''In Praise of Older Women... and Other Crimes'' is the fifth studio album released by the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

musical group

Kid Creole and the Coconuts Kid Creole and the Coconuts is an American musical group created by August Darnell with Andy Hernandez and Adriana Kaegi. Its music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular a mix of disco and Latin American, Caribbean, an ...

. It was released in 1985 and includes the singles "Endicott" and "Caroline Was a Drop-Out". The album and its lead single "Caroline Was a Drop-Out" did not chart in any territory, but the second single "Endicott" became one of the group's better known songs in the US, where it peaked at #21 on the

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart. The single also reached the top 30 in France and the Netherlands. "You Can't Keep a Good Man Down" is a remake of the Gichy Dan's Beachwood #9 song from their self-titled 1979 album. The original recording was written and co-produced by Darnell. Gichy Dan also provides backing vocals on ''In Praise of Older Women... and Other Crimes''.

Reception

''In Praise of Older Women... and Other Crimes'' received mixed reviews from critics. Zach Curd writing for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

gave the album a mixed review. He calls the album a weaker example of the "disco/calypso/funk/Latin" genres. He also describes the album overall as entertaining, humorous, fun, and worth buying for the feel-good, "Endicott". In a positive review,

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

, writing for ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'', positively compares Darnell to Cole Porter and hails him for maintaining a consistent level of lyrical sophistication that in the rock or musical comedy genres. He does, however, criticize the amount of brittle satire on the album. Christgau also singles out Andy Hernandez's attack on white-collar crime "Dowopsalsaboprock".

Track listing

Personnel

;Performer credits *

Adriana Kaegi Adriana Kaegi (born March 17, 1957) is a Swiss-born American actress, producer and former singer. Career Kaegi co-founded the band Kid Creole and the Coconuts together with August Darnell and Coati Mundi, both formerly of Dr. Buzzard's Original ...

, Cheryl Poirier, Taryn Hagey – The Coconuts *Bongo Eddie, Carol Colman, Charlie Lagond, Coati Mundi, Dave Span,

Jimmy Rip Jimmy Rippetoe (born 1956), better known by his stage name Jimmy Rip, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer, who is known for his work with Jerry Lee Lewis, Mick Jagger, Debbie Harry, Paul Collins & The Beat, Michael Monroe, ...

petoe (A Parttime Student Who Comes & Goes At Whim), Ken Fradley, King Creole (Self-Appointed In Feb. This Year), Lee Robertson (The Professor), Mark Mazur, Peter Schott,

Ronnie Rogers Randall "Ronnie" Rogers (born in Nashville, Tennessee) is an American country music singer and songwriter. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Rogers charted eight singles on the ''Billboard'' country charts, including the top 40 hits "Gonna Take M ...

– The Band, as it exists in the year of 1985 *Ken Fradley – trumpet solo (3) *Charlie Lagond – solo (6) *

St Winifred's School Choir St Winifred's School Choir, from St Winifred's Roman Catholic Primary School in Stockport, England, was a choir of children whose single entitled "There's No One Quite Like Grandma" in 1980 became that year's British Christmas number one singl ...

– choir (10) *Cory Daye – lead vocal harmonies and interjections *

Dutch Robinson Dutch "Teddy" Robinson is a singer songwriter, and music producer. From South Bronx, New York, he was one of the original lead singers with the Ohio Players. After leaving the Players, Dutch went on to produce such hits as "I Ain't Got Nothin" (l ...

, Lori Mosher – additional background vocals *Carolyn Browder, Gichy Dan – provided additional background vocals * Sugar-Coated Andy Hernandez (2, 4, 5, 9),

Carlos Franzetti Carlos Alberto Franzetti (born June 3, 1948) is a composer and arranger from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Early life Franzetti was born on June 3, 1948 in Buenos Aires, Argentina to Carlos Osvaldo Franzetti and Beatriz Julia Elena DeGiacomo de Fran ...

(1, 5), Ken Fradley (8) – horn arrangements ;Technical credits *

August Darnell Thomas August Darnell Browder (born August 12, 1950), known professionally as August Darnell and under the stage name Kid Creole, is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He co-founded Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band and subsequently ...

– producer *Carol Colman – production coordinator *Joe Barbaria (1-4, 6–8, 10) – engineer *Julian McBrowne (5, 9) – engineer *Michel Sauvage (1-4, 6–8, 10) – assistant engineer *Tim Purvis (5, 9) - assistant engineer *Argyle Kneft and

Steven Stanley Steven J. C. Stanley (born July 11, 1958), is a Jamaican audio engineer, record producer and keyboardist who has worked in the reggae, dub and rock music genres since 1975, most notably with Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and Black Uhuru. Stanle ...

(1-6), Argyle Kneft, Coati Mundi and Julian McBrowne (5, 9), Augie and Joe-Bob (7, 8, 10) – mixing *

Bob Ludwig Robert C. Ludwig (born c. 1945) is an American mastering engineer. He has mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Qu ...

– mastering *John Rynski – art direction *Donald Schneider – artwork *Iksmir Noj – rear cover

Charts

;"Endicott"

References

{{Authority control 1985 albums Kid Creole and the Coconuts albums Sire Records albums