Keep On Pushing
Studio album by
The Impressions
ReleasedJune 1964
GenreChicago soul Gospel
Length31:53
LabelABC-Paramount
ProducerCurtis Mayfield
The Impressions chronology
The Never Ending Impressions
(1964)		 Keep On Pushing
(1964)		 People Get Ready
(1965)
Singles from Keep On Pushing
  1. "Talking About My Baby / Never Too Much Love"
    Released: 1964
  2. "Keep On Pushing / I Love You (Yeah)"
    Released: 1964
  3. "Amen / Long, Long Winter"
    Released: 1964

Keep On Pushing is a studio album by the Impressions, released on ABC-Paramount in 1964. This was the group's biggest hit album ever, reaching number 8 on the Billboard 200 chart, the band's highest position on the chart,[1] and number 4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[2] The title track, "Keep On Pushing," reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[3] and number 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[4]

Production

"Amen" was an African-American spiritual arranged and sung by Jester Hairston for the 1963 film Lilies of the Field, starring Sidney Poitier. Curtis Mayfield had been inspired by the film and the song "Amen" in particular: "Of course, I'd decided to do a version of it. We put it together in the studio starting off with a musical 'swing low sweet chariot', and then we fell into that particular song with somewhat of a marching rhythm."[5]

The album cover has a photograph taken by Don Bronstein of the group pushing Mayfield's Jaguar E-Type.[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]

John Bush of AllMusic gave the album 4 stars out of 5, describing it as "an excellent introduction for pop audiences just waking up to the inspirational power of soul music's finest group."[7] He said, "the album featured all the hallmarks of an Impressions set: impeccably smooth harmonies, the dynamic horn charts of Johnny Pate, and many more of Mayfield's irresistible songs (each with a clever spin on the usual love lyric as well as a strong sense of melody)."[7]

Keep On Pushing was one of those displayed on the cover of Bob Dylan's 1965 album, Bringing It All Back Home.[8] Bob Marley included "Amen" and "I Made a Mistake" as part of the regular set list of the Wailers.[8]

In 2017, Pitchfork placed it at number 167 on the "200 Best Albums of the 1960s" list.[9] Evan Minsker said, "Every song is crafted just as beautifully as the title track, with Pate's expert arrangements backing the trio's earworm harmonies."[9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Curtis Mayfield, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Keep On Pushing" 2:36
2."I've Been Trying" 2:51
3."I Ain't Supposed To" 2:29
4."Dedicate My Song to You"Mayfield, Alice Beard1:57
5."Long, Long Winter" 2:51
6."Somebody Help Me" 3:17
7."Amen"Traditional African-American spiritual; arranged by Jester Hairston, Mayfield and Johnny Pate3:32
8."I Thank Heaven" 2:44
9."Talking About My Baby" 2:34
10."Don't Let It Hide" 2:16
11."I Love You (Yeah)" 2:10
12."I Made a Mistake" 2:36

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

The Impressions
Technical
  • Johnny Pate – arrangements
  • Don Bronstein – cover photography
  • Bob Ghiraldini – liner photography
  • Joe Lebow – liner design

Charts

Chart Peak
position
US Billboard 200[1][10] 8
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[2][10] 4

References

  1. 1 2 "The Impressions - Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "The Impressions - Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  3. ↑ "The Impressions - Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  4. ↑ "The Impressions - Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  5. ↑ Pruter, Robert (1992). The Anthology: 1961–1977 (liner notes). Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions. MCA Records.
  6. ↑ Muhammad, Idris (April 26, 2012). Inside the Music. Xlibris Corporation. p. 126. ISBN 9781469192185.
  7. 1 2 3 Bush, John. "Keep on Pushing - The Impressions". AllMusic. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  8. 1 2 Sullivan, Denise (July 1, 2011). Keep on Pushing: Black Power Music from Blues to Hip-hop. Chicago Review Press. p. 43. ISBN 9781569769065.
  9. 1 2 "The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s (2/10)". Pitchfork. August 22, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  10. 1 2 "The Impressions - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
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