Super Fly (soundtrack)
Super Fly is the third studio album by American soul musician Curtis Mayfield, released in July 1972 on Curtom Records. It was released as the soundtrack for the Blaxploitation film of the same name. Widely considered a classic of 1970s soul and funk music, Super Fly was a nearly immediate hit. Its sales were bolstered by two million-selling singles, "Freddie's Dead" (number 2 R&B charts, number 4 Pop charts) and the title track (number 5 R&B, number 8 Pop). Super Fly is one of the few soundtracks to out-gross the film it accompanied.[14]
| Super Fly | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album / studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 11, 1972 | |||
| Recorded | December 1971 – May 1972 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:05 | |||
| Label | Curtom | |||
| Producer | Curtis Mayfield | |||
| Curtis Mayfield chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
Deluxe 25th anniversary edition cover | ||||
| Singles from Super Fly | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [4] |
| Billboard | (favorable)[5] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A−[6] |
| Los Angeles Times | [7] |
| Pitchfork | 9.1/10[8] |
| Q | [9] |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable) 1972[10] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | 2004[11] |
| Sputnikmusic | [12] |
| Vibe | (favorable)[13] |
Super Fly, along with Marvin Gaye's What's Going On (1971), was one of the pioneering soul concept albums, with its then-unique socially aware lyrics about poverty and drug abuse making the album stand out.[15][16] The film and the soundtrack may be perceived as dissonant, since the film holds rather ambiguous views on drug dealers, whereas Curtis Mayfield's position is far more critical. Like What's Going On, the album was a surprise hit that record executives felt had little chance at significant sales. Due to its success, Mayfield was tapped for several film soundtracks over the course of the decade.
Release
Super Fly was originally released in 1972 on Curtom Records in both LP and eight-track formats.[17] It also featured distribution in countries outside of the United States, including Italy, Germany, France, Canada, and the United Kingdom.[17] On November 11, 1997, Rhino Records released a 25th Anniversary collection of the album with a bonus disc of demo versions of songs, radio spots, and interviews.[18] In 1999, Rhino Records reissued the album with two bonus tracks.[19] On December 11, 2001, the British record label Charly Records re-released the album with several bonus tracks.[20]
Critical reception
Music critics lauded Super Fly.[15]
From contemporary Rolling Stone's Bob Donat was favorable of Mayfield's anti-drug and self-liberation themes, and called Super Fly "not only a superior, imaginative soundtrack, but fine funky music as well and the best of Curtis Mayfield's four albums made since he left the Impressions".[10] Rock critic Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave the album an A- and lauded Mayfield's songwriting. Christgau also wrote that "these songs speak for (and to) the ghetto's victims rather than its achievers (cf. 'The Other Side of Town', on Curtis), transmitting bleak lyrics through uncompromisingly vivacious music. Message: both candor and rhythm are essential to our survival".[6] Robin Katz of Disc praised the album stating to not mistake the album as a "big bad blaring instrumental LP. This is Curtis Mayfield combining a fine musical message with gentle vocals but powerful lyrics." and that the "nine tracks on the album and what never fails to amaze me is how Mayfield balances his instrumental work and lyrics without overdoing either. It is a touchy situation, but Mayfield handles it brilliantly."[21]
In a 2004 review of the album, Rolling Stone gave Super Fly five out of five stars and cited it as Mayfield's "creative breakthrough".[11] John Bush of AllMusic praised the album's lyrical substance and sound, calling it a "melange of deep, dark grooves, trademarked wah-wah guitar, and stinging brass".[4] On its significance, Bush concluded by stating:
Super Fly ignited an entire genre of music, the blaxploitation soundtrack, and influenced everyone from soul singers to television-music composers for decades to come. It stands alongside Saturday Night Fever and Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols as one of the most vivid touchstones of '70s pop music.[4]
— John Bush
The singer Bilal names it among his 25 favorite albums, explaining that, "I just think that's one of the best movie soundtrack albums ever. Just the way he described the whole movie, you don't even really have to see the movie, just listen to the soundtrack and you already know the whole movie. It's just killer the way he did that."[22]
Accolades
- In the Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (2002), writer Colin Larkin gave the album a five-star rating.[23]
- In 2003, VH1 named Super Fly the 63rd greatest album of all time.[24]
- The title track was selected by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".[25]
- In 2003, the album was ranked number 69 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time,[26] 72 in a 2012 revised list,[27] and 76 in a 2020 revised list.[28]
- The album is ranked number 986 in All-Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd edition, 2000).[29]
- In 2019, the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[30]
Track listing
Original LP
All songs were written and composed by Curtis Mayfield.[31]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Little Child Runnin' Wild" | 5:23 |
| 2. | "Pusherman" | 5:04 |
| 3. | "Freddie's Dead" | 5:27 |
