United
Studio album by Commodores
Released	October 7, 1986
Recorded	1986
Studio	Motown Recording Studios (Los Angeles, California) Conway Studios and Soundcastle (Hollywood, California)
Genre	Funk soul R&B
Length	38:22
Label	Polydor
Producer	Dennis Lambert
Commodores chronology
The Very Best Of (1985) United (1986) Rock Solid (1988)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
People	(favourable)[2]

United is the 12th studio album by the Commodores, released on October 7, 1986 on Polydor Records.^[3]

The album reached number 17 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart. "Goin' to the Bank" climbed to number two on Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart. "Take It from Me" peaked at No. 38 on the US Billboard R&B singles chart. Another single, "United in Love", peaked at No. 22 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.^[4][5][6][7]

The Commodores covered Peabo Bryson's "Let's Apologize" from his 1985 studio album Take No Prisoners.^[8]

Commodores

• Walter Orange – drums, lead vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 10), backing vocals (4), arrangements (10)
• J.D. Nicholas – rap (1), lead vocals (2, 3, 4, 6–9), backing vocals (3, 4, 6)
• William King – keyboards, arrangements (7), BGV arrangements (7)
• Milan Williams – keyboards, arrangements (8), BGV arrangements (8)

Additional musicians

• Claude Gaudette – keyboards (1–4, 6), electronic programming (1–4, 6), arrangements (2, 3, 4, 6)
• Casey Young – special effects (1), keyboards (5, 9, 10), electronic programming (5, 9, 10)
• Greg Mathieson – keyboards (5, 10), arrangements (5, 9, 10)
• John Barnes – synthesizers (7, 8)
• Michael Boddicker – synthesizers (7, 8)
• Harold Hudson – synthesizers (7, 8), arrangements (7), BGV arrangements (7), backing vocals (7, 8)
• Sheldon Reynolds – guitars (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10), arrangements (2, 6), guitar synthesizer (6), backing vocals (6, 7, 8)
• Paul Jackson Jr. – guitars (3, 5, 9, 10)
• Dann Huff – guitars (4)
• Michael Thompson – guitars (9)
• Paulinho da Costa – percussion (5, 7, 8, 10)
• Isaac Morris – arrangements (6), drum overdubs (7)
• Gary Herbig – saxophone solo (10)
• James Anthony Carmichael – arrangements (7, 8)
• Siedah Garrett – backing vocals (1, 2, 3, 6), rap (1)
• Dennis Lambert – backing vocals (1, 2), BGV arrangements (1, 2, 3)
• Phil Perry – backing vocals (1, 2)
• Darryl Phinnessee – backing vocals (1, 2)
• Julia Tillman Waters – backing vocals (3, 9, 10)
• Maxine Willard Waters – backing vocals (3, 9, 10)
• Bill Champlin – backing vocals (5, 9, 10)
• Jason Scheff – backing vocals (9, 10)

• Dennis Lambert – producer (1–4, 6)
• Jeremy Smith – producer (1, 2, 6), recording (1, 2, 3, 6), mixing (1–4, 6)
• Greg Mathieson – producer (5, 9, 10)
• James Anthony Carmichael – producer (7, 8)
• Lloyd Tolbert – assistant producer (7, 8)
• Milan Williams – producer (8)
• Paul Ericksen – assistant engineer (1, 2, 6), mixing (3, 4), recording (4)
• Mick Guzauski – recording (5, 9, 10), mixing (5, 9, 10)
• Bino Espinoza – assistant engineer (5, 10)
• Don Murray – assistant engineer (5, 10)
• Calvin Harris – recording (7, 8), mixing (7, 8)
• Fred Law – additional recording (7, 8)
• Karen Siegel – assistant engineer (7, 8)
• Stephen Marcussen – mastering at Precision Lacquer (Los Angeles, California).
• Bill Levy – art direction
• John Kosh – package design
• Chris Callis – photography