''Sweet Exorcist'' is the fifth studio album 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 ...

, released in May 1974. It peaked at number 39 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, as well as number 2 on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

chart.

Background

Art Kass, co-founder of

Buddah Records Buddah Records (later known as Buddha Records) was an American record label founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's foundin ...

, announced ''Sweet Exorcist'' in the April 13, 1974 issue of '' Cashbox'' magazine. "As a poet and spokesman, as well as a musician, Curtis Mayfield has helped bring black music to its place in the center of American popular music. ''Sweet Exorcist'' is a deeply lyrical album and, at the same time, its rhythms and themes capture our times as only Curtis could do," Art Kass said at a press conference.

Cover art

The original vinyl release cover, designed by Bill Ronalds, shows men like

Greek gods In ancient Greece, deities were regarded as immortal, anthropomorphic, and powerful. They were conceived of as individual persons, rather than abstract concepts or notions, and were described as being similar to humans in appearance, albeit larg ...

holding planets in the middle of a sea of human skeletons. The title of the album ''Sweet Exorcist'' is prominently displayed in capital letters. Below is the first verse of "To Be Invisible".

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. *

– production * Rich Tufo – arrangement (except "Power to the People", "Kung Fu", and "Suffer") *

Gil Askey Gilbert Askey (March 9, 1925 – April 9, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, producer and musical director who was born in Austin, Texas, and emigrated to Australia in 1988. Early and personal life Askey was born in Austin, Texas, ...

– arrangement (on "Power to the People", "Kung Fu", and "Suffer") * R. Anfinsen – engineering * J. Janus – engineering * Milton Sincoff – creative packaging design * Bill Ronalds – illustration * Marv Stuart – management

Charts

References

External links

* 1974 albums Curtis Mayfield albums Albums produced by Curtis Mayfield Curtom Records albums Progressive soul albums {{1970s-R&B-album-stub