| Something Special | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 24, 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1980–1981 | |||
| Studio | House of Music (West Orange, New Jersey) Kendun Recorders (Los Angeles) Secret Sound Studios (New York City) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:18 | |||
| Label | De-Lite Records | |||
| Producer | Eumir Deodato | |||
| Kool & the Gang chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Something Special | ||||
| ||||
Something Special is the thirteenth studio album by American band Kool & the Gang, released in 1981. It was the group's third consecutive Platinum-certified album.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Boston Globe | (favorable) [2] |
| Record Mirror | [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
It continued the level of success that the band's previous two albums brought, contained several hit singles including: "Take My Heart" went to No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 17 on the Pop chart. "Get Down on It" reached No. 4 on the R&B chart and No. 10 on the Pop chart. In addition, "Steppin' Out" ended up at No. 12 on the R&B chart and No. 89 on the Pop chart. [5] In the UK, the album reached #10, [6] becoming their first hit album there and most successful studio album of all, largely due to the success of the "Get Down On It" single.
"Stand Up and Sing" was featured in 1982's The Pirate Movie .
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Steppin' Out" | James "J.T." Taylor, Ronald Bell, Kool & the Gang | 4:51 |
| 2. | "Good Time Tonight" | Taylor, Bell, Kool & the Gang | 4:59 |
| 3. | "Take My Heart" | Claydes Smith, George Brown, Taylor, Kool & the Gang | 5:44 |
| 4. | "Be My Lady" | Bell, Kool & the Gang | 4:14 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Get Down on It" | Taylor, Bell, Kool & the Gang | 4:58 |
| 2. | "Pass It On" | Brown, Taylor, Kool & the Gang | 4:34 |
| 3. | "Stand Up and Sing" | Taylor, Bell, Kool & the Gang | 4:35 |
| 4. | "No Show" | Brown, Taylor, Bell, Kool & the Gang | 4:25 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Stop!" | Bell, Kool & the Gang | 3:22 |
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Pop Albums [8] | 12 |
| Billboard Top Soul Albums [8] | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart [6] | 10 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) [9] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA) [10] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Kool & the Gang is an American R&B, soul, and funk group formed in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell aka "Khalis Bayyan", Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, Sir Earl Toon, Woodrow "Woody" Sparrow, and Ricky Westfield. They have undergone numerous changes in personnel and have explored many musical styles throughout their history, including jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, funk, disco, rock, and pop music. The group changed their name several times. Settling on Kool & the Gang, the group signed to De-Lite Records and released their debut album, Kool and the Gang (1969).
Spirit of the Boogie is the sixth studio album by Kool & the Gang, released in 1975. It can be seen as a follow-up to Wild and Peaceful (1973); the instrumental "Jungle Jazz" uses the same basic rhythm track heard in "Jungle Boogie", but lets the players improvise on their instruments. References to earlier works can be noticed. "Spirit of the Boogie" features Donald Boyce, who was rapping on "Jungle Boogie". Some African influence can be felt, and the band even play in a West-Indian style on "Caribbean Festival", another instrumental track, with once more much room for improvisation.
Eumir Deodato de Almeida is a Brazilian pianist, composer, arranger and record producer, primarily in jazz but who has been known for his eclectic melding of genres, such as pop, rock, disco, rhythm and blues, classical, Latin and bossa nova.
James "J.T." Warren Taylor is an American singer who achieved fame as the lead singer of Kool & the Gang between 1979 and 1988.
Kool and the Gang is the debut studio album by funk band Kool & the Gang. The album was released in December 1969, and reached No. 43 on the Billboard R&B albums chart.
Wild and Peaceful is the fourth studio album, and sixth album of new material released by the funk band Kool & the Gang, and is their commercial breakthrough album. It was released in 1973 and was hugely successful on the Billboard R&B chart, reaching No. 6 and charting for 36 weeks. It also reached No. 33 on the Pop charts, making it the band's first entry into that chart's Top 40. The album spawned the band's first three Top 10 singles. "Funky Stuff" reached No. 5 R&B/No. 29 Pop. The hugely popular track "Jungle Boogie" soared to No. 2 R&B and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Hollywood Swinging" topped the Billboard Hot Soul Singles in June 1974 while reaching No. 6 Pop. The latter two singles both sold over a million copies and were certified Gold by the RIAA. The album itself was also certified Gold.
