『アップタウン・スペシャル』(UpTown Special.)は、マーク・ロンソンの4枚目のアルバム。2015年3月15日にRCA Records、Columbia Records、Sony Music Entertainmentより発売された。
前作「Record Collection」から5年ぶりのアルバム。先行シングル「Uptown Funk」は全米・全英チャート1位を獲得、全米チャートでは歴代2位タイの14週連続1位を記録。このアルバムは全英チャート1位を記録した[1]ものの、全米チャートでは5位にとどまる[3]など、シングルと比べると売り上げは振るわなかった。
Mark Ronsonはこのアルバムについて「聴いて良い気分になれるアルバムにしたかったんだ。自分が聴きたいアルバムに。パーティーアルバムなんだけど、その中に知性がある。素晴らしいシンガーを招いて、ビートがあって、ノリノリな曲が多い。だけど考えさせられる歌詞だったり、良い意味で期待を裏切るものがあるから、そこから知性を感じてほしいね」[10][11]。
- Uptown's First Finale [1:38]
- Produced by Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker
- Additional Produced by Emile Haynie
- (作詞・作曲:Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker, Michael Chabon)
- 客演にStevie WonderとAndrew Wyattが参加。この楽曲のメロディーを作ったときにStevieのハーモニカじゃなきゃダメだと思い、会ったこともないStevieのマネージャーに連絡したところ、レコーディングの許可を得たという。Markは曲作りにおいてStevieに影響を受けており、レコーディングの日は「人生最良の日だったよ」と振り返った[12]。
- Summer Breaking [3:07]
- Produced by Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker
- Additional Produced by Emile Haynie
- (作詞・作曲:Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker, Michael Chabon, Kevin Parker)
- Feel Right [3:42]
- Produced by Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars, Jeff Bhasker
- Additional Produced by Boys Noize
- (作詞・作曲:Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars, Brody Brown, Homer Steinweiss, Michael Tyler, Nick Movshon, Phillip Lawrence, Thomas Brenneck)
- Uptown Funk [4:29]
- Produced by Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars, Jeff Bhasker
- (作詞・作曲:Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars, Jeff Bhasker, Phillip Lawrence, Nicholas Williams, Devon Gallaspy)
- I Can't Lose [3:16]
- Produced by Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker
- Additional Produced by Emile Haynie, DJ Zinc, TEED
- (作詞・作曲:Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker, Michael Chabon)
- 客演にKeyone Starrが参加。このアルバムの中でMarkのお気に入りの曲。Keyoneはアメリカ南部をドライブしている途中で見つけたという[10]。
- Daffodils [4:58]
- Produced by Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker
- Additional Produced by James Ford, Riton
- (作詞・作曲:Kevin Parker, Michael Chabon)
- 客演にKevin Parkerが参加。制作前からKevinがギター・リフを作っており、そこから曲が広がった[12]。
- Crack in the Pearl [2:25]
- Produced by Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker
- Additional Produced by Emile Haynie
- (作詞・作曲:Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker, Michael Chabon)
- In Case of Fire [4:33]
- Produced by Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker
- (作詞・作曲:Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker, Michael Chabon, Alex Greenwald, Nick Movshon, Rufus Wainwright)
- Leaving Los Feliz [4:18]
- Produced by Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker
- (作詞・作曲:Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker, Michael Chabon, Kevin Parker, Emile Haynie, Chris Vatalaro)
- Heavy and Rolling [3:57]
- Produced by Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker
- Additional Produced by Emile Haynie
- (作詞・作曲:Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker, Michael Chabon, Andrew Wyatt)
- Crack in the Pearl Pt. II [2:16]
- Produced by Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker
- (作詞・作曲:Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker, Michael Chabon)
- 客演に Stevie WonderとJeff Bhaskerが参加。
- Uptown’s First Finale
- Summer Breaking
- Mark Ronson:Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion
- Kevin Parker:Vocals
- Willie Weeks:Bass
- Steve Jordan:Drums
- Jeff Bhasker:Keyboards, Backing Vocals
- Karl Vanden Bossche:Percussion
- Andrew Wyatt:Backing Vocals
- Engineer:Mark Ronson, Boo Mitchell, Jeff Bhasker, Josh Blair, Rhys Downing
- Mixed by Tom Elmhirst
- Assisted Mixed by Joe Visciano
- Mastered by Tom Coyne
- Feel Right
- Mystikal:Vocals
- Bruno Mars:Guitar, Background Vocals
- Tommy Brenneck:Guitar
- Nick Movshon:Bass
- Homer Steinweiss:Drums
- Trombone Shorty:Trumpet, Trombone
- Daniel Oestreicher:Baritone Saxophone
- Timothy Kinzy McFatter:Tenor Saxophone
- Phillip Lawrence:Background Vocals
