All In Love Is Fair

***All in Love Is Fair*** is the 30th studio album by American singer Nancy Wilson, released by Capitol Records on August 12, 1974. Following her pervious album *I Know I Love Him* (1973), *All In Love Is Fair* album was recorded at The Sound Factory in Los Angeles the following year. It was her first album with producer Gene Page, who also did the arrangements and conducting and gave the album a more R&B-oriented sound. Lyrics on the album focus on social commentary, romance and inner-city struggles. Musicians on the album include Ray Parker Jr., Wah Wah Watson, and Tom Scott. Marvin Gaye is also listed on the back cover as "The Phantom," with "warmest thanks." *All in Love Is Fair* includes one of the few songs co-written by Wilson.

Development of the album began in November 1973, after Wilson signed a four-album, $32 million dollar contract, which was the biggest for an artist at the time. After its release, *All in Love Is Fair* proven to be a blockbuster success and succeeded all of its commercial expectations, producing six consecutive *Billboard* Hot 100 number-one singles, "Streetrunner", "Try It, You'll Like It", "There'll Always Be Forever", “Ocean of Love", "You're As Right As Rain", and "To Make It Easier On You", and the top-ten hit "Tell The Truth". This made it the record for the most top-tens from an album at the time, later surpassed by Wilson's best-seller, *This Mother's Daughter*. Wilson became the only solo artist in Hot 100 history to amass five number-one singles in a single calendar year and is the only act to have the most number ones from an album. The album would mark the beginning of Wilson's record, 27 consecutive top-ten hit streak on the *Billboard* Hot 100.

*All In Love Is Fair* peaked at number one *Billboard* Soul LPs chart, *Billboard* Top LPs & Tapes, and UK Albums Chart. It also topped the charts in Japan, Germany, France, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The album remained on top of the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes for 26 non-consecutive weeks, from September 1974 to July 1975, making it the second longest-running number one album by a female solo act. It spent more than 600 weeks on the chart. It was the best-selling album in the United States in 1974, world's best selling album of 1974 and second best-selling album of 1975. Within its first year, the album sold over eight million copies in the United States.

At the 17th Annual Grammy Awards, *All In Love Is Fair* was nominated for Album Of The Year, and winning six awards, including Song Of The Year for "Streetrunner" and Record Of The Year for "Tell The Truth". The album was met with critical acclaim for Wilson's vocal abilities and its innovative production quality, and it's often considered one of the 'greatest albums of all time', though some criticized Wilson for abandoning her jazz roots. Wilson broke down many racial and gender barriers during the release of the album. By 1976, it became the world's best-selling album at the time, with 20 million copies sold. In March 2023, *All in Love Is Fair* was certified 27× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with sales and stream-equivalent units. making it the fourth best-selling album in the nation. To date, the album sold over 48 million copies worldwide, making it the world's fourth-best selling album. It has also been described as the best-selling Philly soul album. The album has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and Library of Congress' National Recording Registry of "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant recordings".

## Background and development

After the commercial failure of her previous album, *I Know I Love Him*, Capitol Records was concerned about Wilson's waning popularity. Wilson then knew she had to create a new sound, during the summer of 1973, Wilson ended her 14-year partnership with producer David Cavanaugh, to which she said "was the biggest heartbreak of her life". In November 1973, Wilson signed a four album, $32 million dollar contract with Capitol Records. It was the biggest recording contract for a female artist during that time. Capitol Records said in a statement in 1974, "The decision of extending Ms. Wilson's contract at such a high amount is a huge risk on our behalf and that is we're willing to take."

In December 1973, she then tagged along producers and songwriters, Billy Page and Gene Page to produce a then untitled project, that would incorporate some of her favorite songs in her own stylings. Wilson stated in Billboard interview in the 1975.

> *"I wanted an album that would do huge numbers and garner the airplay because I said to myself, if those white guys in rock music can pull it off, then why can't I? Furthermore, I felt that I should be giving a bigger audience to R&B music and Philly soul. Nancy Wilson never wanted to limit myself to just doing jazz or blues, so I wanted to show that I can do it all and on my own terms."*
>
>

Wilson stated that during to the album's conception, she was 'greatly' influenced by albums like Marvin Gaye's *What's Going On* (1971) and Stevie Wonder's *Innervisions* (1973). In a 1982 *Entertainment Tonight* interview, she stated "those album spoke something to me greatly, and I wanted to make something represented what was going on in the world at the time, but at the same time enjoyable enough where one could still dance and jive."

