Superfly
Curtis Mayfield
1972
Album Summary
Super Fly is the third studio album by American soul musician Curtis Mayfield, released in July 1972 on Curtom Records. It was released as the soundtrack for the Blaxploitation film of the same name. Widely considered a classic of 1970s soul and funk music, Super Fly was a nearly immediate hit. Its sales were bolstered by two million-selling singles, "Freddie's Dead" (number 2 R&B charts, number 4 Pop charts) and the title track (number 5 R&B, number 8 Pop). Super Fly is one of the few soundtracks to out-gross the film it accompanied.Super Fly, along with Marvin Gaye's What's Going On (1971), was one of the pioneering soul concept albums, with its then-unique socially aware lyrics about poverty and drug abuse making the album stand out. The film and the soundtrack may be perceived as dissonant, since the film holds rather ambiguous views on drug dealers, whereas Curtis Mayfield's position is far more critical. Like What's Going On, the album was a surprise hit that record executives felt had little chance at significant sales. Due to its success, Mayfield was tapped for several film soundtracks over the course of the decade.
Wikipedia“Super Fly” by Curtis Mayfield (1972) Now this is how urban ‘social justice’ music is done. A concept album with a coherent, humanistic concept. Soulful poetry painting vivid scenes of the heartbreaking reality of the pain and hopelessness of black ghetto life. No pontificating on ‘root cause’; no rage directed at dubious agents of evil; no thinly disguised Marxist political posing; no plea to do wrong in order to set things right. Mayfield touches the individual heart with moral guidance that is edifying and redemptive. “Freddie’s Dead” is so much more than funeral dirge or eulogy. From the abyss of urban lament, It announces salvation. And check out the rap in the intro to “No Thing on Me”. Beats anything I’ve heard from the 90s. And the music soars. Mayfield’s vocals push and pull real tears. Very well controlled falsetto transcends gendered chains. Instrumentals are arranged with symphonic expansiveness, and (even if somewhat dated) are richly varied—and exquisitely performed. The well executed mix draws the listener with relentless mystery. I wish “Junkie Chase” (at only 1:41) would go on for another ten minutes. But alas, real junkie chases probably don’t last that long. For those into folk rock, the acoustic guitar work (Mayfield?) on the intro to “Think” is very well done, setting up a pleasantly surprising stylistic transition. There is so much good music on this album. And this is not the voice of nostalgia speaking. This may shock you, but . . . 5/5
Thursday morning. Nearly the end of the week. Lounging on my velour recliner for a moment of contemplation, it's a sunny day and the light is streaming through the window highlighting the dust in the air. Rising out the seat, I glance in the mirror and my oversize collar is on point with the brown and yellow earth tones in the tie I picked out earlier. Aviators on and quickly check the moustache - nice. I leave for work, climb into the car and Curtis plays in the background on the 8-track. Sunlight glints on my glasses and I'm feeling the beats, one arm out the window as I drive. It's going to be a good day.
Incredible. The production and instrumentals along with Curtis Mayfield's voice and lyrics just takes you to this really blissful place that's vulnerable and embraces it. It's by no means a downer either, because it can set the mood for a really great party.
Where do you start to peel back the layers of this album?! The percussion, the guitar, the horns, the strings, the lyrical content, this is 36 minutes of absolute pure glory!
Beautiful soul and funk sounds, and as a Chance fan it was cool to hear the origin of Pusha Man.
I'm glad this was our weekend album. There's just... so much. So many layers. Organ, hand drums, regular drums, distorted bass (and surely that's a whammy bar on the bass), spitting fuzz guitar, clean guitar with a wah (of course), any number of horns and strings, and... is that a fucking harp? Yes, yes it's a harp. And that's just the first minute of the first song. And it feels like they're all played by individual humans. All playing little bits and pieces, but also coming together in unison often enough that the songs feel like songs, not just jams. Somehow, even with all that instrumentation, it has a real live feel. There are mistakes here and there, and the vocals aren't the strongest, but I don't find they distract from the experience. They give it an energy. It feels alive. You're not listening to a product that has been painstakingly constructed and polished over months in a studio, you're in a room full of great musicians having a good time. The off the cuff feeling of the album comes with downsides. No Thing On Me feels cheesy, both lyrically and melodically. The wah in Give Me Your Love sounds like someone is strangling a duck. Both songs could have used more time in the oven, but I think more overall production time would have dulled some of the rawness that gives the rest of the album it's energy. So I'll take two (relative) duds if it gives me 7 songs that are brilliant, rich without being busy, dirty without being muddy, somehow simultaneously groovy and contemplative. I'll be listening to this for years to come.
