''Menagerie'' is the sixth studio album by

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 ...

R&B singer

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He had several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including " Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), " Grandma's Hands" (1971), " Use Me" (197 ...

, released on October 29, 1977 through the Columbia label.

Reception

''Menagerie'' is overall more uptempo and less introspective in feel than Withers' previous albums. None of the songs tackle intensely personal emotions of the kind which lent a dark edge to earlier Withers tracks such as " Use Me", "Better Off Dead" or "Who Is He (And What Is He to You)". The arrangements are also generally upbeat and breezy, with "I Want to Spend the Night" and "Tender Things" having a distinct

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

feel, and "Lovely Night for Dancing" and "She Wants To (Get On Down)" showing disco influences. The lead single " Lovely Day" has gone on to become one of Withers' signature songs, particularly in the UK, where it was a top 10 hit both on its original release and again in a remixed version in 1988. ''Menagerie'' peaked at #16 on the

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

and #39 on the ''Billboard'' 200. It was Withers' biggest-selling album in the UK, where it reached #27.

Track listing

Personnel

– lead vocals (1-9), backing vocals (1-4, 6-9), guitar (2), keyboards (3) *

Ray Parker Jr. Ray Erskine Parker Jr. (born May 1, 1954) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. As a solo performer, he wrote and performed the theme song to the 1984 film '' Ghostbusters''. Previously, Parker achieved a US top-10 h ...

– guitar (1, 4-7) *

Clarence McDonald Clarence "Mac" McDonald (1944 or 1945 – July 21, 2021) was a Los Angeles-based American pianist, composer, arranger, and producer. McDonald was known for his musical diversity, enduring melodies and signature groove. His most famous composition ...

– keyboards (1, 4, 6, 7, 9), string arrangements (1, 6, 8), horn arrangements (6, 8), arrangements (7) * Dean Gant – keyboards (2) * Clifford Coulter – keyboards (5, 8), synthesizer solo (8) * Mike Jones – synthesizers (6) *

Jerry Knight Jerry Ernest Knight (April 17, 1952 — December 29, 1996) was an American R&B vocalist and bassist who reached prominence in the late 1970s and early 1980s, during which he was part of several groups and had a brief solo career. Career A Los ...

– bass (1, 4, 6) *

Keni Burke Kenneth M. "Keni" Burke (born September 28, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist who began his career with four siblings in the 1970s band the Five Stairsteps. Biography Five Stairsteps As a member ...

– bass (2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9) *

Russ Kunkel Russell Kunkel (born September 27, 1948) is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician with many popular artists, including Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Buffett, Harry Chapin, Rita Coolidge, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Dan F ...

– drums (1, 2, 7, 8, 9), shaker (1) *

Alvin Taylor Alvin Taylor (born March 26, 1953) is an American drummer, producer and musical director, who is best known for his work with Elton John, Eric Burdon, George Harrison, Billy Preston, and Bob Welch. Early life and career Alvin Taylor start ...

– drums (3-6) *

Ralph MacDonald Ralph Anthony MacDonald (March 15, 1944 – December 18, 2011) was a Trinbagonian-American percussionist, songwriter, musical arranger, record producer, steelpan virtuoso and philanthropist. His compositions include "Where Is the Love", a Gra ...

– percussion (1-4, 6-9) *

Paul Riser Paul Riser (born September 11, 1943) is an American trombonist and Motown musical arranger who was responsible for co-writing and arranging dozens of top ten hit records. His legacy as one of the " Funk Brothers" is similar to that of most of ...

– horn arrangements (2-4, 9) string arrangements (2-5, 9) * Charles Veal – concertmaster (1-4, 6-9) * Pat Hodges – backing vocals (5) * Denita James – backing vocals (5) * Jessica Smith – backing vocals (5)

Production

* Bill Withers – producer (1-9) * Clarence McDonald – producer (1, 4, 6, 7, 9) * Keni Burke – producer (2, 3, 5) * Clifford Coulter – producer (8) * Bob Merritt – engineer * Phil Jantaas – assistant engineer * Roger Carpenter – design * Lou Beach – illustration * Elliot Gilbert – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Singles

External links

Bill Withers-Menagerie at Discogs

References

{{Authority control 1977 albums Bill Withers albums Albums arranged by Paul Riser Columbia Records albums