Super Fly (soundtrack)
| Superfly | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Soundtrack album companion album to Super Fly by Curtis Mayfield | ||||
| Released | July 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 1971–1972 RCA Studios (Chicago, Illinois) Bell Sound Studios (New York, New York) |
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| Genre | Funk, soul | |||
| Length | 37:05 | |||
| Label | Curtom | |||
| Producer | Curtis Mayfield | |||
| Curtis Mayfield chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
Deluxe 25th anniversary edition cover
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  |
| Billboard | (favorable) |
| Robert Christgau | A− |
| Los Angeles Times | |
| Pitchfork Media | (9.8/10) |
| Q | |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable) 1972 |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |
2004 |
| Sputnikmusic |  |
| Vibe | (favorable) |
Superfly is the third studio album by American soul musician Curtis Mayfield, released in July 1972 on Curtom Records. It was released as the soundtrack for the Blaxploitation film of the same name. Widely considered a classic of 1970s soul and funk music, Super Fly was a nearly immediate hit. Its sales were bolstered by two million-selling singles, "Freddie's Dead" (#2 R&B, #4 Pop) and the title track (#5 R&B, #8 Pop). Super Fly is one of the few soundtracks to out-gross the film it accompanied.
Superfly, along with Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, was one of the pioneering soul concept albums, with its then-unique socially aware lyrics about poverty and drug abuse making the album stand out. The film and the soundtrack may be perceived as dissonant, since the film holds rather ambiguous views on drug dealers, whereas Curtis Mayfield's position is far more critical. Like What's Going On, the album was a surprise hit that record executives felt had little chance at significant sales. Due to its success, Mayfield was tapped for several film soundtracks over the course of the decade.
Superfly was originally released in 1972 on Curtom Records in both LP and 8-track formats. It also featured distribution in countries outside of the United States, including Italy, Germany, France, Canada, and the United Kingdom. On November 11, 1997, Rhino Records released a 25th Anniversary collection of the album with a bonus disc of demo versions of songs, radio spots and interviews. In 1999, Rhino Records reissued the album with two bonus tracks. On December 11, 2001, the British record label Charly Records re-released the album with several bonus tracks.
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