Satme et lækkert funk album. Fed høj falcetto stemme og lækre funky rytmer. Kort og godt album. Køb!
I love getting funk albums on this list. Much like the soundtrack to Shaft, this album is just wall to wall funky jams. Not a single dull moment on the album 5/5
I was thinking to myself “I’ll bet there won’t be a soundtrack album on this list” but I had forgotten about this album. So bleeding good.
I'm a big fan of this album. Think Mayfield is a genius, great concept album soundtrack and love the use of strings.
Muy chido, me gustó. Un sonido chill, limpio, no exagera en el dramatismo, parece un disco "honesto" y despreocupado pero bien producido y con instrumentaciones muy pro. Favs: Give me your love y Superfly. Mood: Wholesome.
Hyvää kamaa Curtis tykitellyt. Äijän hittibiisi "Move on up" on kyllä ollut tiedossa, ehkä Superflynkin kuullut joskus, mutta ei ole aiempaa kokemusta koko levyllisestä. Ainakin tämä levy oli tosi hyvä, minulle sopiva määrä nuotteja per sekunti ja mukaansatempaavan ja taidokkaan kuuloista kaikin puolin. Ja kun biisit ei ole entuudestaan tuttuja, niin kaikki kuulostaa tuoreelta.
So funky and tight. Great variety of tunes. Love the additional textures and flourishment added throughout tracks. This is one of my new favorites
This is brilliant not just because everyone says so but because it truly is. The arrangements are like nothing you hear today. It's so evocative of it's time and the movie of course
I think about this album as almost a companion of sorts to Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. Curtis Mayfield employs driving ponderous soul/R&B to explore social issues surrounding the cycle of poverty and drug use. He takes an extremely critical approach of drug dealing which is somewhat at odds with the message of the film. The music itself is tight and gives the lyrics room to land. Overall it is incredibly effective and engaging.
What a great album the whole way through. Pusherman reminds me of the one time I accidently found myself on Whalley in Surrey. Got back on that skytrain and felt Superfly again.
An album bigger than the movie it was created for. Just a snapshot of life. Perfection.
I get to cheat on this one as I already own it and listen regularly. Curtis at his best and the best Blaxploitation soundtrack.
Sublime instrumentation is the first thing that jumps out into my ears. Harp! Hand percussion! Funky electric something! The breadth and depth here is too rare in concept albums and basically unheard of in music for film. It's the obvious archetype of blaxploitation-in-sound, but also an opinionated text by Mayfield and something more besides. For one thing, each song expands beyond its length, providing a feast of material in a relatively concise album.
I am pretty familiar with Superfly, and liked the soundtrack from it. But hearing it in a proper album format was really interesting; because it was really good. Like way better than I thought it was going to be. I've listened to this one 3 or 4 times at this point. I Really enjoy Pusherman, No thing on me, and Superfly. They are all really solid I gotta say.
Yass! Pusherman is a truly wonderful track. Mayfield's voice layers superbly with an accompanying bassline from heaven itself and drums and bongos to keep you interested and focused on listening. Freddie's Dead has been part of my listening rotation for years. Superfly itself is just a masterpiece of funk. This is a film soundtrack. I mean, there's no doubt about it, it was written for a movie and it sounds like that. It isn't an album per se, but the quality of the music is just.. Well. Just listen to it.
Allt gott við þessa plötu. Sannanlega eitthvað sem öll þurfa að heyra áður en þau deyja.
A sublime soundtrack with plenty of funky grooves, Latin hand percussion, cinematic strings, funky guitar (and bass) and swirling arrangements; the works. Loads of great tracks like 'Pusherman', 'Freddie's Dead', 'Eddie You Show Know Better', 'No Thing on Me' and 'Superfly'. I wasn't born in the early 70's but gee I felt like I was transported to that time listening to the album. Not to mention the icing on the cake; Curtis Mayfield's unique vocal sound. Superb in all departments. Now I need to go and watch the movie!
Just a classic album on many levels - Curtis Mayfield's falsetto voice just works so well over the fantastic funk/soul music; hard to explain but there's a perfect balance between his voice and the music. Probably as a testament to how good and accessible the music is, so much of this album has been sampled over the years from artists as ranging as Biggie Smalls to Beastie Boys to Alicia Keys. I'll admit to not having seen the movie but even without ... this album really does *feel* like a movie; there's a great flow to it - starting with "Little Child..." and the classic final title track truly feels like an end credits. Those two are probably my favourites although I really love the instrumental "Think" - Curtis was also a masterful guitar player and the tone and melody on this track are gorgeous. Maybe the only drawback would be a general sameness that runs throughout but I think the shortness of the album (37 minutes) helps stave that off enough to keep it nearly perfect. An album for pretty much any occasion. 9/10 5 stars.
