- Curtis (Curtis Mayfield album)
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Curtis 
Studio album by Curtis Mayfield Released September 1970 Recorded May - July 1970 at RCA Studios, Chicago Genre Funk
Chicago soulLength 40:28 (original)
77:53 (2000 reissue/Rhino)Label Curtom Producer Curtis Mayfield Curtis Mayfield chronology Curtis
(1970)Curtis/Live!
(1971)Singles from
Curtis- "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go"
Released: November, 1970 - "Move on Up"
Released: June, 1971
Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic 
[1]Robert Christgau (B+) [2] Mojo (favorable) [3] Q 
[4]Rolling Stone (favorable) [5] Rolling Stone [6]Curtis is the debut album by American soul/funk artist Curtis Mayfield, released in September 1970. Produced by Mayfield, it was released on his own label Curtom Records. The musical styles of Curtis moved further away from the pop-soul sounds of Mayfield's previous group The Impressions and featured more of a funk and psychedelia inspired sound. The album's subject matter incorporates political and social concerns of the time.
Curtis sold well at the time charting at number one on the Billboard Black albums (for five nonconsecutive weeks) and number nineteen on the Billboard Pop albums charts. Only the single "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" charted. Curtis receives very high praise from modern day critics with Bruce Eder of Allmusic commenting that the record is "...practically the "Sgt. Pepper's" album of '70s soul..." [1]
Contents
Background
In 1970, Curtis began work on his own self-titled debut album. Although he never intended to leave the Impressions permanently, under recommendation from his business manager Marv Stuart, and the trend for both R&B and rock artists in the seventies was to go solo.[7][8] Mayfield wouldn't officially leave The Impressions until 1971.[8]
Recording and production
Like with some of his later Impressions work, Mayfield's lyrics reflected the social and political concern rising in black America at the time. Mayfield was one of the earliest artists to speak openly about African-American pride and community struggle.[9] Mayfield reflected upon this time as a "happening era...when people stopped wearing tuxedos...people were getting down a little more."[7]
The album had a more hard edged sound that the Impressions had before. On this new sound Mayfield claimed it was something he "long wanted to do...but were out of category of what was expected of me and the Impressions. What I got off in the Curtis album allowed me to be more personal for myself.".[7] The two singles off the album "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" and "Move on Up" showcased Mayfield's new funk musical style, while the rest of the tracks were much softer soul based songs.[7] Not having any traditional music lessons, Mayfield claimed his backing band would occasionly comment "gosh, this is a terribly strange key to play in", but still played it accordingly as written.[8]
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Curtis Mayfield.
No. Title Length 1. "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" 7:50 2. "The Other Side of Town" 4:01 3. "The Makings of You" 3:43 4. "We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue" 6:05 Side two No. Title Length 5. "Move on Up" 9:00 6. "Miss Black America" 2:53 7. "Wild and Free" 3:16 8. "Give It Up" 3:49 Bonus tracks
In late 2000, Rhino Records re-released the album as they did with the Super Fly soundtrack with several bonus tracks including the radio edit for "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go", and several demo versions of songs.
All songs written and composed by Curtis Mayfield except where noted.
No. Title Writer(s) Length 9. "Power to the People" (demo version) 2:47 10. "Underground" (demo version) 3:11 11. "Ghetto Child" (demo version) 5:10 12. "Readings in Astrology" (demo version) 3:31 13. "Suffer" Donny Hathaway, Mayfield 2:31 14. "Miss Black America" (demo version) 2:22 15. "The Makings of You" (Backing Tracks, Take 32) 4:35 16. "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" ((Backing Tracks, Takes 1 & 2)) 9:34 17. "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" (Radio edit) 3:26 Chart history
Album
Year Peak chart positions U.S. Pop albums[10] U.S. R&B albums[10] 1970 19 1 Singles
Year Title Peak chart positions U.S. Pop
[11]U.S. R&B Singles
[11]UK
[12]1970 "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" 29 3 — 1971 "Move on Up" — — 12 Personnel
- Musicians - Leonard Druss, John Howell, Harold Lepp, Loren Binford, Clifford Davis, Patrick Ferreri, Richard Single, Rudolph Stauber, Donald Simmons, Robert Lewis, Harold Dessent, Ronald Kolber, Harold Klatz, John Ross, Sol Bobrob, Sam Heiman, Elliot Golub, Henry Gibson, Robert Sims, Gary Slabo, Philip Upchurch
Technical personnel
- Riley Hampton and Gary Slabo – producer, mixer
- R.J. Anfinson and Tom Flye – recording engineer
- Curtis Mayfield - producer
References
- Warwick, Neil; Jon Kutner, Tony Brown (2004). The complete book of the British charts. Omnibus Press. ISBN 1844490580.
- Pruter, Robert (1992). Chicago Soul. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0252062590.
- Thompson, Dave (2001). Funk. Backbeat Books. ISBN 0879306297.
See also
- List of number-one R&B albums of 1971 (U.S.)
Notes
- ^ a b Eder, Bruce. Curtis > Review at Allmusic. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Curtis Mayfield". robertchristgau.com. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist2.php?id=294. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
- ^ Brown, Geoff (19 February 2010). "Review: Curtis". Mojo. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2010/02/curtis_mayfield.html.
- ^ Unknown (December 2000). "Curtis Mayfield: Curtis: Review". Q. http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1119319. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ Wendell, John (26 November 1970). "Curtis Mayfield: Curtis". RS 71. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 December 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071202103811/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/curtismayfield/albums/album/117246/review/5943699/curtis.
- ^ Unknown (2 March 2000). "Curtis Mayfield: Curtis: Review". Rolling Stone. http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1119319. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ a b c d Pruter 1992, p.306-307
- ^ a b c Thompson 2001, p. 158
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. Curtis Mayfield > Biography at Allmusic. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
- ^ a b Curtis Mayfield > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums at Allmusic. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
- ^ a b Curtis Mayfield > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles at Allmusic. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
- ^ Warwick 2004, p. 713.
External links
Curtis Mayfield Albums Curtis (1970) · Roots (1971) · Back to the World (1973) · Got to Find a Way (1974) · Sweet Exorcist (1974) · There's No Place Like America Today (1975) · Give, Get, Take and Have (1976) · Never Say You Can't Survive (1977) · Do It All Night (1978) · Heartbeat (1979) · Something to Believe In (1980) · Love Is the Place (1982) · Honesty (1983) · We Come in Peace with a Message of Love (1985) · Take It to the Streets (1990) · New World Order (1997)Live albums Curtis/Live! (1971) · Curtis in Chicago (1973) · Live in Europe (1987) · Live at Ronnie Scott's (1988)Soundtracks Super Fly (1972) · Claudine (1974) · Let's Do It Again (1975) · Sparkle (1976) · A Piece of the Action (1977) · Short Eyes (1977) · The Return of Superfly (1990)Related articles Categories:- 1970 albums
- Curtis Mayfield albums
- Debut albums
- Curtom Records albums
- English-language albums
- Albums produced by Curtis Mayfield
- "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go"
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