Curtis Mayfield Curtis CD

Includes 6 Demos Previously Unreleased In U.S.

Recorded at RCA Studios, Chicago, Illinois. Includes liner notes by David Nathan.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Personnel: Curtis Mayfield (vocals); Don Simmons (drums).
Audio Remasterer: Dan Hersch.
Liner Note Authors: David Nathan; Michael Wesley Johnson.
Recording information: RCA Studios, Chicago, IL.
Photographer: Bob Cato.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Clifford Davis; Rudolph Stauber; Sol Bobrob; Gary Slabo; Pat Ferreri; Elliot Golub; Ron Kolber; Lenny Druss; John Howell ; Richard Single; Harold Klatz; John Ross; Lorin Binford; Robert Sims; Phil Upchurch; Robert Lewis .
Arrangers: Gary Slabo; Riley Hampton.
The first solo album by the former leader of the Impressions, Curtis represented a musical apotheosis for Curtis Mayfield -- indeed, it was practically the "Sgt. Pepper's" album of '70s soul, helping with its content and its success to open the whole genre to much bigger, richer musical canvases than artists had previously worked with. All of Mayfield's years of experience of life, music, and people were pulled together into a rich, powerful, topical musical statement that reflected not only the most up-to-date soul sounds of its period, finely produced by Mayfield himself, and the immediacy of the times and their political and social concerns, but also embraced the most elegant R&B sounds out of the past. As a producer, Mayfield embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era, stretching them out compellingly on numbers like "Move on Up," but also drew on orchestral sounds (especially harps), to achieve some striking musical timbres (check out "Wild and Free"), and wove all of these influences, plus the topical nature of the songs, into a neat, amazingly lean whole. There was only one hit single off of this record, "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Down Below We're All Going to Go," which made number three, but the album as a whole was a single entity and really had to be heard that way. In the fall of 2000, Rhino Records reissued Curtis with upgraded sound and nine bonus tracks that extended its running time to over 70 minutes. All but one are demos, including "Miss Black America" and "The Making of You," but mostly consist of tracks that he completed for subsequent albums; they're fascinating to hear, representing very different, much more jagged and stripped-down sounds. The upgraded CD concludes with the single version of "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below We're All Going to Go." ~ Bruce Eder
CURTIS is the first solo album by R&B/soul legend Curtis Mayfield. After leaving the Impressions, Mayfield began to write lyrics that were more politically charged. With the 1970 release of CURTIS, he became one of the most important socially conscious artists of his generation. The album's opener, "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below We're All Going to Go" uses racial epithets openly, as Mayfield asserts the shiftlessness of America. Set to a funky groove, with smart horn arrangements and wah-wah guitar, this song is a brazen attack on social mores, racism, the Vietnam War, religious impropriety, and Nixon-era politics.
"We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue" is another track that poignantly examines the race and class struggles of urban America. This song is made up of more than just a static groove; its tempos shift midway through and powerful brass figures, timpani punctuations, and harp glissandos soon dominate the mix. Also featuring the powerful "Move On Up," CURTIS is a classic soul record, and its relevance is amplified by its quest for racial harmony and its bold anti-establishment stance. (Note: The 2000 reissue of CURTIS features nine bonus tracks.)

Rolling Stone (2/3/00, p.53) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Cut for cut, Mayfield's solo debut is stronger than SUPERFLY....Rare items: the achingly empathetic 'Other Side of Town' and 'Miss Black America,' featuring one of his many children."
Q (12/00, p.144) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...It wedded the big issues of the day to peerless songwriting that yielded such enduring classics as 'Move On Up'..."