Lionel Richie's 'Can't Slow Down' Appreciation

Released on October 11, 1983 'Can't Slow Down' would be a mega album for Lionel Richie. Selling diamond (10M+) copies in the US and over 20M copies around the world. It would also win the AOTY Grammy at the 1985 show, beating out albums like 'Born In The USA' and 'Purple Rain'.

All 5 singles also became top 10 hits. With 2 of them being #1 hits.

1. All Night Long (#1)

2. Running In The Night (#7)

3. Hello (#1)

4. Stuck On You (#3)

5. Penny Lover (#8)

Any fans of Lionel or this album in the SHF?

 

It's a great pop album. Richie wrote some great songs while with the Commodores and as a solo artist. Some may say that these songs are corny, but it's really good "corny." "Stuck On You" and "Penny Lover" are my favorites.

 

Love love love this album! The hits are great, but the hidden gems are Love Will Find A Way and The Only One. For whatever reason the title track is the one track I skip. Maybe I need to revisit it.

As far as I know there has never been an audiophile issue of this? I know of the 2 cd deluxe edition but that's OOP...

NJB

 

As as a whole, an excellent album.
Love Will Find Way is probably my favorite
The US DIDX later IFPI has the proper EQ added for those not wanting to mess with pre-emphasis.

 

If I kinda sorta partly like the album, is that good enough for an appreciation thread?

 

Great album. I didn't know who I was until I heard this album.

Who hurt you? WHO HURT YOU?

 

Great record. I was ALL about it (I was 14) when it first came out. Had it on cassette!

 

Played at my Junior High dances galore, many tears produced by those softies

 

Stuck on You makes me want to go to the honky tonk, Running With the Night reminds me of Grand Theft Auto:Vice City.

 

My favorite song nowadays is "Love Will Find A Way", probably because I haven't heard it played to death the past 30 years!

Current favorite of the singles: "Penny Lover".

 

I don't think it quite deserved to win AOTY over Prince/Bruce, but it is a nice little record. My fave is probably Running With The Night.

 

It was a tough year. But all 3 were mega smash Diamond albums. You'll never see that again. Only in the 80's really.

 

yea, I think a lot of Bruce/Prince voters canceled each other out, such things have happened in many years on award shows

 

How do you idenity this? My disc has DIDX-14 11A6 in the matrix. EAC doesn't detect PE on the disc, but that's not always correct, and depends on the flag being set right.

 

Running with the night would be fave of these. BUt I think Id appreciate all these hits a lot more now than when I was cranking Ozzy in 83 at 13 years old LOL

 

Great album. I really like it. Love Steve Lukather.

 

I found a CD copy in a dollar bin, I appreciate it!


I should add that there are some great party mix songs on here that everyone on the planet would know.

 

I love the guitar solo in rwtn. The story behind it is very funny - if it's true.
You can read it somewhere here in this forum.

And i guess "The Only One" is THE David Foster signature Song of the eighties.

 

It's a great album and surely Lionel's finest moment. You could hear him working up to it on his self-titled solo album from the year previously. Unlike the succeeding Dancing On The Ceiling LP, spoiled by dull overlong tracks like Se La and Don't Stop, there's not an ounce of waste on Can't Slow Down. M0st of the singles were never off the radio, yet it's still nice to hear them 30-odd years later. Some artists are lucky enough to have one perfect album where everything just falls into place. This was Lionel's

I'd recommend the Blu Ray Audio release of this. Not all BRAs get it right, but this is a great Hi Res mix.

 

It really was a tough year. By rights it should have been a three way tie.

 

I'm glad Lionel took it. I actually enjoyed his album the most. But BITUSA and Purple Rain seen to have stayed more in the conciousnes of the public as the years went by.

 

I agree I also think Lionel deserved to win. I enjoy his album more than those other two as well.

 

Part of my youth.
This album along with Purple Rain, Born in the USA, Thriller, Pyromania were the huge pop or pop/rock albums of 83/84.
My mom had the LP of Can't Slow Down.
Lionel did a great job embracing the new exploding Mtv era.
Although IMHO the Grammy's are lame because Award shows in general are purely subjective.

 

No Pre-emphasis should all have peak levels at 100 except track 6, at least for US

 

I'm actually a fan of the album as well. I have the original CD and it sounds pretty good.

"Running With the Night" would make my list of quintessential 80's songs.