Man to Man is the third studio album by British soul band Hot Chocolate. It was released in August 1976 on the RAK Records label, owned by Mickie Most, who was the band's producer. The album peaked at number thirty-two on the UK Albums Chart[3] and one-hundred and seventy-two on the US Billboard 200 album chart.[4]
| Man to Man | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 1976 | |||
| Studio | Chateau du Regard, Coye la Forêt, Oise, France Morgan, London | |||
| Genre | Funk[1] | |||
| Length | 38:07 44:52 (with bonus tracks) | |||
| Label | RAK, Big Tree (US) | |||
| Producer | Mickie Most | |||
| Hot Chocolate chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Man to Man | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A−[2] |
The original 1976 LP release comprised nine original songs, of which only one, the re-recorded "You Could Have Been a Lady", was credited to the band's original writing team, lead vocalist Errol Brown and bassist Tony Wilson. Wilson had left the group following the band's second studio album. Brown wrote the majority of the album separately, with the band members Harvey Hinsley, Patrick Olive and Tony Connor contributing two songs. The album did not spawn any major hits in the UK or US, although "Don't Stop It Now" and the title track made the UK top twenty.[3]
The album's re-recording of Hot Chocolate's 1971 hit single, "You Could Have Been a Lady", boasts a fuller, heavier production than the original. A 3:48 edit of the re-recording has appeared on many compilation albums issued by the band.
The album was issued on CD for the first time with two bonus tracks in 2009.
Track listing
editAll tracks written and composed by Errol Brown; except where indicated.
Side one
- "Heaven Is in the Back Seat of My Cadillac" – 5:10
- "Living on a Shoe String" – 4:19
- "Sugar Daddy" – 5:29
- "Man to Man" – 4:22
Side two
- "You Could've Been a Lady" (Brown, Tony Wilson) – 3:48; 4:25 on some releases
- "Sex Appeal" (Harvey Hinsley, Patrick Olive, Tony Connor) – 4:01
- "Harry" (Hinsley, Olive, Connor) – 4:00
- "Don't Stop It Now" – 3:02
- "Seventeen Years of Age" – 3:56
CD bonus tracks (2009)
- "Beautiful Lady" (Hinsley, Olive, Connor) – 2:48
- "Eyes of a Growing Child" (Hinsley, Olive, Connor) – 3:57
Personnel
editHot Chocolate
- Errol Brown – lead vocals
- Harvey Hinsley – guitars
- Larry Ferguson – keyboards
- Patrick Olive – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Tony Connor – drums
Production
- Mickie Most – producer
- Doug Hopkins – engineer
- John Cameron – arrangements
- Gered Mankowitz – photography
Charts
edit| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[5] | 70 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[6] | 32 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[7] | 17 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[3] | 32 |
| US Billboard 200[4] | 172 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[8] | Silver | 60,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b Henderson, Alex (2015). "Man to Man — Hot Chocolate | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: H". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 26 February 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ a b c "Hot Chocolate | Artist". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Hot Chocolate Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 142. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Hot Chocolate – Man to Man" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Hot Chocolate – Man to Man". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ "British album certifications – Hot Chocolate – Man to Man". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 April 2022.