| He's a Friend | |
| Type: | Studio album |
| Artist: | Eddie Kendricks |
| Cover: | Front cover of "He's a Friend", Eddie Kendricks album, Tamla, 1976.jpeg |
| Released: | February 1976 |
| Recorded: | 1975–1976 |
| Studio: | Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Genre: | Soul |
| Label: | Tamla Records |
| Producer: | Norman Harris |
| Prev Title: | The Hit Man |
| Prev Year: | 1975 |
| Next Title: | Goin' Up In Smoke |
| Next Year: | 1976 |
He's a Friend is the seventh album by former Temptations vocalist Eddie Kendricks. It was released in February 1976 on the Tamla imprint of Motown Records.
This album was totally embraced by the black and gay underground clubs as a complete entity. The lead and album title single, "He's a Friend", merged the classic Motown sound with T.S.O.P., the Sound of Philadelphia, courtesy of Norman Harris and several Philly sessions players. That first single was rotated like a #1 record at these clubs. Along with that, "Get it While It's Hot", "I Won't Take No" and even the ballad "Part of Me" was spun when clubs would play one or two downtempo tracks at the close of an evening. This diverse club play made "He's a Friend" an underground club classic.
"He's a Friend" fell one step away from securing another #1 R&B single for Eddie, stopping at #2 behind "Disco Lady" by Johnnie Taylor. Eddie had an impressive 9 Top 10 hits (10 if The Temptations reunion single, "Standing on the Top" counted, since the song was recorded when he was a solo artist). Two more singles, like the smash "Girl You Need A Change Of Mind" also made the Top 20.
| Year | Single | Chart positions[2] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Dance | ||
| 1976 | "Chains" | - | - | 3 |
| "Get It While It's Hot" | - | 24 | 3 | |
| "He's A Friend" | 36 | 2 | 15 | |
| "It's Not What You Got" | - | - | 2 | |