Sweet Exorcist (album)
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| Sweet Exorcist | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1974 | |||
| Studio | Curtom, Chicago, Illinois | |||
| Genre | Progressive soul[1] | |||
| Length | 32:30 | |||
| Label | Curtom | |||
| Producer | Curtis Mayfield | |||
| Curtis Mayfield chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Sweet Exorcist | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C[3] |
| Rolling Stone | unfavorable[4] |
Sweet Exorcist is the fifth studio album by Curtis Mayfield, released in May 1974. It peaked at number 39 on the Billboard 200 chart,[5] as well as number 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[6]
Art Kass, co-founder of Buddah Records, announced Sweet Exorcist in the April 13, 1974, issue of Cashbox. "As a poet and spokesman, as well as a musician, Curtis Mayfield has helped bring black music to its place in the center of American popular music. Sweet Exorcist is a deeply lyrical album and, at the same time, its rhythms and themes capture our times as only Curtis could do," Art Kass said at a press conference.[7]
Cover art
The original vinyl release cover, designed by Bill Ronalds, shows men like Greek gods holding planets in the middle of a sea of human skeletons.[8] The title of the album Sweet Exorcist is prominently displayed in capital letters. Below is the first verse of "To Be Invisible".
Track listing
All tracks are written by Curtis Mayfield, except "Suffer" by Mayfield and Donny Hathaway.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ain't Got Time" | 5:11 |
| 2. | "Sweet Exorcist" | 3:53 |
| 3. | "To Be Invisible" | 4:13 |
| 4. | "Power to the People" | 3:29 |
| 5. | "Kung Fu" | 6:12 |
| 6. | "Suffer" | 4:04 |
| 7. | "Make Me Believe in You" | 5:28 |
| Total length: | 32:30 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 8. | "Kung Fu" (Single Edit) | 3:49 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.
- Curtis Mayfield – production
- Rich Tufo – arrangement (except "Power to the People", "Kung Fu", and "Suffer")
- Gil Askey – arrangement (on "Power to the People", "Kung Fu", and "Suffer")
- R. Anfinsen – engineering
- J. Janus – engineering
- Milton Sincoff – creative packaging design
- Bill Ronalds – illustration
