King of the World
Encyclopedia
King of the World is a 1980 album
by French disco act Sheila and B. Devotion
. The album which was both written and produced by Bernard Edwards
and Nile Rodgers
of American R&B
band Chic
includes the hit single "Spacer" which reached #18 on the UK charts in early 1980 and was a Top 10 hit in most of Europe, selling 5 million copies worldwide, and was twenty years later to be sampled by Swedish band Alcazar
for their 2000 hit "Crying At The Discotheque" (#13 UK).
King of the World was one of four albums to be written and produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers in 1980, the other three being Sister Sledge
's Love Somebody Today
, Chic
's fourth studio album Real People
and Diana Ross
' multiplatinum selling diana
.
King of the World was first released on compact disc in 1996 by both East-West Music and Rhino Records. A remastered edition was issued by Warner Music France in 2006 including bonus tracks which are remixes dating from 1992 and the unreleased US promo version of "Your love is good".
A 18 CD box-set of all Sheila
's recordings was released in 2006 and a new remix of "Spacer" was included. The "Freak Out - Respect to CHIC" remix is nearly 13" long using the original instrumental and vocal tracks.
Sheila
re-recorded "Spacer" only once in 1998 and six remixes were released.
The original American tapes have been recently digitally remastered for the first time and released on a deluxe edition in October 2008 by Warner Music France; the sound was definitively improved. It includes a 32-page booklet with exclusive interviews of Sheila
and Nile Rodgers
and unknown out-takes from the recording sessions.
Side A
Side B
Bonus tracks 2006 French deluxe edition
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by French disco act Sheila and B. Devotion
Sheila (and) B. Devotion
Sheila & B. Devotion was a disco group fronted by French singer Sheila between 1977 and 1980. This formation briefly reached popularity in Europe and to a lesser extent in the US club circuit during the disco era...
. The album which was both written and produced by Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards born in Greenville, North Carolina, was a bass player and record producer, both as a member of the Funk/Disco band Chic and on his own. He died of pneumonia while touring in Japan.-History:...
and Nile Rodgers
Nile Rodgers
Nile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...
of American R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
band Chic
Chic (band)
Chic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...
includes the hit single "Spacer" which reached #18 on the UK charts in early 1980 and was a Top 10 hit in most of Europe, selling 5 million copies worldwide, and was twenty years later to be sampled by Swedish band Alcazar
Alcazar (band)
Alcazar is a Swedish eurodance group which has established themselves as one of Sweden's most successful music groups with a string of hits since their debut single in 1999. Worldwide, Alcazar sold over 12 million records between 2001 and 2004...
for their 2000 hit "Crying At The Discotheque" (#13 UK).
King of the World was one of four albums to be written and produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers in 1980, the other three being Sister Sledge
Sister Sledge
Sister Sledge is an American musical group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 1972 and consisting of four sisters: Kim Sledge Debbie Sledge , Joni Sledge , and Kathy Sledge . They are granddaughters of the former opera singer Viola Williams. The sisters used to perform under the name of "Mrs...
's Love Somebody Today
Love Somebody Today
Love Somebody Today is a 1980 album by Sister Sledge. The album which, just like 1979's highly successful We Are Family, was both written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the band Chic and includes three due to the anti-disco backlash largely overlooked single releases; "Got To...
, Chic
Chic (band)
Chic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...
's fourth studio album Real People
Real People (album)
Real People is the fourth studio album by American R&B band Chic, released on Atlantic Records in 1980, including the singles "Rebels Are We" and "Real People"...
and Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
' multiplatinum selling diana
Diana (album)
diana is a 1980 album by American R&B and soul singer Diana Ross, released by Motown. Her 11th studio album, it was, and still is, the biggest-selling studio collection of Ross' career.-Conception:...
.
King of the World was first released on compact disc in 1996 by both East-West Music and Rhino Records. A remastered edition was issued by Warner Music France in 2006 including bonus tracks which are remixes dating from 1992 and the unreleased US promo version of "Your love is good".
A 18 CD box-set of all Sheila
Sheila (singer)
Sheila is a French pop singer, who became successful as a solo artist in the 1960s and 1970s and later fronted a disco act called Sheila and B. Devotion. Sheila has sold over 24,000,000 copies of records in France and was the top selling artist in France in the 1960s and 1970s...
