Friends (Shalamar album)

Friends
Studio album by Shalamar
Released	January 29, 1982
Recorded	1981
Studio	Studio Masters Larrabee Sound The Record Plant Kendun Recorders (Los Angeles)
Genre	Urban soul R&B post-disco
Length	44:55
Label	SOLAR
Producer	Leon Sylvers III
Shalamar chronology
Go for It (1981) Friends (1982) The Look (1983)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
BBC	favorable[2]
Robert Christgau	B−[3]

Friends is the sixth album by American R&B group Shalamar, released in 1982 on the SOLAR label. The album, which features the 'classic' Shalamar line-up (Jeffrey Daniel, Howard Hewett and Jody Watley), topped the R&B chart and peaked at #35 on the Billboard chart. It has been certified Gold in the United States for sales over 500,000. It would eventually go Platinum. In the United Kingdom Friends gained impetus from a now-legendary demonstration of body-popping by Daniel during a performance of "A Night to Remember" on the BBC programme Top of the Pops. It reached #6 on the UK Albums Chart and produced four top 20 singles.

In 2002, Friends was re-released by Sanctuary Records in the United Kingdom in a double-CD package with Shalamar's previous album Go for It.

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"A Night to Remember"	Dana Meyers, Charmaine Sylvers, Nidra Beard	5:08
2.	"Don't Try to Change Me"	William Bryant, Tina Scott, Roberta Stiger	4:10
3.	"Help Me"	Joey Gallo, Leon Sylvers III, Jody Watley, Nidra Beard	5:10
4.	"On Top of the World"	Dana Meyers, Richard Randolph	4:06
5.	"I Don't Wanna Be the Last to Know"	Kevin Spencer, William Shelby, Linda Carriere, Nidra Beard	4:02

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"Friends"	William Shelby, Glen Barbee, Nidra Beard	5:00
7.	"Playing to Win"	Jody Watley, Ralph E. Clayborne, Charmaine Sylvers	4:24
8.	"I Just Stopped By Because I Had To"	Stephen Shockley, Joey Gallo, Leon Sylvers III, Nidra Beard	4:08
9.	"There It Is"	Nidra Beard, Dana Meyers, Charmaine Sylvers	4:27
10.	"I Can Make You Feel Good"	William Shelby, Howard Hewett, Renwick Jackson	4:20

Personnel

Shalamar

• Jeffrey Daniel - lead & backing vocals
• Howard Hewett - lead & backing vocals
• Jody Watley - lead & backing vocals

Musical Personnel

• Leon Sylvers III - bass, percussion, keyboards
• Wardell Potts, Jr. - drums
• Foster Sylvers - bass
• Joey Gallo - keyboards
• Kevin Spencer - keyboards
• James Ingram - bass, keyboards
• Ricky Sylvers - guitar
• Ed Green - drums
• Ernest "Pepper" Reed - guitar
• Richard Randolph - guitar
• Michael Nash - keyboards
• William Shelby - keyboards
• Wayne Milstein - percussion

Reception

In The Boston Phoenix, Mike Freedberg wrote that the album "presents [Howard] Hewitt again and again overmatched by roseate fugues, overmatching lyrics so glib they vanish. He doesn't know whether to drive ahead or scat back--but neither would a Shalamar fan. Hewitt's stabs at sincerity fit into the I-can't-manage atmosphere that has all but replaced the buoyant bravado of soul, funk, and disco from today's black-teen music."[4]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1982) Peak position Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[5] 32 UK Albums (OCC)[6] 6 US Billboard 200[7] 35 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] 1 Year-end charts Chart (1982) Position Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9] 96 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] 10

Singles Year Single Chart positions[11][12] UK Pop US Pop US R&B US Dance 1982 "I Can Make You Feel Good" 7 102 33 - "A Night To Remember" 5 44 8 15 "There It Is" 5 - - - "Friends" 12 - - - Certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales United Kingdom (BPI)[13] Platinum 300,000^^ United States (RIAA)[14] Gold 500,000^^ ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1982 (U.S.)

References

1. Elias, Jason. "Shalamar – Friends". AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
2. Easlea, Daryl. "Shalamar – Friends". BBC Music. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
3. Christgau, Robert. "Shalamar – Friends". Robert Christgau. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
4. Freedberg, Mike (April 13, 1982). "Know-nothing soul". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
5. "Dutchcharts.nl – Shalamar – Friends" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
6. "Shalamar | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
7. "Shalamar, TLP". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
8. "Shalamar, BLP". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
9. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1982". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
10. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1982". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
11. "Shalamar US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
12. "Shalamar full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
13. "British album certifications – Shalamar – Friends". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
14. "American album certifications – Shalamar – Friends". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 14, 2021.

External links

• Shalamar-Friends at Discogs