Skin_Tight_(album)
Skin Tight (album)
1974 studio album by Ohio Players
Skin Tight is the fifth studio album by the Ohio Players, released in April 1974. It is their first album released through the Mercury label, and considered to be their commercial breakthrough.
| Skin Tight | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1974 | |||
| Recorded | Paragon Studios (Chicago, Illinois) | |||
| Genre | Soul, funk | |||
| Length | 41:11 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | Ohio Players | |||
| Ohio Players chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B[2] |
Skin Tight signified a turning point in the group's career towards a more jazzy and polished funk sound. The album began the Players' dominant platinum-selling period, and would bring them a much bigger audience. In fact, this release would outsell all of their previous LPs combined. The band produced and recorded the album in Chicago, with Barry Mraz as recording engineer. The final mix was mastered by Lee Hulko.
It is the second of five Ohio Players albums announced also as a quadraphonic (4-channel stereo) release, the first of four for Mercury. However, it was never actually released as no known copies have surfaced even among collectors. According to Billboard, Skin Tight took the top position on the Black Albums chart for six weeks, and missed the Top 10 on the Pop Albums chart by one position.
R.E.M. performed "Skin Tight" on their Green tour in 1989. A live recording from Orlando, Florida on 30 April 1989 was released as a B-side to "Stand". "Heaven Must Be Like This" was covered by Paul Jackson Jr. featuring Glenn Jones on his 1993 album A River in the Desert. D'Angelo also covered the song on the soundtrack of the 1998 motion picture Down in the Delta.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Skin Tight" | 7:52 |
| 2. | "Streakin' Cheek to Cheek" | 5:43 |
| 3. | "It's Your Night/Words of Love" | 7:58 |
All tracks are written by James Williams, Billy Beck, Clarence Satchell, Leroy Bonner, Marshall Jones, Ralph Middlebrooks, Marvin Pierce
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Jive Turkey" | 7:09 |
| 5. | "Heaven Must Be Like This" | 7:18 |
| 6. | "Is Anybody Gonna Be Saved?" | 4:56 |
- Marshall "Rock" Jones – Fender bass
- James "Diamond" Williams – drums, chimes, percussion, lead & background vocals
- Billy Beck – piano, organ, Fender Rhodes piano, Clavinet, ARP, percussion, lead & background vocals
- Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner – guitar, percussion, lead & background vocals
- Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks – trumpet, trombone & background vocals
- Clarence "Satch" Satchell – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute, percussion, lead & background vocals
- Marvin "Merv" Pierce – trumpet, flugelhorn, valve trombone & background vocals
| Year | Chart | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | U.S. Billboard Top LPs | 11[3] |
| U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs | 1[4] | |
- Singles
- Henderson, Alex. Skin Tight review at AllMusic. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
- Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: O". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 10, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- "Ohio Players: Skin Tight (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- "Ohio Players: Skin Tight (Top Soul Albums)". Billboard.
- "Ohio Players: Skin Tight (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- "Ohio Players: Skin Tight (Hot Soul Songs)". Billboard.