Love Tracks is the sixth studio album by Gloria Gaynor, released in November 1978 on Polydor Records. It reached number four on the US Billboard 200 and includes Gaynor's biggest hit and only number-one single, "I Will Survive".
| Love Tracks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 27, 1978 | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Genre | Disco, dance | |||
| Length | 42:15 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Producer | Dino Fekaris | |||
| Gloria Gaynor chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Love Tracks | ||||
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History
editLove Tracks includes her million-selling number-one single "I Will Survive", which originally started out as the B-side to the album's first single, a cover of Clout's "Substitute" before it was flipped. (The 12" single was quickly deleted and the 4:56 album version was replaced with the 8:01 12" version in order to sell more albums).
The song "Anybody Wanna Party?" also became a hit, becoming a top-20 hit on the club/dance chart, as well as peaking at number 16 on the R&B chart.
The album was remastered and reissued with bonus tracks in 2013 by Big Break Records.[1]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+[3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [4] |
| Smash Hits | 4/10[5] |
| The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul | [6] |
The Bay State Banner wrote that "'I Will Survive' is arresting black pop, sung with directness and conviction that reflects personal triumph... Gaynor has never sounded this confident or inspired."[7]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Dino Fekaris and Freddie Perren, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stoplight" | 3:38 | |
| 2. | "Anybody Wanna Party?" | 5:14 | |
| 3. | "Please, Be There" | Dino Fekaris, David Van De Pitte | 4:30 |
| 4. | "Goin' Out of My Head" | Teddy Randazzo, Bobby Weinstein | 5:33 |
| 5. | "I Will Survive" | 4:56 | |
| 6. | "You Can Exit" | 5:16 | |
| 7. | "I Said Yes" | 3:59 | |
| 8. | "Substitute" | Willie H. Wilson | 3:15 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 9. | "I Will Survive" (12" disco version) | 8:02 |
| 10. | "Anybody Wanna Party?" (12" disco version) | 7:41 |
| 11. | "Substitute" (12" disco version) | 8:29 |
| 12. | "Yo Viviré" ("I Will Survive" – Spanish 12" disco version) | 7:53 |
| 13. | "I Will Survive" (A Tom Moulton Mix) | 10:32 |
Personnel
editMusicians
- Gloria Gaynor – vocals
- James Gadson – drums
- Bob "Boogie" Bowles, Wah Wah Watson, Robert White – guitar
- Peter Robinson, Freddie Perren – keyboards
- Eddie Watkins, Scott Edwards – bass guitar
- Paulinho da Costa, Bob Zimmitti – percussion
- Peter Robinson – synthesizer
- Gene Page – conductor, strings and horns ("Spotlight", "I Said Yes" and "Goin' Out of My Head")
- Peter Robinson – conductor, strings and horns ("Anybody Wanna Party" and "Please Be There")
- Don Peake – conductor, strings and horns ("You Can Exit")
- Dave Blumberg – conductor, strings and horns ("I Will Survive" and "Substitute")
- Julia Tillman Waters, Maxine Willard Waters, Stephanie Spruill – backing vocals
Production
- Dino Fekaris, Freddie Perren – producers
- Freddie Perren – rhythm arrangements
- Benjamin Barrett – contractor
- Lewis Peters, Jack Rouben – recording and remix engineers
- Rick Clifford – assistant engineer
- Ed Biggs – mastering
- Bob Heimall – design
Charts
edit| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[8] | 15 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9] | 34 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[10] | 10 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[11] | 14 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] | 34 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[13] | 31 |
| US Billboard 200[14] | 4 |
| US Top 75 Soul Albums (Billboard)[15] | 4 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[16] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[17] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ BBR Records - CD re-issue of Love Tracks from 2013
- ^ Henderson, Alex. Love Tracks review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: G". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 275.
- ^ Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (March 22 - April 4, 1979): 31.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul. Virgin. p. 134.
- ^ Lane, George (12 Apr 1979). "Shades of Blue". Bay State Banner. No. 27. p. 16.
- ^ Billboard. June 9, 1979. p. 95. Accessed from July 10, 2013.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Gloria Gaynor – Love Tracks" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Gloria Gaynor – Love Tracks". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Gloria Gaynor – Love Tracks". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
- ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
- ^ "Gloria Gaynor | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
- ^ Billboard. March 10, 1979. p. 96. Accessed from July 10, 2013.
- ^ Billboard. July 7, 1979. p. 3. Accessed from July 10, 2013.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Gloria Gaynor – Love Tracks". Music Canada. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
- ^ "American album certifications – Gloria Gaynor – Love Tracks". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
External links
edit- Love Tracks at Discogs (list of releases)