Dont get me wrong i love that album.i love all albums Commodores

did with Lionel Richie but with that album Commodores obvious didnt have hits in mind.

less funky more rock mixed with gospel,so what was the background?

did they wanted to be experimental or they had something to prove?

Maybe they just wanted to try something different. I have the original press of this CD. Haven't listened to it in years so I don't remember most of the songs. But "Jesus Is Love" is definately one of my favorite Commodores songs. The last great song they recorded.

Testing ground for Lionel's solo career.

Heroes is a mediocrite album? r we talking about the same album

have you heard Got To Be Together?

Heroes is amazing mix of funk and rock and gospel,very inspired and not aimed at commercial success

thebanishedone said:

kitbradley said:

Maybe they just wanted to try something different. I have the original press of this CD. Haven't listened to it in years so I don't remember most of the songs. But "Jesus Is Love" is definately one of my favorite Commodores songs. The last great song they recorded.

That's one of my favorite Commodores songs too, Jesus Is Love......I loved The Commodores!

Side 1 was splendid. Side 2 was just so so.

My favorite tracks from the album were Celebrate, Old Fashioned Love, and the title track

Heroes

mrwiggles said:

Gotta go back and spin this. Can’t remember exactly what’s on it.

Exactly.The songs aren't that memorable,imo.I don't think that this was one of their strongest albums.It's just OK.

kitbradley said:

It's better than "Nightshift". That album sounded dated when it was released in 1985. Seriously, I cringe when I try to listen to any of the songs.

SoulAlive said:

kitbradley said:

It's better than "Nightshift". That album sounded dated when it was released in 1985. Seriously, I cringe when I try to listen to any of the songs.

phunkdaddy said:

kitbradley said:

It's better than "Nightshift". That album sounded dated when it was released in 1985. Seriously, I cringe when I try to listen to any of the songs.

Truth. The whole damn album sans Nightshift sounds like the soundtrack of bad 80's movies. I can't believe they had the nerve to release Animal Instink as a single.

One thing I've noticed is that,in the mid-80s,many of the albums on Motown were made up of formulaic,predictable,by-the-numbers tracks with alot of synthesizers Alot of that music is unlistenable today,lol.So cheesy and dated.

Why does anybody do anything?

SoulAlive said:

phunkdaddy said:

kitbradley said: Truth. The whole damn album sans Nightshift sounds like the soundtrack of bad 80's movies. I can't believe they had the nerve to release Animal Instink as a single.

One thing I've noticed is that,in the mid-80s,many of the albums on Motown were made up of formulaic,predictable,by-the-numbers tracks with alot of synthesizers Alot of that music is unlistenable today,lol.So cheesy and dated.

Truth but I certainly prefer listening to Rick James The Flag or The Barkays Contagious

vs the Commodores mid 80's fluff.

So I pulled out my "Heroes" CD this evening and gave it a listen. It's actually a very solid album. It pretty much follows the same formula as some of their previous albums. Funk and a couple of Pop tunes. The only difference I heard was the inclusion of the gospel tune.

I think the reason why some people may write this album off is because the band spent a couple of years riding high on some massive singles on both the R&B and Pop charts. Then, "Heroes" comes along with no successful singles. Nothing was happening with the band at Pop radio, probably due to the disco/R&B backlash in 1980. R&B radio didn't quite fully embrace any of the singles either. "Jesus Is Love" got some airtime but if you aren't into religious songs, you aren't going to connect to or remember it.

I have all of their studio CDs up to "In the Pocket" and I think "Heroes" happens to be one of the stronger albums.

[Edited 4/11/19 17:51pm]

so why Commodores didnt play a single note after Nightshift album on their follow up albums?

Old Fashioned Love was a top 10 hit off this album. Sadly the followup single Heroes while a

nice song should have never been released as a single. Don't know what Motown was thinking

there. Celebrate should have been the next single to keep the momentum of the album going.

It was a nice mid tempo groove with Milan Williams signature keyboard sound. Jesus Is Love was

a nice song but it was definitely for the audience on the gospel charts.

kitbradley said:

So I pulled out my "Heroes" CD this evening and gave it a listen. It's actually a very solid album. It pretty much follows the same formula as some of their previous albums. Funk and a couple of Pop tunes. The only difference I heard was the inclusion of the gospel tune.

I think the reason why some people may write this album off is because the band spent a couple of years riding high on some massive singles on both the R&B and Pop charts. Then, "Heroes" comes along with no successful singles. Nothing was happening with the band at Pop radio, probably due to the disco/R&B backlash in 1980. R&B radio didn't quite fully embrace any of the singles either. "Jesus Is Love" got some airtime but if you aren't into religious songs, you aren't going to connect to or remember it.

I have all of their studio CDs up to "In the Pocket" and I think "Heroes" happens to be one of the stronger albums.

[Edited 4/11/19 17:51pm]

so u dont think its more rock influenced and oriented than their previous?

thebanishedone said:

kitbradley said:

So I pulled out my "Heroes" CD this evening and gave it a listen. It's actually a very solid album. It pretty much follows the same formula as some of their previous albums. Funk and a couple of Pop tunes. The only difference I heard was the inclusion of the gospel tune.

I think the reason why some people may write this album off is because the band spent a couple of years riding high on some massive singles on both the R&B and Pop charts. Then, "Heroes" comes along with no successful singles. Nothing was happening with the band at Pop radio, probably due to the disco/R&B backlash in 1980. R&B radio didn't quite fully embrace any of the singles either. "Jesus Is Love" got some airtime but if you aren't into religious songs, you aren't going to connect to or remember it.

I have all of their studio CDs up to "In the Pocket" and I think "Heroes" happens to be one of the stronger albums.

[Edited 4/11/19 17:51pm]

so u dont think its more rock influenced and oriented than their previous?

With maybe the exception of "Wake Up Children", I don't think the "Heroes" album is more rock-influenced at all.

With the backlash against black music at that time, they could have easily went with the same type of album Donna Summer released with "The Wanderer" that same year, where she totally ignored her R&B fans and received a lot of backlash from that audience for it. Donna got a big Pop hit from the title track while the Commodores did not have any from "Heroes".

The Commodores knew who their fanbase was and they never vexed that audience by deviating too far from their sound. Post-Lionel Ritchie was a different story, however.

The title track maybe Lionel Richie's finest hour on lead vocals. Overall, the whole album is better than In The Pocket, the big yawn of a follow-up.

Too me Lionel Richie's debut solo album could have easily been a Commodores album.

It has that signature James Anthony Carmichael sound.

phunkdaddy said:

Too me Lionel Richie's debut solo album could have easily been a Commodores album.

It has that signature James Anthony Carmichael sound.

speaking of that album,I love the song "You Are" gotta pull that record out and give it a spin.