Norma Jean (album)

Last updated
Norma Jean
Norma Jean Wright - Norma Jean.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 1978
Recorded1978
Studio Power Station, New York City
Genre
Length34:38
Label
Producer
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Norma Jean is the debut, and only, solo studio album by American R&B singer Norma Jean Wright, released on Bearsville Records in 1978. The album was produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers of the band Chic, and was the project directly following the band's successful self-titled debut album Chic , which featured Wright on vocals.

Contents

Norma Jean includes the singles "Saturday", a US R&B Top 20 hit (#15) in July 1978, "Having a Party" and "Sorcerer", and was followed by non-album single "High Society" (R&B #19, January 1980), also produced by the Chic team. Another track from the album, "I Like Love", was later sampled in Solitaire's 2004 single "I Like Love (I Love Love)".

The album was reissued on CD with five bonus tracks by Sequel Records in 2000. The CD was soon out of print and commanded high prices on the collectors' market until reissued again in 2011 with the 7" versions of "Sorcerer" and "Having a Party" added.

The album's best-known original song is "Saturday", which besides being a club hit in its own right, has produced charting cover versions by East 57th St featuring Donna Allen (1997, UK #29), Joey Negro featuring Taka Boom (2000, UK #41) and 100% featuring Jennifer John (2004, UK #28). A remixed version of the song also serves as the theme music for British entertainment show Saturday Night Takeaway

Track listing

All tracks written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers unless otherwise noted.
Side A:

  1. "Saturday" (Bobby Carter, Edwards, Rodgers) – 6:06 Listen
  2. "Having a Party" (Sam Cooke) – 4:31
  3. "I Believe in You" (Chris Dawkins, Norman Whitehead) – 5:13

Side B:

  1. "Sorcerer" – 5:01
  2. "So I Get Hurt Again" – 4:50
  3. "This Is the Love" (Denzil Miller, Norma Jean Wright) – 3:09
  4. "I Like Love" – 5:48

Bonus tracks 2000 CD reissue:

  1. "Hold Me Lonely Boy" – 3:40
  2. "High Society" (12" Mix) – 6:09
  3. "Saturday Nite" (Single Mix) – 3:28
  4. "Sorcerer" (12" Mix) – 7:15
  5. "Having a Party" (12" Mix) (Sam Cooke) – 5:45

Personnel

Production

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Edwards</span> American bassist and record producer (1952–1996)

Bernard Edwards was an American bass player and record producer, known primarily for his work in disco music with guitarist Nile Rodgers, with whom he co-founded Chic. In 2017, Edwards was selected as the 53rd greatest bassist of all time by Bass Player magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Good Times (Chic song)</span> 1979 single by Chic

"Good Times" is a disco soul song by American R&B band Chic from their third album Risqué (1979). It ranks 68th on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and has become one of the most sampled tunes in music history, most notably in hip hop music. Originally released with "A Warm Summer Night" on the B-side, it was reissued in 2004 with "I Want Your Love" on the B-side, a version which was certified Silver in the UK.

<i>KooKoo</i> 1981 studio album by Debbie Harry

KooKoo is the debut solo album by American singer Debbie Harry, released on July 27, 1981, by Chrysalis Records. Produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic, the album was recorded whilst Harry took a break from her band Blondie. It was a moderate commercial success, reaching number 25 on the US Billboard 200 and number six on the UK Albums Chart.

<i>We Are Family</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Sister Sledge

We Are Family is the third studio album by the American R&B vocal group Sister Sledge, released on January 22, 1979, in the United States and on April 30, 1979, in the United Kingdom by Cotillion Records. The album was written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the band Chic, and includes four hit singles: the title track, "He's the Greatest Dancer", "Lost in Music" and "Thinking of You", all of which have been sampled, remixed, and reissued in the decades after the album's release. The album reached number one on the Top R&B Albums chart and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, making it the band's most commercially successful album. In 2013, NME named it among the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Norma Jean Wright is an American singer and was the lead vocalist of the American group Chic, a soul, R&B and disco band, from 1977 to 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chic (band)</span> American rhythm and blues band

Chic, currently called Nile Rodgers & Chic, is an American disco band that was formed in 1972 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It recorded many commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " (1977), "Everybody Dance" (1977), "Le Freak" (1978), "I Want Your Love" (1978), "Good Times" (1979), and "My Forbidden Lover" (1979). The group regarded themselves as a rock band for the disco movement "that made good on hippie peace, love and freedom". In 2017, Chic was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the eleventh time.

<i>Do You</i> (album) 1985 studio album by Sheena Easton

Do You is the sixth English-language studio album from Scottish singer Sheena Easton. It was originally released in November 1985 by EMI Records, and later reissued and remastered by One Way Records in 2000, with additional B-sides and extended mixes. The album was produced by Nile Rodgers. Not as successful as her previous album, Do You peaked at number 40 in the US, but was certified gold and featured the top 30 hit "Do It for Love".

