| Uptown Festival | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Shalamar | ||||
| Released | April 12, 1977 (1977-04-12) | |||
| Studio | Wally Heider Studios, The Sound Factory | |||
| Genre | Disco, R&B | |||
| Length | 38:30 | |||
| Label | Soul Train Records | |||
| Producer | Dick Griffey, Don Cornelius, Simon Soussan | |||
| Shalamar chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Uptown Festival | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Pitchfork | 4.2/10 |
Uptown Festival is the debut album by American R&B group Shalamar, released in 1977 on the Soul Train label. The album was in fact recorded by session singers. It peaked at No. 22 on the US R&B chart and No. 48 on the Billboard albums chart.
The title track, "Uptown Festival" was recorded at Ike & Tina Turner's Bolic Sound studio. It's a medley of ten Motown classics sung over a 1970s disco beat. The single was a hit in both the US and the UK.
Singles
Two singles were released from the album:
- "Uptown Festival (Part 1)" (US Hot 100 #25, US R&B #10, Australia #20, UK #30)
- "Ooo Baby Baby" (US R&B #59)
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Inky Dinky Wang Dang Doo" | Norma Toney, Andre Williams | 4:04 |
| 2. | "Beautiful Night" | Jimmy Thomas | 5:20 |
| 3. | "Uptown Festival" ("Going to a Go-Go" / "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" / "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" / "Stop! In the Name of Love" / "It's the Same Old Song" / "The Tears of a Clown" / "Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart" / "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" / "Baby Love" / "He Was Really Saying Somethin'") | Smokey Robinson, Bobby Rogers, Marvin Tarplin, Pete Moore / Holland–Dozier–Holland / Stevie Wonder, Henry Cosby, Sylvia Moy / Holland–Dozier–Holland / Holland–Dozier–Holland / Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Hank Cosby / Holland–Dozier–Holland / Holland–Dozier–Holland, Sylvia Moy / Holland–Dozier–Holland / Norman Whitfield, William "Mickey" Stevenson, Eddie Holland | 8:52 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "High on Life" | Don Cornelius | 3:42 |
| 5. | "Ooh Baby, Baby" | Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore | 3:48 |
| 6. | "You Know" | Don Cornelius | 3:59 |
| 7. | "Forever Came Today" | Holland–Dozier–Holland | 5:55 |
Charts
| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 27 |
References
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Shalamar – Uptown Festival". AllMusic. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
- "Shalamar: Uptown Festival / Disco Gardens / Big Fun". Pitchfork.
- "Ian Dewhirst". Red Bull Music Academy.
- ^ "Uptown Festival (song by Shalamar) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com.
- "Ooh Baby, Baby (song by Shalamar) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 270. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
External links
| Shalamar | |
|---|---|
| |
| Studio albums | |
| Singles | |
| Related articles | |