Ship Ahoy (album)

Last updated
Ship Ahoy
Ship ahoy album.jpg
Studio album by
The O'Jays
Released10 November 1973
Studio Sigma Sound Studios, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genre Soul
Length48:13
Label Philadelphia International Records
Producer Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff
The O'Jays chronology
Back Stabbers
(1972)		Ship Ahoy
(1973)		 Survival
(1975)

Ship Ahoy is an album by Philadelphia soul group The O'Jays, released in 1973 on Philadelphia International Records. The album was a critical and commercial success, entering Billboard on November 10, and reaching No. 11. It reached No. 1 on the "Black Albums" chart and launched two hit singles, "For the Love of Money" and "Put Your Hands Together." Conceived as a theme album built around the title track, Ship Ahoy includes socially relevant tracks and love songs under a cover that is itself notable for its serious subject matter. The album, which achieved RIAA platinum certification in 1992 for over 1 million copies sold, has been reissued multiple times, including in a 2003 edition with a bonus track. Ship Ahoy was the highest selling R&B album on the Billboard Year-End chart for 1974. [1]

Contents

Songs and music

The songs on Ship Ahoy balance the romantic with the politically and socially conscious. [2] In its review of the 2003 re-issue, Rolling Stone noted that the album's "main achievement was proving that it was indeed possible to be thoughtful and articulate without losing your funk." [3]

The album's lead single was "Put Your Hands Together," a song urging cooperation and optimistic prayer for "a better day to come." [4] Rickey Vincent, author of Funk: The Music, the People, and the Rhythm of the One, describes the song as "fairly standard musically", "with a strong gospel feel." [5] The second single, "For the Love of Money," is a protest against materialism with a groove that Rolling Stone described as "downright orgiastic". [3] [6] The song was written around a bass line composed by Anthony Jackson, [7] which in 2005 Bass Player Magazine described as "landmark." [8] Bass Player went on to note that the song has "become one of the most recycled singles ever, sampled continually by rappers, and appearing on over 75 compilation CDs, numerous movie soundtracks, and, most recently, the theme for TV's The Apprentice ." [8]

The album's title song, "Ship Ahoy," was built around the theme of African captives being transported in a slave ship as part of the Middle Passage of the Atlantic slave trade. [6] It had originally been penned by Gamble and Huff for inclusion in the soundtrack to Shaft in Africa , but the producers decided instead to give it to the O'Jays as part of a concept album centered around slavery. [7] The song brought in the sounds of waves and cracking whips to add immediacy to lyrics which, according to PopMatters, personalized "the 'voyage' in ways that few black popular artifacts had previously done so—some three years before the publication of Alex Haley's Roots . [6] The book A Change is Gonna Come: Music, Race and the Soul of America notes that unlike the seminal work by Haley, "Ship Ahoy" is a hopeless, ominous song that offers "no sense that things are going to work out fine." [9] In its 1974 review of the album, The New York Times characterized the song as "dark and occasionally spine-chilling." [10] In 1993, The Miami Herald called it "a dark, atmospheric, frightening masterpiece that'll send a shiver up your spine." [11]

In 1995, The Los Angeles Times dubbed "Ship Ahoy", along with the song "Don't Call Me Brother" as among "[t]he cream of the vocal trio's angry music." [12] "Don't Call Me Brother" is a nearly nine-minute long album track that protests hypocritical claims of racial unity from backstabbers. [13]

Artwork

The cover of the album depicted the band in a slave hold with illustrations of slaves. In its review, PopMatters commented that the use by producers Gamble and Huff of this imagery demonstrated not only their freedom as the heads of Philadelphia International Records, but also "how seriously the duo viewed popular music as a vehicle to 'teach and preach'." [6] According to The Greatest Album Covers of All Time, the production of such politically conscious imagery from a band known for its popular music "was enough to make even the most myopic of white music fans take note that something was changing." [14] Illustrator James Barkley was otherwise better known for illustrating children's books and a postage stamp [14] —a 1972 image of Mount McKinley, Alaska—along with commercial design and other nature paintings. [15]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
Christgau's Record Guide B [16]
Mojo (favorable) [17]
The Music BoxStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [18]
New York Times (favorable) [10]
PopMatters (favorable) [19]
Rolling Stone 1974(favorable) [20]
Rolling Stone 2003Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Rolling Stone 2004Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [21]
Yahoo! Music (favorable) [22]

