Go West (Village People album)

Go West
Studio album by Village People
Released	March 26, 1979
Recorded	1978
Genre	Disco
Length	30:33
Label	Casablanca
Producer	Jacques Morali
Village People chronology
Cruisin' (1978) Go West (1979) Live and Sleazy (1979)
Singles from Go West
"In the Navy" Released: March 17, 1979 "Go West" Released: June 1979

Go West is the fourth studio album by the Village People, released on March 26, 1979. It features their hit singles "In the Navy" (No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 in the UK Top 40) and "Go West", which the Pet Shop Boys did a successful cover of in 1993.

The album was reissued on CD in 1996.

Go West would be the band's last complete album of all-new material for Casablanca, as well as the last album to feature Victor Willis.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	B−[2]
Smash Hits	5/10[3]

Billboard stated that the album contains "some of the most irresistible rhythm in today's pop /disco genre."[4] Billboard described the song "I Wanna Shake Your Hand" as "an appropriately non romantic twist on the Beatles", with its mock exhortation to "Don't be shy/ go up and say hello."[4] The New York Times wrote that the album is "set to a pounding disco beat, overlaid with glutinously symphonic arrangements and Victor Willis's hoarse, sweaty vocals."[5] AllMusic critic Amy Hanson felt that aside from the two singles and "Manhattan Woman," which she felt "contained some interesting, James Brown-inflected vocalizations," the remaining songs "sound like a rehash of the band's already released finest."[1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Henri Belolo, Jacques Morali and Victor Willis

No.	Title	Length
1.	"In the Navy"	5:39
2.	"Go West"	4:10
3.	"Citizens of the World"	5:32
4.	"I Wanna Shake Your Hand"	4:40
5.	"Get Away Holiday"	5:22
6.	"Manhattan Woman"	5:10

Charts

Chart performance for Go West

Chart (1979)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[6]	8
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7]	22
Belgian Albums (BEA)[8]	6
Canadian Albums (RPM)[9]	2
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10]	8
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[11]	2
French Albums (SNEP)[12]	9
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13]	14
Icelandic Albums (Tónlist)[14]	6
Italian Albums (AFI)[15]	15
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[16]	18
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[17]	28
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[18]	4
Spanish Albums (AFE)[19]	14
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[20]	7
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[21]	11
UK Albums (OCC)[22]	14
US Billboard 200[23]	8
Zimbabwean Albums (ZIMA)[24]	2

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[25]	Gold	20,000^^
Canada (Music Canada)[26]	3× Platinum	300,000^^
France (SNEP)[27]	Gold	100,000^*
Germany	—	500,000[28]
United Kingdom (BPI)[29]	Gold	100,000^^
United States (RIAA)[30]	Platinum	1,000,000^^
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Hanson, Amy. "Go West - The Village People". Retrieved 2 September 2011.
2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: V". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 19, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
3. Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (May 17–31, 1979): 25.
4. "Top Album Picks" (PDF). Billboard. April 7, 1979. p. 98. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
5. Rockwell, John (20 Apr 1979). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C15.
6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 330. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
7. "Austriancharts.at – Village People – Go West" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
8. "Hits Of The World, Page 95 June 9 1979". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
9. "RPM: Village People (albums)". RPM Magazine. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
10. "Dutchcharts.nl – Village People – Go West" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
11. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
12. "Tous les Albums de l'Artiste choisi". InfoDisc. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
13. "Offiziellecharts.de – Village People – Go West" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
14. "Tonlist Top 40". DV. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
15. "Gli album più venduti del 1979". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
16. "Oricon Archive - Village People". Oricon. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
17. "Charts.nz – Village People – Go West". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
18. "Norwegiancharts.com – Village People – Go West". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
19. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
20. "Swedishcharts.com – Village People – Go West". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
21. "Swisscharts.com – Village People – Go West". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
22. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
23. "The Village People – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
24. Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
25. "Initial Shipping of Go West Goes Gold in Australia" (PDF). Cash Box. March 28, 1979. p. 9. Retrieved December 1, 2021 – via World Radio History.
26. "Canadian album certifications – Village People – Go West". Music Canada.
27. "French album certifications – Village People – Go West" (in French). InfoDisc. Select VILLAGE PEOPLE and click OK. 
28. Spahr, Wolfgang (July 28, 1979). "Germany's Metronome Label Booming". Billboard. Vol. 91, no. 30. p. 9. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
29. "British album certifications – Village People – Go West". British Phonographic Industry.
30. "American album certifications – Village People – Go West". Recording Industry Association of America.