- Engineer:Mark Ronson, Boo Mitchell, Jeff Bhasker, Josh Blair, Rhys Downing, Tommy Brenneck
- Mixed by Tom Elmhirst
- Assisted Mixed by Joe Visciano
- Mastered by Tom Coyne
- Uptown Funk
- Mark Ronson:Guitar, Linn Drum, Programming
- Bruno Mars:Vocals, Drums
- Jamareo Artis:Bass
- Phred Brown:Additional Keyboards
- Dave Guy:Trumpet
- Jimmy King:Trumpet
- Michael Leonhart:Trumpet
- Kameron Whalum:Trombone
- Ray Mason:Trombone
- Ian Hendrixson-Smith:Baritone Saxophone
- Dwayne Dugger:Tenor Saxophone
- Neal Sugarman:Tenor Saxophone
- Engineer:Mark Ronson, Boo Mitchell, Charles Moniz, Inaam Haq, Josh Blair, Wayne Gordon
- Additional Engineer:Devin Nakao, Ken Lewis, Matthew Stevens, Riccardo Damian
- Mixed by Serban Ghenea
- Mixed (Engineer) by John Hanes
- Assisted Mixed by Joe Visciano
- Mastered by Tom Coyne
- I Can’t Lose
- Mark Ronson:Guitar
- Keyone Starr:Vocals
- Carlos Alomar:Guitar
- Nick Movshon:Bass
- Homer Steinweiss:Drums
- Jeff Bhasker:Keyboards, Backing Vocals
- Daniel Oestreicher:Baritone Saxophone
- Timothy Kinzy McFatter:Tenor Saxophone
- Trombone Shorty:Trumpet, Trombone
- Candise Rayborn-Marshall:Background Vocals
- Jeanine Sharisse Norman:Background Vocals
- Shontelle Norman:Background Vocals
- Zane Lowe:Background Vocals
- Engineer:Mark Ronson, Boo Mitchell, Artie Smith, Jeff Bhasker, Tommy Brenneck
- Mixed by Serban Ghenea
- Mixed (Engineer) by John Hanes
- Assisted Mixed by Joe Visciano
- Mastered by Tom Coyne
- Daffodils
- Mark Ronson:Keyboards, Percussion
- Kevin Parker:Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards
- Carlos Alomar:Guitar
- Kirin J Callinan:Guitar
- Steve Jordan:Silky Disco Hihat
- Jeff Bhasker:Keyboards
- James Ford:Keyboards, Analogue Sequence
- Riton:Analogue Sequence
- Engineer:Mark Ronson, Boo Mitchell, Artie Smith, James Ford, Jeff Bhasker, Josh Blair, Riccardo Damian
- Mixed by Tom Elmhirst
- Assisted Mixed by Joe Visciano
- Mastered by Tom Coyne
- Crack In The Pearl
- Mark Ronson:Guitar, Electric Bongos
- Andrew Wyatt:Lead Vocals
- Carlos Alomar:Guitar
- Teenie Hodges:Guitar
- Kevin Parker:Drums
- Jeff Bhasker:Keyboards, Backing Vocals
- Peter Cottontale:Additional Keyboards
- Karl Vanden Bossche:Percussion
- Geoff Zanelli:Synth Strings
- Nico Segal:Trumpet
- Keyone Starr:Background Vocals
- Engineer:Mark Ronson, Boo Mitchell, Cristian F. Perez, Jeff Bhasker, Josh Blair, Rhys Downing
- Mixed by Tom Elmhirst
- Assisted Mixed by Joe Visciano
- Mastered by Randy Merrill
- In Case Of Fire
- Mark Ronson:Guitar
- Jeff Bhasker:Vocals, Keyboards
- Tommy Brenneck:Guitar
- Nick Movshon:Bass
- Homer Steinweiss:Drums
- Candise Rayborn-Marshall:Background Vocals
- Jeanine Sharisse Norman:Background Vocals
- Shontelle Norman:Background Vocals
- Engineer:Mark Ronson, Boo Mitchell, Josh Blair
- Mixed by Tom Elmhirst
- Assisted Mixed by Joe Visciano
- Mastered by Tom Coyne
- Leaving Los Feliz
- Mark Ronson:Guitar, Drum Programming
- Kevin Parker:Vocals, Keyboards
- Carlos Alomar:Guitar
- Jeff Bhasker:Keyboards, Backing Vocals
- Engineer:Mark Ronson, Boo Mitchell, Artie Smith, Jeff Bhasker
- Mixed by Tom Elmhirst
- Assisted Mixed by Joe Visciano
- Mastered by Tom Coyne
- Heavy And Rolling
- Mark Ronson:Guitar
- Andrew Wyatt:Vocals, Programming, Backing Vocals
- Willie Weeks:Bass
- Steve Jordan:Drums
- Jeff Bhasker:Keyboards, Backing Vocals
- Karl Vanden Bossche:Percussion
- Kevin Parker:Backing Vocals
- Engineer:Mark Ronson, Boo Mitchell, Jeff Bhasker, Josh Blair
- Mixed by Tom Elmhirst
- Assisted Mixed by Joe Visciano
- Mastered by Tom Coyne
- Crack In The Pearl, Pt. II
- Mark Ronson:Lead Guitar, Bass, Electric Bongos
- Jeff Bhasker:Lead Vocals, Synthesizer (Moog, Juno), Clavinet
- Stevie Wonder:Harmonica
- Carlos Alomar:Guitar
- Kevin Parker:Drums
- Andrew Wyatt:Backing Vocals
- Keyone Starr:Backing Vocals
- Engineer:Mark Ronson, Boo Mitchell, Cristian F. Perez, Jeff Bhasker, Joe Visciano, Josh Blair, Rhys Downing
- Mixed by Ben Baptie
- Assisted Mixed by Dakota Bowman
- Mastered by Tom Coyne