| 4. | "Junkie Chase" (instrumental) | 1:36 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Give Me Your Love (Love Song)" | 4:20 |
| 6. | "Eddie You Should Know Better" | 2:16 |
| 7. | "No Thing on Me (Cocaine Song)" | 4:53 |
| 8. | "Think" (instrumental) | 3:43 |
| 9. | "Superfly" | 3:55 |
Reissues
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Freddie's Dead (Theme from Superfly)" (single mix) | 3:20 |
| 11. | "Superfly" (single mix) | 3:08 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ghetto Child" (demo version of "Little Child Runnin' Wild") | 3:18 |
| 2. | "Pusherman" (alternate mix) | 6:10 |
| 3. | "Freddie's Dead" (instrumental version) | 4:48 |
| 4. | "Junkie Chase (Instrumental)" (full-length version) | 4:18 |
| 5. | "No Thing on Me (Cocaine Song)" (instrumental version) | 4:36 |
| 6. | "Militant March" | 0:54 |
| 7. | "Eddie You Should Know Better" (instrumental version) | 2:17 |
| 8. | "Radio Spot #1" | 0:28 |
| 9. | "The Underground" (demo) | 3:13 |
| 10. | "Check Out Your Mind" (instrumental version) | 4:06 |
| 11. | "Radio Spot #2" | 0:28 |
| 12. | "Curtis Mayfield interview on Superfly film and songwriting" | 7:02 |
Personnel
- Curtis Mayfield – vocals, guitar, producer
- Phil Upchurch - guitar
- Joseph Lucky Scott – bass
- Master Henry Gibson – percussion
- Tyrone McCullen – drums ("Pusherman")
- Morris Jennings – drums (all tracks except "Pusherman")[32]
- Craig McMullen – guitar
- Roger Anfinsen – engineer
- Johnny Pate – orchestrator, arranger
- Glen Christensen – art direction
- Milton Sincoff – packaging
- Harry "Slip" Lepp – trombone
Charts
Album
| Singles
|
See also
Notes
- ^ "10 Essential Psychedelic Soul Albums". 16 April 2015.
- ^ "Super Fly | Pitchfork". Pitchfork.
- ^ Himes, Geoffrey (May 16, 1990). "Records". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ^ a b c Bush, John. Review: Super Fly. AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
- ^ Columnist. "Review: Super Fly". Billboard: July 1972.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 7, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Hilburn, Robert. Review: Super Fly. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-08-05. The 1997 reissue of Super Fly was rated three out of four stars by critic Robert Hilburn. However, Hilburn concludes the review by explaining that the original would have been rated four stars, barring the additions of the reissue, stating "Yet there isn't enough additional material to justify, for most listeners, a second disc, causing what would be a four-star single-disc package to be docked a star".
- ^ Smith, Mychal. Review: Super Fly. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
- ^ Columnist. "Review: Super Fly 2009-12-01 at the Wayback Machine". Q: 128. September 1994.
- ^ a b Donat, Bob. Review: Super Fly[dead link]. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
- ^ a b Hoard, Christian. "Review: Super Fly". Rolling Stone: 523–524. November 2, 2004.
- ^ Butler, Nick. Staff Rating: Super Fly. Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
- ^ Staff. "100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century: Super Fly". Vibe: 164. December 1999.
- ^ "The Most Memorable Soundtrack Songs That Name-Check Their Movies". MTV.
- ^ a b Boraman, Greg. Review: Super Fly. BBC Music. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
- ^ Heller, Jason. Review: Super Fly 2008-07-06 at the Wayback Machine. The Yale Herald. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
- ^ a b Super Fly (Album, EP). Discogs. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Superfly [Deluxe 25th Anniversary Edition] album review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
- ^ Bush, John. "Superfly [Rhino] album review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
- ^ Bush, John. "Superfly [Charly] album review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
- ^ Katz 1972.
- ^ Simmons, Ted (February 26, 2013). "Bilal's 25 Favorite Albums". Complex. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ Larkin, Colin. "Review: Super Fly". Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music: March 1, 2002.
- ^ . VH1. Archived from the original on 2009-02-04. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
- ^ . Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2007-10-14. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
- ^ . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 16, 2006. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
- ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
- ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
- ^ "Rocklist". Retrieved July 22, 2018.
- ^ Andrews, Travis M. (March 20, 2019). "Jay-Z, a speech by Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and 'Schoolhouse Rock!' among recordings deemed classics by Library of Congress". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Super Fly (Vinyl opening flap). Curtis Mayfield. Chicago, IL, United States: Curtom. 1972. CRS 8014-ST.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Michael A. Gonzalez, "Waxpoetics #38", page 89
References
- Nathan Brackett, Christian Hoard (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- Colin Larkin (2002). Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Edition 4. Virgin Books. ISBN 1-85227-923-0.
- Katz, Robin (12 August 1972). "Curtis Mayfield: Super Fly (Curtom)". Disc. Retrieved 19 January 2021 – via Rock's Backpages.
External links
- Super Fly at Discogs
- From Super Fly to Super Star — By Ebony
- 100 Best Movie Soundtracks: Super Fly at Entertainment Weekly
- Anniversary Edition: Rolling Stone review — By Robert Christgau
- Collected reviews on Superseventies.com