Machine Gun (Commodores album)
Encyclopedia
Machine Gun is the first album from The Commodores
, released on July 22, 1974 on the Motown Records
.
on clavinet
, which led Motown executive Berry Gordy
to name the song "Machine Gun" as the clavinet work reminded him of gunfire. This track peaked at #7 on the R&B charts, while reaching #22 on the overall pop charts. The song would later be sampled prominently by the Beastie Boys
on the song "Hey Ladies
" and featured in the film Boogie Nights
(1997) as well.
The second single to be released, "I Feel Sanctified," reached #12 on the R&B charts, and concerns a man spiritually blessed by his girl's love. The song features Ronald LaPread on bass, while Lionel Richie
and William King contributed horn arrangements. The tune also features an acapella introduction with three-way harmonization. The song "The Bump" became a radio and dancehall staple, with Richie and Walter Orange on vocals calling to female listeners to "...do the bump, do the bump, baby!" "The Assembly Line" and "The Zoo (The Human Zoo)" are both socially charged songs concerning the challenges faced by those who try to make a difference in society. "The Zoo" features an introduction with Williams playing a melody resembling circus music.
The remaining songs are also funk tunes. On "Superman," Richie sings from the point of view of the superhero
himself.
Commodores
The Commodores are an American funk/soul band of the 1970s and 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute in 1968, and signed with Motown in November 1972, having first caught the public eye opening for The Jackson 5 while on tour...
, released on July 22, 1974 on the Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
.
Reception
Unlike other Commodores albums, Machine Gun features only funk music and is devoid of slow-paced ballads. The lead song features Milan WilliamsMilan Williams
Milan B. Williams was an American keyboardist and a founding member of the Commodores band.Williams was born in Okolona, Mississippi and began playing the piano after being inspired by his older brother Earl, who was a multi-instrumentalist...
on clavinet
Clavinet
A Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various...
, which led Motown executive Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
to name the song "Machine Gun" as the clavinet work reminded him of gunfire. This track peaked at #7 on the R&B charts, while reaching #22 on the overall pop charts. The song would later be sampled prominently by the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
on the song "Hey Ladies
Hey Ladies
"Hey Ladies" is a song by American hip hop group the Beastie Boys, featured on their album Paul's Boutique. It was the album's only charting single, hitting #36 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" and featured in the film Boogie Nights
Boogie Nights
Boogie Nights is a 1997 drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Set in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley, the script focuses on a young nightclub dishwasher who becomes a popular star of pornographic films, and chronicles his rise and fall from the Golden Age of Porn of the 1970s...
(1997) as well.
The second single to be released, "I Feel Sanctified," reached #12 on the R&B charts, and concerns a man spiritually blessed by his girl's love. The song features Ronald LaPread on bass, while Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
and William King contributed horn arrangements. The tune also features an acapella introduction with three-way harmonization. The song "The Bump" became a radio and dancehall staple, with Richie and Walter Orange on vocals calling to female listeners to "...do the bump, do the bump, baby!" "The Assembly Line" and "The Zoo (The Human Zoo)" are both socially charged songs concerning the challenges faced by those who try to make a difference in society. "The Zoo" features an introduction with Williams playing a melody resembling circus music.
The remaining songs are also funk tunes. On "Superman," Richie sings from the point of view of the superhero
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
himself.
Trivia
This was also the last album recorded and produced at Motowns' Hitsville USA, being recorded in 1972, then released in 1974.Track listing
- "Machine Gun" (Milan WilliamsMilan WilliamsMilan B. Williams was an American keyboardist and a founding member of the Commodores band.Williams was born in Okolona, Mississippi and began playing the piano after being inspired by his older brother Earl, who was a multi-instrumentalist...
) - "Young Girls Are My Weakness" (William King, Ronald LaPread)
- "I Feel Sanctified" (Lionel RichieLionel RichieLionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
, Jeffrey Bowen, Ronald LaPread, Walter Orange, Milan Williams, Thomas McClary) - "The Bump" (Milan Williams)
- "Rapid Fire" (Milan Williams)
- "Assembly Line" (Gloria JonesGloria JonesGloria Richetta Jones is an American singer and songwriter from Los Angeles, California. She recorded the 1964 northern soul song, "Tainted Love", later a hit for the British synth-pop duo, Soft Cell. She was the girlfriend of glam rock artist Marc Bolan of the band T...
, Pam SawyerPam SawyerPamela Sawyer, an American-based songwriter from Romford, East London.Sawyer worked with artists at Motown Records from 1967 to 1977. Before Motown she had been involved in hit records for the Young Rascals and Lulu, and wrote with Lori Burton with whom she also recorded as the Whyte Boots.Sawyer...
) - "The Zoo (The Human Zoo)" (Gloria Jones, Pam Sawyer)
- "Gonna Blow Your Mind" (Thomas McClary, Walter Orange, Milan Williams)
- "There's A Song In My Heart" (Lionel Richie)
- "Superman" (Lionel Richie]
Charts
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
||
| 1974 | Machine Gun Machine Gun (Commodores album) Machine Gun is the first album from The Commodores, released on July 22, 1974 on the Motown Records.-Reception:Unlike other Commodores albums, Machine Gun features only funk music and is devoid of slow-paced ballads. The lead song features Milan Williams on clavinet, which led Motown executive... |
138 | 22 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US Dance |
||
| 1974 | "Machine Gun" | 22 | 7 | — |
| "I Feel Sanctified" | 75 | 12 (1975) | — | |