In Praise of Older Women... and Other Crimes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1985 | |||
Studio | Electric Lady Studios, New York City; Daily Planet Studios, New York City; Tetsu Studios | |||
Genre | New wave, disco | |||
Length | 38:58 | |||
Label | Sire | |||
Producer | August Darnell | |||
Kid Creole and the Coconuts chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from In Praise of Older Women... and Other Crimes | ||||
|
In Praise of Older Women... and Other Crimes is the fifth studio album released by the American musical group Kid Creole and the Coconuts. It was released in 1985 and includes the singles "Endicott" and "Caroline Was a Drop-Out". The album and its lead single "Caroline Was a Drop-Out" did not chart in any territory, but the second single "Endicott" became one of the group's better known songs in the US, where it peaked at #21 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. The single also reached the top 30 in France and the Netherlands.
"You Can't Keep a Good Man Down" is a remake of the Gichy Dan's Beachwood #9 song from their self-titled 1979 album. The original recording was written and co-produced by Darnell. Gichy Dan also provides backing vocals on In Praise of Older Women... and Other Crimes.
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Sounds | [2] |
The Village Voice | A− [3] |
In Praise of Older Women... and Other Crimes received mixed reviews from critics. Zach Curd writing for AllMusic gave the album a mixed review. He calls the album a weaker example of the "disco/calypso/funk/Latin" genres. [1] He also describes the album overall as entertaining, humorous, fun, and worth buying for the feel-good, "Endicott". [1]
In a positive review, Robert Christgau, writing for The Village Voice , positively compares Darnell to Cole Porter and hails him for maintaining a consistent level of lyrical sophistication that in the rock or musical comedy genres. He does, however, criticize the amount of brittle satire on the album. [3] Christgau also singles out Andy Hernandez's attack on white-collar crime "Dowopsalsaboprock". [3]
All tracks are written by August Darnell and Stony Browder Jr.; except where indicated
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Endicott" | Darnell | 4:25 |
2. | "Particul'y Int'rested" | 4:06 | |
3. | "Name It" | 3:48 | |
4. | "(Darlin' You Can) Take Me" | 4:06 | |
5. | "Luv Got Me Dancen' On My Kneez" | Andy Hernandez | 3:02 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
6. | "Caroline Was a Drop-Out" | 3:55 | |
7. | "He Can Have You" | 3:31 | |
8. | "The Animal Cop" | Darnell | 3:46 |
9. | "Dowopsalsaboprock" | Hernandez | 3:50 |
10. | "You Can't Keep a Good Man Down" | Darnell | 4:29 |
|
|
Charts (1985) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian singles (RPM Top 100) | 88 |
Dutch Singles (Dutch Top 40) [4] | 28 |
French Singles (SNEP) [5] | 28 |
UK Singles (OCC) [6] | 80 |
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play [7] | 21 |
Kid Creole and the Coconuts is an American musical group created by August Darnell with Andy Hernandez and Adriana Kaegi. Its music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular a mix of disco and Latin American, Caribbean, and Calloway styles conceptually inspired by the big band era. The Coconuts are a trio of female backing vocalists/dancers, founded and originally choreographed and costumed by Kaegi.
The Bravery is the debut studio album by American rock band the Bravery, released on March 14, 2005, by Island Records. It peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard 200 and number 5 on the UK Albums Chart.
Machine was an American funk, disco and rock group, formed in New York City and originally active from 1977 to 1981. The band reached its biggest success with the single "There but for the Grace of God Go I", which became a disco hit in 1979.
Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band was a big band- and swing-influenced disco band that was formed in the Bronx, New York. The band is best known for its number-one US dance hit "Cherchez La Femme/C'est si bon", from its self-titled debut album.
