Celebrate!

1980 studio album by Kool & the Gang

Celebrate!

Studio album by

Kool & the Gang

Released| September 29, 1980
Recorded| January–July 1980
Studio| House of Music, West Orange, New Jersey
Genre| Post-disco, funk
Length| 35:18
Label| De-Lite
Producer| Kool and the Gang, Eumir Deodato
Kool & the Gang chronology
| Ladies' Night
(1979)  | Celebrate!
(1980)  | Something Special
(1981)

|
|

Singles from  Celebrate!

1. "Celebration"
Released: September 1980
2. "Take It To the Top"
Released: January 1981
3. "Jones vs. Jones"
Released: April 1981

Celebrate! is the twelfth studio album by American band Kool & the Gang. Released on September 29, 1980, the album reached No. 1 on the US R&B chart and #10 on the Billboard 200.[1] The album produced perhaps Kool & the Gang's most recognizable hit song, the #1 chart-topper, "Celebration", which still receives heavy play today over four decades later.[2]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [3]
Robert Christgau| C−[5]
Record Mirror| [4]

Dennis Hunt of the Los Angeles Times called Celebrate! "the band's mostly excellent new album."[6] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave a C− grade saying "It says something for these funk pioneers that unlike James Brown, George Clinton, and the Ohio Players they've adapted painlessly, nay profitably, to disco: a number-one single leads their Deodato-produced album into the top ten. What it says is that their funk was as bland as you suspected."[5] Amy Hanson of AllMusic found that "Celebrate itself marked the end of an era for Kool & the Gang, as the band would slip even farther from their funk roots and adopted dance grooves into the realms of smooth soul. But what a way to go!"[3] Philip Hall of Record Mirror gave a 3 out of 5 star rating, saying "Kool's Gang play penthouse-suite disco music. Every song gives off an air of easy affluence. There's no soul sound on this album just plenty of precise modern dance music. Though I admire Kool & The Gang for the way they effortlessly create light and airy dance rhythms, the overall feel of the album left me feeling untouched. This is highly efficient, automated disco music designed to keep the night clubbers of the world happy."[4]

## Track listing

[edit]

Side 1No.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Celebration"| Ronald Bell, Kool & the Gang| 4:58
2.| "Jones vs. Jones"| George Brown, Kool & the Gang| 4:18
3.| "Take It to the Top"| Bell, Kool & the Gang| 4:19
4.| "Morning Star"| Robert Mickens, Kool & the Gang| 3:46

Side 2No.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

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|
|

1.| "Love Festival"| Charles Smith, Kool & the Gang| 5:16
2.| "Just Friends"| Bell, Kool & the Gang| 4:23
3.| "Night People"| Bell, Kool & the Gang| 3:47
4.| "Love Affair"| Brown, Kool & the Gang| 4:21

## Personnel

[edit]

* Bass – Robert "Kool" Bell
* Lead guitar – Charles Smith
* Keyboards, saxophone, backing vocals – Ronald Bell
* Drums, percussion, backing vocals – George Brown
* Lead and backing vocals – James "J.T." Taylor
* Alto saxophone – Dennis Thomas
* Trumpet, backing vocals – Robert Mickens
* Keyboards, backing vocals – Earl Toon, Jr.
* Keyboards – Kevin Bell
* Additional keyboards – Adam Epolito
* Backing vocals – Cedric Toon, Meekaeel Muhammad, Robert Bell, Coffee, Something Sweet
* Orchestra arranger and conductor – Eumir Deodato

Production

* Recording engineer – Jim Bonnefond
* Assistant engineers – Bobby Cohen, Clif Hodsdon, Jeff Kawalex, Joe DeAngelis, Jullian Robertson, Kenny Robb
* Mixing – Eumir Deodato, Jim Bonnefond, Gabe Vigorito
* Mastering – Tom Coyne
* Producer – Eumir Deodato
* Associate producer – Kool & the Gang
* CD mastering – Joe Gastwirt
* CD remastering – Joe Gastwirt

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Canada (Music Canada)[7] | Gold  | 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[8] | Platinum  | 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Celebrate! > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums" at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
2. ^ "Celebrate! > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles" at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
3. ^ a b Hanson, Amy. "Kool & the Gang: Celebrate! > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
4. ^ a b Hall, Phillip (November 15, 1980). "Kool & The Gang: Celebrate!" (PDF). Record Mirror. p. 20. `{{cite magazine}}`: Cite magazine requires `|magazine=` (help)
5. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide Album Kool and the Gang: Celebrate". robertchristgau.com. Village Voice.
6. ^ Hunt, Dennis (November 16, 1980). "KOOL'S GANG CELEBRATES". Los Angeles Times. p. q73. ProQuest 162961076.
7. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Kool & the Gang – Celebrate". Music Canada. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
8. ^ "American album certifications – Kool & the Gang – Celebrate". Recording Industry Association of America.

## External links

[edit]

* Celebrate! at Discogs

* v
* t
* e

Kool & the Gang

* Robert "Kool" Bell
* Ronald Bell
* George Brown
* Robert Mickens
* Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas

* Clifford Adams
* Sennie "Skip" Martin
* Shawn McQuiller
* Rodney Ellis
* Jirmad Gordon

* James "J.T." Taylor
* Claydes Charles Smith
* Rick Westfield

Studio albums|

* Kool and the Gang
* Music Is the Message
* Good Times
* Wild and Peaceful
* Light of Worlds
* Spirit of the Boogie
* Love & Understanding
* Open Sesame
* The Force
* Everybody's Dancin'
* Ladies' Night
* Celebrate!
* Something Special
* As One
* In the Heart
* Emergency
* Forever
* Sweat
* Unite
* State of Affairs
* Gangland
* The Hits: Reloaded
* Still Kool
* Kool for the Holidays
* Perfect Union
* People Just Wanna Have Fun

Live albums|

* Live at the Sex Machine
* Live at PJ's

Compilations|

* Kool Jazz
* Twice as Kool: The Hits of Kool & the Gang

Singles|

* "Let the Music Take Your Mind"
* "Funky Man"
* "Funky Stuff"
* "Jungle Boogie"
* "Hollywood Swinging"
* "Summer Madness"
* "Caribbean Festival"
* "Higher Plane"
* "Spirit of the Boogie"
* "Open Sesame"
* "Ladies' Night"
* "Too Hot"
* "Celebration"
* "Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It)"
* "Steppin' Out"
* "Get Down on It"
* "Big Fun"
* "Joanna"
* "Misled"
* "Fresh"
* "Cherish"
* "Stone Love"
* "Rags to Riches"
* "Raindrops"
* "In the Hood"
* "No Show"

Related articles|

* Discography

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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