Never Can Say Goodbye | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 23, 1975 | |||
Recorded | 1974 | |||
Genre | Disco, R&B | |||
Length | 33:58 | |||
Label | MGM | |||
Producer | Paul Leka, Tony Bongiovi, Meco Monardo, Jay Ellis | |||
Gloria Gaynor chronology | ||||
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Singles from Never Can Say Goodbye | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B [2] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
Never Can Say Goodbye is the debut album by Gloria Gaynor, released on MGM Records in January 1975. [4] It is most notable for including several early Disco recordings. The album charted in the US Billboard at number 25 in the US Pop chart, and at number 21 in the US R&B chart. In the UK the album peaked at number 32, [5] "Never Can Say Goodbye" was released in the UK as a single and reached number 2 in early 1975. [6]
The album features three hit singles – "Honey Bee", "Never Can Say Goodbye", and "Reach Out, I'll Be There" – which are featured full-length on the album's first side in a 19-minute disco suite, then a famous first devised by Tom Moulton (not credited on the record itself). This album version of "Never Can Say Goodbye" features double drum beats during the verse links, which is not heard in the single version. Gloria Gaynor also was involved in the songwriting of a number of the tracks, including "Real Good People".
The album was remastered and reissued with bonus tracks in 2010 by Big Break Records. [7]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Honey Bee" | Mervin Steals, Melvin Steals, Matthew Ledbetter | 6:00 |
2. | "Never Can Say Goodbye" | Clifton Davis | 6:18 |
3. | "Reach Out, I'll Be There" | Holland–Dozier–Holland | 6:15 |
4. | "All I Need Is Your Sweet Lovin'" | Bobby Flax, Larry Lambert | 2:47 |
5. | "Searchin'" | Casey Spencer | 2:55 |
6. | "We Belong Together" | Lester Hodelin, Patricia Shells | 2:51 |
7. | "False Alarm" | Don Coan, Gloria Gaynor | 3:40 |
8. | "Real Good People" | Gloria Gaynor | 3:02 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
9. | "Honeybee" (Columbia Single Version) | 3:44 |
10. | "All It Took Boy Was Losing You" (B-Side) | 5:14 |
11. | "Come Tonight" (B-Side) | 2:38 |
12. | "Never Can Say Goodbye" (Single Version) | 2:59 |
13. | "We Just Can't Make It" (B-Side) | 3:16 |
14. | "Reach Out, I'll Be There" (Single Version) | 3:06 |
15. | "Honey Bee" (MGM Single Version) | 2:56 |
Production
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Argentina (CAPIF) [16] | Gold | 30,000^ |
Australia (ARIA) [17] | Gold | 20,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [18] | Gold | 50,000^ |
France (SNEP) [19] | Gold | 100,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI) [20] | Silver | 60,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Gloria Gaynor is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits "I Will Survive" (1978), "Let Me Know " (1979), "I Am What I Am" (1983), and her version of "Never Can Say Goodbye" (1974).
"I Will Survive" is a song by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978 as the second single from her sixth album, Love Tracks (1978). It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris. A top-selling song, it is a popular disco anthem, as well as being certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"Reach Out I'll Be There" (also formatted as "Reach Out (I'll Be There)") is a song recorded by the Four Tops from their fourth studio album Reach Out (1967). Written and produced by Motown's main production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song is one of the most widely-known Motown hits of the 1960s and is today considered the Four Tops' signature song.
"Never Can Say Goodbye" is a song written by Clifton Davis and originally recorded by the Jackson 5. The song was originally written and intended for the Supremes; however, Motown decided it would be better for the Jackson 5. It was the first single released from the group's 1971 album Maybe Tomorrow, and was one of the group's most successful records. It has been covered numerous times, most notably in 1974 by Gloria Gaynor and in 1987 by British pop group The Communards.
Maybe Tomorrow is the fifth studio album by the Jackson 5, released on April 12, 1971 by Motown Records. Released after the success of the hit ballad "I'll Be There", most of the tracks on the album are ballads, with few dance numbers. The album includes the hit singles "Never Can Say Goodbye" and "Maybe Tomorrow". While not as financially successful as the Jackson 5's first three outings, Maybe Tomorrow contains some of the most often-sampled and covered material in the group's catalogue. The album also spent six weeks at No. 1 on the US Soul Albums chart.
Carol Douglas is an American singer whose hit "Doctor's Orders" (1974) was a pioneering track in the disco genre.
Thomas Jerome Moulton is an American record producer. He experimented with remix in disco music and this led to its wide adoption as a standard practice in the industry. He also invented the breakdown section, and the twelve-inch single vinyl format in the process.
Domenico Monardo, known as Meco, was an American record producer and musician, as well as the name of his band or production team. Meco is best known for his 1977 space disco version of the Star Wars theme from his album Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk; both the single and album were certified platinum in the US.
"I'm Coming Out" is a song recorded by American singer Diana Ross. It was written and produced by Chic members Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, and released on August 22, 1980, as the second single from Ross’s self-titled tenth album, Diana (1980).
Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album is a record album produced in 1980 by RSO Records. It features recordings of Star Wars-themed Christmas songs and stories about a droid factory where the robots make toys year-round for "S. Claus".
Anthony Carmine Bongiovi Jr is an American record producer and recording engineer. He is the cousin of musician Jon Bon Jovi.
Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk is the debut studio album of American musician Meco that was released through Millennium Records in July 1977. Meco, who had a steady career as a session musician and producer, was an avid science fiction fan. Upon watching Star Wars (1977), he conceived the idea of re-working its score; he later had a meeting with Neil Bogart of Casablanca Records who approved the project. By June 1977, Meco was working with Tony Bongiovi and Harold Wheeler, recording at MZH Studio, New York City, for three weeks. Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk is a disco and jazz fusion album that consists of two medleys; "Star Wars" consists of nine sections and recreates sounds from the movie and "Other Galactic Funk" is made up of three sections.
Two Days Away is an album by Elkie Brooks, released in 1977.
Experience Gloria Gaynor is the second album by Gloria Gaynor, released in 1975 on MGM Records. The album charted in the US Billboard at #64 in the US Pop chart, and at #32 in the US R&B chart. The album failed to chart in the UK, the single "How High The Moon" was issued in the UK and peaked at #33.
I've Got You is the third album by vocalist Gloria Gaynor released in 1976. It was her first on Polydor Records, which had absorbed her previous label MGM Records and soon became a force in the disco genre. The album charted in the US Billboard at #107 in the US Pop chart and at #40 in the US R&B chart.
Love Tracks is the sixth studio album by Gloria Gaynor, released in November 1978 on Polydor Records.
"Doctor's Orders" is a song written by Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway and Geoff Stephens which, in 1974, was a hit in the UK for Sunny of Sue and Sunny; in the US the song was a hit for Carol Douglas.
Just Another Way to Say I Love You is the self-produced fourth album by American R&B singer Barry White, released in 1975 on the 20th Century label.
"All I Need Is Your Sweet Lovin'" is a song by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in August 1975. It was written by Bobby Flax and Larry Lambert, and the single charted at number forty-four on the UK Singles Chart.
This discography documents albums and singles released by American R&B/disco/pop music singer Gloria Gaynor: