Village People: Renaissance [Full Album, Lyrics + Bonus] (1981)

For a lot of top acts from the 1970s, 1981 was not an easy year. ABBA were by now two divorced couples and releasing their final album The Visitors (well, their final for another 40 years). Boney M.'s hits were drying up too and their iconic dancer Bobby Farrell left just as their fifth album Boonoonoonoos was released. The CHIC Organization saw the band's fifth album Take It Off flop big time while their album with Blondie's Debbie Harry rose and quickly fizzled, and their album for legendary singer Johnny Mathis was scrapped altogether by his record label. Donna Summer's I'm A Rainbow 2LP was similarly shelved by Geffen Records. It was not much easier for the Village People. Following their disastrous film flop Can't Stop The Music, released in the summer of 1980, the band's contract with the now financially struggling Casablanca Records was over. RCA took them on but were of the opinion that a change of image and sound was needed for the new decade. A new look of monochrome leather outfits was rejected by the band, and instead they accepted the New Romantic look that was popular in the UK at the time, a look that their cowboy Randy Jones did not agree with, feeling they were betraying their fan base, and he left and was replaced by Jeff Olson. When the new album hit the record shops in June 1981, it could hardly have been much more different from the previous six albums. "I think Renaissance has some of our best music … it also has some of the worst, one of which I had to sing, “Food Fight”," said David Hodo many years later. "Spend The Night" was the chosen lead singer for most of Europe, while the US and Italy opted for "5 O'Clock In The Morning" (this was also the opening track on the US edition of the album). The album hit #12 in Australia where a puzzled Kim Wilde introduced them on the show Countdown, but it was a flop in most other territories, reaching only #138 in the US Pop Charts. Surprisingly, "5 O'Clock In The Morning" became a hit in Italy, reaching #5 in the charts. "Action Man" was released as the second single in the US, while "Fireman" was issued as a Japanese-only single. What do you think? Has the Village People's controversial album stood the test of time, or does it deserve the merciless criticism it received when it was released? https://www.seevid.ir/fa/w/dT0nIS1rS_w Do You Wanna Spend The Night https://www.seevid.ir/fa/w/dT0nIS1rS_w 5 O'Clock In The Morning https://www.seevid.ir/fa/w/dT0nIS1rS_w Fireman https://www.seevid.ir/fa/w/dT0nIS1rS_w Jungle City https://www.seevid.ir/fa/w/dT0nIS1rS_w Action Man https://www.seevid.ir/fa/w/dT0nIS1rS_w Big Mac https://www.seevid.ir/fa/w/dT0nIS1rS_w Diet https://www.seevid.ir/fa/w/dT0nIS1rS_w Food Fight Bonus Tracks: https://www.seevid.ir/fa/w/dT0nIS1rS_w Video: Do You Wanna Spend The Night (Single Mix) https://www.seevid.ir/fa/w/dT0nIS1rS_w Video: 5 O'Clock In The Morning (Single Mix)