Ship Ahoy reached #1 on Billboard 's "Black Albums" chart and #11 on the "Pop Albums" chart and contained two hit singles, "For the Love of Money" (#3 "Black Singles", #9 "Pop Singles") and "Put Your Hands Together" (#2 "Black Singles", #10 "Pop Singles"). [23] The album certified "Gold" by the RIAA on January 21, 1974 and "Platinum" on August 11, 1992. [24]

In addition to its commercial success, the album was critically well received. In a 1974 review, The New York Times described it as "[a] fine recent album" representing producers "Gamble and Huff at their creative best". [25] AllMusic describes the album in its review as "[t]he "other" O'Jays album masterpiece", with "shattering message tracks and stunning love songs". [2]

Releases

The album has been reissued multiple times by Philadelphia International as well as Epic Records, Legacy Records, Columbia Records, Sony Records and Sis Records. In 2003, it was re-released by Sony and Epic [6] with a bonus track, a live version of "Put Your Hands Together" recorded in London in 1974. [26]

Track listing

All tracks written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, except where noted. [2]

Side one

  1. "Put Your Hands Together" – 4:07
  2. "Ship Ahoy" – 9:41
  3. "This Air I Breathe" (Gamble, Bunny Sigler) – 3:53
  4. "You Got Your Hooks in Me" (Sigler) – 5:34

Side two

  1. "For the Love of Money" (Gamble, Huff, Anthony Jackson) – 7:19
  2. "Now That We Found Love" – 4:41
  3. "Don't Call Me Brother" (Gamble, Sigler) – 8:58
  4. "People Keep Tellin' Me" (John Whitehead, Gene McFadden, Victor Carstarphen) – 4:00

Personnel

Performers

[ citation needed ]

Production

Charts

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The O'Jays</span> American R&B group from Ohio

The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in Summer 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor hit "Lonely Drifter" in 1963, but reached their greatest level of success once the producers Gamble & Huff signed them to their Philadelphia International label in 1972. With Gamble & Huff, the O'Jays emerged at the forefront of Philadelphia soul with Back Stabbers (1972), and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 the following year with "Love Train". Several other US R&B hits followed, and the O'Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2013.

MFSB, officially standing for "Mother Father Sister Brother", was a pool of more than 30 studio musicians based at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom Bell, and backed up Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the O'Jays, the Stylistics, the Spinners, Wilson Pickett, and Billy Paul.

Thomas Randolph Bell was an American record producer, arranger, and songwriter known as one of the creators of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s. Hailed as one of the most prolific R&B songwriters and producers ever, Bell found success crafting songs for Delfonics, Stylistics, and Spinners. In June 2006, Bell was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2016, Bell was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Intruders (band)</span> American soul music group

The Intruders were an American soul music group most popular in the 1960s and 1970s. As one of the first groups to have hit songs under the direction of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, they were a major influence on the development of Philadelphia soul.

<i>Back Stabbers</i> (album) 1972 studio album by the OJays

Back Stabbers is a studio album by Philadelphia soul group the O'Jays, released in August 1972 on Philadelphia International Records and the iTunes version was released and reissued under Epic Records via Legacy Recordings. Recording sessions for the album took place at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Paul</span> American soul singer (1934–2016)

Paul Williams, known professionally as Billy Paul, was an American soul singer, known for his 1972 No. 1 single "Me and Mrs. Jones", as well as the 1973 album and single War of the Gods, which blends his more conventional pop, soul, and funk styles with electronic and psychedelic influences.

The Salsoul Orchestra was the backing band of session musicians for many acts on the New York City label Salsoul Records and, under its own name, recorded several hit singles and albums between 1975 and 1982.

