Honey (Ohio Players album)

Honey
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 16, 1975
RecordedFebruary–June, 1975
StudioParagon Recording Studios
(Chicago, Illinois)
GenreSoul, funk, R&B
Length31:45
LabelMercury
ProducerOhio Players
Ohio Players chronology
Fire
(1974)
Honey
(1975)
Contradiction
(1976)
Singles from Honey
  1. "Sweet Sticky Thing"
    Released: August 9, 1975
  2. "Love Rollercoaster"
    Released: November 9, 1975
  3. "Fopp"
    Released: February 1976
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB+[2]

Honey is the seventh studio album by American band the Ohio Players. Released on August 16, 1975, by Mercury Records. It is generally regarded as a classic, the band's best album, and the last great full-length release of their dominant era in the mid-1970s.

The cover image gained mild notoriety from urban legends involving one of the singles, "Love Rollercoaster", one to the effect that the honey injured model Ester Cordet's skin, ruining her career as a model, and another claiming that she was stabbed to death in the recording booth, with her scream captured on the song. These stories are false.[3]

The album was recorded and mixed at Paragon Recording Studios in Chicago, with Barry Mraz as the recording engineer. Marty Link, Steve Kusiciel, Rob Kingsland, and Paul Johnson are credited as tape operators. Gilbert Kong mastered the final mix at Masterdisk in New York City.

The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 during the week of September 27, 1975, kept out of the top spot by Jefferson Starship's Red Octopus.[4] In addition, it was the third album from the band to top the Soul/Black Albums chart, where it spent three weeks.

  1. ^ Henderson, Alex. Honey review at AllMusic. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: O". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 10, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. ^ Mikkelson, David (May 23, 2007). "Ohio Players Love Rollercoaster". Snopes. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  4. ^ "Billboard 200: Week of September 27, 1975". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 24, 2011.