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Step II is the fourth studio album by Sylvester (and his second as a solo artist), released in 1978 on Fantasy Records it catapulted Sylvester, a counterculture hero, into national superstardom. Hailed as “as good as disco gets” by Rolling Stone, Step II was certified Gold by the RIAA, broke the Billboard R&B Top 10, and peaked at No.28 on the Billboard 200.

The album’s first single “Dance (Disco Heat)” was Sylvester’s first Top 40 hit, peaking at No.19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No.29 on the UK Pop chart. “Dance (Disco Heat)” and “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” also both hit No.1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart, while the latter song broke the Top 40 in the US and became his first Top 10 hit in the UK.

“You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real),” however, would go on to become Sylvester’s most successful single ever. The explosion of the song’s popularity led to sold-out shows, TV appearances, international tours, and highly prestigious opening slots for artists like Chaka Khan. As the decades went on, the single solidified its status as one of the greatest Dance songs of all time, as the Library of Congress inducted the song into their National Recording Registry in 2019, recognizing it for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Step II

Release Date:
January 7, 1978
Buy / Stream
Buy / Stream
Tracklist:
  1. You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)
  2. Dance (Disco Heat)”
  3. You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) – Epilogue
  4. Grateful
  5. I Took My Strength from You
  6. Was It Something That I Said
  7. Just You and Me Forever
Credits:
  • Arranged By [Strings And Horns] – Leslie Drayton
  • Art Direction – Phil Carroll
  • Backing Vocals – Izora Rhodes*Martha Wash
  • Bass – Bob Kingson (tracks: A1 to B3)
  • Concertmaster, Contractor [String Contractor] – Charles Veal*
  • Contractor [Horn Contractor] – George Bohanon
  • Design – Dennis Gassner
  • Drums – Randy Merritt (tracks: A1 to B3)
  • Engineer [Assistant] – Wally Buck
  • Engineer [Recording] – Buddy BrunoEddie Bill Harris
  • Guitar – Tip Wirrick*
  • Lead Vocals, Piano [Acoustic] – Sylvester
  • Management [Management & Direction] – Nancy C. Pitts
  • Mastered By [Mastering] – George Horn
  • Mixed By [Remix] – Eddie Bill Harris
  • Organ, Electric Piano, Clavinet – Michael C. Finden*
  • Percussion – David Frazier
  • Photography By – Phil Bray
  • Producer – Harvey FuquaSylvester
  • Producer [Associate] – Nancy C. Pitts
  • Synthesizer [String, Electro-comp 101 And 200 Models, Oberheim Ds-2 Sequencer], Effects [Special Effects] – Pat Cowley*