Walter "Bunny" Sigler was an American R&B singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer who did extensive work with the team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and was instrumental in creating the "Philly Sound" in the early 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">For the Love of Money</span> 1974 single by The OJays

"For the Love of Money" is a soul, funk song that was written and composed by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Anthony Jackson; it was recorded by Philadelphia soul group The O'Jays for the album Ship Ahoy. Produced by Gamble and Huff for Philadelphia International Records, "For the Love of Money" was issued as a single in late 1973, with "People Keep Tellin' Me" as its B-side. The single peaked at number three on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart, and at No. 9 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart in spring 1974. Though the album version of the song was over seven minutes long, it received substantial radio airplay. The song's title comes from a well-known Bible verse, 1 Timothy 6:10: "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." The song was also used as the opening theme song for NBC’s The Apprentice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Train</span> 1972 single by the OJays

"Love Train" is a hit single by the O'Jays, written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Released in 1972, it reached No. 1 on both the R&B Singles and the Billboard Hot 100 in February and March 1973 respectively, and No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart and was certified gold by the RIAA. It was the O'Jays' first and only number one record on the US pop chart. The song has been considered one of the first songs of disco music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Love Music (The O'Jays song)</span>

"I Love Music" is a song by American R&B group The O'Jays. It was written by production team Gamble and Huff. The song appeared on The O'Jays 1975 album, Family Reunion. The single reached number five on the US US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the soul singles chart. In the UK, the song peaked at number 13 in the Top 40 singles charts in March 1976. The single spent eight weeks at number one on the US Disco File Top 20 chart.

<i>So Full of Love</i> 1978 studio album by the OJays

So Full Of Love is a 1978 album by the O'Jays. The album contains the No. 1 R&B hit "Use ta Be My Girl", and was awarded RIAA Platinum Certification for sales of 1,000,000 copies.

<i>Travelin at the Speed of Thought</i> 1977 studio album by The OJays

Travelin' at the Speed of Thought is an album by the American R&B group the O'Jays, released in 1977 on Philadelphia International Records. Unusual for the time, there had been no advance single release from the album; the only single subsequently issued, "Work on Me", became a #7 R&B hit but failed to reach the pop listings, making this the first O'Jays PIR album without a top 100 pop single. Travelin' at the Speed of Thought peaked at #6 on the R&B chart and reached #27 on the pop chart. The album achieved a gold certification.

<i>Family Reunion</i> (album) 1975 studio album by The OJays

Family Reunion is a 1975 album by American R&B group The O'Jays.

<i>Survival</i> (The OJays album) 1975 studio album by The OJays

Survival is a 1975 album by American R&B group The O'Jays, released on the Philadelphia International Records label.

<i>Identify Yourself</i> 1979 studio album by the OJays

Identify Yourself is a 1979 album by American R&B group the O'Jays, released on the Philadelphia International Records label. It was recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, with four tracks produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, three by group members Eddie Levert and Walter Williams and one by the esteemed Philadelphia producer and composer Thom Bell.

<i>War of the Gods</i> (album) 1973 studio album by Billy Paul

War of the Gods is an album by soul singer Billy Paul. The album was produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and arranged by Bobby Martin and Lenny Pakula. Released in 1973, the album reached number 12 on the Billboard soul chart and number 110 on the pop chart. The single "Thanks for Saving My Life" was a top 40 hit, reaching number 37 on the pop chart and was a top-10 soul record reaching number 9. In 2012, Big Break Records remastered and reissued the album on CD with bonus tracks and new liner notes.

<i>Live in Europe</i> (Billy Paul album) 1974 live album by Billy Paul

Live in Europe is an album by soul singer Billy Paul. The album was produced by Bobby Martin and arranged by Billy Paul and Caldwell McMillan. It was recorded at Hammersmith Odeon, London and Central Hall, Chatham, England in December 1973. Released in 1974, this album reached #10 on the Billboard Soul Album chart and #187 on the Billboard Pop album chart.

<i>When Love Is New</i> 1975 studio album by Billy Paul

When Love is New is an album by soul singer Billy Paul. It was produced by Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff; arranged by Bobby Martin, Dexter Wansel, Norman Harris, and Jack Faith; and engineered by Joe Tarsia. Released in December 1975, it reached #139 on the Billboard Pop Album chart and #17 on the Soul chart. It includes the singles "Let's Make a Baby" which hit #83 on the Pop singles chart, #18 on the Soul chart, and #30 in the UK and "People Power" which reached #82 on the Soul chart and #14 on the U.S. Dance chart. The album was reissued on CD in 2010 by the U.K.'s Edsel Records. This was the final album where Paul was backed by MFSB, the house band of Philadelphia International Records (PIR).