's recordings was released in 2006 and a new remix of "Spacer" was included. The "Freak Out - Respect to CHIC" remix is nearly 13" long using the original instrumental and vocal tracks.
Sheila
Sheila
Sheila is a common given name for a female, derived from the Gaelic name Síle/Sìle, which is believed to be a Gaelic form of Julia or Cecilia. Like "Cecil" or "Cecilia", the name means "blind", from the Latin word caecus...
re-recorded "Spacer" only once in 1998 and six remixes were released.
The original American tapes have been recently digitally remastered for the first time and released on a deluxe edition in October 2008 by Warner Music France; the sound was definitively improved. It includes a 32-page booklet with exclusive interviews of Sheila
Sheila (singer)
Sheila is a French pop singer, who became successful as a solo artist in the 1960s and 1970s and later fronted a disco act called Sheila and B. Devotion. Sheila has sold over 24,000,000 copies of records in France and was the top selling artist in France in the 1960s and 1970s...
and Nile Rodgers
Nile Rodgers
Nile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...
and unknown out-takes from the recording sessions.
Track listing
All tracks written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers.Side A
- "Spacer" - 6:15
- "Mayday" - 3:44
- "Charge Plates And Credit Cards" - 4:26
- "Misery" - 3:02
Side B
- "King Of The World" - 4:37
- "Cover Girls" - 3:17
- "Your Love Is Good" - 4:38
- "Don't Go" - 4:32
Bonus tracks 2006 French deluxe edition
- "Your Love Is Good" (Original US 12" Promo) - 4:50
- "Spacer" (Lost In Space Mix) - 6:45
- "Spacer" (Lost In Space Dub Mix) - 6:09
- "Spacer" (Down To Earth Mix) - 7:29
- "Spacer" (Remix Radio Edit) - 4:07
- "Spacer" (DMC Remix) - 7:49
Personnel
- Sheila - lead vocals
- Alfa Anderson - backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
- Fonzi ThorntonFonzi ThorntonFonzi Thornton, is an American singer, song writer/producer, stage performer and radio personality.Thornton has provided background vocals on albums by artists which include Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Chic, Sheena Easton, Mariah Carey, David Bowie, Michael Jackson,...
- backing vocals - Luci Martin - backing vocals
- Michelle Cobbs - backing vocals
- Bernard EdwardsBernard EdwardsBernard Edwards born in Greenville, North Carolina, was a bass player and record producer, both as a member of the Funk/Disco band Chic and on his own. He died of pneumonia while touring in Japan.-History:...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Tony ThompsonTony ThompsonAnthony T. "Tony" Thompson was a session drummer best known as a member of Chic. He was raised in the middle-class community of Springfield Gardens, in Queens, NY.-Chic:...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Nile RodgersNile RodgersNile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Andy Schwartz - keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, Fender Rhodes - Raymond Jones - keyboards, Fender Rhodes
- Sammy FigueroaSammy FigueroaSammy Figueroa is an American percussionist born in The Bronx, New York. At 18 he joined the band of bassist Bobby Valentín and also co-led the Brazilian/Latin fusion group Raices....
- percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Cheryl Hong (The Chic Strings) - stringsString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
- Karen Milne (The Chic Strings) - strings
- Marianne Carroll (The Chic Strings) - strings
- Gene Orloff - concert master
- Kris Bryant - lights producer- intern
Production
- All songs producedRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Nile RodgersNile RodgersNile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...
and Bernard EdwardsBernard EdwardsBernard Edwards born in Greenville, North Carolina, was a bass player and record producer, both as a member of the Funk/Disco band Chic and on his own. He died of pneumonia while touring in Japan.-History:...
for the CHIC Organization Ltd. - Bob ClearmountainBob ClearmountainBob Clearmountain is an award-winning American music engineer, mixer and producer. He has worked with many prominent names in music including Bruce Springsteen , The Rolling Stones , Bryan Adams , Robbie Williams Bob Clearmountain is an award-winning American music engineer, mixer and producer. He...
- sound engineer - Bill Scheniman - engineer
- Larry Alexander - engineer
- Joe Gastwirt - mastering
- Recorded & mixed at Power Station StudioAvatar StudiosAvatar Studios, formerly known as The Power Station, is a recording studio at 441 West 53rd Street in Manhattan, New York City.The building was originally a Consolidated Edison power plant; but after a period of vacancy, it was used as a sound stage for the television game show Let's Make a Deal...
, New York