Village People (album)
| Village People | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Villagepeole1.jpg | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 18, 1977 | |||
| Genre | Disco | |||
| Length | 22:16 | |||
| Label | Casablanca | |||
| Producer | Jacques Morali | |||
| Village People chronology | ||||
| ||||
| German cover | ||||
| File:Villagepeoplealbum1977.jpg Original German issue, retitled San Francisco (You've Got Me)[1] | ||||
| Singles from Village People | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | File:Star full.svgFile:Star full.svgFile:Star full.svgFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svg[2] |
Village People is the debut album[3] by Village People, released on July 18, 1977. Its hit song "San Francisco (You've Got Me)" reached the top 50 in the UK, peaking at #45. In Germany, the album was released as San Francisco (You Got Me).[1]
History
Village People was the creation of Jacques Morali, a French composer. He had written a few dance tunes when he was given a demo tape recorded by singer/actor Victor Willis. Morali approached Willis and told him, "I had a dream that you sang lead on my album and it went very, very big". Willis agreed.[4] The record was a success, and demand for live appearances soon followed. Morali, his business partner Henri Belolo (under the collaboration Can't Stop Productions) and Willis hastily built a group of dancers to perform with Willis in clubs and on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. As Village People's popularity grew, Morali, Belolo and Willis saw the need for a permanent 'group.' They took out an ad in a music trade magazine which read: "Macho Types Wanted: Must Dance And Have A Moustache."[4] Although the composers were French, the lyrics were all in English as Morali and Belolo used American lyricists Phil Hurtt and the aforementioned Peter Whitehead.
Track listing
- All songs written by Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo, Peter Whitehead and Phil Hurtt, except track 2 (Morali, Belolo, Hurtt).
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "San Francisco (You've Got Me)" | 5:19 |
| 2. | "In Hollywood (Everybody Is a Star)" | 5:27 |
| 3. | "Fire Island" | 5:49 |
| 4. | "Village People" | 5:41 |
| Total length: | 22:16 | |
Production
- Executive producer: Henri Belolo
- Produced by Jacques Morali for Can't Stop Production Inc.
- Recorded and mixed by Gerald Block; assistant engineer: J.D. Stewart
- All songs published by Can't Stop Music.
Charts
| Chart (1977–1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[5] | 21 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM)[6] | 70 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[7] | 88 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[8] | 29 |
| US Billboard 200[9] | 54 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[9] | 36 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[10] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[11] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[12] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Original German issue, titled "San Francisco (You've Got Me) Archived 2012-11-11 at the Wayback Machine Discogs.com. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
- ↑ Hamilton, Andrew. "The Village People – Village People (AllMusic review)". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on July 24, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
- ↑ "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Village People", Rolling Stone Magazine Vol. 289, April 19, 1979.
- ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 330. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ↑ "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 29, No. 8, May 20 1978". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
- ↑ "Oricon Archive - Village People". Archived from the original on 2017-04-07. Retrieved 2017-04-06.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Village People – Village People". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "The Village People – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
- ↑ "Morali Wins Aussie Awards" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. 40, no. 36. January 20, 1979. p. 30. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2020 – via World Radio History.
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Village People – Village People". Music Canada.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Village People – Village People". Recording Industry Association of America.
External links
- Village People/San Francisco at Discogs (list of releases)