Go West (Village People album)

Last updated
Go West
Villagegowest.jpg
Studio album by
Village People
ReleasedMarch 26, 1979
Recorded1978
Genre Disco
Length30:33
Label Casablanca
Producer Jacques Morali
Village People chronology
Cruisin'
(1978)		Go West
(1979)		 Live and Sleazy
(1979)
Singles from Go West
  1. "In the Navy"
    Released: March 17, 1979
  2. "Go West"
    Released: June 1979

Go West is the fourth studio album by the Village People, released on March 26, 1979. It features their hit singles "In the Navy" (No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 in the UK Top 40) and "Go West", which the Pet Shop Boys did a successful cover of in 1993.

Contents

The album was reissued on CD in 1996.

Go West would be the band's last complete album of all-new material for Casablanca, as well as the last album to feature Victor Willis.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Christgau's Record Guide B− [2]
Smash Hits 5/10 [3]

Billboard stated that the album contains "some of the most irresistible rhythm in today's pop /disco genre." [4] Billboard described the song "I Wanna Shake Your Hand" as "an appropriately non romantic twist on the Beatles", with its mock exhortation to "Don't be shy/ go up and say hello." [4] The New York Times wrote that the album is "set to a pounding disco beat, overlaid with glutinously symphonic arrangements and Victor Willis's hoarse, sweaty vocals." [5] AllMusic critic Amy Hanson felt that aside from the two singles and "Manhattan Woman," which she felt "contained some interesting, James Brown-inflected vocalizations," the remaining songs "sound like a rehash of the band's already released finest." [1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Henri Belolo, Jacques Morali and Victor Willis

No.TitleLength
1."In the Navy"5:39
2."Go West"4:10
3."Citizens of the World"5:32
4."I Wanna Shake Your Hand"4:40
5."Get Away Holiday"5:22
6."Manhattan Woman"5:10

Charts

Chart performance for Go West
Chart (1979)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [6] 8
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [7] 22
Belgian Albums (BEA) [8] 6
Canadian Albums (RPM) [9] 2
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [10] 8
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [11] 2
French Albums (SNEP) [12] 9
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [13] 14
Icelandic Albums (Tónlist) [14] 6
Italian Albums (AFI) [15] 15
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [16] 18
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [17] 28
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [18] 4
Spanish Albums (AFE) [19] 14
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [20] 7
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [21] 11
UK Albums (OCC) [22] 14
US Billboard 200 [23] 8
Zimbabwean Albums (ZIMA) [24] 2

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [25] Gold20,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [26] 3× Platinum300,000^
France (SNEP) [27] Gold100,000*
Germany—500,000 [28]
United Kingdom (BPI) [29] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [30] Platinum1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. 1 2 Hanson, Amy. "Go West - The Village People" . Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: V". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved March 19, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  3. ↑ Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (May 17–31, 1979): 25.
  4. 1 2 "Top Album Picks" (PDF). Billboard. April 7, 1979. p. 98. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  5. ↑ Rockwell, John (20 Apr 1979). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C15.
  6. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 330. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  7. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Village People – Go West" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Hits Of The World, Page 95 June 9 1979". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  9. ↑ "RPM: Village People (albums)". RPM Magazine. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Village People – Go West" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  11. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN   978-951-1-21053-5.
  12. ↑ "Tous les Albums de l'Artiste choisi". InfoDisc. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Village People – Go West" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Tonlist Top 40". DV. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
  15. ↑ "Gli album più venduti del 1979". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Oricon Archive - Village People". Oricon. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Charts.nz – Village People – Go West". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Village People – Go West". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  19. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  20. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Village People – Go West". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Village People – Go West". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  23. ↑ "The Village People – Awards". AllMusic . All Media Network. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  24. ↑ Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  25. ↑ "Initial Shipping of Go West Goes Gold in Australia" (PDF). Cash Box . March 28, 1979. p. 9. Retrieved December 1, 2021– via World Radio History.
  26. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Village People – Go West". Music Canada.
  27. ↑ "French album certifications – Village People – Go West" (in French). InfoDisc.Select VILLAGE PEOPLE and click OK. 
  28. ↑ Spahr, Wolfgang (July 28, 1979). "Germany's Metronome Label Booming". Billboard . Vol. 91, no. 30. p. 9. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  29. ↑ "British album certifications – Village People – Go West". British Phonographic Industry.
  30. ↑ "American album certifications – Village People – Go West". Recording Industry Association of America.


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