Something Special is the thirteenth studio album by American band Kool & the Gang, released in 1981. It was the group's third consecutive Platinum-certified album.
| Something Special | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 24, 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1980–1981 | |||
| Studio | House of Music (West Orange, New Jersey) Kendun Recorders (Los Angeles) Secret Sound Studios (New York City) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:18 | |||
| Label | De-Lite Records | |||
| Producer | Eumir Deodato | |||
| Kool & the Gang chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Something Special | ||||
| ||||
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Boston Globe | (favorable)[2] |
| Record Mirror | [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
It continued the level of success that the band's previous two albums brought, contained several hit singles including: "Take My Heart" went to No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 17 on the Pop chart. "Get Down on It" reached No. 4 on the R&B chart and No. 10 on the Pop chart. In addition, "Steppin' Out" ended up at No. 12 on the R&B chart and No. 89 on the Pop chart.[5] In the UK, the album reached #10,[6] becoming their first hit album there and most successful studio album of all, largely due to the success of the "Get Down On It" single.
"Stand Up and Sing" was featured in 1982's The Pirate Movie.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Steppin' Out" | James "J.T." Taylor, Ronald Bell, Kool & the Gang | 4:51 |
| 2. | "Good Time Tonight" | Taylor, Bell, Kool & the Gang | 4:59 |
| 3. | "Take My Heart" | Claydes Smith, George Brown, Taylor, Kool & the Gang | 5:44 |
| 4. | "Be My Lady" | Bell, Kool & the Gang | 4:14 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Get Down on It" | Taylor, Bell, Kool & the Gang | 4:58 |
| 2. | "Pass It On" | Brown, Taylor, Kool & the Gang | 4:34 |
| 3. | "Stand Up and Sing" | Taylor, Bell, Kool & the Gang | 4:35 |
| 4. | "No Show" | Brown, Taylor, Bell, Kool & the Gang | 4:25 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Stop!" | Bell, Kool & the Gang | 3:22 |
Personnel
edit- Bass, backing vocals – Robert "Kool" Bell
- Lead guitar – Charles Smith
- Saxophone, keyboards, backing vocals – Ronald Bell
- Drums, backing vocals – George Brown
- Lead and backing vocals – James "J.T." Taylor
- Alto saxophone – Dennis Thomas
- Alto saxophone, flute, backing vocals – Steve Greenfield
- Trombone – Clifford Adams
- Trumpet, backing vocals – Michael Ray, Robert Mickens
- Keyboards – Brian Jackson
- Keyboards – Eumir Deodato
- Additional percussion – Jimmy Maelen
- Additional handclaps – Platinum Hook
- Backing vocals – Clifford Adams, Cynthia Huggins, Joan Motley, Kelly Barretto
- Production
- Engineer – Jim Bonnefond
- Assistant engineers – Bobby Scott Cohen, Cliff Hodson, Joe DeAngelis, Julian Robertson
- Overdubs engineers – Bob "Ziggy" Winard, Mallory Earl
- Mixed by – Eumir Deodato, Jim Bonnefond, Gabe Vigorito
- Mastered by – Tom Coyne, Stephan Galfas (Assistant)
- Producer – Eumir Deodato
- Associate producer – Kool & The Gang
- CD Mastering – Joe Gastwirt
Charts
edit| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Pop Albums[8] | 12 |
| Billboard Top Soul Albums[8] | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart[6] | 10 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[9] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[10] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Lytle, Craig. Kool and the Gang: Something Special > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ Allan, Marc D (22 October 1981). "REVIEWS / RECORDS; KOOL AND THE GANG; SOMETHING SPECIAL; DE-LITE". Boston Globe. ProQuest 294105801.
- ^ Wilson, Kevin (November 14, 1981). "Kool & the Gang: Something Special". Vol. 28, no. 46. Record Mirror. p. 14.
{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires|magazine=(help) - ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 406.
- ^ Kool & The Gang > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles at AllMusic. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ a b "Something Special". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ Kool & The Gang – Something Special CD remastered reissue at Discogs
- ^ a b Kool & the Gang > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums at AllMusic. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ "British album certifications – Kool & The Gang – Something Special". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "American album certifications – Kool & The Gang – Something Special". Recording Industry Association of America.
External links
edit- Kool & The Gang - Something Special at Discogs (list of releases)