Side one begins with "Gettin' It", the mid-tempo dance tune about appreciating good loving.
The title track "Midnight Magic" is next. According to this one, the evening really kicks in when the clock strikes twelve. In my younger days of going out dancing I found this was fairly true. By midnight, the crowds were in full swing and ready to put in another couple hours before calling it a night.
The tempo winds down a notch as "You're Special" proudly struts up. It sings the praises of a good woman.
The Lionel Richie penned ballad "Still" closes the side. This sweet and sensitive second single hit number 6 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, number 4 in the UK, and number 1 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts. This one remained a slow dance go-to well into the middle of the 80's at the clubs I frequented.
Side two opens with the slow swaying "Wonderland". As the third single, it peaked at number 40 in the UK, number 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 21 on the US Billboard R&B chart.
"Sexy Lady" brings on the funk with a bass heavy dance tune.
"Lovin' You" quickly brings the tempo down again.
The lead single was "Sail On"; it cruised to number 9 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, number 8 in the UK and on the US Billboard R&B chart, and number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
The minute long "12:01 A.M. (Reprise)" closes things out. This epilogue has a funky groove to it that I would have liked to hear more of.
I was familiar with the three singles from Midnight Magic thanks to the Top Forty radio I listened to heavily back in 1979. They, of course, then appeared on the greatest hits CD compilation I picked up in the 90's. For me, "Still" and "Sail On" are the highlights of the lot. I was really looking forward to a bit more energy from this 1979 release, but I guess it was made more for romancing than dancing.
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This was another one of those Selections Of The Month my Dad got from Columbia House because he forgot to send the reply card back in on time.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I was a fan of the singles "Still" and "Sail On" from the radio so it was somewhat of a revelation to hear them in their longer album versions.
Beyoncé does a decent cover of it on the first, self-titled Destiny's Child album from 1998.