Go West
Studio album by
Village People
ReleasedMarch 26, 1979
Recorded1978
GenreDisco
Length30:33
LabelCasablanca
ProducerJacques Morali
Village People chronology
Cruisin'
(1978) 		Go West
(1979) 		Live and Sleazy
(1979)
Singles from Go West
  1. "In the Navy"
    Released: March 17, 1979
  2. "Go West"
    Released: June 1979

Go West is the fourth studio album by the Village People, released on March 26, 1979. It features their hit singles "In the Navy" (#3 on the US Billboard Hot 100, #2 in the UK Top 40) and "Go West", which the Pet Shop Boys did a successful cover of in 1993.

The album was reissued on CD in 1996.

Go West would be the band's last complete album of all-new material for Casablanca, as well as the last album to feature Victor Willis.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[2]
Smash Hits5/10[3]

Billboard stated that the album contains "some of the most irresistible rhythm in today's pop /disco genre."[4] Billboard described the song "I Wanna Shake Your Hand" as "an appropriately non romantic twist on the Beatles", with its mock exhortation to "Don't be shy/ go up and say hello."[4] The New York Times wrote that the album is "set to a pounding disco beat, overlaid with glutinously symphonic arrangements and Victor Willis's hoarse, sweaty vocals."[5] AllMusic critic Amy Hanson felt that aside from the two singles and "Manhattan Woman," which she felt "contained some interesting, James Brown-inflected vocalizations," the remaining songs "sound like a rehash of the band's already released finest."[1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Henri Belolo, Jacques Morali and Victor Willis

No.TitleLength
1."In the Navy"5:39
2."Go West"4:10
3."Citizens of the World"5:32
4."I Wanna Shake Your Hand"4:40
5."Get Away Holiday"5:22
6."Manhattan Woman"5:10

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1979) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] 8
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] 22
Belgian Albums (BEA)[8] 6
Canadian Albums (RPM)[9] 2
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] 8
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[11] 2
French Albums (SNEP)[12] 9
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] 14
Icelandic Albums (Tonlist)[14] 6
Italian Albums (AFI)[15] 15
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[16] 18
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[17] 28
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[18] 4
Spanish Albums (AFE)[19] 14
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[20] 7
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] 11
UK Albums (OCC)[22] 14
US Billboard 200[23] 8
Zimbabwean Albums (ZIMA)[24] 2

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[25] Gold 20,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[26] 3× Platinum 300,000^
France (SNEP)[27] Gold 100,000*
Germany — 500,000[28]
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[30] Platinum 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b Hanson, Amy. "Go West - The Village People". Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: V". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 19, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. ^ Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (May 17–31, 1979): 25.
  4. ^ a b "Top Album Picks" (PDF). Billboard. April 7, 1979. p. 98. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  5. ^ Rockwell, John (20 Apr 1979). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C15.
  6. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 330. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Village People – Go West" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  8. ^ "Hits Of The World, Page 95 June 9 1979". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  9. ^ "RPM: Village People (albums)". RPM Magazine. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  10. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Village People – Go West" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  11. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  12. ^ "Tous les Albums de l'Artiste choisi". InfoDisc. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  13. ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  14. ^ "Tonlist Top 40". DV. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
  15. ^ "Gli album più venduti del 1979". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  16. ^ "Oricon Archive - Village People". Oricon. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  17. ^ "Charts.nz – Village People – Go West". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  18. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Village People – Go West". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  19. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  20. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Village People – Go West". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  21. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Village People – Go West". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  22. ^ "Village People | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  23. ^ "The Village People – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  24. ^ Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  25. ^ "Initial Shipping of Go West Goes Gold in Australia" (PDF). Cash Box. March 28, 1979. p. 9. Retrieved December 1, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  26. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Village People – Go West". Music Canada.
  27. ^ "French album certifications – Village People – Go West" (in French). InfoDisc. Select VILLAGE PEOPLE and click OK. 
  28. ^ Spahr, Wolfgang (July 28, 1979). "Germany's Metronome Label Booming". Billboard. Vol. 91, no. 30. p. 9. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  29. ^ "British album certifications – Village People – Go West". British Phonographic Industry.
  30. ^ "American album certifications – Village People – Go West". Recording Industry Association of America.


Categories