Light of Worlds is the fifth studio album, and seventh album of new material by the American R&B group Kool & the Gang. Released in 1974, it was later remastered by Polygram and was a second success for the band, reaching number 16 in the R&B chart and number 63 in the pop chart. It was a landmark in the funk/jazz fusion genre of the 1970s.
Open Sesame is the eighth studio album by the funk band Kool & the Gang, released in 1976 on Mercury Records. The album reached No. 9 on the US Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 33 on the US Billboard Top Jazz LPs chart.
Love & Understanding is the seventh studio album by the funk band Kool & the Gang, released in 1976. The album had mild success. Three tracks, "Hollywood Swinging", "Summer Madness" and "Universal Sound" were recorded live at the Rainbow Theatre in London, England.
The Force is the ninth studio album by the funk band Kool & the Gang, released in 1977 on De-Lite Records. The album peaked at No. 33 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Celebrate! is the twelfth studio album by American band Kool & the Gang. Released on September 29, 1980, the album reached No. 1 on the US R&B chart and #10 on the Billboard 200. The album produced perhaps Kool & the Gang's most recognizable hit song, the #1 chart-topper, "Celebration", which still receives heavy play today over four decades later.
As One is the fourteenth studio album by the funk band Kool & the Gang, released in 1982. The album did not yield any #1 singles, but the song "Let's Go Dancin'" did make the top ten, peaking at #7 on the U.S. R&B chart and #6 on the UK Singles Chart. "Big Fun" also became an international hit.
In the Heart is the fifteenth studio album by the funk/R&B band Kool & the Gang, released on November 21, 1983. Four singles were released from the album, with two singles becoming major hits on the US Hot 100. The first single, "Straight Ahead", failed to chart on the Hot 100, but the second single, "Joanna", soared to number two on the charts in the US and UK, and hit number one on the US R&B chart as well. The third single, "Tonight", brought another major hit as it peaked at #13 on the US Hot 100. The fourth single "(When You Say You Love Somebody) In the Heart" did not chart on the Hot 100, but became a moderate hit on the US R&B chart.
Emergency is the sixteenth studio album by the American band Kool & the Gang, released in 1984. It ultimately became the group's biggest selling career album, earning Double Platinum status in America, Platinum in Canada, and Silver in the UK.
Forever is the seventeenth studio album by the funk band Kool & the Gang, released in 1986. The album included two major hits on the US Hot 100 Chart: "Victory" and "Stone Love". Three additional singles charted, "Holiday" reached the top ten on the R&B Chart, "Special Way" reached #6 on the Adult Contemporary chart. and "Peacemaker" was released in international markets and charted at #20 in New Zealand.
State of Affairs is the twentieth studio album by the band Kool & the Gang, released in 1996 following a four-year gap between albums. It marked the return of James "J.T." Taylor as the lead singer since 1986's album Forever.
The Spirit's in It is the fifth studio album by American singer Patti LaBelle. It was released by Philadelphia International Records on August 28, 1981, in the United States, her first with the label.
Intimate Connection is the sixth album by New York City-based band Kleeer released in 1984 and produced by Eumir Deodato.
"Too Hot" is a song recorded by the American band Kool & the Gang for their first Platinum-selling 1979 album Ladies' Night. It was written by George Brown and Kool & the Gang and produced by Eumir Deodato and Kool & the Gang.
"No Show" is a song recorded by R&B/Funk band Kool & the Gang for their 1981 studio album Something Special. A cover of the tune, featuring Blackstreet, appeared on the band's 2004 studio album The Hits Reloaded via Edel Records. Released as a single, this said rendition reached No. 36 on the US Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart.
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