Contradiction (album)
| Contradiction | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Ohio Players Contradiction cover.jpg | ||||
| Studio album by Ohio Players | ||||
| Released | May 1976 | |||
| Recorded | Paragon Recording Studios (Chicago, Illinois) Criteria Recording Studios (Miami, Florida) Chicago Recording Company (Chicago, Illinois) |
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| Genre | Soul/Funk | |||
| Length | 38:28 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | Ohio Players | |||
| Ohio Players chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Contradiction | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B− [2] |
Contradiction is the eighth studio album by The Ohio Players, and the fourth album recorded for Mercury.
Contents
History
Contradiction was not as ballad-heavy as Honey, but it did expand on the mixture of funk, soul, and rock that they played with on that album. The title track also showed a leaning towards the work they did on Westbound. "Who'd She Coo?" was released as a single and went to No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart.
The band recorded Contradiction at three different recording studios, each session utilizing Barry Mraz as their engineer. The album cover depicts a nude woman feeding a horse a shiny red apple. While the horse is identified by name and breed in the liner notes (an Anglo-Trakehner stallion named Wasyl), the model is uncredited.
It is the fifth and last Ohio Players albums that was also available in quadraphonic (four-channel stereo), released in the 8-track tape format. Contradiction was one of three Ohio Players albums released in 1976. Westbound released Rattlesnake, featuring songs not used during their time with the label. With four Mercury albums under their belt and hit singles on the charts, the group would approve a greatest hits compilation, Gold.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by William Beck, James Williams, Marshall Jones, Marvin Pierce, Ralph Middlebrooks, Clarence Satchell, Leroy Bonner.
| Side one | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Contradiction" | 4:37 |
| 2. | "Precious Love" | 4:57 |
| 3. | "Little Lady Maria" | 4:16 |
| 4. | "Far East Mississippi" | 4:58 |
| Side two | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 5. | "Who'd She Coo?" | 4:32 |
| 6. | "My Life" | 4:01 |
| 7. | "Tell the Truth" | 3:37 |
| 8. | "My Ladies Run Me Crazy" | 3:54 |
| 9. | "Bi-Centennial" | 3:44 |
Personnel
- Billy Beck – grand piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, Hohner Clavinet, RMI Electric Piano, ARP "Odyssey" Synthesizer, ARP String Ensemble, percussion, vocals
- James "Diamond" Williams – drums, timbales, congas, cowbells, steel drums, temple blocks, percussion, vocals
- Marshall Jones – electric bass, percussion
- Marvin "Merv" Pierce – trumpets, trombones, percussion
- Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks – trumpets
- Clarence "Satch" Satchell – flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, percussion, vocals
- Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner – guitars, harmonica, percussion, vocals
Production
- Ohio Players – producers
- Barry Mraz, Lee Hulko – engineers
- Rob Kingsland, Karl Richardson, Steve Klein, Hank Neuberger – assistant engineer
- Jim Ladwig – art director
- Joe Kotleba, Jim Schubert – design
- Paul Gremmler – cover photography
- David Alexander – Ohio Players photos
Charts
| Chart (1976) | Peak [3] |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top LPs | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs | 1 |
- Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] |
US R&B [3] |
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| 1976 | "Who'd She Coo?" | 18 | 1 |
| "Far East Mississippi" | — | 26 | |
