| Contradiction | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1976 | |||
| Recorded | ||||
| Genre | Soul, funk | |||
| Length | 38:28 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | Ohio Players | |||
| Ohio Players chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Contradiction | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B− [2] |
Contradiction is the eighth studio album by The Ohio Players, and the fourth album recorded for Mercury.
Contradiction was not as ballad-heavy as Honey , but it did expand on the mixture of funk, soul, and rock that they played with on that album. The title track also showed a leaning towards the work they did on Westbound. "Who'd She Coo?" was released as a single and went to No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart.
The band recorded Contradiction at three different recording studios, each session utilizing Barry Mraz as their engineer. The album cover depicts a nude woman feeding a horse a shiny red apple. While the horse is identified by name and breed in the liner notes (an Anglo-Trakehner stallion named Wasyl), the model is uncredited.
It is the fifth and last Ohio Players albums that was also available in quadraphonic (four-channel stereo), released in the 8-track tape format. Contradiction was one of three Ohio Players albums released in 1976. Westbound released Rattlesnake, featuring songs not used during their time with the label. With four Mercury albums under their belt and hit singles on the charts, the group would approve a greatest hits compilation, Gold .
All tracks are written by Billy Beck, James Williams, Marshall "Rock" Jones, Marvin Pierce, Ralph Middlebrooks, Clarence Satchell, Leroy Bonner.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Contradiction" | 4:37 |
| 2. | "Precious Love" | 4:57 |
| 3. | "Little Lady Maria" | 4:16 |
| 4. | "Far East Mississippi" | 4:58 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Who'd She Coo?" | 4:32 |
| 6. | "My Life" | 4:01 |
| 7. | "Tell the Truth" | 3:37 |
| 8. | "My Ladies Run Me Crazy" | 3:54 |
| 9. | "Bi-Centennial" | 3:44 |
| Chart (1976) | Peak [3] |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top LPs | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs | 1 |
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] | US R&B [3] | ||
| 1976 | "Who'd She Coo?" | 18 | 1 |
| "Far East Mississippi" | — | 26 | |
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