Sweet Exorcist (album)

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Sweet Exorcist
Curtis Mayfield - Sweet Exorcist album cover.jpg
Studio album by
Curtis Mayfield
ReleasedMay 1974 (1974-05)
StudioCurtom Studios, Chicago, Illinois
Genre Progressive soul [1]
Length32:30
Label Curtom
Producer Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield chronology
Claudine
(1974)		Sweet Exorcist
(1974)		 Got to Find a Way
(1974)
Singles from Sweet Exorcist
  1. "Kung Fu / Right On for the Darkness"
    Released: 1974
  2. "Sweet Exorcist / Suffer"
    Released: 1974
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Christgau's Record Guide C [3]
Rolling Stone unfavorable [4]

Sweet Exorcist is the fifth studio album by Curtis Mayfield, released in May 1974. It peaked at number 39 on the Billboard 200 chart, [5] as well as number 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. [6]

Contents

Background

Art Kass, co-founder of Buddah Records, announced Sweet Exorcist in the April 13, 1974 issue of Cashbox magazine. "As a poet and spokesman, as well as a musician, Curtis Mayfield has helped bring black music to its place in the center of American popular music. Sweet Exorcist is a deeply lyrical album and, at the same time, its rhythms and themes capture our times as only Curtis could do," Art Kass said at a press conference. [7]

Cover art

The original vinyl release cover, designed by Bill Ronalds, shows men like Greek gods holding planets in the middle of a sea of human skeletons. [8] The title of the album Sweet Exorcist is prominently displayed in capital letters. Below is the first verse of "To Be Invisible".

Track listing

All tracks are written by Curtis Mayfield, except "Suffer" by Mayfield and Donny Hathaway

No.TitleLength
1."Ain't Got Time"5:11
2."Sweet Exorcist"3:53
3."To Be Invisible"4:13
4."Power to the People"3:29
5."Kung Fu"6:12
6."Suffer"4:04
7."Make Me Believe in You"5:28
Total length:32:30
Reissue edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
8."Kung Fu" (Single Edit)3:49

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

Charts

ChartPeak
position
US Billboard 200 [5] 39
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ( Billboard ) [6] 2

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References

  1. ↑ Donovan, Charles (March 6, 2019). "Chapter One of Curtis Mayfield's Solo Career Gets a Much-Needed Makeover". PopMatters . Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  2. ↑ Wynn, Ron. "Sweet Exorcist - Curtis Mayfield". AllMusic . Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  3. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved March 7, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  4. ↑ Gersten, Russell (August 1, 1974). "Curtis Mayfield: Sweet Exorcist". Rolling Stone . Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Curtis Mayfield - Billboard 200". Billboard . Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Curtis Mayfield - Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard . Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Mayfield Keys Buddah LP Release" (PDF). Cash Box . 35 (48): 12. 1974-04-13. ISSN   0008-7289 . Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  8. ↑ Donovan, Charles (2019-03-06). "Chapter One of Curtis Mayfield's Solo Career Gets a Much-Needed Makeover". PopMatters. Retrieved 2024-05-14.


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