Chillin' (Force MDs album)

Chillin'
Studio album by Force MDs
Released	December 15, 1985 [1] [ better source needed ]
Studio	Tommy Boy, Unique Recording, and Quadrasonic (New York City, New York) Flyte Tyme (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Genre	Hip hop, pop, R&B
Length	36:51
Label	Tommy Boy [2]
Producer	Robin Halpin (tracks 1-4, 7, 8; additional production on track 6) Joey Gardner and John Hickman (track 5) Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (track 6)
Force MDs chronology
Love Letters (1984) Chillin' (1985) Touch and Go (1987)

Chillin' is a studio album by the American R&B vocal group Force MDs, released in 1985. ^[3] The hit single "Tender Love" appears on the Krush Groove soundtrack. ^[2]

The album peaked at No. 69 on the Billboard 200. ^[4]

Production

The album was mostly produced by Tommy Boy house producer Robin Halpin, with the exception of two tracks. ^[5] "Tender Love" was written by the production duo of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. ^{[6] [7]} The album marked a shift in the group's sound, downplaying the rap songs in favor of more ballads. ^[8] "Force MD's Meet the Fat Boys" is set to the theme song to Gilligan's Island . ^[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
Robert Christgau	C+ [11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[13]

Trouser Press wrote: "From the ridiculous rap of 'Force M.D.’s Meet the Fat Boys' (partially sung to the melody of 'Gilligan’s Island' and guest-starring the tubby three) to the catchy, falsetto-over-scratch-beats title track, the versatile M.D.’s mix credible urban savvy with enough smooth showbiz to please hard beatboys and mature soul fans alike." ^[5] The Washington Post thought that "the Force M.D.'s give their intoxicating harmonies the believable edge of impatient desires and streetwise arrangements." ^[3]

The Los Angeles Times opined: "More comfortable with dreamy balladry than razor-edged rapping, the M.D.'s may not look as harmless as New Edition, but its love songs are equally sweet." ^[14] The Seattle Times praised the group's "smooth, polished sound," and called "One Plus One" "a high-powered tune influenced by [the] Jackson Five." ^[15]

AllMusic declared that the group "quietly reinvented quiet storm/R&B for the '80s with their doo wop-heavy 'Tender Love'." ^[10]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"One Plus One"	Antoine Lundy, Jessie D, Robin Halpin	4:07
2.	"Here I Go Again"	Antoine Lundy, Robin Halpin	6:24
3.	"Uh Oh!"	Robin Halpin, Trisco Pearson	4:28
4.	"Chillin'"	Antoine Lundy, Charles Nelson, Jessie D, Robin Halpin, Steven Lundy, Trisco Pearson	4:35
5.	"Force MD's Meet the Fat Boys"	George Wyle, Sherwood Schwartz, Wally Holmes	4:07
6.	"Tender Love"	James Harris III, Terry Lewis	3:54
7.	"Will You Be My Girlfriend?"	Antoine Lundy, Steven Lundy	4:25
8.	"Walking on Air"	Robin Halpin	4:17

Personnel

Force MDs

• Jesse D (Jesse Daniels)
• Antoine "T.C.D." Lundy
• Stevie D (Steven Lundy)
• Charles "Mercury" Nelson
• Trisco Pearson

Musicians

• Robin Halpin – keyboards (1-4, 7, 8), synthesizers (1-4), arrangements (1-4, 7, 8), string arrangements (2)
• Vince Madison - keyboards (1-4, 7, 8), synthesizers (1-4, 7, 8), arrangements (4)
• John "M.J." Hickman – keyboards (5)
• Jimmy Jam – acoustic piano and keyboards [uncredited] (6) ^[16]
• Paul Pesco – guitars (1, 3, 4, 7), drum programming (1, 3, 7), additional drum programming (8)
• Skip McDonald – guitars (2)
• Doug Wimbish – bass (2)
• Keith LeBlanc – drums (2)
• Eric Calvi – drum programming (3, 4, 8), arrangements (4)
• Bashiri Johnson – percussion (1, 3, 4, 7)
• The Fat Boys – vocals (5)

Production

• Tom Silverman – executive producer
• Force MDs – BGV arrangements (1-4, 6-8)
• Eric Calvi – engineer (1-4, 7, 8), editing (1, 3, 4, 6, 7), recording (5), mix engineer (5, 6), mixing (5), creative consultant
• Tom Lord-Alge – mix engineer (1-3, 7, 8)
• Robin Halpin – mixing (1-4, 7, 8), editing (1, 3, 4, 7), remixing (6), overdubs (6)
• Joey Gardner – mixing (5), remixing (6), editing (6)
• Bruce Miller – second engineer (2, 4)
• Jon Smith – editing (8)
• Herb Powers Jr. – mastering at Frankford/Wayne Mastering Labs (New York, NY)
• Monica Lynch – art direction
• Doug Rowell – photography

References

1. "December 15, 1985: The Force M.D.'s released their second studio album "Chillin'" on Tommy Boy". Tommy Boy . December 15, 2024.
2. "Tommy Boy-Warners Deal Bears First Fruit". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. April 5, 1986 – via Google Books.
3. "Has Success Spoiled New Edition?". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
4. Whitburn, Joel (2010). Top Pop Albums (7th ed.). Record Research. p. 284.
5. "Force M.D.'s". Trouser Press. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
6. "Force M.D.'s | Biography & History". AllMusic.
7. Hiltbrand, David (September 26, 1987). "Young Singers, Old-Fashioned Soul". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. C8.
8. Catlin, Roger (February 23, 1986). "3rd Album Quirky but Strong Violent Femmes Bounces Back". Entertainment. Omaha World-Herald. p. 1.
9. Gingold, Dave (February 14, 1986). "Force's hip-hop doo-wop". Spotlight. Santa Cruz Sentinel. p. 12.
10. "Chillin' Force M.D.'s". AllMusic.
11. "Force M.D.'s". Robert Christgau.
12. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. p. 534.
13. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 257.
14. Johnson, Connie (March 23, 1986). "Spring Album Roundup: Silk from the Streets". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 60.
15. MacDonald, Patrick (September 5, 1986). "Boston Quartet Brings Hit Sound to Tacoma". Tempo. The Seattle Times. p. 5.
16. "The Story behind the song "Tender Love" @ YouTube. Retrieved 11 February 2024.