I listened to his first album Curtis before this and I really, really loved it, definitely a 10/10 this album switches up the groove a little bit, which makes sense, this is a movie soundtrack, but it’s still really damn amazing both of these are 10/10s
a super funk classic. Lush arrangements, super funky rhythms, Curtis' beautiful vocals. A far better album than the film probably deserved.
I first listened to SUPER FLY on an LP sometime in the 80s. At the time I was collecting a lot of older records and somewhere had run across a used copy of this. I would go on to listen to play list fairly regularly as I really liked its funky groove. Sometime in the 90s I purged my record collection, and Super Fly was one of the albums that left my collection. It is one of many that I regret having parted with. I did have a few compilation CDs that contained tracks off this album (Freddie’s Dead, Super Fly and Pusherman) and had let those tracks replace the album in my collection, but listening to it now realize that it really is better as a whole. I love hearing this again. It is remarkable how great every song is on this, as movie soundtracks tend to have a lot of weaker spots or dull instrumentals. This soundtrack is a fantastic album apart with or without the film.
This one was an easy repeat listen. Again and again. Amazing songs with beautiful orchestrations that tell a compelling story. Start to finish.
One of these classic soundtrack albums that is hard to listen to without thinking about the movie. In my memory, Curtis Mayfield had written stronger songs for The Impressions or his early solo albums. So 4* for the song writing and 5* for the sound. But now listening to it again, I think 5* also for the song-writing is more appropriate.
I'd heard the title track but nothing else here. Somehow it makes me feel nostalgic - it was released 12 years before I was even born, so that makes no sense. I guess it just gives me vibes of those cool sexy 70s, really sums up what they fed us of that decade in the 1990s. Like a best-of summary - all the cool funky disco bits, none of the mediocre shit that no doubt also existed, and it clocks in at a cruisy 36min. Either way, my life is that bit more complete now that I've heard this, and it's definitely going on the "listen again" pile. For this project, that's pretty uncommon. And for a movie soundtrack? Rare as rocking horse shit. Full marks are deserved. 5/5.
Yes! I haven't listened to this in so long. I went through a short blaxploitation film kick in high school that introduced me to 60s/70s soul music. This album is a masterpiece, even if the film really wasn't.
Incredible vibes, and it works so well as a standalone that I sometimes forget it's a soundtrack
First time listening to this album, and this really is brilliant. A funk/soundtrack masterpiece.
What a fantastic album. The tracks strike a perfect balance between jam and focused song, so they feel nice and loose, but not too much so. The lyrics and vocals were a step up from the very repetitive Chic album. Even though they weren't hitting every note perfectly, it kinda fit the tone of the album. Definitely going to check out more Curtis Mayfield!
Really amazing. I love the 70's funk cop/thriller sound (secretly always wanted to make an album like this). The songs are great, everything is great. I wish it were longer.
Oooh, like butter baby. This is great. Silky smooth and funky as hell. "Pusherman," "Freddie's Dead," and "Superfly" are all classics but the album is solid front-to-back. Just phenomenal musicianship all around and a fun, funky energy.
Curtis Mayfield was an absolute gem. Front to back this album is just banger after banger. Makes me want to watch the movie too! I am putting this on my "vinyl albums to look out for" list for sure.
Funky as fuck. Loved mostly everything about this. Favourite Tracks: - Little Child Runnin Wild - Pusherman - Superfly - Eddie You Should Know Better - No Thing on Me (Cocaine Song) - Freddie's Dead Overall Grade: 5/5
Great album, love it. There's just something about Curtis Mayfield's sound that I loooove so much.
One of the best soundtracks of all time. Funky, smooth, socially concious and funky. Yep. I said it twice. Best Tracks: Pusherman; Freddie's Dead (Theme from Superfly); Superfly
Great album! Love the sound. Listened to it with no prior knowledge about it (didn't know it was a film soundtrack or how influential of an album it was). Definitely see myself coming back to this album when I'm in the mood for something smooth and funky.
This was so good. I’ve heard the popular songs but it was my first time listening to the record.
Letkeän groovaavaa ja äärimmäisen tyylikästä menoa. Ilmeisesti tämä on jonkun 70-luvun elokuvan soundtracki. Levyn tunnelman perusteella elokuvakin olisi mielenkiintoista nähdä! Freddie's Dead kuulosti häiritsevän tutulta, mutta vasta google paljasti että biisi löytyy coverina jo aiemmin listalla vastaan tulleelta Fishbonen levyltä. Arvosana keikkuu kolmosen ja nelosen välimaastossa, lopulta tällä kertaa ylöspäin pompsahtaen.
