Chemistry (Johnny Gill album)
Encyclopedia
Chemistry is the second solo album by singer Johnny Gill
and features a fan favorite, "Half Crazy," written by noted Philadelphia songwriter/producer Linda Creed
.
Richard Harrington of the Washington Post wrote, "Gill is 18. He just sounds older. On his recent hit single "Half Crazy," Gill's husky, powerful baritone would lead to you to think he'd been around the love wars long enough to do some postgraduate work. But the cover photo for his "Chemistry" album and the "Half Crazy" video show a slightly-built kid with a soft, innocent stare, looking like he just got out of high school. Which he has...For his new album he was teamed with veteran producer and songwriter Linda Creed, who had worked with Thom Bell on the Delfonics', Stylistics' and Spinners' recordings but dropped out of the business for five years to raise her family...That new combination, he feels, is going to put him that much closer to his dream: 'to sell 40 million copies like Michael and then get into the movies.' Luckily Gill's strengths as a ballad singer coincide with commercial radio's currently receptive attitude toward medium tempo, romantic material...But will the world go along with a ballad singer who's so young? 'That's what we've all got to find out very soon,' Gill says evenly. 'I know this one may not go gold. But I'm going to spray paint it.'"
--Excerpted from "The Ballads of Johnny Gill," Washington Post, June 22, 1985
Peter Judge wrote, "This is one of those albums that should have been bigger. Gill is only 18 but as far as singing he can hang with the big boys. Gill's rich tenor makes a song like "Half Crazy" a real gem. In a few years, watch out Luther Vandross."
--Excerpted from "Boss Rocked '85," The Rock Hill Herald, January 2, 1986
(United States)
Singles - Billboard (United States)
Johnny Gill
Johnny Gill is an American R&B singer-songwriter. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B supergroup New Edition, and was also a member of another supergroup called LSG; with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. His signature song "My, My, My" has been included on numerous romantic...
and features a fan favorite, "Half Crazy," written by noted Philadelphia songwriter/producer Linda Creed
Linda Creed
Linda Creed also known by her married name Linda Epstein, was an American singer-songwriter and lyricist who teamed up with songwriter-producer Thom Bell to produce some of the most successful Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s.-Career:Born in Philadelphia in 1949, Creed was raised in the...
.
Richard Harrington of the Washington Post wrote, "Gill is 18. He just sounds older. On his recent hit single "Half Crazy," Gill's husky, powerful baritone would lead to you to think he'd been around the love wars long enough to do some postgraduate work. But the cover photo for his "Chemistry" album and the "Half Crazy" video show a slightly-built kid with a soft, innocent stare, looking like he just got out of high school. Which he has...For his new album he was teamed with veteran producer and songwriter Linda Creed, who had worked with Thom Bell on the Delfonics', Stylistics' and Spinners' recordings but dropped out of the business for five years to raise her family...That new combination, he feels, is going to put him that much closer to his dream: 'to sell 40 million copies like Michael and then get into the movies.' Luckily Gill's strengths as a ballad singer coincide with commercial radio's currently receptive attitude toward medium tempo, romantic material...But will the world go along with a ballad singer who's so young? 'That's what we've all got to find out very soon,' Gill says evenly. 'I know this one may not go gold. But I'm going to spray paint it.'"
--Excerpted from "The Ballads of Johnny Gill," Washington Post, June 22, 1985
Peter Judge wrote, "This is one of those albums that should have been bigger. Gill is only 18 but as far as singing he can hang with the big boys. Gill's rich tenor makes a song like "Half Crazy" a real gem. In a few years, watch out Luther Vandross."
--Excerpted from "Boss Rocked '85," The Rock Hill Herald, January 2, 1986
Track listing
- "Half Crazy" (Linda Creed, Lonnie Jordan) – 4:14
- "Can't Wait Til Tomorrow" (Barry Alfanzo, Dennis Matkosky, Bill Neale) – 4:45
- "Don't Take Away My Pride" (Creed, Jordan, Freeman King, Kent Perkins) – 4:30
- "One Small Light" (Dennis Matkosky, Dan Sembello, Kathy Wakefield) – 4:13
- "The Way That You Love Me" (Bobby Caldwell, Jason Schees, Aaron Sigman) – 4:20
- "Because of You" (Creed, Leslie Hall, John Lind, Matkosky) – 5:42
- "Chemistry" (Matkosky, Richard Wolf) – 4:44
- "I Found Love" (Monty Seward, Deniece Williams) – 3:26
Charts
Album - BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
(United States)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 51 |
Singles - Billboard (United States)
| Year | Song | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Can't Wait Til Tomorrow | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Tracks | 59 |
| Half Crazy | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Tracks | 26 | |
| 2002 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Tracks | 69 |
Personnel
- Johnny GillJohnny GillJohnny Gill is an American R&B singer-songwriter. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B supergroup New Edition, and was also a member of another supergroup called LSG; with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. His signature song "My, My, My" has been included on numerous romantic...
– Vocals - Linda CreedLinda CreedLinda Creed also known by her married name Linda Epstein, was an American singer-songwriter and lyricist who teamed up with songwriter-producer Thom Bell to produce some of the most successful Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s.-Career:Born in Philadelphia in 1949, Creed was raised in the...
