Back on the Block
| Back on the Block | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Quincy Jones | ||||
| Released | November 8, 1989 | |||
| Recorded |
1988–1989 Oceanway Record One Lighthouse Studios Westlake Audio (Los Angeles, California) Digital Recorders (Nashville, Tennessee) Tarpan Studios (San Rafael, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 57:54 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Quincy Jones | |||
| Quincy Jones chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Robert Christgau | B+[2] |
| Ebony | favorable[3] |
Back on the Block is a 1989 studio album produced by Quincy Jones.[4] The album features legendary musicians and singers from across three generations, including Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Ice-T, Big Daddy Kane, Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, George Benson, Luther Vandross, Dionne Warwick, Barry White, Chaka Khan, Take 6, Bobby McFerrin, Al Jarreau, Al B. Sure!, James Ingram, El DeBarge, Ray Charles and a 12-year old Tevin Campbell.
Overview
Multiple singles were lifted from the album and found success on Pop and R&B radio, including "I'll Be Good To You", "I Don't Go For That", "The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)", and "Tomorrow (A Better You, Better Me)" which was originally an instrumental track on The Brothers Johnson's Look Out for #1 set. "Tomorrow" is also noteworthy for introducing a young Tevin Campbell to the music scene. Back on the Block won the 1991 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Jones' track, Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song) was featured on the soundtrack of the 1991 film, Boyz n the Hood. Back on the Block topped the R&B Albums chart at number-one for twelve weeks, and topped the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart as well.
Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan
Back on the Block featured the last studio recordings of jazz singers Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan.
Fitzgerald and Jones had previously worked together on her 1963 album with Count Basie, Ella and Basie!. Jones had produced three albums with Sarah Vaughan when they both worked for Mercury Records.
Grammy Awards
At the 33rd Grammy Awards, Back on the Block won seven Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
In arranging, Jerry Hey, Quincy Jones, Ian Prince and Rod Temperton won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement for "Birdland", and Glen Ballard, Hey, Jones and Clif Magness won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) for "The Places You Find Love".
Jones also won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance for "Birdland", and the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical.
Bruce Swedien won the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for his work on the album.
Ray Charles and Chaka Khan won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "I'll Be Good To You".
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group went to Big Daddy Kane, Ice-T, Tevin Campbell, Kool Moe Dee, Melle Mel, Quincy Jones III and Jones for "Back on the Block".
Track listing
All Tracks Produced by Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton.
”Tomorrow (A Better You, A Better Me)” Co-produced by Jerry Hey.
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Arranger(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Prologue (2Q's Rap)" | Big Daddy Kane, Quincy Jones | 1:04 | |
| 2 | "Back on the Block" | Jones, Rod Temperton, Siedah Garrett, Caiphus Semenya, Ice-T, Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee, Big Daddy Kane | Rhythm by Quincy Jones, QD III, Rod Temperton & Bill Summers Vocals by Quincy Jones & Andraé Crouch |
6:34 |
| 3 | "I Don't Go for That" | Ian Prince | Rhythm & Vocals by Ian Prince | 5:11 |
| 4 | "I'll Be Good to You" | George Johnson, Louis Johnson, Sonora Sam | Rhythm & Vocals by Quincy Jones | 4:54 |
| 5 | "The Verb To Be (Introduction to Wee B. Dooinit)" | Mervyn Warren | 0:29 | |
| 6 | "Wee B. Dooinit (Acapella Party by the Human Bean Band)" | Jones, Garrett, Ian Prince | Rhythm by Quincy Jones & Ian Prince Vocals by Quincy Jones, Ian Prince, Siedah Garrett, Mark Kibble & Rod Temperton |
