''The Wiz'' is the original motion picture soundtrack album for the 1978 film adaptation of the

Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' ...

''. Although the film was produced for

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

by Motown Records' film division, the soundtrack album was issued on

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...

as a two- LP collection (Universal was owned by

MCA Inc. MCA Inc. (originally an initialism for Music Corporation of America) was an American media conglomerate founded in 1924. Originally a talent agency with artists in the music business as clients, the company became a major force in the film ind ...

at the time). Chiefly produced by

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

, ''The Wiz'' soundtrack features non-sync cast performances by the stars of the film, including Diana Ross,

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

Nipsey Russell Julius "Nipsey" Russell (September 15, 1918 – October 2, 2005)Nipsey J. Russell, born September 15, 1918, died October 2, 2005. Social Security Administration. ''Social Security Death Index'' ( Death Master File).U.S. Census, January 1, 1920, ...

Ted Ross Theodore Ross Roberts (June 30, 1934 – September 3, 2002) was an American actor who was probably best known for his role as the Lion in ''The Wiz'', an all-African American reinterpretation of ''The Wizard of Oz''. He won a Tony Award for t ...

Mabel King Mabel Elizabeth King (née Washington; December 25, 1932 – November 9, 1999) was an American actress and singer. She is known for her role as Mabel "Mama" Thomas on the ABC sitcom ''What's Happening!!'' from its premiere in 1976 until the end o ...

Theresa Merritt Theresa Merritt Hines (September 24, 1922 June 12, 1998), known professionally as Theresa Merritt, was an American actress and singer. She's known for her role in '' That's My Mama'' (1974-1975) and for her film roles in ''The Wiz'' (1978) and ''B ...

, Thelma Carpenter, and Lena Horne. Like many musicals of the period, the performances in the soundtrack album are not those used directly in the film, but pre/re-recorded by the same artists at an earlier and/or later date. Several differences are noted, including a missing line by Michael Jackson and a scat section by Nipsey Russell being dropped from the soundtrack version of " A Brand New Day", among others. The song "Is This What Feeling Gets?" was not used in the film's final cut, though the tune is used throughout the film. The track selection was made up of both songs from the original 1975 Broadway musical by

Charlie Smalls Charlie Smalls (October 25, 1943 – August 27, 1987) was an American composer and songwriter, best known for writing the music and lyrics for playwright William F. Brown's 1975 Broadway musical ''The Wiz'' and the 1978 film version of the same ...

and Luther Vandross, as well as new songs written for the film by Jones, Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson, and Anthony Jackson. This soundtrack marks Jones' first collaboration with Michael Jackson; Jones went on to produce Jackson's hit solo albums '' Off the Wall'', '' Thriller'', and '' Bad''. The soundtrack, with its hit single "

Ease on Down the Road "Ease on Down the Road" is a song from the 1975 Broadway musical ''The Wiz'', an R&B re-interpretation of L. Frank Baum's ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''. The Charlie Smalls–composed tune is the show's version of both "Follow the Yellow Brick ...

", was more successful than the film itself, which was a commercial and critical failure. It was certified Gold in the United States by the RIAA. It also did well in some European territories like the Netherlands, where "A Brand New Day" was a surprise number-one hit. In 2009, Ross ended each of two sold-out performances at the 34,000-seat Geldredome Stadium (in Arnhem, Netherlands) with a finale of "A Brand New Day". The soundtrack also sold well in Australia.

Track listing

''All songs written by

, unless otherwise noted.''

Original vinyl listing

''All songs written by

, unless otherwise noted.''

Record one, side one

#"Main Title (Overture, Part One)" (instrumental) #"Overture (Part Two)" (instrumental) #"The Feeling That We Have" -

and ''The Wiz'' Choir #"Can I Go On?" (

, Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson) - Diana Ross #"Glinda's Theme" (instrumental) #"He's the Wizard" - Thelma Carpenter and ''The Wiz'' Choir #"Soon as I Get Home"/"Home" - Diana Ross

Record one, side two

#" You Can't Win" -

#1" - Diana Ross and Michael Jackson #"What Would I Do If I Could Feel?" -

#"Slide Some Oil to Me" - Nipsey Russell #"Ease on Down the Road #2" - Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, and Nipsey Russell #"I'm a Mean Ole Lion" -

#"Ease on Down the Road #3" - Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, and Ted Ross #"Poppy Girls" - ( Anthony Jackson) (instrumental)

Record two, side one

#"Be a Lion" - Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, and Ted Ross #"End of the Yellow Brick Road" (instrumental) #"Emerald City Sequence" (music: Jones, lyrics: Smalls) - ''The Wiz'' Choir #"So You Wanted to See the Wizard" -

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...

(spoken dialogue) #"Is This What Feeling Gets? (Dorothy's Theme)" (music: Jones, lyrics: Ashford & Simpson) - Diana Ross

Record two, side two

#"Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News" -

and Chorus #" A Brand New Day" ( Luther Vandross) - Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, and ''The Wiz'' Choir #"Believe in Yourself (Dorothy)" - Diana Ross #"The Good Witch Glinda" (instrumental) #"Believe in Yourself (Reprise)" - Lena Horne #" Home" - Diana Ross

Charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiz (1978 soundtrack), The Musical film soundtracks Quincy Jones soundtracks 1978 soundtrack albums Motown soundtracks MCA Records soundtracks Michael Jackson albums Diana Ross soundtracks Albums produced by Quincy Jones