Eargasm

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Eargasm
Studio album by
Johnnie Taylor
Released1976
GenreR&B, soul
LabelColumbia Records[1]
ProducerDon Davis
Johnnie Taylor chronology
Super Taylor
(1974) 		Eargasm
(1976) 		Rated Extraordinaire
(1977)

Eargasm is an album by the American R&B singer Johnnie Taylor, released in 1976.[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]

The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200; it spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Soul Albums chart.[6][7] Taylor's most commercially successful album, Eargasm achieved gold status in 1980 and platinum status in 2001.[8][9][10] The album's second single, "Somebody's Gettin' It", was also a hit.[11]

The album helped Taylor earn the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's award for the 1976 "Entertainer of the Year".[12]

Production and marketing[]

The album was produced by Don Davis.[13] Recorded in Dallas and Memphis, the backing musicians included Bernie Worrell and Bootsy Collins.[14]

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.[15][16]

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[17]
Robert ChristgauC+[18]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[19]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[20]

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'."[18]

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."[17] 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."[20]

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."[14] 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."[21] 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."[22]

Track listing[]

No.TitleLength
1."Disco Lady"4:25
2."Please Don't Stop (That Song From Playing)"2:55
3."Don't Touch Her Body (If You Can't Touch Her Mind)"3:13
4."I'm Gonna Keep On Loving You"4:00
5."You're the Best in the World"3:18
6."Running Out of Lies"4:50
7."Somebody's Gettin' It"4:01
8."It Don't Hurt Me Like It Used To"3:13
9."Pick Up the Pieces"4:50

References[]

  1. ^ Popoff, Martin (September 8, 2009). "Goldmine Record Album Price Guide". Penguin – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Johnnie Taylor Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Aletti, Vince (2009). The Disco Files 1973-78: New York's Underground, Week by Week. DJhistory.com. p. 171.
  4. ^ "Johnnie Taylor; Singer Had Hit With 'Disco Lady'". Los Angeles Times. June 2, 2000.
  5. ^ "Johnnie Taylor, 62; Soul Singer Had Hit With 'Disco Lady'". June 18, 2000 – via NYTimes.com.
  6. ^ "Johnnie Taylor". Billboard.
  7. ^ Mayfield, Geoff (Jun 17, 2000). "Remembered". Billboard. 112 (25): 108.
  8. ^ Wells, Chris (15 June 2000). "Obituary: Johnnie Taylor". The Guardian. p. 1.26.
  9. ^ "Gold Record Albums". Ebony. 35 (4): 92. Feb 1980.
  10. ^ Pesselnick, Jill (Dec 22, 2001). "PLATINUM ALBUMS". Billboard. 113 (51): 52.
  11. ^ Spencer, Leigh (5 June 2000). "Johnnie Taylor". The Independent. Obituaries. p. 6.
  12. ^ "SCLC: Presidential Candidates Don't Know About Poor". Jet. 50 (24): 21. Sep 2, 1976.
  13. ^ "Johnnie Taylor Finishes New Album, Sets '76 Concert Tour". Chicago Metro News. December 13, 1975. p. 17.
  14. ^ a b Wilonsky, Robert. "Mr. Somebody". Dallas Observer.
  15. ^ Echols, Alice (2010). Hot Stuff: Disco and the Remaking of American Culture. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 23.
  16. ^ Ward, Brian (1998). Just My Soul Responding: Rhythm and Blues, Black Consciousness, and Race Relations. University of California Press. p. 423.
  17. ^ a b "Eargasm - Johnnie Taylor | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  18. ^ a b "Robert Christgau: CG: Johnnie Taylor". www.robertchristgau.com.
  19. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Volume 8: MUZE. p. 65.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  20. ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 694.
  21. ^ Ferman, Dave (April 23, 1999). "Johnnie Taylor, Eargasm, Columbia". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Star Time. p. 19.
  22. ^ "JOHNNIE TAYLOR Eargasm". Music Week: 51. Jan 18, 2013.
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