3:34 |
| 7 | "The Places You Find Love" | Glen Ballard, Clif Magness African Lyrics by Caiphus Semenya |
Rhythm Originally by Quincy Jones, Clif Magness & Glen Ballard Vocals by Quincy Jones, Andraé Crouch & Caiphus Semenya |
6:25 |
| 8 | "Jazz Corner of the World (Introduction to "Birdland")" | Big Daddy Kane, Kool Moe Dee | Rhythm by Quincy Jones & Bill Summers | 2:54 |
| 9 | "Birdland” | Joe Zawinul | Rhythm by Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton & Ian Prince Horns by Quincy Jones & Jerry Hey |
5:33 |
| 10 | "Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song)" | Ivan Lins, Gilson Peranzzetta | Rhythm by Quincy Jones & Greg Phillinganes Vocals by Quincy Jones & Mark Kibble |
5:05 |
| 11 | "One Man Woman" | Garrett, Ian Prince, Harriet Roberts | Rhythm by Quincy Jones & Ian Prince | 3:44 |
| 12 | "Tomorrow (A Better You, Better Me)" | Music by George Johnson, Louis Johnson Lyrics by Siedah Garrett |
Rhythm by Quincy Jones & Jerry Hey Vocals by Quincy Jones & Rod Temperton |
4:46 |
| 13 | "Prelude to the Garden" | Jorge Calandrelli | Synth Strings by Jorge Calandrelli | 0:54 |
| 14 | "The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)" | Jones, Temperton, Garrett, El DeBarge | Rhythm by Quincy Jones & Rod Temperton Vocals by Quincy Jones, Siedah Garrett & Rod Temperton Synthesizer by Jerry Hey |
6:41 |
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1989-1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart[5] | 19 |
| Dutch Albums Chart[6] | 38 |
| German Albums Chart[7] | 5 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart[8] | 24 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart[9] | 16 |
| Swedish Albums Chart[10] | 26 |
| Swiss Albums Chart[11] | 21 |
| UK Albums Chart[12] | 26 |
| US Billboard 200[13] | 9 |
| US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums | 1 |
| US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[14] | 1 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[15] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[16] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[17] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
Personnel
Adapted credits from the liner notes of Back on the Block.[18]
- Quincy Jones – lead vocals (track 1), choir conductor (7), handclaps (2, 6, 9), drums (6), drum machine (2), M1 pads (10)
- Gerald Albright – alto saxophone solo (tracks 10, 12)
- George Benson – guitar solo (tracks 8–10)
- Peggi Blu – sampled background vocals (track 7)
- Michael Boddicker – drum machine (track 2), M1 pads (10), synth pads (10), synth programming (4, 7, 9)
- Ollie E. Brown – percussion (track 12)
- Jorge Calandrelli – synth strings (track 13)
- Tevin Campbell – lead vocals (tracks 2, 12)
- Ray Charles – lead vocals (track 4)
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion (track 10, sampled on 7)
- Andraé Crouch – vocal arranger, choir conductor, background vocals (tracks 2, 7)
- Sandra Crouch – choir conductor (track 2), background vocals (2, 7)
- Miles Davis – trumpet solo (tracks 8–9)
- El DeBarge – lead vocals, background vocals (track 14)
- George Duke – keyboard solo (track 11), Fender Rhodes solo (10)
- Sheila E. – timbales solo (track 11)
- Nathan East – bass guitar (track 9)
- Ella Fitzgerald – lead vocals (tracks 6, 8–9)
- Siedah Garrett – lead vocals (tracks 3, 6–7, 11), background vocals (tracks 3, 11, 14, sampled on 7, additional on 4), choir director (12)
- Dizzy Gillespie – trumpet solo (tracks 8–9)
- J. C. Gomez – African percussion (track 2)
- Gary Grant – trumpet (track 9)
- Herbie Hancock – keyboard solo (tracks 3, 7, 10), synth pads (10)
- Howard Hewett – sampled background vocals (track 7)
- Jerry Hey – trumpet (track 9), additional keyboards (7)
- Jennifer Holliday – sampled background vocals (track 7)
- Pattie Howard – sampled background vocals (track 7)
- Ice-T – rap (track 2)
- James Ingram – lead vocals (track 14), additional background vocals (4), sampled background vocals (7)
- Jesse Jackson – narrator (track 2)
- Paul Jackson Jr. – sampled guitar (track 7)
- Al Jarreau – vocals (track 6)
- George Johnson – guitar (track 4), sampled background vocals (4)
- Louis Johnson – Moog synth bass (tracks 2, 4), bass guitar (2, 4, sampled on 7), sampled background vocals (4)
