Emergency (Kool & the Gang album)
Album by Kool & the Gang
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Emergency is the sixteenth studio album by the American band Kool & the Gang, released in 1984. It became the group's biggest selling album, earning Double Platinum status in America, Platinum in Canada, and Silver in the UK.
- Compass Point (Nassau, Bahamas)
- House of Music (West Orange, New Jersey)
| Emergency | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 15, 1984 | |||
| Recorded | October 1983 – August 1984 | |||
| Studios |
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| Genres | ||||
| Length | 35:47 | |||
| Label | De-Lite | |||
| Producers |
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| Kool & the Gang chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Emergency | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Record Mirror | [2] |
| Stereo Review | (favourable)[3] |
| The Village Voice | B−[4] |
The album produced four US top 20 hit singles including "Fresh" (US No. 9); "Misled" (US No. 10); the title track "Emergency" (US No. 18); and the album's biggest hit, the million-selling "Cherish" (US No. 2). "Fresh", "Misled", and "Cherish" also cracked the top 40 in the UK reaching No. 11, No. 28, and No. 4, respectively, while "Emergency" reached No. 50.[5]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Kool & the Gang, with co-writing credits noted below.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Emergency" | George "Funky" Brown | 5:17 |
| 2. | "Fresh" |
| 4:22 |
| 3. | "Misled" | Ronald Bell | 4:56 |
| 4. | "Cherish" | Ronald Bell | 4:47 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Surrender" | Curtis "Fitz" Williams | 5:00 |
| 6. | "Bad Woman" | Brown | 5:35 |
| 7. | "You Are the One" | Williams | 7:00 |
| Total length: | 35:47 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8. | "Fresh" (single version) |
| 3:50 |
| 9. | "Misled" (single version) | Ronald Bell | 4:07 |
| 10. | "Cherish" (single version) | Ronald Bell | 4:00 |
| 11. | "Emergency" (single version) | Brown | 4:10 |
| 12. | "You Are the One" (single version) | Williams | 4:21 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fresh" (12" remix) |
| 5:49 |
| 2. | "Misled" (12" remix) | Ronald Bell | 5:35 |
| 3. | "Emergency" (12" extended remix) | Brown | 6:58 |
| 4. | "Cherish" (12" remix) | Ronald Bell | 5:41 |
| 5. | "The Throwdown Mix: Get Down on It / Ladies' Night / Fresh / Big Fun / Straight Ahead / Celebration / Misled / Emergency" |
| 10:19 |
| 6. | "Fresh / Misled" (12" special mix) |
| 6:13 |
| 7. | "Emergency" (12" alternative dance remix) | Brown | 5:33 |
| 8. | "Cherish" (Saxophone edition) | Ronald Bell | 4:33 |
| 9. | "Fresh" (12" dance mix) |
| 6:21 |
| 10. | "Emergency" (12" remix) | Brown | 5:31 |
| 11. | "Emergency" (12" dub version) | Brown | 5:03 |
Personnel
Kool & the Gang
- James "J.T." Taylor – lead vocals, backing vocals
- Curtis "Fitz" Williams – keyboards, Yamaha DX1, Yamaha DX7, Oberheim OB-Xa, Oberheim OB-8, Oberheim Xpander, Roland Juno-60
- Ronald Bell – Oberheim OB-8, tenor saxophone, backing vocals
- Claydes Charles Smith – electric guitar
- Robert "Kool" Bell – bass
- George "Funky" Brown – drums, Oberheim DMX
- Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas – alto saxophone
- Clifford Adams – trombone, additional backing vocals (1)
- Robert "Spike" Mickens – trumpet
- Michael Ray – trumpet
Additional musicians
- Rick Iantosca – guitars (1, 3, 5, 6)
- Kendal Stubbs – bass (3), backing vocals
- Jimmy Maelen – percussions
- Starleana Young – backing vocals
Production
- Kool & the Gang – producers
- Ronald Bell – producer, mixing
- Jim Bonnefond – producer, engineer, mixing
- Kendal Stubbs – engineer, mixing
- Gabe Vigorito – mixing, album coordinator
- Jim Roth – assistant engineer
- Jose Rodriguez – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY)
- Joni Weinstein – art direction, design, cover concept
- Murry Whiteman – art direction
- Lumel/Whiteman Graphics Design – graphics
- Brian Hagiwara – cover photography
- Lazaro Arias – stylist
- Roz Burns – make-up
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[6] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[7] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[8] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||