Maps of Music

Mellow Madness (1975)

Where the lyrics of Mellow Madness take you, and where it was really made.

Jones made this album right after recovering from a cerebral aneurysm, and it is the record that first introduced The Brothers Johnson to R&B listeners.

Key places

Record Plant, Los Angeles (1975)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The article credits Record Plant in Los Angeles as one of the recording locations for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Mellow Madness: 1975 studio album by Quincy Jones
• First album Jones recorded after treatment for a cerebral aneurysm
• Introduced The Brothers Johnson to the R&B audience
• Released on A&M in 1975
• Jones produced the album and handled the arrangements

Background

• Recorded after Jones's treatment for a cerebral aneurysm
• The Brothers Johnson co-wrote four of the album tracks
• The album includes a cover of 'My Cherie Amour', first recorded by Stevie Wonder in 1969

Recording

• Jones: producer, arranger, keyboards, trumpet, background vocals
• Guitars: Wah Wah Watson, George Johnson; bass: Louis Johnson
• Drums: Harvey Mason
• Minnie Riperton: background vocals on track 7
• Hubert Laws: flute on track 7
• Tommy Morgan: bass harmonica on track 6
• Engineer: Phil Schier
• Assistant arranging: Tom Bahler, Paul Riser; assistant engineer: Joan DeCola
• Recording location listed as Record Plant, Los Angeles

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Born March 14, 1933 in Chicago; died November 3, 2024 in Los Angeles at age 91.
• American record producer, musician and composer; a career spanning seven decades.
• Received 28 Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Tony Award; seven Academy Award nominations.
• Began as a jazz arranger and conductor in the 1950s, touring with Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie.
• Produced all four million-selling singles for Lesley Gore in the early-to-mid 1960s, including "It's My Party".
• Arranged and conducted for Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and others.
• Scored The Pawnbroker, In the Heat of the Night, The Italian Job and The Color Purple.
• Produced Michael Jackson's Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad.
• Produced and conducted "We Are the World" (1985) to raise famine relief for Ethiopia.
• Founded Qwest Productions and later Qwest TV, a jazz subscription video service.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Released in 1975 on A&M, per the Discogs release record
• Italian Wikipedia lists the singles 'Is It Love That We're Missin'' and the title track 'Mellow Madness'
• The source gives no critical reviews of the album
• The album includes a cover of Stevie Wonder's 'My Cherie Amour', first recorded in 1969
• Quincy Jones produced and arranged the album

Reappraisal

• No later reappraisal or critic quotes appear in the source
• The source notes the album introduced The Brothers Johnson to the R&B audience
• The Brothers Johnson co-wrote four of the album tracks
• The source also notes this was Jones's first album recorded after treatment for a cerebral aneurysm

Records

• No chart positions, sales figures, certifications, or awards are given in the source
• The only release record in the source is the 1975 A&M release

Sources: www.discogs.com · it.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• 'My Cherie Amour' on the album is a cover of the song Stevie Wonder recorded in 1969.
• The album introduced The Brothers Johnson to R&B listeners, and they co-wrote four of its tracks.
• The album title shares its name with the title track, 'Mellow Madness'.
• The source lists Record Plant in Los Angeles as one of the recording locations.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

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