## Recording and production

Recording sessions for *All in Love Is Fair* took place at The Sound Factory in Los Angeles, California for seven months, between January 1974 to July 1974. This was to longest Wilson spent recording album. Wilson stated in an *Ebony* magazine in 1974, "I knew for sure I wanted this record to be more than just a compilation of songs. This was the first album that felt like a 'Nancy Wilson album' in my book."

Billy Page served as the associate producer and writer for the album and his brother, Gene Page served as the producer, arranger and conductor for album. David Hassinger was the recording engineer. Keyboards were by Larry Muhoberac and Michel Rubini . Guitars were done by David Cohen, David T. Walker, Wah Wah Watson, and Ray Parker Jr., who wrote and composed "Ocean of Love". In the track, "Ocean of Love", Wilson experiments with overdubbing, in particular the remaining 32 seconds on the track.

To keep the studio sessions organized and well-thought out, Wilson wanted to record all the cover songs before suggesting ideas of original tracks for the album. These song covers included "My Love" by Paul McCartney, "You're As Right As Rain" by The Sylistics, "To Make It Easier On You" by Thelma Houston, 'Try It, You'll Like It" by Betty Everett and "All in Love Is Fair" by Stevie Wonder, which ended up becoming the albums title name.

Wilson co-wrote one of her very few songs, "Tell The Truth", with Tennyson Stephens. Wilson stated that she 'wanted one of the original songs on the albums to be socially conscious', discussing the state of the world in 1973/74. She also stated that she 'wanted to push her abilities as a songwriter'. "Streetrunner" was written by Billy and Gene Page. The duo then introduced it to Wilson because they felt it had 'number one hit potential and something that good be in a action movie", said by Gene Page in 1978.

## Promotion

To promote *All in Love Is Fair*, Wilson made numerous talk show appearances, such as *The Tonight Show*, *The Mike Douglas Show* and Dinah!. The album was heavily promoted in Europe, when at the time R&B wasn't huge outside of America. Wilson didn't embark on a world tour to promote the album, however select performance in a few venues in select cities in the United States and internationally.

## Release

*All in Love is Fair* was released on August 12, 1974. The album debuted on the *Billboard* Tapes and LPs chart at number four during the chart week of August 19, 1974. By September 1974, the album reached number one on the chart and remained there for 26-non consecutive weeks, until July 1975. This made it the longest-running number one album by a woman, up until Wilson's *This Mother's Daughter* broke this feat in 1977. *All in Love Is Fair* also peaked at number one on the *Billboard* R&B chart for 30 consecutive weeks. Within its first year, the album sold over eight million copies in the US, making it the best selling album in the nation by an artist at that point. It was the world's best-selling album of 1974 and second best-selling album of 1975. Since the release the album, *All in Love Is Fair* has spent a total of 613 weeks in the *Billboard* 200 chart and has spent 64 non-consecutive weeks in the top-ten. In March 2023, the album was certified 27× Platinum, denoting shipments of 27 million copies, with inclusion of sales and streaming. It is the fourth best-selling album in the United States, behind Wilson's own *This Mother's Daughter*.

In the United Kingdom, the album debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number 9, on August 16, 1974. It didn't reach number one until five weeks after its release in September 1974 and remained there for seven consecutive weeks. *All in Love Is Fair* was certified 12× Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on July 17, 2019, for shipments of 3.36 million copies. In Canada, the album peaked at number one and remained at that position for 11 consecutive weeks . It was later certified 2× Diamond by Music Canada, for shipments of two million copies in the nation.

*All in Love Is Fair* peaked at number one in other countries, such as Japan, France, Australia, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, New Zealand, Norway, and the Netherlands. To date, the album as sold over 48 million copies globally, making it the fourth best-selling album of all-time.

### **Singles**

'Streetrunner" was the first single released from *All in Love Is Fair, on* May 21, 1974. The single eventually peaked at number one in the *Billboard* Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks and was in the top-ten for 18 weeks. The single is one of Wilson's third best-selling singles, selling over 12 million copies to date.

"There'll Always Be Forever" was the second single to be released from the album in July 1974, becoming the second number one from the album. It managed to hold that position for four weeks and was one of the best performing singles of 1974.

The album's third single, 'Ocean of Love" was released in August 1974 and served as the album's third consecutive number one on the Billboard Hot 100, spending two weeks at the position.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings
 AllMusic
 *Slant Magazine* | 5/5

After its release, *All In Love Is Fair* was met with universal acclaim. Critics praised Wilson's vocal stylings, technique, cohesiveness, and change in musical direction, straying away from her traditional jazz and pop standards. However, some critics felt that the album was a tactic to appeal to younger audiences and to remain relevant, while others praised the record for maintaining an 'authentic' R&B and sound. *Rolling Stone* lauded that 'working with The Page Brothers (Billy and Gene Page) 'was the best thing to happen to her career'. They further discussed, 'The string and horn sections were lavish and beautifully back Wilson's impeccable voice.'

