CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · Arts & Letters

United (Commodores album)

studio album by the Commodores

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 8, 2026
Entity authorityQ7887298 ↗
Source-derived summary

United is the twelfth studio album by the Commodores, released on October 7, 1986, on Polydor Records.

Overview

The album reached number 17 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart. "Goin' to the Bank" climbed to number two on Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart. "Take It from Me" peaked at No. 38 on the US Billboard R&B singles chart. Another single, "United in Love", peaked at No. 22 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

Covers

The Commodores covered Peabo Bryson's "Let's Apologize" from his 1985 studio album Take No Prisoners.

Critical reception

Ken Tucker of the Philadelphia Inquirer claimed most of "the time, the album succumbs to the usual flaw of veteran vocal groups - sophisticated technique applied to mediocre material."

Alex Henderson of Allmusic also found "An abundance of studio musicians and outside songwriters are employed on this high-tech, pop-minded urban contemporary outing, and not surprisingly, the Commodores no longer sound distinctive...United has its moments, but it pales in comparison to 1970s classics like Movin' On, Caught in the Act, and Hot on the Tracks." Lennox Samuels of the Dallas Morning News noted "the group, now fronted by William "Clyde' Orange and J.D. Nicholas, needs good material in order to make a good record. The Commodores don't have that here.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “United (Commodores album)” as studio album by the Commodores. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around United, Commodores and album.

Editorial reviewA productive route into publication, performance and collection histories when the underlying object or edition remains clearly identified. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1986, 1985—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1986. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with United, Commodores and album providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “United (Commodores album)”, the useful work is to connect “studio album by the Commodores” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7887298. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1986 and 1985.

Critical limits

Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “United (Commodores album)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow United (Commodores album) primary sources, United (Commodores album) archive and United research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “United (Commodores album)”?
  2. Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
  3. How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “United (Commodores album)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.