Eargasm is an album by the American R&B singer Johnnie Taylor, released in March 1976 on Columbia Records.[2][3] The album contains "Disco Lady", which was a No. 1 pop hit for four weeks, and achieved the first platinum certification for a single, with two million copies sold.[4] Eargasm was Taylor's first album for Columbia Records, after many years spent recording for Stax.[5]
| Eargasm | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1976 | |||
| Studio | United Sound Systems, Detroit; Muscle Shoals Sound Studios; Sundance Studios, Dallas | |||
| Genre | R&B, soul | |||
| Length | 34:45 | |||
| Label | Columbia[1] | |||
| Producer | Don Davis | |||
| Johnnie Taylor chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200; it spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Soul Albums chart,[6][7] and peaked at No. 41 in Canada.[8] Taylor's most commercially successful album, Eargasm achieved gold status in 1980 and platinum status in 2001.[9][10][11] The album's second single, "Somebody's Gettin' It", was also a hit.[12]
The album helped Taylor earn the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's award for the 1976 "Entertainer of the Year".[13]
Production and marketing
editThe album was produced by Don Davis.[14] Recorded in Dallas and Memphis, the backing musicians included Bernie Worrell and Bootsy Collins.[15]
The scholar Houston Baker contends that "Disco Lady" was among the first R&B singles to be advertised to white record buyers; this was part of a 1970s practice of major labels signing veteran black musicians, and then focusing on crossover hits rather than career growth.[16][17]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [18] |
| Robert Christgau | C+[19] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [20] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [21] |
Robert Christgau thought that "Taylor's commitment to the traditional soul style remains unimpeachable even when he accedes to material as modish as the likable but lightweight 'Disco Lady'."[19]
AllMusic deemed "Disco Lady" "the song of year", writing that "the rest of the album was standard soul, but this was overlooked in the rush".[18] The Rolling Stone Album Guide determined that "the songwriting is nowhere near as punchy or pointed as on the Stax records; however, Taylor throws down some heavy gospel-style testimony."[21]
The Dallas Observer, reviewing the album's 1999 rerelease on compact disc, called it "a wonderful record ... full of la-de-de, la-da-dum-da choruses and it-don't-hurt-me verses; the man could sing about infidelity and made it signify even among the most faithful."[15] The Fort Worth Star-Telegram concluded that "Taylor had the good sense to mix strings with the sort of horn-based soul that made him a star on Stax in the '60s and come up with a Memphis/Detroit/Philadelphia hybrid."[22] Music Week wrote that "the album is full of classy urban ballads and tidy midtempo grooves, with only 'It Don't Hurt Me Like It Used To' in true disco tempo."[23]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Disco Lady" | Albert James Vance, Don Davis, Harvey Scales | 4:25 |
| 2. | "Please Don't Stop (That Song from Playing)" | Don Davis | 2:55 |
| 3. | "Don't Touch Her Body (If You Can't Touch Her Mind)" | Don Davis | 3:13 |
| 4. | "I'm Gonna Keep On Loving You" | Don Davis, Richard Morris | 4:00 |
| 5. | "You're the Best in the World" | Norma Toney | 3:18 |
| 6. | "Running Out of Lies" | Perry Jordan | 4:50 |
| 7. | "Somebody's Gettin' It" | Chico Jones, Clarence Coulter, Don Davis | 4:01 |
| 8. | "It Don't Hurt Me Like It Used To" | Herbert Ross, Perry Jordan | 3:13 |
| 9. | "Pick Up the Pieces" | Don Davis, Fred Briggs, Kent Barker | 4:50 |
| Total length: | 34:45 | ||
Personnel
edit- Johnnie Taylor – lead vocals
- Bruce Nazarian, Don Davis, Emmett Smith, Glen Goins, Jimmy Johnson – guitar
- David Hood, Michael Henderson, Bootsy Collins – bass
- Barry Beckett, Bernie Worrell, George Rountree, Melvin Griffin, Rudy Robinson – keyboards
- Jerry Jones, Richard "Pistol" Allen, Roger Hawkins, Zachary Slatter – drums
- Carl Austin and the Detroit Fisher Theatre Strings – strings, horns
- Eli Fontaine – alto saxophone
- Brandye – backing vocals
- Bobby Eaton – backing vocals arrangements
- Bernie Worrell, David Van De Pitte, Don Davis, Wade Marcus, Rudy Robinson, Sonny Sanders – arrangements
Charts
edit| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[24] | 41 |
| US Billboard 200[6] | 5 |
| US Soul Albums (Billboard)[25] | 1 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[26] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Popoff, Martin (September 8, 2009). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide. Penguin. ISBN 9781440229169 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Johnnie Taylor Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Aletti, Vince (2009). The Disco Files 1973-78: New York's Underground, Week by Week. DJhistory.com. p. 171.
- ^ "Johnnie Taylor; Singer Had Hit With 'Disco Lady'". Los Angeles Times. June 2, 2000.
- ^ "Johnnie Taylor, 62; Soul Singer Had Hit With 'Disco Lady'". The New York Times. June 18, 2000 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ a b "Billboard 200: Week of April 24, 1976". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
- ^ Mayfield, Geoff (Jun 17, 2000). "Remembered". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 25. p. 108.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums – June 5, 1976" (PDF).
- ^ Wells, Chris (15 June 2000). "Obituary: Johnnie Taylor". The Guardian. p. 1.26.
- ^ "Gold Record Albums". Ebony. 35 (4): 92. Feb 1980.
- ^ Pesselnick, Jill (Dec 22, 2001). "Platinum Albums". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 51. p. 52.
- ^ Spencer, Leigh (5 June 2000). "Johnnie Taylor". The Independent. Obituaries. p. 6.
- ^ "SCLC: Presidential Candidates Don't Know About Poor". Jet. 50 (24): 21. Sep 2, 1976.
- ^ "Johnnie Taylor Finishes New Album, Sets '76 Concert Tour". Chicago Metro News. December 13, 1975. p. 17.
- ^ a b Wilonsky, Robert. "Mr. Somebody". Dallas Observer.
- ^ Echols, Alice (2010). Hot Stuff: Disco and the Remaking of American Culture. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 23.
- ^ Ward, Brian (1998). Just My Soul Responding: Rhythm and Blues, Black Consciousness, and Race Relations. University of California Press. p. 423.
- ^ a b "Eargasm – Johnnie Taylor | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
- ^ a b "Robert Christgau: CG: Johnnie Taylor". www.robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. Muze. p. 65.
- ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 694.
- ^ Ferman, Dave (April 23, 1999). "Johnnie Taylor, Eargasm, Columbia". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Star Time. p. 19.
- ^ "Johnnie Taylor Eargasm". Music Week: 51. Jan 18, 2013.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4129a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Week of April 17, 1976". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
- ^ "American album certifications – Johnnie Taylor – Eargasm". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