"Put Your Hands Together" is a song recorded by The O'Jays song in 1973 for their album Ship Ahoy, which peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 2 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart. The song reached #47 in Canada. It is their third song to reach the top 10 of the Hot 100 after "Back Stabbers" and "Love Train".

References

  1. ↑ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Wynn, Ron. "The O'Jays: Ship Ahoy at AllMusic. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 Lechner, Ernesto (May 15, 2003). "The O'Jays: Ship Ahoy". Rolling Stone . No. RS 922. Straight Arrow. ISSN   0035-791X. Archived from the original on November 6, 2007. Retrieved August 18, 2008.
  4. ↑ Gamble, Kenneth; Huff, Leon (1973). "Put Your Hands Together". Lyrics hosted with permission at MTV. Retrieved August 18, 2008.[ dead link ]
  5. ↑ Vincent, Rickey (1996). Funk: The Music, the People, and the Rhythm of the One . New York: St. Martin's Griffin. p.  134. ISBN   0-312-13499-1. Put Your Hands together O'Jays.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Neal, Mark Anthony. (May 9, 2003) The O'Jays Ship Ahoy PopMatters. Retrieved August 18, 2008.
  7. 1 2 Jackson, John A. (2004). A House on Fire: The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Soul. Oxford University Press US. p. 133. ISBN   0-19-514972-6.
  8. 1 2 Jisi, Chris (September 1, 2005). "The O'Jays' 'For the Love of Money'". Bass Player . NewBay Media. Excerpt at Mywire. Retrieved August 18, 2008. Archived 2014-12-29 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ Werner, Craig Hansen (2006). A Change Is Gonna Come: Music, Race & the Soul of America . University of Michigan Press. pp.  201–202. ISBN   0-472-03147-3. Ship Ahoy O'Jays.
  10. 1 2 Palmer, Robert (January 6, 1974). "The sound that sells a million". The New York Times . p. 126. ISSN   0362-4331.
  11. ↑ Pitts, Jr. Leonard. (July 17, 1993) "So joyous, so angry, so O'Jay" The Miami Herald. Page 1G.
  12. ↑ Hunt, Dennis. (April 14, 1995) "The Vaults/CD Re-issues" Los Angeles Times. Section Calendar; Part-F; Entertainment Desk. Page 14.
  13. ↑ Hamilton, Andrew. "Don't call Me Brother" at AllMusic . Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  14. 1 2 Miles, Barry; Grant Scott; Johnny Morgan (2005). The Greatest Album Covers of All Time. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. p. 123. ISBN   1-84340-301-3.
  15. ↑ Smithsonian National Postal Museum. James Barkley Art of the Stamp. Retrieved August 18, 2008.
  16. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: O". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved March 10, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  17. ↑ Brown, Geoff (May 1, 2008). "The O'Jays: Ship Ahoy". Mojo . Bauer Media. ISSN   1351-0193. Archived from the original on 2010-08-19. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
  18. ↑ Metzger, John (August 2003). "A Shot of Soul: The Ebonys – The O'Jays – Harold Melvin". The Music Box. Vol. 10, no. 8. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  19. ↑ Neal, Mark Anthony (May 9, 2003). "The O'Jays: Ship Ahoy". PopMatters . Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  20. ↑ Aletti, Vince (January 17, 1974). "The O'Jays: Ship Ahoy". Rolling Stone . Straight Arrow. ISSN   0035-791X . Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  21. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The new Rolling Stone album guide (Completely revised and updated 4th ed.). New York: Fireside. pp. 601–602. ISBN   978-0-7432-0169-8 . Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  22. ↑ Crisafulli, Chuck (January 1, 1973). "Ship Ahoy". Yahoo! Music . Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Ship Ahoy > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles" at AllMusic . Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  24. ↑ "American certifications – The O'Jays – Ship Ahoy". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved August 18, 2008.
  25. ↑ Riley, Clayton (March 31, 1974). "The Philly Sound of Brotherly Love". The New York Times . Section: AL, p.34. ISSN   0362-4331.
  26. ↑ Wynn, Ron. "Ship Ahoy [Bonus Track]" at AllMusic . Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  27. ↑ "The O'Jays Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  28. ↑ "The O'Jays Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1974". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1974". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.