Natural High (Commodores album)

Natural High
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 1978
Recorded1978
Genres
Length41:41
LabelMotown
Producers
Commodores chronology
Commodores Live!
(1977)
Natural High
(1978)
Greatest Hits
(1978)
Singles from Natural High
  1. "Three Times a Lady"
    Released: June 9, 1978 [1]
  2. "Flying High"
    Released: August 31, 1978

Natural High is the sixth studio album by the musical group Commodores, released in 1978. "Three Times a Lady", released as a single, became their first Billboard Hot 100 number one. The album topped Billboard's R&B Album charts for 8 non-consecutive weeks and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStar[2]
The Village VoiceC−[3]

Natural High earned the group a 1979 Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus.[4]

Record World called the single "Flying High" a "classically slick r&b hip swinger with cross format appeal."[5]

Track listing

Motown – M7-902R1

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Fire Girl"William King, David Cochrane, Darryl Jones4:12
2."X-Rated Movie"Milan Williams4:45
3."Flying High"Lionel Richie, Thomas McClary5:11
4."Three Times a Lady"Lionel Richie6:37
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Such a Woman"Walter Orange4:40
2."Say Yeah"Lionel Richie, Ronald LaPread5:44
3."I Like What You Do"Lionel Richie, Walter Orange4:49
4."Visions"Lionel Richie, Thomas McClary5:43
Total length:41:41

Personnel

Commodores

Additional musicians

The Mean Machine

  • Darrell Jones – rhythm guitar
  • Eddie "Bongo" Brown – percussion
  • David Cochrane – saxophones
  • Winston Sims – saxophones
  • Harold Hudson – trumpet

Production

  • Commodores – producers, arrangerments
  • James Anthony Carmichael – producer, arrangerments
  • Cal Harris – engineer, mixing
  • Jane Clark – engineer
  • Tony Jones – album coordinator
  • Norm Ung – art direction, design
  • David McMacken illustration
  • Jim Shea – photography
  • Suzee Ikeda – project manager
  • James Tarver – road manager

Charts

Chart performance for Natural High
Chart (1978) Peak
position
Australia[6] 14
Netherlands[7] 5
New Zealand[8] 5
Norway[9] 19
US Pop 3
US R&B 1

Certifications

Certifications for Natural High
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Netherlands (NVPI)[10] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[11] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[12] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[13] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "BPI certifications for Commodores".
  2. ↑ Henderson, Alex. "Natural High - Commodores". allmusic.com. AllMusic.
  3. ↑ Christgau, Robert (September 4, 1978). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Commodores". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.
  5. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. September 9, 1978. p. 1. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  6. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 72. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. ↑ "Commodores: Heroes". dutchcharts.nl. Dutch Charts.
  8. ↑ "Commodores: Heroes". charts.nz. The Official New Zealand Music Chart.
  9. ↑ "Commodores: Heroes". norwegiancharts.com. VG-Lista.
  10. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Commodores – Natural High" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved May 28, 2021. Enter Natural High in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1979 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  11. ↑ Conlee, John (November 10, 1979). "AMOA Juke Box Awards – Commodores" (PDF). Cashbox. worldradiohistory.com. p. AMOA–22. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  12. ↑ "British album certifications – Commodores – Natural High". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 28, 2021. Select albums in the Formats field. Type Natural High Commodores in the "Search:" field.
  13. ↑ "American album certifications – Commodores – Natural High". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 28, 2021.