– Background Vocals, Producer - Scott MacMinn – Assistant Engineer
- Michael Mason – Overdubs, Drum Programming, Assistant Engineer
- Dennis Matkosky – Synthesizer, Rhythm Arrangements, Producer
- Reggie McBride – Bass
- Sy Mitchell – Engineer
- Bill Neale – 12-String Guitar, Conductor, Producer, Rhythm Arrangements
- Ray Neapolitan – Bass
- Darryl Phinnessee – Background Vocals
- Marc Russo – Saxophone
- Danny Sembello – Synthesizer
- Monty Seward – Synthesizer, Background Vocals
- Neil StubenhausNeil StubenhausNeil Stubenhaus is an American bass guitarist.-Career:He started his musical training playing drums and switched to bass guitar at the age of 12. He studied at the Berklee College of Music where he graduated in 1975...
– Bass - Joe Tarsia – Engineer
- Howard Lee Wolen – Mixing
- Richard WolfRichard WolfRichard "Wolfie" Wolf is a multi-platinum-selling music producer, songwriter and remixer, and an Emmy Award winning film and television composer....
– Songwriter - Casey Young – Synthesizer
- Jay Willis – Assistant Engineer
- Thom WilsonThom Wilson-Thom Wilson:Thom Wilson is a now-retired American punk rock record producer and engineer.-Career:Wilson began his musical career in the mid-1970s, engineering recordings by soft rock artits Burton Cummings and Seals & Crofts. He began working on punk rock albums in the early 1980s while producing...
– Engineer, Mixing - David Koenig – Assistant Engineer
- Clyde Kaplan – Assistant Engineer
- Joe Borja – Assistant Engineer
- Frank Moscati – Photography
- Zal Schreiber – Mastering
- Robert Lagarza – Assistant Engineer
- Glen McKee – Assistant Engineer
- Audrey Satterwhite – Art Direction
- Rob Weaver – Assistant Engineer
- Barry Craig – Assistant Engineer
- Lonnie JordanLonnie JordanLeroy "Lonnie" Jordan was a founding member of War, an American funk band in the 1970s and 1980s. Jordan had a number of roles over the years, acting as vocalist and playing guitar, piano, synthesizer, and percussion...
– Background Vocals - Gene Page – Conductor, String Arrangements
- Jeff BaxterJeff BaxterJeff "Skunk" Baxter is an American guitarist, known for his stints in the rock bands Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers during the 1970s...
– Guitar, Guitar (Synthesizer) - Les Brockman – Engineer
- Paulinho Da CostaPaulinho Da CostaPaulinho da Costa is a Brazilian percussionist born in Rio de Janeiro, considered one of the most recorded musicians of modern times. Playing over two hundred percussion instruments, he has participated in thousands of recording sessions, Grammy Award-winning albums, hit songs, soundtracks, radio...
– Percussion - Lynn DavisLynn Davis (singer)Lynn Davis, is an American singer/vocalist who has toured and/or recorded with many artists such as George Duke, Marvin Gaye, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Tracie Spencer, Mooney Suzuki, Mariah Carey, Marilyn Manson, Whitney Houston, Thomas Anders, Meat Loaf, and Yanni for whom she appears on the live...
– Background Vocals - Don Renaldo – Concert Master
- Russell Ferrante – Piano, Keyboards, Fender Rhodes
- Jim GilstrapJim GilstrapJim Gilstrap is an American singer best known for his work as a session musician and his 1975 solo hit single "Swing Your Daddy", as well as singing co-lead to the theme from the TV series Good Times.-Career:...
– Background Vocals - Kevin Grady – Synthesizer
- Gary Grant – Trumpet
- Jerry HeyJerry HeyJerry Hey is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Thriller and the distinctive flugelhorn solo on Dan Fogelberg's hit Longer....
– Trumpet, Horn Arrangements - Alan Hirshberg – Engineer
- Paul Jackson, Jr.Paul Jackson, Jr.Paul Jackson, Jr. is a fusion/urban jazz composer, arranger, producer and guitarist. He was born and raised in Los Angeles. Jackson knew by the age of fifteen that he wanted to become a professional musician...
– Guitar - Louis JohnsonLouis JohnsonLouis or Lou Johnson may refer to:*Louis A. Johnson , second United States Secretary of Defense, from March 28, 1949 to September 19, 1950...
– Bass - Abraham LaborielAbraham LaborielAbraham Laboriel, Sr. is a Mexican bassist of Garifuna descent who has played on over 4,000 recordings and soundtracks. Guitar Player Magazine described him as "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Laboriel is the father of drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and of producer, songwriter, and...
– Bass - Ricky Lawson – Drums
- Edie Lehmann – Background Vocals
- Gene Leone – Engineer
- Stewart LevineStewart LevineStewart Levine is an American record producer. He has worked with such artists as The Crusaders, Minnie Riperton, Lionel Richie, Simply Red, Boy George, Peter Blakeley, Joe Cocker, Oleta Adams, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Jamie Cullum, Aaron Neville, Sly Stone, Hugh Masekela and Killing Joke.Stewart...
– Synthesizer - Bill Reichenbach Jr. – Trombone