Product Overview
Celebration: The Best Of Kool & The Gang (1979-1987) / Funk Essentials / Mercury Audio CD 1994 / 522 458-2
UPC 731452245823
"Celebration" is a 1980 song by American band Kool & the Gang. Released as the first single from their twelfth album, Celebrate! (1980), it was the band's first and only single to reach No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
In 2021, the Library of Congress selected "Celebration" for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally historically or aesthetically significant".
Kool & the Gang is an American R&B/soul/funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 by brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell, with Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, and Ricky West. They have undergone numerous changes in personnel and have explored many musical styles throughout their history, including jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, funk, disco, rock, and pop music. After settling on their name following several changes, the group signed to De-Lite Records and released their debut album, Kool and the Gang (1969).
| Label: | Mercury – 522 458-2 |
|---|---|
| Series: | Funk Essentials |
| Format: |
CD, Compilation
|
| Country: | |
| Released: |
1994 |
| Genre: | Electronic, Funk / Soul |
| Style: | Soul, Funk, Disco |
Tracklist:
| 1 | Celebration | 4:58 | |
| 2 | Get Down On It | 4:54 | |
| 3 | Fresh | 4:23 | |
| 4 | Too Hot | 5:04 | |
| 5 | Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It) |
4:05 | |
| 6 | Let's Go Dancin' (Ooh La, La, La) | 6:40 | |
| 7 | Misled | 4:58 | |
| 8 | Cherish (12" Version) | 5:39 | |
| 9 | Ladies Night | 3:29 | |
| 10 | Steppin' Out | 4:52 | |
| 11 | Joanna | 4:22 | |
| 12 | In The Heart | 3:55 | |
| 13 | Take It To The Top | 3:38 | |
| 14 | Tonight (12" Version) | 4:12 | |
| 15 | No Show | 4:25 | |
| 16 | Straight Ahead | 3:31 | |
| 17 | Stone Love | 3:54 |
- Alto Saxophone, Handclaps, Backing Vocals – Dennis "D.T." Thomas
- Bass – Will Lee
- Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals – Robert "Kool" Bell
- Concertmaster [For Strings] – Gene Orloff
- Coordinator [Project Coordination] – Terri Tierney
- Creative Director [Creative Consultant And Essay], Photography By [Photos Courtesy Of] – Cleveland Brown
- Design – Mark Weinberg
- Drums, Backing Vocals – George "Funky" Brown
- Executive-Producer – Bill Levenson
- Flute, Alto Saxophone – Steve Greenfield
- Guitar – Brenden Harkin, Charles Smith, Leslie Reil
- Keyboards – Adam Epolito, Brian Jackson, Eumir Deodato
- Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals – Amir Abdul-Salaam Bayyan, Kevin Bell
- Keyboards, Synthesizer – Curtis "Fitz" Williams
- Keyboards, Vocals – Earl Toon, Jr.
- Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – James "J.T." Taylor
- Percussion – Jimmy Maelen
- Photography By [Photos Courtesy Of] – Kool & The Gang
- Producer – Eumir Deodato (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6, 9, 10, 13, 15), I.B.M.C. (tracks: 17), Jim Bonnefond (tracks: 3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 16), Khalis Bayyan (tracks: 3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17)
- Producer [Compilation] – Harry Weinger
- Remastered By [Digitally] – Gary Mayo
- Supervised By [Project Assistance] – Catherine Ladis
- Supervised By [Project Direction] – Richard Bauer
- Tenor Saxophone, Keyboards, Synthesizer, Backing Vocals – Khalis Bayyan, Ronald Bell
- Trombone, Backing Vocals – Clifford Adams
- Trumpet – Chris Alberts, Jon Faddis
- Trumpet, Backing Vocals – Michael Ray, Robert "Spike" Mickens
- Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Vocals – Larry Gittens
