Body Talk (Imagination album)

Body Talk
Studio album by
Imagination
Released9 October 1981[1]
RecordedEarly–mid 1981
StudioRed Bus (London)
Genre
Length37:06
LabelR&B
ProducerJolley & Swain
Imagination chronology
Body Talk
(1981) 		In the Heat of the Night
(1982)
Singles from Body Talk
  1. "Body Talk"
    Released: 1 May 1981
  2. "In and Out of Love"
    Released: 21 September 1981
  3. "Flashback"
    Released: 30 October 1981
  4. "Burnin' Up"
    Released: February 1982 (US-only release)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Robert ChristgauB+[4]

Body Talk is the debut album by British soul/dance group Imagination, produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain and released in October 1981. It is one of the earliest albums of its genre to have a distinctive 'British' sound as opposed to being an attempt to recreate contemporary American styles.

The title track was an immediate hit, reaching No. 4 on the UK singles chart. Two further singles, "In and Out of Love" and "Flashback", also reached the top 20. The album itself peaked at No. 20.

Body Talk proved to be an enduring album, with the tracks "So Good, So Right" and "Burnin' Up" being cited as influential and ahead of their time (the latter has been acknowledged by Frankie Knuckles as a key track in the development of house music).

Track listing

All tracks composed by Steve Jolley, Tony Swain, Leee John, Ashley Ingram and Errol Kennedy

  1. "Body Talk" - 6:01
  2. "So Good, So Right" - 6:58
  3. "Burnin' Up" - 4:45
  4. "Tell Me Do You Want My Love" - 5:27
  5. "Flashback" - 4:30
  6. "I'll Always Love You (But Don't Look Back)" - 3:54
  7. "In and Out of Love" - 5:31

In July 1982, with the success of "Just an Illusion", the album was re-released in the US as an 8-track album, with the single version of "Just an Illusion" included as the fourth track.[5]

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

  • Tony Swain – engineer, producer, arrangement
  • Steve Jolley – engineer, producer, arrangement
  • Richard Lengyel – assistant engineer
  • Tony Bridge – cutting engineer
  • Morgan Khan – engineer, executive producer
  • Eliot Cohen – executive producer
  • Ellis Elias – executive producer
  • Terry Pastor – illustration
  • Chess Creative Services – design, artwork
  • John Ridley – photography

Charts

Chart (1981) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[6] 22
Chart (1982) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7] 37
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[8] 21
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[9] 7
UK Albums (OCC)[6] 20
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] 46

References

  1. ^ Imagination Scandalous World Tour 83/84 Programme, September 1983, retrieved 24 February 2021 – via flickr.com
  2. ^ Body Talk at AllMusic
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press.
  4. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Imagination". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  5. ^ Imagination – Body Talk (1982, Vinyl), retrieved 25 February 2021
  6. ^ a b "Imagination | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Imagination – Body Talk" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Imagination – Body Talk". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Imagination – Body Talk". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Imagination Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.