Club Classics Vol. One

Club Classics Vol. One (US title: Keep On Movin') is the debut album by the British group Soul II Soul. Released in 1989, the album featured the group's hit singles "Keep on Movin'" and "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)", the latter of which was a UK number-one hit and the fifth best-selling single in the UK that year. The album also reached number one and was certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 900,000 copies.^[2]

Club Classics Vol. One
Studio album by Soul II Soul
Released	10 April 1989
Recorded	1988–1989
Studio	Addis Ababa (London) Lillie Yard (London) Britannia Row (London)[1]
Genre	R&B
Length	44:54
Label	Virgin
Producer	Jazzie B, Nellee Hooper
Soul II Soul chronology
Club Classics Vol. One (1989) Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade (1990)
Singles from Club Classics Vol. One
"Keep on Movin'" Released: 6 March 1989 "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" Released: 30 May 1989

In the United States, the album reached the Top 20 and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales in excess of two million copies. The single "Back to Life" was also a Top 10 hit in the US and was certified platinum. It found stronger success with R&B music listeners in the US, as the album went to No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart, and the title track and "Back to Life" were number-one R&B hit singles.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Chicago Tribune	[4]
Los Angeles Times	[5]
Muzik	[6]
NME	8/10[7]
Record Mirror	5/5[8]
Rolling Stone	[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[10]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	7/10[11]
The Village Voice	B+[12]

The Sunday Times noted that "there are traces of dubbed reggae, jazz flute, orchestral strings and Zulu harmonies here, as well as the more obvious delights of Caron Wheeler's gospel-soul vocals and the metronomic itch of the percussion loops."^[13]

Alex Henderson, in a retrospective review for AllMusic, commented that the musical influences ranged from "Chic to hip hop to African music", and that the album was "among the most rewarding R&B releases of 1989."^[3]

Legacy

In 2004, Q placed Club Classics Vol. One at number 28 in its list of the 50 Greatest British Albums Ever.^[14] In 2006, the magazine placed the album at number 34 in its list of "40 Best Albums of the 1980s".^[15] In 2012, Slant Magazine placed the album at number 100 on its list of the best albums of the 1980s.^[16] In 2024, Uncut included "Club Classics Vol. One" in their list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of the 1980s".^{[citation needed]}

In late April 2021 Sky Arts included the album in episode two of its newly released Classic Albums series. The hour long broadcast featured newly released interviews with the band members and friends including Trevor Nelson.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Keep on Movin'" (featuring Caron Wheeler)	Trevor Beresford Romeo	6:00
2.	"Fairplay" (featuring Rose Windross)	Romeo, Nellee Hooper, Rose Windross	5:55
3.	"Holdin' On"	Romeo, Simon Law	4:13
4.	"Feeling Free" (Live Rap)	Romeo	4:13
5.	"African Dance"	Romeo, Law	6:00
6.	"Dance"	Romeo, Law	3:40
7.	"Feel Free" (featuring Do'reen)	Romeo, Hooper	5:00
8.	"Happiness" (featuring Do'reen)	Romeo, Hooper	5:30
9.	"Back to Life" (Accapella) (featuring Caron Wheeler)	Romeo	3:12
10.	"Jazzie's Groove"	Romeo, Hooper	3:12

10th Anniversary edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"Ambition" (Rap)	Romeo	3:49
12.	"Keep on Movin'" (Big Beat Accapella)	Romeo	3:36
13.	"Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)"	Romeo, Wheeler, Law, Hooper	3:52
14.	"Jazzie's Groove" (Piano Version)	Romeo, Hooper	4:04
15.	"Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" (One World Remix)	Romeo, Wheeler, Law, Hooper	6:34
16.	"Keep on Movin'" (M Beat Bonus Mix)	Romeo	4:23

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1989) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[17] 38 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[18] 11 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[19] 16 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 13 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[21] 8 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 8 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 12 UK Albums (OCC)[24] 1 US Billboard 200[25] Keep On Movin 14 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[26] Keep On Movin 1

Year-end charts Chart (1989) Position Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[27] 43 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[28] 57 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[29] 44 US Billboard 200[30] Keep On Movin 62 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[31] Keep On Movin 27 Chart (1990) Position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[32] 49

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[33]	Platinum	100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[34]	Gold	50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[35]	Gold	7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[2]	3× Platinum	900,000^
United States (RIAA)[36]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 1980s
• List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of 1989