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Chillin' (Force MDs album)

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Chillin'
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 15, 1985[citation needed]
StudioTommy Boy, Unique Recording, and Quadrasonic (New York City, New York)
  • Flyte Tyme (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
GenreHip hop, pop, R&B
LabelTommy Boy[1]
ProducerRobin Halpin (tracks 1-4, 7, 8; additional production on track 6)
Force MDs chronology
Love Letters
(1984)
Chillin'
(1985)
Touch and Go
(1987)

Chillin' is an album by the American R&B vocal group Force MDs.[2] The hit single "Tender Love" also appears on the soundtrack to Krush Groove.[1]

The album peaked at No. 69 on the Billboard 200.[3]

Production

[edit]

The album was mostly produced by Tommy Boy house producer Robin Halpin, with the exception of two tracks.[4] "Tender Love" was written by the production duo of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.[5][6] The album marked a shift in the group's sound, downplaying the rap songs in favor of more ballads.[7] "Force MD's Meet the Fat Boys" is set to the theme song to Gilligan's Island.[8]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Robert ChristgauC+[10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[11]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[12]

Trouser Press wrote: "From the ridiculous rap of 'Force M.D.’s Meet the Fat Boys' (partially sung to the melody of 'Gilligan’s Island' and guest-starring the tubby three) to the catchy, falsetto-over-scratch-beats title track, the versatile M.D.’s mix credible urban savvy with enough smooth showbiz to please hard beatboys and mature soul fans alike."[4] The Washington Post thought that "the Force M.D.'s give their intoxicating harmonies the believable edge of impatient desires and streetwise arrangements."[2]

The Los Angeles Times opined: "More comfortable with dreamy balladry than razor-edged rapping, the M.D.'s may not look as harmless as New Edition, but its love songs are equally sweet."[13] The Seattle Times praised the group's "smooth, polished sound," and called "One Plus One" "a high-powered tune influenced by [the] Jackson Five."[14]

AllMusic declared that the group "quietly reinvented quiet storm/R&B for the '80s with their doo wop-heavy 'Tender Love'."[9]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."One Plus One"Antoine Lundy, Jessie D, Robin Halpin4:07
2."Here I Go Again"Antoine Lundy, Robin Halpin6:24
3."Uh Oh!"Robin Halpin, Trisco Pearson4:28
4."Chillin'"Antoine Lundy, Charles Nelson, Jessie D, Robin Halpin, Steven Lundy, Trisco Pearson4:35
5."Force MD's Meet the Fat Boys"George Wyle, Sherwood Schwartz, Wally Holmes4:07
6."Tender Love"James Harris III, Terry Lewis3:54
7."Will You Be My Girlfriend?"Antoine Lundy, Steven Lundy4:25
8."Walking on Air"Robin Halpin4:17

Personnel

[edit]

Force MDs

  • Jesse D (Jesse Daniels)
  • Antoine "T.C.D." Lundy
  • Stevie D (Steven Lundy)
  • Charles "Mercury" Nelson
  • Trisco Pearson

Musicians

  • Robin Halpin – keyboards (1-4, 7, 8), synthesizers (1-4), arrangements (1-4, 7, 8), string arrangements (2)
  • Vince Madison - keyboards (1-4, 7, 8), synthesizers (1-4, 7, 8), arrangements (4)
  • John "M.J." Hickman – keyboards (5)
  • Jimmy Jam – acoustic piano and keyboards [uncredited] (6)[15]
  • Paul Pesco – guitars (1, 3, 4, 7), drum programming (1, 3, 7), additional drum programming (8)
  • Skip McDonald – guitars (2)
  • Doug Wimbish – bass (2)
  • Keith LeBlanc – drums (2)
  • Eric Calvi – drum programming (3, 4, 8), arrangements (4)
  • Bashiri Johnson – percussion (1, 3, 4, 7)
  • The Fat Boys – vocals (5)

Production

[edit]
  • Tom Silverman – executive producer
  • Force MDs – BGV arrangements (1-4, 6-8)
  • Eric Calvi – engineer (1-4, 7, 8), editing (1, 3, 4, 6, 7), recording (5), mix engineer (5, 6), mixing (5), creative consultant
  • Tom Lord-Alge – mix engineer (1-3, 7, 8)
  • Robin Halpin – mixing (1-4, 7, 8), editing (1, 3, 4, 7), remixing (6), overdubs (6)
  • Joey Gardner – mixing (5), remixing (6), editing (6)
  • Bruce Miller – second engineer (2, 4)
  • Jon Smith – editing (8)
  • Herb Powers Jr. – mastering at Frankford/Wayne Mastering Labs (New York, NY)
  • Monica Lynch – art direction
  • Doug Rowell – photography

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Tommy Boy-Warners Deal Bears First Fruit". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. April 5, 1986 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b "Has Success Spoiled New Edition?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2010). Top Pop Albums (7th ed.). Record Research. p. 284.
  4. ^ a b "Force M.D.'s". Trouser Press. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Force M.D.'s | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  6. ^ Hiltbrand, David (26 Sep 1987). "Young Singers, Old-Fashioned Soul". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. C8.
  7. ^ Catlin, Roger (February 23, 1986). "3rd Album Quirky but Strong Violent Femmes Bounces Back". Entertainment. Omaha World-Herald. p. 1.
  8. ^ Gingold, Dave (14 Feb 1986). "Force's hip-hop doo-wop". Spotlight. Santa Cruz Sentinel. p. 12.
  9. ^ a b "Chillin' - Force M.D.'s | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  10. ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Force M.D.'s". www.robertchristgau.com.
  11. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. p. 534.
  12. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 257.
  13. ^ Johnson, Connie (23 Mar 1986). "Spring Album Roundup: Silk from the Streets". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 60.
  14. ^ MacDonald, Patrick (September 5, 1986). "Boston Quartet Brings Hit Sound to Tacoma". Tempo. The Seattle Times. p. 5.
  15. ^ "The Story behind the song "Tender Love" @ YouTube. Retrieved 11 February 2024.