Rainbow Connection IV | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 17, 1979 | |||
Recorded | Fort Knox Studio (Los Angeles, California) | |||
Genre | Funk, soul, disco | |||
Length | 44:30 | |||
Label | Whitfield | |||
Producer | Norman Whitfield | |||
Rose Royce chronology | ||||
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Singles from Rainbow Connection IV | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Smash Hits | 8/10 [2] |
The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul | [3] |
Rainbow Connection IV is the fourth album by the funk band Rose Royce, released on the Whitfield label in 1979. [4] It was produced by Norman Whitfield. This would be the last album to include lead singer Gwen Dickey before she left the group to embark on a solo career.
The album peaked at #22 on the R&B albums chart. It also reached #74 on the Billboard 200. Two singles were released from the album, "Is It Love You're After" and "What You Waitin' For". "Is It Love You're After" peaked at #31 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. It was more successful on the UK Singles Chart, reaching #13. "What You Waitin' For" failed to chart. The album was digitally remastered and reissued on CD in 2010 by Wounded Bird Records.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "I Wonder Where You Are Tonight" | Robert Daniels | 3:37 |
2. | "Is It Love You're After" | Miles Gregory | 5:01 |
3. | "Shine Your Light" | Robert Daniels | 5:26 |
4. | "What You Waitin' For" | Norman Whitfield | 8:54 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
5. | "Bad Mother Funker" | Norman Whitfield | 4:41 |
6. | "You Can't Run From Yourself" | Norman Whitfield | 5:43 |
7. | "Lock It Down" | Miles Gregory | 5:59 |
8. | "Pazazz" | Michael Nash | 4:47 |
Chart (1979) | Peak [5] [6] |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Top LPs | 74 |
U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs | 22 |
UK Albums Chart | 72 |
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||
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US [5] | US R&B [5] | UK [6] | ||
1979 | "Is It Love You're After" | 105 | 31 | 13 |
"What You Waitin' For" | — | — | — | |
Rose Royce is an American soul and R&B group. They are best known for several hit singles during the 1970s including "Car Wash", "I Wanna Get Next to You", "I'm Going Down", "Wishing on a Star", and "Love Don't Live Here Anymore".
"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" is a song originally performed by Motown recording act the Undisputed Truth in 1972, though it became much better known after a Grammy-award winning cover by the Temptations was issued later the same year. This latter version of the song became a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Undisputed Truth was an American Motown recording act, assembled by record producer Norman Whitfield as a means for being able to experiment with his psychedelic soul production techniques. Joe "Pep" Harris served as main lead singer, with Billie Rae Calvin and Brenda Joyce Evans on additional leads and background vocals.
"Car Wash" is a song by the American soul and R&B band Rose Royce. Written and arranged by the ex-Motown producer Norman Whitfield, the song was the group's first single and one of the most notable successes of the 1970s disco era. "Car Wash", the theme of the 1976 film Car Wash, was Rose Royce's most successful single and the lead single from their first studio album, the Car Wash soundtrack. Reaching number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles charts, "Car Wash" also peaked at number three on the National Disco Action Top 30 chart and reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart in February 1977. The song was covered in 2004 by Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott, who released their version as the single for the Shark Tale soundtrack.
1990 is a 1973 album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, their final LP written and produced by Norman Whitfield.
All Directions is a 1972 album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, produced by Norman Whitfield. It reached number two on the Billboard 200, making it the band's most successful non-collaborative album on the chart, and became their twelfth album to reach number one on the Top R&B Albums chart.
Gettin' Ready is the fourth studio album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label released in 1966. It marks the transition of the group from having Smokey Robinson as its main producer, with new producer Norman Whitfield taking over Robinson's position. Two #1 R&B hit singles, one from each producer, are included: "Get Ready" from Robinson with Eddie Kendricks on lead, and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" from Whitfield with David Ruffin on lead. Also included is the original version of "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby," which would be rerecorded as a hit for Marvin Gaye in 1969. The album was also one of the last albums to contain tracks co-authored by members of the group until the release of The Temptations Do The Temptations (1976). As with previous Temptations albums, several songs are written by members of The Miracles: Smokey Robinson, Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, Ronnie White, and Marv Tarplin.
