"Love Land" | ||||
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Single by Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band | ||||
from the album In the Jungle, Babe | ||||
B-side | "Sorry Charlie" | |||
Released | January 1970 | |||
Recorded | 1969 | |||
Genre | R&B | |||
Length | 3:05 [1] | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Songwriter(s) | Rose Marie McCoy and Luther Dixon | |||
Producer(s) | Charles Wright | |||
Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band singles chronology | ||||
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"Love Land" is a song written by Rose Marie McCoy and Luther Dixon. It was first recorded by Al Hibbler in 1958.
Charles Wright and Don Trotter covered Al Hibbler's recording and performed by Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. It was released in 1970 on the Warner Bros label. It reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #23 on the U.S. R&B chart. [2] The song was featured on their 1969 album, In the Jungle, Babe. [3]
The song was produced by Wright. Lead vocals on the cut were performed by the band's drummer James Gadsen (who would later become an in-demand session drummer). [4]
The single ranked #50 on Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1970. [5]
Chart (1970) | |
---|---|
Billboard Hot 100 [6] | 16 |
U.S. R&B | 23 |
Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band is an American soul and funk band. Formed in the early 1960s, they had the most visibility from 1967 to 1973 when the band had 9 singles reach Billboard's pop and/or rhythm and blues charts, such as "Do Your Thing", "Till You Get Enough", and "Love Land". They are best known for their biggest hit on Warner Bros. Records, 1970's "Express Yourself", a song that has been sampled by rap group N.W.A and others.
"Lean on Me" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bill Withers. It was released in April 1972 as the first single from his second album, Still Bill. It was a number one single on both the soul and Billboard Hot 100 charts, the latter chart for three weeks in July 1972. Billboard ranked it as the No. 7 song of 1972. It was ranked number 208 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2010. Numerous other versions have been recorded, and it is one of only nine songs to have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with versions recorded by two different artists.
"Since I Don't Have You" is a song written and composed by Jackie Taylor, James Beaumont, Janet Vogel, Joseph Rock, Joe Verscharen, Lennie Martin, and Wally Lester. It was first a 1958 hit single for the doo-wop group the Skyliners on the Billboard Hot 100. Country music singer Ronnie Milsap had a hit with the song in 1991. American hard rock band Guns N' Roses also had some success in 1994 with their version of the song which reached the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
"If I Were a Carpenter" is a folk song written by Tim Hardin in the 1960s, and re-recorded with commercial success by various artists including Bobby Darin, The Four Tops and Johnny Cash. Hardin's own recording of the piece appeared on his 1967 album Tim Hardin 2. It was one of two songs from that release performed by Hardin at Woodstock in 1969. The song, believed by some to be about male romantic insecurity, is rumored to have been inspired by his love for actress Susan Morss, as well as the construction of Hardin's recording studio.
"Can't Get Enough" is the debut single by English rock supergroup Bad Company. Appearing on the band's 1974 self-titled debut album, it is their biggest hit and is considered their most popular song. It reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and No. 1 on Cashbox magazine's Top 100 Singles chart. The song is also frequently played on classic rock radio stations.
"Don't Let It End" is the third track and the second top 10 single on the 1983 album Kilroy Was Here, by Styx.
Dyke and the Blazers was an American funk band led by Arlester Christian. The band was formed in 1965, and recorded up until Christian's death in 1971. Among their most successful records were the original version of "Funky Broadway" (1966) and "Let a Woman Be a Woman" (1969).
"Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)" is a song written by the premier Motown songwriting/production team of the 1960s Holland–Dozier–Holland. The first hit recording was sung by Kim Weston in 1965. It was most popular in 1975 when it was recorded by the Doobie Brothers.
"I'll Be Good to You" is a 1976 hit song by R&B duo the Brothers Johnson. George Johnson, one of the two Johnson brothers in the band, wrote the song after deciding to commit to a relationship with one woman, instead of dating several at a time. While George was recording a demo for the song, family friend Senora Sam came by and added some lyrics. Brothers Johnson producer and mentor Quincy Jones heard the song, liked it, and convinced George to sing lead on the finished track. Released from their debut album, Look Out for #1, it was a top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot Singles Charts, peaking at number three, and a number one song on the Billboard R&B Charts during the summer of 1976. The single was later certified gold by the RIAA.
"Love Ballad" is a song by R&B/Funk band L.T.D. Jeffrey Osborne is the lead singer.
"Love on a Two-Way Street" is a soul ballad written by Sylvia Robinson and Bert Keyes in 1968. The song was originally recorded by Lezli Valentine, an artist signed to All Platinum, the record label that Sylvia Robinson co-owned with her husband, Joe. The song was then recorded by The Moments, an R&B vocal group signed to All Platinum subsidiary Stang Records, as filler for their 1968 album Not on the Outside, But on the Inside, Strong!. Sylvia and Joe decided to release the song as a single in March 1970 and it went on to become one of the biggest R&B hits of that year, spending five weeks at number one on Billboard's Soul Singles chart and reaching number three on the Hot 100 chart. Billboard ranked the record as the No. 25 song of 1970. It was also certified gold by the RIAA for sales of one million copies.
Underdog is an album by the Atlanta Rhythm Section, released in 1979 by Polydor Records. It is their first album with the drummer Roy Yeager since the former drummer Robert Nix left the band near the end of 1978. The album reached number 26 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart, and was certified gold by the RIAA in June 1979. The album contained two songs which reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, "Do It or Die" and "Spooky". The latter was a re-recording of the 1968 number three hit for Classics IV, a pop rock group whose line up included members who later joined Atlanta Rhythm Section.
"Share Your Love with Me" is a song written by Alfred Braggs and Deadric Malone. It was originally recorded by blues singer Bobby "Blue" Bland. Over the years, the song has been covered by various artists, most notably Aretha Franklin who won a Grammy Award for her 1969 rendition. Other artists who covered the song include The Band in 1973, Kenny Rogers in 1981, and most recently, Van Morrison in 2016.
"Express Yourself" was written by Charles Wright and performed by Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. It became their signature song after its release in 1970 on their album, Express Yourself. The song was produced by Wright.
Fred Sledge Smith, often credited as Fred Smith, was an American R&B songwriter and record producer, who worked in particular with The Olympics, Bob & Earl, Bill Cosby, and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band.
"Do Your Thing" is a song written by Charles Wright and performed by Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. It reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #12 on the R&B chart in 1969. The song was featured on their 1968 album, Together.
"Till You Get Enough" is a song written by Al McKay, Charles Wright, James Gadson, John Rayford, and Melvin Dunlap and performed by the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. The song was produced by Wright and arranged by Wright, Rayford, Gabe Flemings, and Ray Jackson, and was featured on their 1969 album, In the Jungle, Babe.
"Your Love (Means Everything to Me)" is a song written by Charles Wright and performed by Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. It reached #9 on the R&B chart and #73 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971. The song was featured on their 1971 album, You're So Beautiful.
Charles Williams Wright is an American singer, instrumentalist and songwriter. He has been a member of various doo wop groups in the late 1950s and early 1960s as well as a solo artist in his own right. He is also the former leader and writer of hits for the group, Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band.
Melvin Carl Dunlap was an American bass guitarist most recognized for his work with Bill Withers and Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm band. Additionally, Dunlap was an accomplished session musician, producer, and composer.