- Big Daddy Kane – rap (vocals) (tracks 2, 8)
- Randy Kerber – keyboards (track 12), sampled keyboards (7), sampled synthesizer (7)
- Chaka Khan – lead vocals (tracks 4, 7)
- Michael Landau – sampled guitar (track 7)
- Rhett Lawrence – Fairlight bass and analog guitar synthesizer (track 7)
- Steve Lukather – guitar (tracks 12, 14)
- Clif Magness – sampled background vocals (track 7)
- Harvey Mason Sr. – drums (track 4)
- Melle Mel – rap (track 2)
- Kool Moe Dee – rap (tracks 2, 8)
- Bobby McFerrin – vocals, additional percussion (track 6)
- James Moody – alto saxophone solo (tracks 8–9)
- David Paich – keyboards (tracks 4, 10, additional on 7)
- Phil Perry – additional background vocals (track 4)
- Greg Phillinganes – keyboards (tracks 2, 4, 10–11), Fender Rhodes (12, 14)
- Steve Porcaro – synth programming (tracks 2, 4, 7, 10)
- Ian Prince – keyboards (tracks 3–4, 9–11), vocoder (6), background vocals (3)
- Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone (track 9)
- John Robinson – drums (tracks 12, 14, sampled on 7)
- Caiphus Semenya – background vocals (track 2)
- Neil Stubenhaus – synth bass (track 12), bass guitar (14)
- Bruce Swedien – recording engineer (All tracks), mixing (All tracks), kick & snare drums (tracks 4, 14)
- Rose Stone – choir director (track 12), background vocals (2, 7)
- Bill Summers – percussion (track 8, African on 2, additional on 7), hindewhu
- Al B. Sure! – lead vocals, background vocals (track 14)
- Take 6 – background vocals (tracks 1, 6, 10)
- Rod Temperton – drum machine (tracks 1–2), handclaps (2, 6, 9)
- Ian Underwood – handclaps (tracks 2, 6, 9), synth programming (3–4, 10)
- Luther Vandross – sampled background vocals (track 7)
- Sarah Vaughan – lead vocals (tracks 6, 8–10)
- Mervyn Warren – background vocals (tracks 1, 6, 10), voices (5)
- Dionne Warwick – sampled background vocals (track 7)
- Barry White – lead vocals (track 14)
- Larry Williams – saxophone (track 9), keyboards (9, 13–14, sampled on 7), sampled synthesizer (7), synth programming (3–4, 11, 13–14)
- Syreeta Wright – sampled background vocals (track 4)
- Michael C. Young – synth programming (track 9)
- Joe Zawinul – synthesizer solo (tracks 2, 8), sampled synthesizer (9)
Backing vocals
- Alex Harris, Alfie Silas, Alvin Chea, Cedric Dent, Chad Durio, Charity Young, Claude McKnight, David Thomas, Derrick Schofield, Donovan McCrary, Edie Lehmann, Geary Lanier Foggett, Howard McCrary, Jackie Gouche, Jania Foxworth, Jean Johnson-McRath, Jim Gilstrap, Kenneth Ford, Mark Kibble, Maxi Anderson, McKinley Brown, Nadirah Ali, Perry Morgan, Reginale Green, Shane Shoaf, Tammie Gibson, Tiffany Johnson, Tyren Perry, Voncielle Faggett
See also
References
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (February 6, 1990). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
- ↑ Ebony review
- ↑ Allmusic - Back on the Block > Overview
- ↑ "Austrian Albums Chart - February 25, 1990". Austrian Album Charts (in German). Hung Median.
- ↑ "Dutch Albums Chart - June 2, 1990". dutchcharts.nl. Hung Median.
- ↑ Hung, Steffen. "Back on the Block". charts.nz. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
- ↑ "Quincy Jones - Back on the Block". charts.org.nz. Hung Medien.
- ↑ "Quincy Jones - Back on the Block". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien.
- ↑ "Quincy Jones - Back on the Block". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien.
- ↑ "Quincy Jones - Back on the Block". hitparade.ch. Hung Medien.
- ↑ "UK Albums Chart - February 11, 1990". UK Albums Chart. Official Charts Company.
- ↑ "Billboard 200 - February 3, 1990". Billboard.
- ↑ "Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums - February 3, 1990". Billboard.
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Quincy Jones – Back on the Block". Music Canada.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Quincy Jones – Back on the Block". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Enter Back on the Block in the search field and then press Enter.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Back on the Block". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
- ↑ Back on the Block (booklet). Quincy Jones. Qwest. Warner Bros. 1989. 926 020-2.
