| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B–[2] |
Contradiction is the eighth studio album by The Ohio Players, and the fourth album recorded for Mercury.
History
Contradiction was not as ballad-heavy as Honey, but it did expand on the mixture of funk, soul, and rock that they played with on that album. The title track also showed a leaning towards the work they did on Westbound. "Who'd She Coo?" was released as a single and went to No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart.
The band recorded Contradiction at three different recording studios, each session utilizing Barry Mraz as their engineer. The album cover depicts a nude woman feeding a horse a shiny red apple. While the horse is identified by name and breed in the liner notes (an Anglo-Trakehner stallion named Wasyl), the model is uncredited.
It is the fifth and last Ohio Players albums that was also available in quadraphonic (four-channel stereo), released in the 8-track tape format. Contradiction was one of three Ohio Players albums released in 1976. Westbound released Rattlesnake, featuring songs not used during their time with the label. With four Mercury albums under their belt and hit singles on the charts, the group would approve a greatest hits compilation, Gold.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Billy Beck, James Williams, Marshall "Rock" Jones, Marvin Pierce, Ralph Middlebrooks, Clarence Satchell, Leroy Bonner.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Contradiction" | 4:37 |
| 2. | "Precious Love" | 4:57 |
| 3. | "Little Lady Maria" | 4:16 |
| 4. | "Far East Mississippi" | 4:58 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Who'd She Coo?" | 4:32 |
| 6. | "My Life" | 4:01 |
| 7. | "Tell the Truth" | 3:37 |
| 8. | "My Ladies Run Me Crazy" | 3:54 |
| 9. | "Bi-Centennial" | 3:44 |
Personnel
- Billy Beck – grand piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, Hohner Clavinet, RMI Electric Piano, ARP "Odyssey" Synthesizer, ARP String Ensemble, percussion, vocals
- James "Diamond" Williams – drums, timbales, congas, cowbells, steel drums, temple blocks, percussion, vocals
- Marshall "Rock" Jones – electric bass, percussion
- Marvin "Merv" Pierce – trumpets, trombones, percussion
- Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks – trumpets
- Clarence "Satch" Satchell – flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, percussion, vocals
- Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner – guitars, harmonica, percussion, vocals
Production
- Ohio Players – producers
- Barry Mraz, Lee Hulko – engineers
- Rob Kingsland, Karl Richardson, Steve Klein, Hank Neuberger – assistant engineer
- Jim Ladwig – art director
- Joe Kotleba, Jim Schubert – design
- Paul Gremmler – cover photography
- David Alexander – Ohio Players photos
Charts
| Chart (1976) | Peak [3] |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top LPs | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs | 1 |
- Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] | US R&B [3] | ||
| 1976 | "Who'd She Coo?" | 18 | 1 |
| "Far East Mississippi" | — | 26 | |
See also
- List of number-one R&B albums of 1976 (U.S.)
References
- ^ Lytle, Craig. Contradiction review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: O". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 10, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ a b c "US Charts > Ohio Players". Allmusic. Retrieved 2013-03-30.