It's Been a Long Time (New Birth album)
| It's Been a Long Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1973 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:56 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Producer | Harvey Fuqua | |||
| The New Birth chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [2] |
It's Been a Long Time is the fifth studio album by American funk and R&B band The New Birth, released in October 1973 by RCA Records.[3][4] It was produced by Harvey Fuqua.[2]
The album peaked at number 50 on the Billboard 200. Its two singles, "Wild Flower" and "It's Been a Long Time", peaked at 45 and 66 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.[5]
"Wild Flower" would go on to be one of the band's most successful songs and was performed frequently at concerts.[2] It has also been sampled by multiple artists, including on "Unpredictable" by Jamie Foxx.[6]
Critical reception
Andrew Hamilton of AllMusic gave the album a rating of four out of five stars, giving particular praise towards the vocal performances.[2]
Track listing
Track order sourced from Spotify.[7]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It's Been a Long Time" | 5:54 |
| 2. | "Keep on Doin' It" | 4:19 |
| 3. | "Wild Flower" | 6:30 |
| 4. | "Ain't No Change" | 4:39 |
| 5. | "I'd Spend My Whole Life Loving You" | 3:30 |
| 6. | "Pains of Love" | 5:18 |
| 7. | "Heaven Says" | 4:26 |
| 8. | "Come on and Dream Some Paradise" | 5:16 |
| Total length: | 39:56 | |
Chart performance
| Chart (1974) | Peak position[5] |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Top LPs | 50 |
| US Billboard Top R&B LPs | 7 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions[5] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | ||
| 1974 | "It's Been a Long Time" | 66 | 9 |
| "Wild Flower" | 45 | 17 | |
References
- ^ "Accent ...On Records". The Evening Sun. June 3, 1974. Retrieved February 28, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Hamilton, Andrew. "It's Been a Long Time - New Birth". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
- ^ "Gold Triangle October Event". Tampa Times. October 24, 1973. Retrieved February 28, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jarrett 'Solo' Album Is Marvelous". Omaha World-Herald. November 30, 1973. Retrieved February 28, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "New Birth". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 31, 2013.
- ^ Gajewski, Ryan (February 5, 2022). "Donny Gerrard, "Wildflower" Singer, Dies at 75". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 14, 2025. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ^ "It's Been a Long Time - Album by The New Birth". Spotify. Retrieved February 28, 2025.