AllMusic critic Jason Ankeny reviewed the album, "*All in Love Is Fair* pairs Nancy Wilson with producer and arranger Gene Page, who brings to the session the same lush, romantic sheen that heralds his better-known work under Barry White's Love Unlimited aegis -- it's an approach well suited to Wilson's vocals, underscoring her sultriness and soulfulness."

Some critics also noticed that *All In Love Is Fair* is one of Wilson's first albums to gently touch on social issues and everyday life. In 1975, the album received seven Grammy Award nominations, including Album Of The Year, which was lost to Stevie Wonder's *Fufillingness Final Finale.* *All In Love Is Fair* won a total of six awards, with Song Of The Year for "Streetrunner" and Record Of The Year for 'Tell The Truth". This feat created a record for Wilson at the time for having the most nominations for a woman. She was also to become the second black woman in Grammys history to win a Record Of The Year award.

## Legacy and influence

*All In Love Is Fair* has since become one of the most influential albums of all time. It's often noted for being one the first R&B and soul albums attain a global audience, as well as broke barriers for black acts to gain international success and acclaim. Some even considered the album to push against the ageist standards in the music industry at time, specifically towards female acts. *Billboard* has cited *All In Love Is Fair* to be one of the first albums to influence the 'traditional' album rollout cycle, with numerous singles released, constant airplay, constant performances, etc. Its musical and vocal stylings incorporated on the record became very influential many albums that came after.

The record is often rivaled with *This Mother Daughter* being her finest work to date. Despite her previous efforts in the 1960s and early 70s, *All In Love Is Fair* is was helped cement Wilson's legacy as an icon and a legend. It has been noted that *All In Love Is Fair* helped propel Billy and Gene Page to become one of the 'highest in demand producers of the 70s', stated by *The New York Times*. Numerous critics claim that *All In Love Is Fair* set the standard for the future generations of black artists.

Artists that have mentioned that this album as an influence are Amerie, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Brandy, Bridgit Mendler, Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera, Diana Ross, Earth, Wind & Fire, Erykah Badu, Gladys Knight, Hayley Williams, Janet Jackson, Jazmine Sullivan, Jill Scott, Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Monica, Michael Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Taylor Swift, Usher, and Whitney Houston. American singer Stevie Wonder, who composed the song which gave the album its title, praised the album as being 'an all-around beautiful body of work'. British rock musician Paul McCartney stated 'I was really honored when Ms. Wilson wanted to cover my song, My Love. She really made it personal to her and gave it new life'. Mega producer Quincy Jones stated "The Page Brothers' production on *All In Love Is Fair* undoubtedly influenced me greatly after first listening to it." Former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama noted '*All In Love Is Fair* is one of those albums that empowered me growing up as teen in 70s.'

The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 2010 and was inducted into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry in 2017. In 2008, *Rolling Stone* listed *All In Love Is Fair* at number 27 on the "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" issue.

## Track listing

### Side 1

1. "You're Right as Rain" (Linda Creed, Thom Bell) – 3:04
2. "Try It, You'll Like It" (Johnny "Guitar" Watson) – 4:46
3. "There'll Always Be Forever" ( Dee Ervin, DeeDee McNeil) – 3:00
4. "All in Love Is Fair" (Stevie Wonder) – 4:03
5. "Streetrunner" (Billy Page, Gene Page) – 3:22

### Side 2

1. "Ocean of Love" (Ray Parker Jr.) – 3:06
2. "To Make It Easier on You" (Jimmy Webb) – 4:14
3. "Tell the Truth" (Nancy Wilson, Tennyson Stevens) – 3:23
4. "My Love" (Paul McCartney) – 3:38

## Personnel

From the original liner notes:

* Nancy Wilson – vocals
* Larry Muhoberac – keyboards
* Michel Rubini – keyboards
* Sylvester Rivers – keyboards, rhythm charts
* Ray Parker Jr. – guitar
* David Cohen – guitar
* David T. Walker – guitar
* Wah Wah Watson – guitar
* Scott Edwards – bass
* Eddie Greene – drums
* Joe Clayton – congas
* Gary Coleman – percussionist
* George Bohanon – trombone soloist
* Gene Cirpiano – English horn soloist
* Tom Scott – flute, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone

### **Technical personnel**

* Gene Page – producer, arranger, conductor
* Billy Page – associate producer
* Larkin Arnold – executive producer
* David Hassinger – recording engineer
* Roy Kohara – art director