The Temptations with a Lot o' Soul is the fifth studio album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label released in 1967. Featuring four hit singles, With a Lot o' Soul is the most successful Temptations album from their "classic 5" era, during which David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin, and Otis Williams constituted the Temptations' lineup.
"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" is a song written by Miles Gregory and originally recorded by Rose Royce. It was produced by former Motown songwriter and producer Norman Whitfield for Whitfield Records. Lead vocals were sung by Gwen Dickey and the song was released as the second single from their third studio album Strikes Again. The song was developed as a result of producer Whitfield's interest to work with Paul Buckmaster, the British arranger and composer. Together they asked songwriter Miles Gregory to write a song for them. Gregory's undergoing medical care for his deteriorating physical health became the inspiration behind the song. "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" incorporated the use of the Pollard Syndrum TwinDrum, and was one of the first songs to effectively use the sound reverbs of the instrument. The song was mainly recorded at music contractor Gene Bianco's house, where Dickey was present during the recording.
"Wishing on a Star" is a ballad first recorded by American soul and R&B group Rose Royce. It was written by former Undisputed Truth member Billie Rae Calvin, and produced by Norman Whitfield. The song was originally offered to Barbra Streisand for an album project but she declined. It was first released as a single by Rose Royce in 1977 and has since been recorded by numerous acts including the Cover Girls in 1992, Jay-Z in 1998, Beyonce in 2005, and Seal in 2011. 21 Savage used a sample of the original 1977 version for his hit "All Of Me" on the American Dream "All Of Me" was also used in the trailer for his debut film, American Dream: The 21 Savage Story
Waitin' on Sundown is the third studio album by American country music duo Brooks & Dunn. Released in 1994 on Arista Records, it produced the hit singles "She's Not the Cheatin' Kind", "I'll Never Forgive My Heart", "Little Miss Honky Tonk", "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone", and "Whiskey Under the Bridge". Respectively, these songs peaked at #1, #6, #1, #1, and #5 on the Hot Country Songs charts.
"I'm Going Down" is a song written and produced by Norman Whitfield, and performed by American soul and R&B group Rose Royce in 1976. It is from the film Car Wash and is featured on its soundtrack. In 1994, it was covered by American singer Mary J. Blige.
Car Wash: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is a soundtrack double album released by the funk band Rose Royce on the MCA label in September 1976. It was produced by Norman Whitfield. It is the soundtrack/film score to the 1976 hit comedy Car Wash that featured Richard Pryor and George Carlin and is also the debut album for Rose Royce.
"Everybody Needs Love" is a 1964 Motown song by Norman Whitfield and Edward Holland, Jr. The first version released was by The Temptations for their album The Temptin' Temptations in 1965, but the most successful version was on a single by Gladys Knight & the Pips, which peaked at #39 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and #3 on the Billboard R&B singles chart, in 1967. Other Motown acts that recorded this song were Mary Wells, which featured Eddie Kendricks of The Temptations in the background, Jimmy Ruffin, The Velvelettes, and The Miracles. All versions of the song were produced by Whitfield.
"Let Your Hair Down" is a 1973 single by American vocal group The Temptations. The track appeared on the Temptations 1973 album, 1990.
In Full Bloom is the second album released by American funk band Rose Royce on the Whitfield label in July 1977. It was produced by Norman Whitfield. The album was remastered and reissued with bonus tracks in 2016 by Big Break Records.
Strikes Again is the third album by funk band Rose Royce, released on the Whitfield label in August 1978. It was produced by Norman Whitfield.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album released by funk band Rose Royce on the Whitfield label in 1980. All tracks were produced by Norman Whitfield.
"Is It Love You're After?" is a 1979 song by Rose Royce from the 1979 album Rainbow Connection IV, which was the last album with lead singer Gwen Dickey before she left to embark on a solo career. It was also the band's fourth highest-charting single in the UK.
Gwen Dickey is an American musician best known as the lead singer of the R&B band Rose Royce, where she performed under the name Rose Norwalt. The group's most recognized songs include "Car Wash" and "Wishing on a Star". In 1976, their US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Car Wash" brought Dickey and the band acclaim and success. Dickey left the band in 1980. As success subsided in the United States, she subsequently left the US for the UK, where she has remained a popular performer.