Imagination is the eleventh studio album recorded by American R&B group Gladys Knight & the Pips, released in October 1973 on the Buddah label. The album, the group's first for Buddah after leaving Motown, includes their first and only Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit "Midnight Train to Georgia", which also reached number-one on the R&B singles chart. Larry Wilcox was credited for the string and horn arrangements.

The album also produced other successful singles, including "I've Got to Use My Imagination" and "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me", with both songs peaking at number-one on the R&B singles chart and top five on the Billboard Hot 100, and the moderately successful single "Where Peaceful Waters Flow". The album was also their second studio album to make the top ten on the Billboard 200 and their second of five R&B albums chart-toppers.

"Window Raisin' Granny", the closing track of the album, would be sampled in two notable popular music tracks of the 2000s - Christina Aguilera's 2007 single "Slow Down Baby" and Silibil N' Brains' unreleased 2004 song "It's All Love", which would only be released in 2014.

Critical reception Rolling Stone wrote that "Imagination is exactly what this album so desperately lacks," and noted the pattern of "nice touches, brilliant moments overcome by the anonymous production and banal lyrics."

Track listing

Personnel Gladys Knight - lead vocals Merald "Bubba" Knight - backing vocals (lead vocals on I Can See Clearly Now) William Guest - backing vocals (lead vocals on Window Raisin' Granny) Edward Patten - backing vocals

Charts Chart (1973)PeakAustralia (Kent Music Report)27U.S. Billboard Top LPs9U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs1

Singles Year Single Chart positions US USR&B USA/C UK1973 "Where Peaceful Waters Flow" 28 6 18 — "Midnight Train to Georgia" 1 1 19 10 "I've Got to Use My Imagination" 4 1 — —1974 "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me" 3 1 10 7

Certifications

See also List of number-one R&B albums of 1973 (U.S.) List of number-one R&B albums of 1974 (U.S.)

References

External links Imagination at Discogs