| Light of Worlds | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
US LP variant of standard artwork
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1974 | |||
| Recorded | 1973–1974 | |||
| Studio | Mediasound, New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz-funk[1] | |||
| Length | 36:06 | |||
| Label | De-Lite DEP-2014 | |||
| Producer | K. & G. Productions | |||
| Kool & the Gang chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable)[2] |
| Rolling Stone Album Guide |    [3] |
| AllMusic | [4] |
| Stereo Review | (favourable)[5] |
Light of Worlds is the fifth studio album, and seventh album of new material by the American R&B group Kool & the Gang. Released in 1974, it was later remastered by Polygram and was a second success for the band, reaching number 16 in the R&B chart and number 63 in the pop chart. It was a landmark in the funk/jazz fusion genre of the 1970s.
Light of Worlds is regarded as Kool & the Gang's most spiritual and sophisticated work, produced in the wake of the success of their previous album, Wild and Peaceful. While it was their seventh album of original material, the band considered Light of Worlds their ninth LP (counting two compilations), and therefore consciously chose nine songs for the album to represent the then nine planets in the Solar System. The album contains rock-inspired funk set to jazz-informed playing with afrobeat influences and a tinge of analogue synthesizing.
"Summer Madness" was later released as a single, with a follow-up titled "Winter Sadness" in Kool & the Gang's Spirit of the Boogie a year later. In 1991, the Hip-Hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince sampled elements of "Summer Madness" for their song "Summertime". A remake of "Summer Madness" was released on their 1993 album Unite titled "WKOOL/Summer".
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Street Corner Symphony" | Kool & the Gang, Amir Bayyan | 4:32 |
| 2. | "Fruitman" | Kool & the Gang, Rick Westfield | 5:19 |
| 3. | "Rhyme Tyme People" | Kool & the Gang, Penni Phynjuar Saunders, Dennis "D.T." Thomas | 3:19 |
| 4. | "Light of Worlds" | Kool & the Gang, Charles "Claydes" Smith | 4:21 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Whiting H. & G." | Kool & the Gang, Bayyan | 3:17 |
| 6. | "You Don't Have to Change" | Kool & the Gang, Robert "Spike" Mickens | 2:39 |
| 7. | "Higher Plane" | Kool & the Gang, Bayyan | 4:57 |
| 8. | "Summer Madness" | Kool & the Gang, Mickens, Alton Taylor | 4:16 |
| 9. | "Here After" | Kool & the Gang, Bayyan | 2:54 |
| Song | R&B chart | Pop chart |
|---|---|---|
| "Higher Plane" | No.1 | No.37 |
| "Rhyme Tyme People" | No.3 | No.63 |
| "Summer Madness" | No.36 | No.35 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[7] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
