''Super Fly'' is the third
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by American
soul
The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
musician
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...
, released on July 11, 1972, by
Curtom Records
Curtom Records was a record label founded by Curtis Mayfield and Eddie Thomas in March 1968 as an independently distributed music label. It was located at 8541 South Stony Island Boulevard. The name of the label came from a hybrid of the names "C ...
. It was released as the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
for the
Blaxploitation
In American cinema, Blaxploitation is the film subgenre of action movie derived from the exploitation film genre in the early 1970s, consequent to the combined cultural momentum of the black civil rights movement, the black power movement, ...
film of the same name. 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
A title track is a song that has the same name as the album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...
(number 5 R&B, number 8 Pop). ''Super Fly'' is one of the few soundtracks to out-gross the film it accompanied.
''Super Fly'', along with
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...
's ''
What's Going On'' (1971), was one of the pioneering soul
concept album
A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
s, with its then-unique socially aware lyrics about
poverty
Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...
and
drug abuse
Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definitions ...
making the album stand out.
[Boraman, Greg]
Review: ''Super Fly''
BBC Music
BBC Music is the arm of the BBC responsible for the music played across its services. The current director of music is Lorna Clarke.
Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio operational division; however, its remit also includes music used i ...
. Retrieved 2014-05-08.[Heller, Jason]
Review: ''Super Fly''
. '' The Yale Herald''. Retrieved 2014-05-08. The film and the soundtrack may be perceived as dissonant, since
the film holds rather ambiguous views on
drug dealers
The illegal drug trade, drug trafficking, or narcotrafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types ...
, whereas
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...
'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.
Background
Mayfield had previously contributed two songs to ''
Krakatoa, East of Java''; the film was a critical and commercial failure, but marked his first foray into soundtrack work. His contribution began when ''Super Fly'' director
Gordon Parks Jr. asked Mayfield and his backing band to
cameo as a nightclub act in the background of a scene. Parks wanted a full song to play in the scene, which led to the beginning of soundtrack sessions.
Production
The recording session for the song "Pusherman" took place at
Bell Sound Studios
Bell Sound Studios was an independent recording studio in New York City from 1950 to 1976. At its height, the studio was the largest independent recording studio in the United States, and the site of recording sessions that produced seminal hits b ...
in New York, and was followed by a several months-long hiatus (during which Mayfield wrote ''The Times Have Changed'' for his former group
The Impressions
The Impressions were an American music group originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes gospel, R&B, doo-wop, and soul.
The group was founded as the Roosters by Chattanooga, Tennessee natives Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks and Arthu ...
and formulated his next solo effort,
''Back to the World''). The instrumentals for the remaining songs were produced in a three-day session at Curtom Studios, which involved an in-studio band of as many as 40 performers. Guitarist Craig McMullen states, "The advantage of it is, if you have a full orchestra, when you place your licks, you don't have to worry about your licks bumping. You can hear everything that's going to go down." The album was primarily written by Mayfield from a basement apartment in Chicago while undergoing a
trial separation from his wife and children.
Release
''Super Fly'' was originally released in 1972 on Curtom Records in both
LP and
eight-track formats.
[''Super Fly'' (Album, EP)](_blank)
Discogs
Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...
. Retrieved 2009-08-05. It also featured distribution in countries outside of the United States, including Italy, Germany, France, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
On November 11, 1997,
Rhino Records
A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...
released a 25th Anniversary collection of the album with a bonus disc of demo versions of songs,
radio spots, and interviews.
In 1999,
Rhino Records
A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...
reissued the album with two bonus tracks.
On December 11, 2001, the British record label
Charly Records
Charly Records is a British record label that specialises in reissued material.
Among the labels whose original releases are reissued by Charly are Vee-Jay, Sun, Immediate, BYG, Tomato, and Fania.
History
Charly Records was founded in Fran ...
re-released the album with several bonus tracks.
Reception, sales and legacy
Music critics lauded ''Super Fly''.
The album was
RIAA certified Gold within three months of release. ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
''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
The Impressions were an American music group originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes gospel, R&B, doo-wop, and soul.
The group was founded as the Roosters by Chattanooga, Tennessee natives Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks and Arthu ...
".
Rock critic
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
of ''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'' 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
Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from the Old French ''curteis'' (Modern French">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of Fren ...
''), transmitting bleak lyrics through uncompromisingly vivacious music. Message: both candor and rhythm are essential to our survival".
