Superfly

by Curtis Mayfield

Superfly cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: July 1972
  • Label: Curtom
  • Country: United States
  • Length: 36:53
  • Community rating: 4.38/5 from 17 ratings

Album Notes & Community Reviews

A landmark of 1970s soul and funk, 'Super Fly' serves as a socially conscious counter-narrative to the film it soundtracks, offering a critique of poverty and the drug trade rather than a glorification. Curtis Mayfield's production blends deep funk grooves, wah-wah guitar, and lush orchestral arrangements by Johnny Pate, creating a cinematic soundscape for his insightful character studies and commentary on inner-city life. Mayfield鈥檚 signature falsetto vocals deliver poignant, often grim, lyrics that stand in stark contrast to the film's visuals, establishing the album as a pioneering concept piece that outgrossed its cinematic counterpart and solidified a new level of social commentary in popular music.

Genres

Descriptors: funky, orchestral, groove-laden, soundtrack, strings

Tracklist

  1. Little Child Runnin' Wild (05:26)
  2. Pusherman (05:00)
  3. Freddie's Dead (05:28)
  4. Junkie Chase - Instrumental (01:40)
  5. Give Me Your Love (Love Song) (04:20)
  6. Eddie You Should Know Better (02:20)
  7. No Thing on Me (Cocaine Song) (04:58)
  8. Think - Instrumental (03:48)
  9. Superfly (03:53)

Credits

  • Curtis Mayfield - vocals, guitar, producer, performer, written-by
  • Phil Upchurch - guitar
  • Joseph Lucky Scott - bass
  • Master Henry Gibson - percussion
  • Tyrone McCullen - drums
  • Morris Jennings - drums
  • Craig McMullen - guitar
  • Harry "Slip" Lepp - trombone
  • Johnny Pate - arranged by, orchestrated by, orchestrator, arranger
  • Glen Christensen - art direction
  • Marvin Heiman - contractor
  • Milton Sincoff - design [packaging]
  • Roger Anfinsen - engineer [rca]
  • Sam Feldman - lacquer cut by
  • Jerry Pynes - plated by
  • Sol Bobrov - special thank

More from Curtis Mayfield: full discography