| The Wiz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Soundtrack album by Diana Ross,Michael Jackson & various artists | |
| Released | September 18, 1978 |
| Recorded | November 1977 – January 1978[1] |
| Studio | A & R, New York City[1] |
| Genre | |
| Length | 1:16:22 |
| Label | MCA |
| Producer | |
| Singles from The Wiz: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
| |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
The Wiz is the original motion picturesoundtrack album for the1978 film adaptation of theBroadway musicalThe Wiz. Although the film was produced forUniversal Pictures byMotown Records'film division, the soundtrack album was issued onMCA Records as a two-LP collection (Universal was owned byMCA Inc. at the time). Chiefly produced byQuincy Jones,[3]The Wiz soundtrack features non-sync (does not lock to picture) cast performances by the stars of the film, includingDiana Ross,Michael Jackson,Nipsey Russell,Ted Ross,Mabel King,Theresa Merritt,Thelma Carpenter, andLena Horne.
Like many musicals of the period, the performances on the soundtrack album are not those used directly in the film, but pre/re-recorded by the same artists at an earlier and/or later date. Several differences are noted, including a missing line by Michael Jackson and a scat section by Nipsey Russell being dropped from the soundtrack version of "A Brand New Day", among others. The song "Is This What Feeling Gets?" was not used in the film's final cut, though the tune is used throughout the film.
The track selection was made up of both songs from theoriginal 1975 Broadway musical byCharlie Smalls andLuther Vandross, Timothy Graphenreed as well as new songs written for the film by Jones,Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson, andAnthony Jackson. This soundtrack marks Jones' first collaboration with Michael Jackson; Jones went on to produce Jackson's hit solo albumsOff the Wall,Thriller, andBad.[4]
The soundtrack, with its hit single "Ease on Down the Road", was more successful than the film itself, which was a commercial and critical failure. It was certified Gold in the United States by theRIAA. It also did well in some European territories like the Netherlands, where "A Brand New Day" was a surprise number-one hit. In 2009, Ross ended each of two sold-out performances at the 34,000-seat Geldredome Stadium (in Arnhem, Netherlands) with a finale of "A Brand New Day". The soundtrack also sold well in Australia.
All songs written byCharlie Smalls, unless otherwise noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Main Title (Overture, Part One)" | Instrumental | 2:36 | |
| 2. | "Overture (Part Two)" | Instrumental | 1:57 | |
| 3. | "The Feeling That We Had" | Theresa Merritt and Chorus | 3:26 | |
| 4. | "Can I Go On?" | Quincy Jones,Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson | Diana Ross | 1:56 |
| 5. | "Glinda's Theme" | Instrumental | 1:10 | |
| 6. | "He's the Wizard" | Thelma Carpenter and Chorus | 4:09 | |
| 7. | "Soon As I Get Home / Home" | Diana Ross | 4:04 | |
| 8. | "You Can't Win" | Michael Jackson | 3:14 | |
| 9. | "Ease on Down the Road #1" | Diana Ross and Michael Jackson | 3:55 | |
| 10. | "What Would I Do If I Could Feel?" | Nipsey Russell | 2:18 | |
| 11. | "Slide Some Oil to Me" | Nipsey Russell | 2:51 | |
| 12. | "Ease on Down the Road #2" | Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Nipsey Russell | 1:31 | |
| 13. | "I'm a Mean Ole Lion" | Ted Ross | 2:24 | |
| 14. | "Ease on Down the Road #3" | Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell and Ted Ross | 1:26 | |
| 15. | "Poppy Girls Theme" | Anthony Jackson | Instrumental (Jones) | 3:27 |
| 16. | "Be a Lion" | Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell and Ted Ross | 4:04 | |
| 17. | "End of the Yellow Brick Road" | Instrumental | 1:01 | |
| 18. | "Emerald City Sequence" | (music: Jones, lyrics: Smalls) | Chorus | 6:44 |
| 19. | "So You Wanted to See the Wizard" | Richard Pryor- (spoken dialogue) | 2:46 | |
| 20. | "Is This What Feeling Gets? (Dorothy's Theme)" | (music: Jones, lyrics: Ashford & Simpson) | Diana Ross- (vocal version not used in film) | 3:21 |
| 21. | "Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News" | Mabel King and Chorus | 3:03 | |
| 22. | "A Brand New Day" | Luther Vandross | Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell and Ted Ross | 7:49 |
| 23. | "Believe in Yourself (Dorothy)" | Diana Ross | 2:55 | |
| 24. | "The Good Witch Glinda" | Instrumental | 1:09 | |
| 25. | "Believe in Yourself (Reprise)" | Lena Horne | 2:15 | |
| 26. | "Home (Finale)" | Diana Ross | 4:03 | |
| Total length: | 1:16:22 | |||
All songs written byCharlie Smalls, unless otherwise noted.
| Chart (1978–79) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard Top LPs & Tape[5] | 40 |
| USBillboard Top Soul Albums[5] | 33 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[6] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