<i>Chic</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Chic

Chic is the debut album by Chic, released on Atlantic Records in 1977. The cover art featured two models, Valentine Monnier (left) and Alva Chinn (right), uncredited in a photograph taken by Frank Laffitte.

<i>Love Somebody Today</i> 1980 studio album by Sister Sledge

Love Somebody Today is the fourth studio album by the American R&B vocal group Sister Sledge, released on March 16, 1980, by Cotillion Records. The album includes three singles: "Got to Love Somebody", "Reach Your Peak", and "Let's Go on Vacation", which all charted on the US Pop and R&B/Soul charts from late 1979 until 1980.

<i>Real People</i> (album) 1980 studio album by Chic

Real People is the fourth studio album by American R&B band Chic, released on Atlantic Records in 1980. It includes the singles "Rebels Are We", "Real People", and "26".

<i>King of the World</i> (album) 1980 studio album by Sheila and B. Devotion

King of the World is the final album by French disco act Sheila and B. Devotion, released on June 27, 1980. The album which was both written and produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers of American R&B band Chic includes the hit "Spacer" which reached No. 18 on the UK charts in early 1980 and was a Top 10 hit in most of Europe, selling more than 5 million copies worldwide. The album displays some elements unusual in Chic productions, such as prominent guitar solos in place of the breakdowns that were normally a staple part of the Chic sound, and some unusual lyrical subject matter, such as the sci-fi themed "Spacer" and a humorous song about credit cards.

<i>Soup for One</i> (soundtrack) 1982 soundtrack album by Chic

Soup for One is the soundtrack album to the movie Soup for One by American R&B band Chic et al., released by Mirage Records in 1982. The album reached number 168 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and number 42 on the R&B chart. Besides three previously released tracks, Chic's "I Want Your Love" from 1978 album C'est Chic, Sister Sledge's "Let's Go On Vacation" from 1980s Love Somebody Today and "Jump, Jump" from Debbie Harry's KooKoo, the album contains five songs specifically written and produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers for the movie.

<i>Take It Off</i> (album) 1981 studio album by Chic

Take It Off is the fifth studio album by American band Chic. It was released on Atlantic Records in November 16, 1981. It includes the single "Stage Fright", which reached number 35 on the US R&B chart, but was the first Chic single failing to enter the US Pop charts, and this album only proved to be moderately successful as well, stalling at number 124 on the US albums chart and number 36 on the R&B chart.

<i>Tongue in Chic</i> 1982 studio album by Chic

Tongue in Chic is the sixth studio album by American R&B band Chic, released on Atlantic Records in 1982. The album includes the singles "Hangin'" and "I Feel Your Love Comin' On". Tongue in Chic peaked at No. 173 on the Billboard 200.

<i>Believer</i> (Chic album) 1983 studio album by Chic

Believer is the seventh studio album by American band Chic, their last for the Atlantic Records label, and the last featuring the classic line-up of Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards, Alfa Anderson, Luci Martin, and Tony Thompson. The album includes the singles "Give Me the Lovin'", "You Are Beautiful", and "Party Everybody". The album failed to make much of an impact and shortly after its release the group disbanded.

<i>Chic-ism</i> 1992 studio album by Chic

Chic-ism is the eighth studio album by American R&B band Chic, released on the Warner Bros label in 1992.

<i>Live at the Budokan</i> (Chic album) 1999 live album by Chic

Live at the Budokan is a live album by American band Chic, released on Nile Rodgers' label Sumthing Else in 1999.

<i>Les Plus Grands Succès De Chic: Chics Greatest Hits</i> 1979 greatest hits album by Chic

Les Plus Grands Succès De Chic: Chic's Greatest Hits, also known as The Best of Chic, is a greatest hits album by the American R&B band Chic, released on Atlantic Records in late 1979. It includes the biggest hits from their first three albums: Chic (1977), C'est Chic (1978) and Risqué (1979).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everybody Dance (Chic song)</span> 1977 single by Chic

"Everybody Dance" is a song by American band Chic. The disco song, which features Norma Jean Wright on lead vocals and Luther Vandross, Diva Gray, Robin Clark and David Lasley on background vocals, was released as the second single from the band's self-titled debut album Chic (1977). According to guitarist Nile Rodgers, it was the first song specifically written for Chic, and, due to its historical status and popularity, is usually played as the opening song of the band's live set. It was later heavily sampled by British group Steps on their song "Stomp" and echoed by the Manic Street Preachers on their single "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love".

<i>Up All Night</i> (The Chic Organization album) 2013 compilation album by Nile Rodgers presents The Chic Organization

Up All Night is a compilation album by Nile Rodgers and The Chic Organization, released in 2013. It contains recordings written, played and produced by Rodgers and Bernard Edwards for various artists including Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, Sheila & B. Devotion, Deborah Harry, Norma Jean Wright, Carly Simon, Johnny Mathis and their own group Chic. In its original form, the album included every UK Top 40 hit single produced by Chic, excepting remixes. The Johnny Mathis track was widely publicised as being previously unreleased, though it had in fact appeared on Mathis' own Ultimate Collection CD in 2011.

References