Busy Body is the third studio album by American R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released on November 25, 1983. It was certified platinum by the RIAA in January 1985. It hit the number one position in the week of April 13, 1984 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[5]

Busy Body
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 25, 1983
RecordedFebruary–August 1983
Studio
GenreR&B, soul, quiet storm
Length41:24
LabelEpic
ProducerLuther Vandross, Marcus Miller
Luther Vandross chronology
Forever, for Always, for Love
(1982)
Busy Body
(1983)
The Night I Fell in Love
(1985)
Singles from Busy Body
  1. "How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye"
    Released: November 1983
  2. "I’ll Let You Slide"
    Released: December 1983
  3. "Superstar"
    Released: March 1984
  4. "Make Me a Believer"
    Released: May 1984
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[2]
Robert ChristgauC+[3]
Rolling Stone[4]

Track listing

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Side A
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Wanted Your Love"Luther Vandross, Marcus Miller5:42
2."Busy Body"Vandross, Miller4:45
3."I'll Let You Slide"Vandross, Miller5:21
4."Make Me a Believer"Vandross, Nat Adderley, Jr.5:26
Side B
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."For the Sweetness of Your Love"Vandross, Miller7:28
6."How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye?" (Duet with Dionne Warwick)Steve Goldman3:25
7."Superstar/Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)"Leon Russell, Bonnie Bramlett, Morris Broadnax, Clarence Paul, Stevie Wonder9:18

Personnel

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  • Luther Vandross – lead vocals (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7), backing vocals (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7), all vocals (4), vocal arrangements
  • Nat Adderley, Jr. – keyboards, string arrangements (2, 7), horn arrangements (4, 7), rhythm and synthesizer arrangements (4, 6, 7)
  • Marcus Miller – synthesizers (1-5, 7), bass guitar, rhythm and synthesizer arrangements (1, 2, 3, 5)
  • John "Skip" Anderson – synthesizers (4, 6, 7)
  • Doc Powell – guitar
  • Georg Wadenius – guitar
  • Yogi Horton – drums
  • Paulinho da Costa – percussion
  • Michael White – percussion (7)
  • Steve Kroon – congas (1, 3, 5, 6, 7), bongos (2, 4)
  • Jimmy Webb – horn and string arrangements (6)
  • Alfred Brown – horn and string contractor (2, 4, 6, 7)
  • Tawatha Agee – backing vocals (1, 2, 3, 5, 7)
  • Phillip Ballou – backing vocals (1, 2, 5, 6, 7)
  • Robin Clark – backing vocals (1, 2, 3, 5, 7)
  • Fonzi Thornton – backing vocals (1, 5)
  • Brenda White King – backing vocals (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7)
  • Alfa Anderson – backing vocals (2, 3, 6)
  • Cissy Houston – backing vocals (2, 6)
  • David Lasley – backing vocals (3, 5)
  • Darlene Love – backing vocals (3, 5)
  • Cheryl Lynn – backing vocals (3, 5)
  • Paulette McWilliams – backing vocals (3, 5)
  • Yvonne Lewis – backing vocals (5, 6)
  • Patti Austin – backing vocals (6)
  • Michelle Cobbs – backing vocals (6)
  • Dionne Warwick – lead vocals (6)

Production

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  • Marcus Miller – producer (1, 2, 3, 5)
  • Luther Vandross – producer
  • Larkin Arnold – executive producer
  • Ray Bardani – recording, mixing
  • Michael Barbiero – additional engineer
  • Carl Beatty – additional engineer
  • Michael Christopher – additional engineer, assistant engineer
  • Paul Brown – assistant engineer
  • Rudy Hill – assistant engineer
  • Bruce Robbins – assistant engineer
  • Harry Spiridakis – assistant engineer
  • Steve Bates – mix assistant
  • Greg Calbi – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
  • Kate Jansen – album administrator
  • Dana Lester – album administrator
  • George Corsillo – art direction, design
  • Brian Hagiwara – front and back photography
  • Harry Langdon – photography of Luther Vandross
  • Shep Gordon – manager
  • Daniel S. Markus – manager
  • Alive Enterprises, Inc. – management company

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[10] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ AllMusic
  2. ^ "THE BEST OF VANDROSS ON RECORD". Chicago Tribune. 3 October 1993. Archived from the original on 2017-06-28.
  3. ^ Robert Christgau
  4. ^ "Busy Body". Rolling Stone. 1984-02-16. Archived from the original on 2017-03-02.
  5. ^ "The Charlotte News, 29 March 1984". The Charlotte News. 1984-03-29. p. 41. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  6. ^ "Luther Vandross | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  7. ^ "Luther Vandross Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  8. ^ "Luther Vandross Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  9. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1984". Billboard. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  10. ^ "American album certifications – Luther Vandross – Busy Body". Recording Industry Association of America.