Very good, very groovy album. Great soundtrack that tells a story even without the movie. Funky as hell.
I recall this as one of those albums I first came across through the associated movie and the two are indelibly intertwined, actually a rare event (Harold and Maude and The Graduate come out mind). First rate.
Super. Fly. Yes. Incredible. No. Leopard print shoes, smokey velvet jacket and a diamond encrusted cane is the order of the day.
I like soul and funk, so I’m not surprised that I’m enjoying this album. It’s got a nice groove for whatever you need to do around the house. That instrumental song was a delightful surprise, as well. It was quite a nice listen.
Nunca he visto la película, pero asumo que está muy ligado lo que se canta en el álbum a ella. Me pareció relajado respecto a sus melodías porque en las letras más bien se refleja denuncia. Sin embargo, no logré entusiasmarme tanto por el álbum, quizá porque los géneros son un poco desconocidos para mí. Las canciones que disfruté fueron sobre todo "Freddie's Dead" y "Eddie You Should Know Better". Quizá justo porque es un soundtrack tiene mucha valía, pero no sé si por sí solo se justificaría su celebración. 7.5/10
Loving the cool funky ghetto vibe on this album which ushered in the Blaxpoitation films of the 70s. Supercool.
All my Curtis Mayfield favourites in one package. I like the lush strings and his signature falsetto voice - all while singing about drug trafficking. Some real classics here.
Before listening to this album the only Curtis Mayfield song I really knew was ‘move on up’ and after listening to superfly I can confirm that ‘move on up’ is still his best song. A very good album I listened twice.
Another fantastic funk/soul soundtrack. This one comes a year after Isaac Hayes' "Shaft" soundtrack, going for a more lush and mellow vibe instead of a bombastic one. It's just the funky stuff that everyone can get down with. An all-around good time.
Heel erg groovy, goede vibes. Geeft mij een glimlach op mijn gezicht! Nu wil ik stiekem ook kijken naar die film :)
Curtis gets ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ laden with classics throughout - double whammy to start and double whammy to finish - brings out any mans inner pimp - now where’s my purple fur coat
Already got this one in my library. It's pretty good, but I can't get away from the fact that his debut album is so much better to my ears, and much more deserving of a spot on the list. I guess Superfly was his big influential breakthrough, being the soundtrack to a movie? I think maybe the music is better on Superfly, but the songwriting on his debut is stronger. In any case, this has got a muscular, funky sound. It's a concept album about the perils of drugs, lifted up by Curtis's silky smooth voice. I'm feeling a 4/5.
What else can you say about Curtis Mayfield other than the man has soul. a funky soul. I can't speak for the movie itself, but this soundtrack has some really great moments, and as a result there are lots of bits and pieces that have been sampled and used by hop-hop producers. Overall, good stuff.
-I like the funky drums in "Pusherman" -The tracks are great, but from the Brownout and Chicago and other funk/rock/latin bands I've listened to, I was waiting for the music to pick up into a rock jam -"Little Child Runnin' Wild" is at a pretty good intesity
A fitting name for this album. The back half was good, but the front half was phenomenal. I love me a nice concept album, and the arrangement was so solid.
Pusherman and Superfly are both obvious all time classics. Love the growling sax that makes itself known throughout. The percussion is also particularly good and stands out pretty strongly on all the tracks, who's in charge of those bongos? Some incredible instrumentals on here as well, especially Think. I now wish I had given Shaft five stars so I could justify five staring this too, but I rate them equally as good so they both get a very very strong 4
Название альбома – лаконичное, всего два слова. Когда нашёл для прослушивания, увидел приписку «Soundtrack from the Motion Picture». Напрягся, но не сильно, мол, может альбом кому понравился, к фильму присобачили треки, и вроде неплохо вышло. Ан нет, Superfly – полноценный альбом саундтреков, написанных специально для фильма. Если не знать заранее, то и не догадаться, думаю. Звучит как полноценный студийный крупноформатный релиз. Внятные мотивы, запоминающиеся мелодии, даже прогрессивные или арт элементы определённые присутствуют – просто хорошая музыка. Даже нотки фанка не раздражают. Little Child Runnin' Wild, Eddie You Should Know Better – отличные треки, драматичные, атмосферные, мелодичные, разнообразные. Think звучит очень искренне и душевно, в один момент ловишь себя на мысли, что это что-то из неизданного Опизденевших, и сейчас Летов начнёт стихи зачитывать про какой-нибудь знаменитый фестиваль Вудсток. Остальное тоже или хорошо (Freddie's Dead, Give Me Your Love (Love Song)) или терпимо (оставшиеся 4 трека). Интересно, за последние лет 20 был прецедент знакового полноценного альбома, записанного специально для фильма? Не удивлюсь, если нет. Эмбиенты и оркестровую жижу не предлагать – это нечто вторичное на фоне фильма. Тут же, возможно, ситуация будто противоположная – фильм вторичен на фоне музыки. Можно будет попробовать лично удостовериться. А альбом хороший.
