Something Special (Kool & the Gang album)

Something Special is the fifteenth studio album by the funk band Kool and the Gang, released in 1981.

Reception

While it did not live up to the huge success that the band's previous two albums brought, it still contained two hit singles: "Take My Heart" went to #1 on the R&B chart and #17 on the Pop chart. "Get Down On It" reached #4 on the R&B chart and #10 on the Pop chart. In addition, "Steppin' Out" ended up at #12 on the R&B chart and #89 on the Pop chart.^[2] In the UK, the album reached #10,^[3] becoming their first hit album there and most successful studio album of all, largely due to the success of the "Get Down On It" single.

Samples

The song "Be My Lady" has since been sampled prominently in the hit song by Chili Hi Fly "Is It Love" in the year 2000.

Track listing

Personnel

• Bass, backing vocals – Robert "Kool" Bell
• Lead Guitar – Charles Smith
• Saxophone, keyboards, backing vocals – Ronald Bell
• Drums, backing vocals – George Brown
• Lead and backing vocals – James "J.T." Taylor
• Alto saxophone – Dennis Thomas
• Alto saxophone, flute, backing vocals – Steve Greenfield
• Trombone – Clifford Adams
• Trumpet, backing vocals – Michael Ray, Robert Mickens
• Keyboards – Brian Jackson
• Keyboards – Eumir Deodato
• Additional percussion – Jimmy Maelen
• Additional handclaps – Platinum Hook
• Backing vocals – Clifford Adams, Cynthia Huggins, Joan Motley, Kelly Barretto

Production

• Engineer – Jim Bonnefond
• Assistant engineers – Bobby Scott Cohen, Cliff Hodson, Joe DeAngelis, Julian Robertson
• Overdubs engineers – Bob "Ziggy" Winard, Mallory Earl
• Mixed by – Eumir Deodato, Jim Bonnefond, Gabe Vigorito
• Mastered by – Tom Coyne, Stephan Galfas (Assistant)
• Producer – Eumir Deodato
• Associate producer – Kool & The Gang

Charts

Singles

References

External links

• Kool & The Gang - Something Special at Discogs (list of releases)