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."The album itself as well as songs "
Freddie's Dead" and "Junkie Chase" received nominations at the
15th Annual Grammy Awards.
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".
Charles Taylor of ''
The Boston Phoenix
''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the now defunct ''Boston Phoenix'', '' ...
'', in an article on Mayfield, deems "Superfly," "Pusherman" and "Freddie's Dead" to "remain his paramount achievement, as hard and pitiless as any music ever to make the charts." John Bush of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
praised the album's lyrical substance and sound, calling it a "melange of deep, dark grooves, trademarked wah-wah guitar, and stinging brass".
On its significance, Bush concluded by stating:
In a positive retrospective review for
''Pitchfork'', writer Mychal Smith notes the political relevance of ''Super Fly''
's messages to early 70's U.S. politics, in particular the issues facing the black population:
In the ''
Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' (2002), writer
Colin Larkin
Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British music writer. He founded and was the editor-in-chief of ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. Along with the ten-volume encyclopedia, Larkin also wrote the book ''All Time Top 1000 Albums'', and edited th ...
gave the album a five-star rating.
[Larkin, Colin.]
Review: ''Super Fly''
. '' Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music'': March 1, 2002. In 2003,
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
named ''Super Fly'' the 63rd greatest album of all time. The
title track
A title track is a song that has the same name as the album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...
was selected by the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
as one of the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll". In 2003, the album was ranked number 69 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of
the 500 greatest albums of all time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and indu ...
,
72 in a 2012 revised list, and 76 in a 2020 revised list. The album is ranked number 986 in ''
All-Time Top 1000 Albums'' (3rd edition, 2000). In 2019, the album was selected by the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
for preservation in the
National Recording Registry
The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation ...
for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
''Super Fly'' was a formative work in the development of the
hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
and
rap genres, and has been cited as an influence and sampled by the likes of
Beastie Boys
The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...
,
The Notorious B.I.G.,
Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer and songwriter. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...
,
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
,
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...
,
Chance the Rapper
Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' (2012) during one of his high school suspension ...
, and
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
.
The singer
Bilal __NOTOC__
Bilal may refer to:
People
* Bilal (name), or Belal or Bilel, including a list of people with the name
* Bilal ibn Rabah, a companion of Muhammad, made calls for prayers
* Bilal (American singer)
* Bilal (Lebanese singer)
Places
* Bi ...
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." Mychal Smith notes the impact ''Super Fly'' had on the genre of blaxploitation soundtracks in particular, noting Mayfield had "inspired imitations
..such as
Bobby Womack
Robert Dwayne Womack ( ; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's ...
’s "
Across 110th Street",
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
’s
''Black Caesar'', and
Willie Hutch’s ''The Mack''."
Track listing
Original LP
All songs are written by
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...
.
Reissues
Personnel
* Curtis Mayfield – vocals, guitar,
producer
*
Phil Upchurch – guitar
*
Joseph Lucky Scott – bass (all tracks)
*
Master Henry Gibson – percussion (all tracks)
* Tyrone McCullen – drums ("Pusherman")
*
Morris Jennings – drums (all tracks except "Pusherman")
[Michael A. Gonzalez, "Waxpoetics #38", page 89]
* Craig McMullen – guitar (all tracks)
* Roger Anfinsen –
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
*
Johnny Pate – orchestrator,
arranger
In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...
* Glen Christensen – art direction
* Milton Sincoff – packaging
* Harry "Slip" Lepp – trombone
Charts
Album
Singles
Certifications
See also
*
List of number-one albums of 1972 (U.S.)
*
List of number-one R&B albums of 1972 (U.S.)
Notes
References
*
*
*
External links
*
Super Fly' at
Discogs
Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...
From Super Fly to Super Star— By ''
Ebony
Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also includes the persimmon tree. A few ''Diospyros'' species, such as macassar and mun ebony, are dense enough to sink in water. Ebony is fin ...
''
100 Best Movie Soundtracks: ''Super Fly'' at ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
''
Anniversary Edition: ''Rolling Stone'' review— By Robert Christgau
{{Authority control
1972 soundtrack albums
Curtom Records albums
Curtis Mayfield soundtracks
1970s concept albums
Albums arranged by Johnny Pate
Albums produced by Curtis Mayfield
Rhino Entertainment soundtracks
Single-artist film soundtracks
United States National Recording Registry recordings
Drama film soundtracks
United States National Recording Registry albums
Progressive soul albums