так-то балдеж. конечно, определенное эмоциональное ограничение накладывает факт того, что это саундтрек к какому-то очередному фильму про наркоманов, ну и соответственно по текстам ощущаешь себя не в теме. но в целом музло-то прям годное, вот этот гангстерский нео-соул для чуваков в гавайских рубашках. открывашка вообще охуенная сама по себе, как песня, даже в отрыве от фильма (кстати надо бы глянуть чтоль). ну и остальные треки довольно ровные, ничего раздражения сильного не вызвало (разве что в кокаиновой песне какой-то баланс инструментов странный, голос намного сильнее вперёд выдвинут, чем на всем остальном альбоме). инструменталы сойдут. в целом, ну 5 ставить это, наверное, немного слишком, все-таки саундтрек всего лишь, а я не фанат ролевых игр в музыке, ну 8/10 вполне себе
Soul and funk is a big blind spot for me, but you don’t have to be a genre expert to know this record slaps.
3.5, rounding up. I like it, first film soundtrack we've had but it definitely holds up as an album
FUCKING SWAY HOT DAMN THIS IS SO GOOD got me through my law and psych study without crying
I like it but you can tell that it’s an album for a movie. I guess it’s just too background at times. 8/10
An extraordinarily lavish display of funk with no watered-down politics. Bold and vehement.
Great Album, song 3, 4 are just background sounds from the movie. Liked 3 Songs especially, maybe smooch material?
Evocative, soulful, classy album that stands alone from the movie, worthy of inclusion in this list. Mayfield was never better than here and despite soundtrack music often seeming throw away and disposable, Mayfield’s narrative manages to touch on societal issues lending them added heft and weight. Just a great album.
Certainly iconic, and a truly essential listen. I can’t believe I hadn’t heard this before, because the cultural references I now understand have increased 199-fold. Like all ‘70s funk, it’s tight as hell, groovy, vibey, and incredible fun, even though it’s drenched in social commentary. That said, also like all 70s funk, it’s so deep tied to its time, it almost feels too disconnected for modernity to latch on to, essentially as a white listener. That’s not a negative, of course, but it does make it harder for me to enjoy as purely as I’d like. It’s a record not made with me in mind, a soundtrack to a blacksplotation film about cocaine in black communities. I’m not the target audience. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy and respect it, and even groove along with it. Just that I need to sit with it a lot longer than one listen. That said, with an album this tied to cultural references even today, I think there’s enough for me to find on repeat listens.
Um excelente álbum, julgo ter sido feito para um filme, mas isso não põe em causa a sua qualidade. Muito agradável de se ouvir com uma excelente guitarra e saxofone, para não referir a mui agradável voz do vocalista. Nota:8/10
I really liked listening to this, but it hasn't stuck with me. It feels like something is missing - and that something is the film visuals. Musically, it very much sounds like an accompaniment, something that is enhancing something else. And even though the album is was clearly doing a lot of the heavy lifting, it still feels like a soundtrack, rather than a standalone audio album.
Really enjoyed this one, beautiful soundtrack and funny lyrics. Going to have to watch his movie again.
Stone cold classic but I've definitely listened less to the album cuts. Worth revisiting to check out in more detail, and to put the big tunes into a playlist.
Ok - so this album is undeniably iconic. Pusherman is such a cool song. So perfect for Superfly, but just a great concept. All said and done, the album is so closely tied to the film and its subject matter and plot, that it's hard for it to stand alone. I can imagine a junkie chase without any effort whatsoever. It's genre defining and 70s funk to the max, and boom-chicka music was born.
Felt like I was driving around 1970s bronx in a Cadillac. Great sounds brass, drums all of it and great drama.
4.1 + A funky and sophisticated soundtrack that far outshines the film. Some wonderfully lush string arrangements, politically and socially conscious lyrics, and Curtis Mayfield's unmistakable falsetto. Lots of bangers, too: "Pusherman", "No Thing on Me", "Little Child Runnin' Wild"....
this is straight funk think - instrumental (beyoncé - resentment sample) love super fly