Family Reunion (album)

{{Infobox album

| name = Family Reunion

| type = Studio

| artist = The O'Jays

| cover = ojaysfamily.jpg

| alt =

| released = November 25, 1975

| recorded = 1975

| venue =

| studio = Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

| genre = Philadelphia soul, R&B, disco

| length = 44:06

| label = Philadelphia International Records

| producer = Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff

| prev_title = Survival

| prev_year = 1975

| next_title = Message in the Music

| next_year = 1976

}}

Family Reunion is the ninth album by American R&B group The O'Jays, released on November 25, 1975 via Philadelphia International Records.

Reception

{{Album ratings

| rev1 =AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{AllMusic |class=album |id=r14414 |tab=review |label=The O'Jays: Family Reunion > Review |first=Alex |last=Henderson |accessdate=31 August 2011}}

|rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide

|rev2Score = C{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=Ticknor & Fields|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: O|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=O&bk=70|accessdate=March 10, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com}}

}}

The album was released in late 1975 on the Philadelphia International Records label. Recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, Family Reunion includes the enduring classic "I Love Music" and "Livin' for the Weekend", both of which topped the R&B singles chart, and placed at #5 and #20 respectively on the pop chart. The ballad "Stairway to Heaven", originally issued as the B-side to "Livin' for the Weekend" and unrelated to the Led Zeppelin song of the same name, has also gone on to become a staple of quiet storm radio programming. While the title track did not chart, it still garnered airplay, as the lyrics (as well as the album artwork) focused on the importance of the family structure especially at gatherings.[http://www.allmusic.com/song/family-reunion-mt0003383558 The O'Jays, Family Reunion], AllMusic.

Family Reunion became the group's third consecutive R&B chart-topping album, and its #7 peak on the pop chart was their highest placing on this chart at the time (1978's So Full of Love would peak one place higher). Family Reunion was awarded a Platinum Album for RIAA Certification of over one million copies sold.[https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=%22O%Jays%22&format=Album&go=Search&perPage=25]

Track listing

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| all_writing = Gamble and Huff, except where noted [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r14414|pure_url=yes}} allmusic ((( Family Reunion > Overview )))]. All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved on 2011-10-13.

| title1 = Unity

| length1 = 4:59

| title2 = Family Reunion

| length2 = 6:55

| title3 = You and Me

| writer3 = Bunny Sigler, Louise Bishop

| length3 = 5:59

| title4 = She's Only a Woman

| writer4 = John Whitehead, Gene McFadden, Victor Carstarphen

| length4 = 5:44

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| title5 = Livin' for the Weekend

| writer5 = Gamble, Huff, Cary Gilbert

| length5 = 6:29

| title6 = Stairway to Heaven

| length6 = 6:15

| title7 = I Love Music

| length7 = 6:51

}}

Charts

Album

class="wikitable"
Chart (1976) ! Peak position
Billboard Pop Albums{{Cite web\|url={{AllMusic\|class=artist\|id=p13853/charts-awards/billboard-albums\|pure_url=yes}}\|title=US Albums Charts > The O'Jays\|publisher=Allmusic\|accessdate=2011-08-30}} \| align=center\|7
Billboard Top Soul Albums \| align=center\|1 (1975)

class="wikitable"

Chart (1976)

! Peak
position

Billboard Pop Albums{{Cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p13853/charts-awards/billboard-albums|pure_url=yes}}|title=US Albums Charts > The O'Jays|publisher=Allmusic|accessdate=2011-08-30}}

| align=center|7

Billboard Top Soul Albums

| align=center|1 (1975)

Singles

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="2"\| Year ! rowspan="2"\| Single ! colspan="3"\| Chart positions{{Cite web\|url={{AllMusic\|class=artist\|id=p13853/charts-awards/billboard-singles\|pure_url=yes}}\|title=US Singles Charts > The O'Jays\|publisher=Allmusic\|accessdate=2011-08-31}}
style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="40"\|U.S. Billboard Hot 100 ! width="40"\| US R&B ! width="40"\| U.S. Disco Singles
rowspan="2"\|1975 \| align="left"\| "I Love Music (Part 1)" \| 5 \| 1 \| 1
align="left"\| "Livin' for the Weekend" \| 20 \| 1 \| —

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Single

! colspan="3"| Chart positions{{Cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p13853/charts-awards/billboard-singles|pure_url=yes}}|title=US Singles Charts > The O'Jays|publisher=Allmusic|accessdate=2011-08-31}}

style="font-size:smaller;"

! width="40"|U.S. Billboard Hot 100

! width="40"| US
R&B

! width="40"| U.S. Disco Singles

rowspan="2"|1975

| align="left"| "I Love Music (Part 1)"

| 5

| 1

align="left"| "Livin' for the Weekend"

| 20

| 1

| —