Midnight Magic (album)
| Midnight Magic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Motown | ||||
| Producer | James Anthony Carmichael, Commodores[2] | |||
| Commodores chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Midnight Magic | ||||
Midnight Magic is the seventh studio album by the musical group the
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [6] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [2] |
| Smash Hits | 5/10[7] |
| The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul | [8] |
The New York Times stated that "the Commodores, too, have their disco‐dance numbers. But this group's principal appeal would seem to be its ability to come up with classy 'makeout' music. The new Midnight Magic, which is moving up the album charts quickly, will disappoint no one in search of just that. And as usual, the Commodores' ability to span a wide stylistic range and to avoid some of the more tired cliches of black vocal instrumental groups is extremely refreshing."[9] Smash Hits called it, "solid professional funk, but still faceless and only moderately entertaining - mainly because of a distinct threadbareness in the melody department."[10] The Bay State Banner noted that "the vocals, it is true, are rather toneless—grouped together in the mix, the textural interest of a single throat is erased—but the rhythm section plays with verve through unusual chordings that oddly parallel the vocal register."[11]
Singles
A song called "Still" became the band's second U.S. #1 single. Another single was the #4 hit "Sail On".
Record World said of the single "Wonderland" that "the vocals will mesmerize all tastes."[12] "Wonderland" reached #25.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gettin' It" | David Cochrane, Walter Orange | 4:18 |
| 2. | "Midnight Magic" | Thomas McClary, Lionel Richie, Jr. | 5:42 |
| 3. | "You're Special" | William King, Harold Hudson | 5:10 |
| 4. | "Still" | Lionel Richie, Jr. | 5:41 |
| 5. | "Wonderland" | Milan Williams | 5:28 |
| 6. | "Sexy Lady" | Thomas McClary | 3:30 |
| 7. | "Lovin' You" | Ronald LaPread | 4:36 |
| 8. | "Sail On" | Lionel Richie, Jr. | 5:32 |
| 9. | "12:01 A.M. (Reprise)" | Thomas McClary, Lionel Richie, Jr. | 1:00 |
| Total length: | 38:57 | ||
Personnel
Commodores
- Lionel Richie – vocals, acoustic piano, keyboards, saxophones
- Milan Williams – keyboards
- Thomas McClary – vocals, guitars
- Ronald LaPread – bass
- Walter Orange – vocals, drums
- William King – trumpet
Additional musicians
- Harold Hudson – horn and string arrangements (1, 3, 6)
- James Anthony Carmichael – horn and string arrangements (2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9)
The Mean Machine
- David Cochrane
- Harold Hudson
- Darrell Jones
- Winston Sims
Production
- Commodores – producers, arrangements
- James Anthony Carmichael – producer, arrangements
- Calvin Harris – engineer, mixing
- Jane Clark – engineer, mixing
- Bernie Grundman – mastering
- John Cabalka – art direction
- Ginny Livingston – design
- Gene Gurley – photography
- Suzee Ikeda – product manager
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Singles
| Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| "Sail On" | Belgium (VRT Top 30) | 14 |
| Canada (RPM) |
3 | |
| Ireland Singles Chart |
8 | |
| Netherlands Singles Top 100 | 8 | |
| Official New Zealand Music Chart | 6 | |
| UK Singles Chart | 8 | |
| U.S.Billboard Hot 100 | 4 | |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 9 | |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles | 8 | |
| "Still" | Canada (RPM) | 2 |
| Ireland Singles Chart | 3 | |
| Netherlands Singles Top 100 | 16 | |
| Official New Zealand Music Chart | 13 | |
| UK Singles Chart | 4 | |
| U.S.Billboard Hot 100 | 1 | |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 6 | |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles | 1 | |
| "Wonderland" | Canada (RPM) | 70 |
| UK Singles Chart | 40 | |
| U.S.Billboard Hot 100 | 25 | |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 43 | |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles | 21 |
Sales and certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands (NVPI)[19] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[20] | Gold | 100,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ "BPI certifications for Commodores".
- ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 159.
- Motown Records. 1979.
- ^ "The Commodores: Midnight Magic". bpi.co.uk. BPI.
- ^ "Commodores". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.
- ^ Henderson, Alex. "Commodores: Midnight Magic". allmusic.com. AllMusic.
- ^ Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (August 23 – September 5, 1979): 25.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul. Virgin. p. 75.
- ^ "The Pop Life". The New York Times. August 24, 1979.
- ^ Red Starr (23 March 1979). "albums". Smash Hits. No. 19.
- ^ Freedberg, Mike (23 Aug 1979). "Soul Dog". Bay State Banner. No. 46. p. 22.
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. December 8, 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "RPM 100 Albums". RPM.
- The Official New Zealand Music Chart.
- ^ "Commodores: Heroes". dutchcharts.nl. Dutch Charts.
- ^ "Commodores: Heroes". swedishcharts.com. Sverigetopplistan.
- VG-Lista.
- ^ "Dutch album certifications – Commodores – Midnight Magic" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved July 16, 2022. Enter Midnight Magic in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1979 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
- ^ "British album certifications – Commodores – Midnight Magic". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
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