Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Stereo Review(favourable)[2]

Forever is the seventeenth studio album by the funk band Kool & the Gang, released in 1986. The album included two major hits on the US Hot 100 Chart: "Victory" (US #10, R&B #2) and "Stone Love" (US #10, R&B #4). Three additional singles charted, "Holiday" reached the top ten on the R&B Chart, "Special Way" reached #6 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[3] and "Peacemaker" was released in international markets and charted at #20 in New Zealand.

After this album, lead vocalist James "J.T." Taylor left the group to pursue a solo career. He returned in 1996 for the State of Affairs album.

Reception

David Quantick of NME said, " two thirds of the time, Kool And The Gang are not terribly interesting. Forever is one of those thirds. It contains some lovely harmonising on the title track, some very vague hopes for peace and love, and about one decent song, a reasonably active affair called "Holiday" which bounces along happily and advises us once more to celebrate. This record is not excessively striking and soon I shall have forgotten it."[4]

Track listing

Side 1
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Victory"James "J.T." Taylor, Khalis Bayyan4:37
2."I.B.M.C."Taylor, Bayyan4:14
3."Stone Love"Charles Smith, Taylor, Kool & the Gang4:37
4."Forever"Dwania Kyles, Taylor, Bayyan5:03
Side 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Holiday"Curtis Williams, Taylor, Kool & the Gang4:12
2."Peacemaker"George Brown, Taylor, Kool & the Gang4:35
3."Broadway"Williams, Taylor, Kool & the Gang3:40
4."Special Way"Kyles, Brown, Taylor, Kendall Stubbs, Bayyan5:26
5."God's Country"Gary Curtis Culpepper, Taylor5:04

Personnel

Kool & The Gang

Additional musicians

  • Randy Taylor-Weber – synthesizer programming, creative software programming
  • Mark Attalla – instruments
  • Kendal Stubbs – instruments, drum programming, backing vocals (2, 5, 6, 9)
  • Alex Williams – instruments
  • Bert Clardy – backing vocals (2, 5, 6, 9)
  • Jeff Clardy – backing vocals (2, 5, 6, 9)
  • Lisa Foster – backing vocals (2, 5, 6, 9)
  • Barbara Hernandez – backing vocals (2, 5, 6, 9)
  • Starleana Young – backing vocals (2, 5, 6, 9)
  • Kool & the Gang – backing vocals (6)

Production

  • Gabe Vigorito – executive producer
  • Kool & the Gang – producers
  • Khalis Bayyan – producer, mixing
  • I.B.M.C. Group (Khalis Bayyan, Peter Duarte, Meekaaeel Muhammad, Kendal Stubbs and Randy Taylor/Weber) – producers, recording
  • Jay Biolic – recording
  • Alex Williams – recording
  • Craig Vogel – second engineer
  • Peter Duarte – assistant engineer
  • Roger Talkov – assistant engineer
  • Kendal Stubbs – mixing
  • Herb Powers, Jr. – mastering at Frankford/Wayne Mastering Labs (New York, NY)
  • Bill Levy – art direction
  • George Corsillo – design
  • Gil Gilbert – cover photography
  • Carl Davis for Lemans Designs – fashions
  • Rosalyn Burns-Brock – make-up

Certifications

Certifications and sales for Forever
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[5] Gold 50,000^
France (SNEP)[6] Gold 100,000*
United States (RIAA)[7] Gold 500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Hanson, Amy. "Kool & the Gang: Forever > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  2. ^ Garland, Phyl (May 1987). "Kool and the Gang: Forever" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. Vol. 52, no. 5. Stereo Review. p. 90.
  3. ^ "Forever > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles" at AllMusic. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  4. ^ David Quantick (3 January 1987). "33". NME. p. 23.
  5. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Kool & the Gang – Forever". Music Canada. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  6. ^ "French album certifications – Kool & the Gang – Forever" (in French). InfoDisc. Select KOOL & THE GANG and click OK. 
  7. ^ "American album certifications – Kool & The Gang – Forever". Recording Industry Association of America.
Allikas: Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forever_(Kool_%26_the_Gang_album)
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