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Can't Slow Down (Lionel Richie album)

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Untitled

Can't Slow Down is the second solo studio album by American recording artist Lionel Richie. It was released on October 11, 1983 by Motown Records.

Critical reception

In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a "B+" and called it a "surprisingly solid" improvement, particularly with respect to Richie's ballad singing. He felt that its "jumpy international dance-pop" suits Richie more than the Commodores' funk had and predicted that, considering his "well-established appeal to white people," Can't Slow Down has the potential to become a "mini-Thriller".[1] Don Shewey of Rolling Stone magazine gave the album four out of five stars and said that, although the ballads are monotonous, Richie successfully broadens his music for different listeners and draws on contemporary artists such as Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson: "if you can't innovate, imitate. And the more honest they are about their sources, the better."[3]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave it four-and-a-half out of five stars and wrote that Richie took a conservative, melodic hook-based approach on an album whose hits showed him at his best and whose only weakness was a short running time.[4] In 1999, Q magazine included Can't Slow Down on its list of the best Motown records of all time and stated, "Production values are high, his songwriting craft is at its peak and at least one track - the global smash 'All Night Long' - is an anthem to good times that makes the heart sing and feet twitch".[5]

Commercial performance

The album reached #1 on the Billboard album chart.[6] It also spent 59 consecutive weeks inside the Top 10 (including the entire year of 1984) and a total of 160 weeks (over three years) on the Billboard 200.[citation needed] After being the third best-selling album of 1984, it went on to win a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1985, beating out such heavyweight contenders as Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen and Purple Rain by Prince. By 1986 the album had sold 15 million copies,[7] eventually selling over 20 million.[8]

Can't Slow Down achieved the feat of having every single released hit the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Two songs, "Hello" and "All Night Long (All Night)", both went to #1. Other hits include "Stuck on You" (US #3), "Running With the Night" (US #7), and "Penny Lover" (US #8).[citation needed] The ballad "The Only One" was a significant song from the album which was never released as a single, yet remains a popular staple of Richie's live performances.

The single "Stuck on You" also reached #24 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart (now Hot Country Songs).[citation needed]

20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition

On May 6, 2003, a 2-CD Deluxe Edition of the album was released in conjunction of the 20th anniversary of the album's original release date. This version included several mixes originally included on various singles from the album at the end of the first CD, including instrumental versions of the 12-inch extended mixes of "All Night Long (All Night)" and "Running with the Night". Disc 2 showcased demo or alternate versions of all tracks from the original album, plus additional unfinished songs from the same sessions, all previously unreleased.

Track listing

Original album (1983)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Can't Slow Down"Lionel Richie, David Cochrane4:43
2."All Night Long (All Night)"Richie6:25
3."Penny Lover"Richie, Brenda Harvey-Richie5:34
4."Stuck on You"Richie3:13
5."Love Will Find A Way"Richie, Greg Phillinganes6:16
6."The Only One"Richie, David Foster4:21
7."Running with the Night"Richie, Cynthia Weil6:01
8."Hello"Richie4:14
20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks (2003)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."All Night Long (All Night)" (12" version)Richie6:42
10."Penny Lover" (7" single remix)Richie, Harvey-Richie3:48
11."All Night Long (All Night)" (12" B-side instrumental version)Richie6:43
12."Running with the Night" (12" B-side instrumental version)Richie, Weil6:57
20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition CD2 (2003)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Can't Slow Down" (Alternate version)Richie, David Cochrane4:55
2."Ain't No Sayin' No" (Unfinished demo)Richie, Phillinganes4:57
3."Tell Me" (Unfinished demo)Richie, Foster4:57
4."All Night Long (All Night)" (Original demo version)Richie7:20
5."Penny Lover" (Alternate version)Richie, Harvey-Richie6:24
6."Stuck on You" (Original demo version)Richie3:00
7."Can't Find Love" (Unfinished demo)Richie5:50
8."Love Will Find a Way" (Original demo version)Richie, Phillinganes6:35
9."The Only One" (Original demo version)Richie, Foster4:28
10."The Groove" (Instrumental interlude)Richie1:15
11."Running with the Night" (Undubbed version)Richie, Weil6:14
12."Hello" (Original demo version)Richie4:26
13."Blues" (Outro) 1:12

Personnel

Charts and certifications

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (December 27, 1983). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  2. ^ "Soul Retrospective: Lionel Richie 'Can't Slow Down' - Soul Train". Soul Train.
  3. ^ "Lionel Richie". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 2 November 2007.
  4. ^ Allmusic review
  5. ^ "Best Motown Records of All Time". Q. London: 161. October 1999.
  6. ^ Album chart positions from allmusic.com Retrieved 24 March 2009.
  7. ^ Schreiberg, Stu (1986-01-12). "Richie's record rise". The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 55. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  8. ^ "Atlanta Magazine Vol. 47, No. 3". Emmis Communications. July 2007. Retrieved 2012-06-08. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ^ "Lionel Richie - Can't Slow Down". Austrian Album Charts. Hung Medien. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  10. ^ "Dutch Albums Chart - November 5, 1983".
  11. ^ "Lionel Richie - Can't Slow Down - New Zealand Charts".
  12. ^ "Lionel Richie - Can't Slow Down - Norwegian Charts".
  13. ^ "Lionel Richie - Can't Slow Down - Swedish Charts".
  14. ^ "SwIss Albums Chart - June 3, 1984".
  15. ^ "UK Albums Chart - November 6, 1984".
  16. ^ "Billboard 200 December 3, 1984". Billboard.
  17. ^ "Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums January 5, 1985". Billboard.
  18. ^ "Top Country Albums September 1, 1984" (PDF). Billboard.
  19. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Lionel Richie – Can't Slow Down". Music Canada.
  20. ^ a b "Lionel Richie" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  21. ^ "Les Albums Or :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  22. ^ "French album certifications – Lionel Richie – Can't Slow Down" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  23. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Lionel Richie; 'Can't Slow Down')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  24. ^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1985". IFPI Hong Kong.
  25. ^ "British album certifications – Lionel Richie – Can't Slow Down". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Can't Slow Down in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  26. ^ "American album certifications – Lionel Richie – Can't Slow Down". Recording Industry Association of America.
Preceded by Billboard 200 number-one album
December 3–23, 1983 		Succeeded by
Preceded by UK number one album
November 12, 1983 – November 18, 1983
March 31, 1984 – April 13, 1984 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Throbbin' '84 by Various artists
 Australian Kent Music Report number-one album
June 18 – July 8, 1984 		Succeeded by
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