Tropical Gangsters is the third album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, released on May 10, 1982. Originally conceived as a solo album by band leader August Darnell and titled Wise Guy, his label ZE Records pressured him to change it to a Kid Creole and the Coconuts record and to make it more commercial sounding in order to relieve the label's financial problems. Despite the tensions this caused within the band and Darnell's complaint that the subsequent record was a "cop-out", the more dance-pop oriented sound helped it reached number 145 on the Billboard 200 album chart, representing the group's commercial breakthrough in their home country. However, to the surprise of Darnell and his record company Tropical Gangsters was a huge success in Australia and New Zealand, Europe, and in particular the UK, where the album peaked at number three in the UK Albums Chart and yielded three top ten singles. Tropical Gangsters made Darnell a worldwide star, and the album remains both his and the ZE label's most successful record by far.
Thomas August Darnell Browder, known professionally as August Darnell and under the stage name Kid Creole, is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He co-founded Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band and subsequently formed and led Kid Creole and the Coconuts.
Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places is the second album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, released in 1981.
Doppelganger is the fourth studio album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, released in 1983. The album was a relative commercial and critical disappointment following the group's most popular album Tropical Gangsters/Wise Guy. The album was released on LP and cassette in September 1983 and peaked at #21 in the UK, and to moderate success throughout Europe but did not chart in the US. The album includes the singles "There's Something Wrong in Paradise", "The Lifeboat Party", and in the US "If You Wanna Be Happy". It was reissued by Universal Island Records with bonus tracks added to album in 2002.
Off the Coast of Me is the debut album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, released in 1980. The album was reissued in 2003 with additional bonus tracks by Universal Island Records.
Ronald Bruce Rogers , better known as Ron Rogers or Ronnie Rogers, is a songwriter, composer, recording artist and record producer from New York City. His career spanned from the late 1970s until the 1990s.
The discography of American musical group Kid Creole and the Coconuts created and led by August Darnell includes fourteen studio albums, one live album, seven compilations, one extended play and twenty-seven singles. The small discography of The Coconuts – Kid Creole's backing singers – consisting of two studio albums and three singles is included on this page.
I, Too, Have Seen the Woods is the sixth studio album released by the American musical group Kid Creole and the Coconuts. It was released in 1987 and includes the single "Dancing at the Bain Douches".
Private Waters in the Great Divide is the seventh studio album by the American musical group Kid Creole and the Coconuts, released in 1990. It includes the singles "The Sex of It" and "I Love Girls".
You Shoulda Told Me You Were... is a studio album by the American musical group Kid Creole and the Coconuts, released in 1991. It includes the single "(She's A) Party Girl".
Kid Creole Redux is the second compilation album released by American musical group Kid Creole and the Coconuts. It was released in 1992.
To Travel Sideways is the tenth studio album released by the American musical group Kid Creole and the Coconuts. It was the first of two albums released by the group in 1995.
Kiss Me Before the Light Changes is the eleventh studio album released by American musical group Kid Creole and the Coconuts. It was the second of two albums released by the group in 1995.
"Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy" is a song written by August Darnell and first recorded by his band Kid Creole and the Coconuts. It was released in 1982 as the third and final single from their album Tropical Gangsters. It is Kid Creole and the Coconuts' highest charting single on the UK Singles Chart, reaching a peak of no. 2. It also reached no. 18 on the U.S. Club Play Chart.
"Stool Pigeon" is a 1982 song by Kid Creole & The Coconuts. It was the second single to be released from the group's third studio album Tropical Gangsters. It reached a peak of #7 on the UK Singles Chart and #25 on the US US Club Play Chart. August Darnell, the lead singer of Kid Creole & The Coconuts, was a great fan of the 1940s dress style, which for gangsters was double breasted pinstriped suits and hats. "Stool Pigeon", which Darnell wrote, was a tribute to this whole genre.
"I'm a Wonderful Thing, Baby" is a 1982 song by Kid Creole and the Coconuts from their album Tropical Gangsters. It was the first single released from Tropical Gangsters and their first major hit reaching a peak of no. 4 in the UK Singles Chart. It also reached no. 18 on the US Club Play chart.