Day 265: Kool & the Gang – Something Special

It’s Friday night ahead of a bank holiday weekend, so I needed an album to keep the spirits suitably high. As soon as I finished work, I whacked on a bit of Kool & the Gang – as far as good time facilitators go, Kool & the Gang are up there. I’ve previously covered Ladies Night and Emergency, so we can probably skip the background, go to day 111 if you’d like to read a proper introduction to the band.

Album cover courtesy of De-Lite

Released in 1981, Something Special was the group’s 13th studio album and third consecutive album to sell platinum. It was clearly a big seller but I was surprised to see how unpopular it is, both among fans and critics: the Rolling Stone album guide gave it a measly two stars and fans on Album of the Year think it’s too repetitive.

Out of the three Kool & the Gang records I’ve listened to, though, I think this one is my favourite. Sure, maybe it’s a bit repetitive, but it’s sunny disco-funk that does exactly what it does on the tin: it’s good-time music, it’s a party album, it’s a nice little pocket of fun. I’ll be honest, I thought Kool & the Gang were just a novelty band who did “Celebration”, but I’m happy to admit I was so wrong about these guys. I’m starting to develop a regular hankering for them.

I could never rank an album low that has a song as good as “Get Down On It” on it. All-time tune. I enjoyed Something Special and thought it lived up to its name. Also I will buy this one on vinyl if I see it somewhere, it’s that good to me. It’s simple but so effective, I can’t imagine having this on and having a bad day. I’m giving it a solid 8.5/10.