Friends (Shalamar album)
Encyclopedia
Friends is the sixth album by American
R&B group Shalamar
, released in 1982 on the SOLAR
label. The album, which features the 'classic' Shalamar line-up (Jeffrey Daniel
, Howard Hewett
and Jody Watley
), topped the R&B chart
and peaked at #35 on the Billboard chart
.
In the United Kingdom
Friends gained impetus from a now-legendary demonstration of body-popping
by Daniel during a performance of "A Night to Remember" on the BBC
programme Top of the Pops
. It reached #6 on the UK Albums Chart
and produced four top 20 singles. It is now regarded in the UK as one of the defining albums of 1982.
In 2002, Friends was re-released by Sanctuary Records
in the United Kingdom in a Double CD package with Shalamar's previous album Go for It
.
Side Two
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B group Shalamar
Shalamar
Shalamar was an American music group, primarily of the 1970s and 1980s, that was originally a disco-driven vehicle created by Soul Train booking agent Dick Griffey and show creator Don Cornelius. They went on to be an influential dance trio, masterminded by Soul Train producer Don Cornelius...
, released in 1982 on the SOLAR
SOLAR Records
S.O.L.A.R. Records was an American record label founded in 1977 by Dick Griffey, reconstituted out of Soul Train Records only two years after it was founded with Soul Train television show host and creator Don Cornelius.-Company history:In 1975, Soul Train Records was founded by Dick Griffey and...
label. The album, which features the 'classic' Shalamar line-up (Jeffrey Daniel
Jeffrey Daniel
Jeffrey Daniel is an American dancer, singer-songwriter and choreographer, most notable for being a member of the R&B vocal group Shalamar. In Nigeria he is best known as an Idol series judge...
, Howard Hewett
Howard Hewett
Howard Hewett is an American R&B and gospel singer and former lead vocalist of the R&B group Shalamar.Raised in Akron, Ohio, Hewett moved to Los Angeles. He would eventually meet Soul Train dancer and future first wife Rainey Riley-Cunningham, then a secretary of the show's creator and original...
and Jody Watley
Jody Watley
Jody Vanessa Watley is an American, singer, songwriter, record producer, and founder of Avitone Records whose music crosses genres from Pop, R&B, Jazz, Dance and Electronic Soul....
), topped the R&B chart
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
and peaked at #35 on the Billboard chart
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
.
In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Friends gained impetus from a now-legendary demonstration of body-popping
Popping
Popping is a street dance and one of the original funk styles that came from California during the 1960s-70s. It is based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer's body, referred to as a pop or a hit...
by Daniel during a performance of "A Night to Remember" on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
programme Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. It reached #6 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and produced four top 20 singles. It is now regarded in the UK as one of the defining albums of 1982.
In 2002, Friends was re-released by Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...
in the United Kingdom in a Double CD package with Shalamar's previous album Go for It
Go for It (Shalamar album)
Go for It is the fifth album by American R&B group Shalamar, released in 1981 on the SOLAR label. The album features the 'classic' Shalamar line-up ....
.
Track listing
Side One- "A Night to Remember" (Nidra Beard/Dana Meyers/Charmaine SylversThe SylversThe Sylvers were a popular R&B/soul and disco family group during the 1970s. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, the family would later relocate to Watts, California.- Beginnings :...
) 5:08 - "Don't Try to Change Me" (Roberta Stiger, Tina Scott, William Bryant) 4:10
- "Help Me" (Nidra Beard/Joey Gallo/Leon Sylvers IIILeon Sylvers IIILeon Frank Sylvers III is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member of the family group The Sylvers and became one of the most successful producers in black music in the late 1970s to the mid 1980s through his association with Dick Griffey's SOLAR...
, Jody WatleyJody WatleyJody Vanessa Watley is an American, singer, songwriter, record producer, and founder of Avitone Records whose music crosses genres from Pop, R&B, Jazz, Dance and Electronic Soul....
) 5:10 - "On Top of the World" (Dana Meyers/Richard Randolph) 4:06
- "I Don't Wanna Be the Last to Know" (Nidra Beard/Linda Carriere/William Shelby/Kevin Spencer) 4:02
Side Two
- "Friends" (Glen Barbee/Nidra Beard/William Shelby) 5:00
- "Playing to Win" (Ralph Clayborne/Charmaine SylversThe SylversThe Sylvers were a popular R&B/soul and disco family group during the 1970s. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, the family would later relocate to Watts, California.- Beginnings :...
/Jody WatleyJody WatleyJody Vanessa Watley is an American, singer, songwriter, record producer, and founder of Avitone Records whose music crosses genres from Pop, R&B, Jazz, Dance and Electronic Soul....
) 4:24 - "I Just Stopped By Because I Had To" (Nidra Beard/Joey Gallo/Stephen Shockley/Sylvers) 4:08
- "There It Is" (Nidra Beard/Dana Meyers/Charmaine SylversThe SylversThe Sylvers were a popular R&B/soul and disco family group during the 1970s. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, the family would later relocate to Watts, California.- Beginnings :...
) 4:27 - "I Can Make You Feel Good" (Howard HewettHoward HewettHoward Hewett is an American R&B and gospel singer and former lead vocalist of the R&B group Shalamar.Raised in Akron, Ohio, Hewett moved to Los Angeles. He would eventually meet Soul Train dancer and future first wife Rainey Riley-Cunningham, then a secretary of the show's creator and original...
/Renwick Jackson/William Shelby) 4:20
Personnel
- ShalamarShalamarShalamar was an American music group, primarily of the 1970s and 1980s, that was originally a disco-driven vehicle created by Soul Train booking agent Dick Griffey and show creator Don Cornelius. They went on to be an influential dance trio, masterminded by Soul Train producer Don Cornelius...
- Vocals, Backing Vocals - Leon Sylvers IIILeon Sylvers IIILeon Frank Sylvers III is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member of the family group The Sylvers and became one of the most successful producers in black music in the late 1970s to the mid 1980s through his association with Dick Griffey's SOLAR...
- Bass, Percussion, Keyboards - Wardell Potts, Jr. - Drums
- Foster SylversFoster SylversFoster Emerson Sylvers is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist...
- Bass - Joey Gallo - Keyboards
- Kevin Spencer - Keyboards
- James Ingram - Bass, Keyboards
- Ricky SylversThe SylversThe Sylvers were a popular R&B/soul and disco family group during the 1970s. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, the family would later relocate to Watts, California.- Beginnings :...
- Guitar - Ed Green - Drums
- Ernest "Pepper" Reed - Guitar
- Richard Randolph - Guitar
- Michael Nash - Keyboards
- William Shelby - Keyboards
- Wayne Milstein - Percussion
- Ricky Smith - Keyboards
- Michael Nash - Keyboards
- Kevin Spencer - Keyboards
- Patricia SylversThe SylversThe Sylvers were a popular R&B/soul and disco family group during the 1970s. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, the family would later relocate to Watts, California.- Beginnings :...
- Keyboards
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | U.S. Album Chart Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
35 |
| 1982 | Top R&B/Black Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
1 |
Single
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | I Can Make You Feel Good | Hot Soul Singles Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
33 |
| 1982 | A Night to Remember | Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
44 |
| 1982 | A Night to Remember | Hot Soul Singles Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
8 |
| 1982 | A Night to Remember | US Dance |
15 |