Visions (Gladys Knight & the Pips album)

Visions is an album by the American soul group Gladys Knight & the Pips, released in 1983.[2][3]

Visions
Studio album by
Released1983
Studio
  • C. S. S. and Law Recording Studios (Las Vegas, Nevada)
  • Studio Masters and Wally Heider Studios (Los Angeles, California)
  • United Western Recorders, Hollywood Sound Recorders and A&M Studios (Hollywood, California)
  • Jennifudy Studios and Larrabee Sound Studios (North Hollywood, California)
  • Mars Recording (Santa Monica, California)
  • Kendun Recorders (Burbank, California)
  • The Sound Shop (Nashville, Tennessee)
GenreR&B, soul
LabelColumbia[1]
Producer
Gladys Knight & the Pips chronology
Touch
(1981)
Visions
(1983)
Life
(1985)

The album peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart.[4] "Save the Overtime (For Me)" reached No. 1 on the Hot Black Singles chart.[5]

Production

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Half of the album's songs, including "Save the Overtime (For Me)", were produced by the group.[6]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [7]
Robert ChristgauB[8]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [3]

Robert Christgau wrote: "Accurately acclaimed as her finest work in a decade, this is amazingly uniform for an album featuring eight different bassists and eight different drummers recorded in eight different studios in L.A., Nashville, and Vegas."[8] The Philadelphia Inquirer deemed the album "an uneven but nonetheless bold mixture of styles—sultry ballads, squeaky-clean pop and pumping funk tunes."[2] The Rocket opined that "a couple of the ballads are weak in spots, and the variety of producers tends to give the album an incoherent feel."[10]

The Washington Informer thought that "'Oh La De Da'—a brassy, fun-filled, funky celebration of the boogie—is a refreshing departure from the ups and downs of luv."[11] Stereo Review opined that Knight "is buried in a mire of unimaginative and downright boring arrangements."[12]

AllMusic called "Save the Overtime (For Me)" "the kind of jubilant, celebratory, rousing performance that had marked their best Motown singles, and it put some fresh life into what had become a stagnant group."[7]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."When You're Far Away"James Harris III, Terry Lewis5:50
2."Just Be My Lover"Joey Gallo, Dana Meyers, William Shelby3:29
3."Save the Overtime (For Me)"Sam Dees, Joey Gallo, Bubba Knight, Gladys Knight, Rickey Smith4:42
4."Heaven Sent"Sam Dees4:11
5."Don't Make Me Run Away"Michael Lovesmith3:47
6."Ain't No Greater Love"Gene Dozier, Richard Randolph, William Shelby, Rickey Smith4:53
7."Seconds"Sam Dees, Ron Kersey4:36
8."You're Number One (In My Book)"Dana Meyers, Wilmer Raglin, Leon Sylvers III, William Zimmerman5:12
9."Oh La De Da"Sam Dees, Bubba Knight3:35
10."Hero"Larry Henley, Jeff Silbar3:44

Personnel

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The Pips

Musicians

Arrangements

  • James Harris III – rhythm and vocal arrangements (1)
  • Terry Lewis – rhythm and vocal arrangements (1)
  • Leon Sylvers III – rhythm arrangements (1-3, 8), vocal arrangements (1, 2, 6, 8)
  • Joey Gallo – rhythm arrangements (2)
  • William Shelby – rhythm arrangements (2)
  • Wilmer Raglin – vocal arrangements (2, 8)
  • Eddie Karam – string arrangements (2)
  • Harris Goldman – string conductor (2, 8)
  • Edmund Sylvers – vocal arrangements (3)
  • Gladys Knight and the Pips – vocal arrangements (3)
  • Sam Dees – rhythm arrangements (4, 7, 9)
  • Ron Kersey – rhythm arrangements (4, 7)
  • Michael Lovesmith – rhythm arrangements (5)
  • Richard Randolph – rhythm arrangements (6)
  • Rickey Smith – rhythm arrangements (6)
  • Bubba Knight – rhythm arrangements (7, 9)
  • Gladys Knight – rhythm arrangements (7)
  • William Zimmerman – rhythm and vocal arrangements (8)
  • David Crawford – string arrangements (8)
  • Victor Hall – rhythm arrangements (9)
  • Rickey Minor – rhythm arrangements (9)
  • Ron Oats – rhythm arrangements (10)

Production

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  • Nancy Donald – design
  • René Magritte – cover artwork
  • Bob Seidermann – photography

Technical

  • Wally Traugott – mastering at Capitol Mastering (Hollywood, California)
  • Bob Brown – engineer (1, 3, 6)
  • Gary Boatner – engineer (2, 8)
  • Steve Hodge – engineer (2, 8)
  • Tom Perry – engineer (4, 5, 7, 9, 10), post production (4, 5, 7, 9, 10)
  • John Banuelos – engineer (5)
  • Paul McKenna – engineer (7)
  • Ernie Wynnfry – engineer (10)
  • Mark Harman – assistant engineer (1, 3)
  • Barney Perkins – assistant engineer (1, 3), engineer (4)
  • Jim Shifflett – assistant engineer (3)
  • Lee Watters – assistant engineer (3, 6)
  • Ross Pallone – assistant engineer (4, 5, 7, 9)

References

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  1. ^ "Jet's Top 20 Albums". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. December 26, 1983 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b Tucker, Ken (14 Oct 1983). "Gladys and the Pips, Vegas-Style". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E22.
  3. ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 405.
  4. ^ "Gladys Knight And The Pips". Billboard.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 330.
  6. ^ Grein, Paul (May 18, 1985). "Knight & the Pips 'Diversify' Carefully". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 20. p. 57.
  7. ^ a b "Visions - Gladys Knight & the Pips | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  8. ^ a b "Robert Christgau: CG: Gladys Knight". www.robertchristgau.com.
  9. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 891.
  10. ^ O'Brien, Tom (Jun 1983). "High Class Knight Vision". The Rocket. p. 30.
  11. ^ Brower, W. A. (May 25, 1983). "Midas-Like Visions". The Washington Informer. No. 31. p. 16.
  12. ^ Garland, Phyl (October 1983). "Disc and Tape Review". Stereo Review. Vol. 48, no. 10. p. 78.