S.O.S. (The S.O.S. Band album)

S.O.S. is the debut album released by the R&B band the S.O.S. Band on the Tabu label in the summer of 1980. It was produced by Sigidi Abdullah.

S.O.S.
Studio album by The S.O.S. Band
Released	June 6, 1980
Recorded	1979
Studio	Web IV Studios, Apogee Studios, Axis Studios (Atlanta, Georgia)
Genre	R&B funk disco boogie
Length	40:02
Label	Tabu
Producer	Sigidi
The S.O.S. Band chronology
S.O.S. (1980) Too (1981)
Singles from S.O.S.
"Take Your Time (Do It Right)" Released: March 18, 1980 "S.O.S. (Dit Dit Dit Dash Dash Dash Dit Dit Dit)" Released: September 10, 1980 "What's Wrong with Our Love Affair?" Released: December 10, 1980

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Smash Hits	4/10[2]

The album was a hit at nightclubs and "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" became a disco classic.

History

The album peaked at No. 2 on the R&B albums chart. It also reached No. 12 on the Billboard 200. The album yielded the Billboard R&B number-one hit "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" which also peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, and No. 51 on the UK Singles Chart. Two following singles, "S.O.S. (Dit Dit Dit Dash Dash Dash Dit Dit Dit)" and "What's Wrong with Our Love Affair?", also charted on the R&B chart, reaching numbers 20 and 87 respectively. The album was digitally remastered and reissued on CD with bonus tracks in 2013 by Demon Music Group.

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"S.O.S. (Dit Dit Dit Dash Dash Dash Dit Dit Dit)"	S.O.S. Band, Sigidi	5:43
2.	"What's Wrong with Our Love Affair?"	Jason Bryant	4:50
3.	"Open Letter"	Sigidi, Rhonghea Southern	4:29
4.	"Love Won't Wait for Love"	Sigidi, Crystal McCrarey	5:11

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"Take Your Time (Do It Right)"	Harold Clayton, Sigidi	7:40
6.	"I'm in Love"	Robert Eugene Daniels	3:36
7.	"Take Love Where You Find It"	John Alexander Simpson, Bruno Speight	5:55
8.	"S.O.S. (Reprise)"	S.O.S. Band, Sigidi	1:50

2013 remastered bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
9.	"S.O.S. (Dit Dit Dit Dash Dash Dash Dit Dit Dit)" (Edit)	S.O.S. Band, Sigidi	4:04
10.	"S.O.S. (Dit Dit Dit Dash Dash Dash Dit Dit Dit)" (Special Disco Mix)	S.O.S. Band, Sigidi	7:37
11.	"Take Your Time (Do It Right)" (Part 1)	Harold Clayton, Sigidi	3:13
12.	"Take Your Time (Do It Right)" (Part 2)	Harold Clayton, Sigidi	4:12
13.	"Take Your Time (Do It Right)" (Long Version)	Harold Clayton, Sigidi	7:37
14.	"What's Wrong with Our Love Affair?" (Edit)	Jason Bryant	3:54

Personnel

The S.O.S. Band

• Jason "T.C." Bryant – keyboards, vocals
• Billy "B.E." Ellis – saxophone, keyboards, vocals
• Mary Davis – vocals, background vocals, percussion
• James Earl Jones III – drums, vocals
• Willie "Sonny" Killebrew – saxophone, flute, vocals
• Bruno Speight – lead guitar
• John Alexander Simpson – bass, vocals

Additional Personnel

• James Stroud – drums (on "Love Won't Wait for Love")
• Darryl "Munyungo" Jackson – percussion
• Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Larry Hatcher, David Li, Richard Griffith, Ray Brown, Jr., Nolan Smith, Jeff Clayton – horns
• Bill Henderson (concertmaster) – strings
• Rosalind Sweeper, Freddi Rawls, Michele Morgan, Gertha Simms – background vocals
• Dorothy Farrell, Linda Riley, Pam Jones, Isaac Welcome, Angela (Neicy) Hall, Grace Anderson, Charlene Few – handclaps

Production

• Sigidi – producer, arranger
• Clarence Avant – executive producer
• Fred Wesley, The S.O.S. Band – arrangers
• Richard Wells, Ted Bush, Tom Race, George Pappas – engineers
• Tommy Cooper, Greg Webster – assistant engineers
• David Hassinger, Serge Reyes, Rhonghea Southern – mixers
• Neil Petinov – assistant mixer
• Mike Reese – mastering

Charts

Chart (1980)	Peak [3]
U.S. Billboard 200	12
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	2

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions
		US [4]	US R&B [4]	US Dan [4]	UK [5]
1980	"Take Your Time (Do It Right)"	3	1	1	51
	"S.O.S. (Dit Dit Dit Dash Dash Dash Dit Dit Dit)"	—	20	54	—
	"What's Wrong with Our Love Affair?"	—	87	—	—