... [It] chugs along with throwaway fun, staying just a notch below Street Songs in general utility."
Track listing
All tracks composed by Rick James, except where noted.
Side A
"Dance wit' Me" 7:16
"Money Talks" 4:50
"Teardrops" 4:49
"Throwdown" 3:17
Side B
"Standing on the Top" (with The Temptations) 3:51
"Hard to Get" 4:07
"Happy" (with Teena Marie) 5:29
"She Blew My Mind (69 Times)" 4:11
"My Love" (James, Le Roi Johnson) 2:53
2014 digital remaster bonus tracks / 2014 Complete Motown Albums bonus tracks
"Standing on the Top" (Long Version) - 9:50
"Hard to Get" (12" Instrumental) - 4:12
"She Blew My Mind (69 Times)" (12" Extended Mix) - 6:30
"She Blew My Mind (69 Times)" (12" Instrumental) - 7:28
Personnel
Rick James - vocals, guitars, bass guitar, harmonica, keyboards, synthesizers, Linn Drum programming, percussion
Daniel LeMelle - flute, saxophone, trumpet, string synthesizers, backing vocals
Levi Ruffin, Jr.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Throwin' Down” as album by Rick James. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as album by Rick James. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7798543. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1982 and 2014.
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