TEDDY PENDERGRASS-IT’S TIME FOR LOVE.
TEDDY PENDERGRASS-IT’S TIME FOR LOVE.
When I was reviewing Dimitri From Paris’ Philly Sound compilation Get Down With the Philly Sound, the compilation featured five tracks from one of my favorite soul singers Teddy Pendergrass. This included two tracks from Teddy’s debut solo album Teddy Pendergrass, plus a trio of tracks from Teddy’s old group Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes. After I’d finished reviewing Get Down With the Philly Sound, I thought I’d revisit one of Teddy’s solo albums, It’s Time For Love, released in September 1981. It’s Time For Love was Teddy’s fifth solo album since his debut album Teddy Pendergrass. Each of these four albums had been certified platinum, turning Teddy into one of the biggest soul singers of that time. Could his fifth album It’s Time For Love match the success of his four previous albums?
Having left Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass had released his first solo album Teddy Pendergrass in June 1977. The album reached number seventeen in the US Billboard 200 and number six in the US R&B Charts, giving Teddy the first of a quartet of platinum discs.
Life Is A Song Worth Singing was released a year later, in June 1978. On its release, the album reached number eleven in the US Billboard 200 and number one in the US R&B Charts. By now, Teddy was surpassing not only a soul superstar, but the biggest artist on Philadelphia International Records. Could Teddy surpass the success Life Is A Song Worth Singing with his next album?
The answer to that is yes. When Teddy was released in June 1979, it featured some stunning music, including bedroom ballads like the Gamble and Huff penned Turn Off the Lights, which was the second single released from the album, reaching number forty-eight in the US Billboard 100 and number two in the US R&B Charts. On Teddy’s release, it managed to surpass the success of previous two albums, reaching number five in the US Billboard 200 and number one in the US R&B Charts.
Following Teddy, was TP, released in July 1980. This featured two duets with Stephanie Mills, Take Me In Your Arms Tonight and Feel the Fire. Also on the album was a classic Teddy Pendergrass track Love T.K.O., which gave Teddy a hit in 1981, reaching number forty-four in the US Billboard 100 and number two in the US R&B Charts. When TP was released, it provided Teddy with his fourth consecutive platinum disc, reaching number fourteen in the US Billboard 200 and number three in the US R&B Charts. After a quartet of critically acclaimed and hugely commercially successful albums, would his next album match the success of Teddy’s four previous albums?
Like Teddy’s four previous albums, It’s Time For Love was recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia. With M.F.S.B. Mk 2 backing Teddy, eight tracks were recorded. Six of the tracks were co-written by Gamble and Huff, while Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil contributed She’s Over Me. Of the eight tracks, four were produced by Gamble and Huff, two by Thom Bell and one apiece by Sherman Marshall and Gene McFadden. Some of Philadelphia International Records best arrangers worked on the album, including Jack Faith, John Usry and Dexter Wansel. With such a talented and creative group of people working on It’s Time For Love would it match the success of Teddy’s previous albums?
On the release of It’s Time For Love in September 1981, the album was well received by critics, who loved the album. It’s Time For Love proved successful reaching number nineteen in the US Billboard 200 and number six in the US R&B Charts, resulting in a gold disc for Teddy. Although the album didn’t do as well as previous albums, the music was still as good. Three singles were released from It’s Time For Love, with I Can’t Live without Your Love reaching number ten in the US R&B Charts, while You’re My Greatest Inspiration reached number forty-three in the US Billboard 100 and number four in the US R&B Charts. The final single was Nine Times Out of Ten/The Gift of Love, which reached number thirty-one in the US R&B Charts in 1982. Overall, It’s Time For Love had proved successful for Teddy Pendergrass, but what does the music on the album sound like? That’s what I’ll now tell you.
It’s Time For Love opens with I Can’t Live Without Your Love, the first of three singles released from the album. Produced by Leon Huff, it’s a slow ballad with shimmering strings, piano and a subtle rhythm section combining, before a heartbroken Teddy enters. His vocal is full of sadness and regret, while the understated arrangement reveals itself. That arrangement is perfect for his vocal, growing in drama, but full of emotion and sadness. With swathes of sad strings, piano and rhythm section accompanying him, Teddy gives a stunning vocal, laden with emotion and heartache, resulting in one of the album’s highlights.
Following one slow song, is another You’re My Greatest Inspiration, the second single released from It’s Time For Love. Teddy’s vocal has a tenderness, on this beautiful ballad, where he sings of his love for the woman in his life. With chiming guitars, piano, lush strings and a subtle rhythm section combining, this is another “bedroom ballad” from Teddy, with a similar tempo and feel to the opening track. Percussion joins the track, while a Hammond organ adds an atmospheric sound and drums add brief bursts of drama. Later backing vocalists accompany Teddy’s impassioned vocal. As the song progresses, Teddy’s vocal just gets so much better, the passion and emotion in his voice shining through as his voice grows in power. Like the previous track, this is a fantastic track from Teddy, again written and produced by Gamble and Huff and arranged by Leon Huff and Jack Faith, one of Philadelphia International’s best arrangers.
Nine Times Out of Ten sees the tempo increase, and sees Teddy deliver the vocal with a combination of tenderness and passion. It’s another love song, about his love for his partner and how he needs her “more and more.” Against a backdrop where strings play an important part in the arrangement, piano, percussion, chiming guitars and the rhythm section combine to create an arrangement that’s starts of with an understated sound, building and building, but never overpowering Teddy’s vocal. With backing vocalists harmonising in the background, Teddy combines emotion and passion, with a sense of need and vulnerability. This demonstrates how Teddy could bring the lyrics to life, almost making you believe in his delivery of the story behind the song. When this is combined with Gamble and Huff production skills, and Leon Huff and Jack Faith’s arrangement the result is a very special and very beautiful and emotive track.
Closing Side One of It’s Time For Love is Keep On Lovin’ Me the fastest song on Side One. It’s a dance-floor friendly track, that sees a punchy, dramatic rhythm section combine with chiming guitars, swirling strings and handclaps, before Teddy’s vocal enters. He delivers the lyrics quickly, while female backing vocalists accompany him. The arrangement is quick and catchy with blazing horns, percussion and keyboards joining the track. When they’re combined with the swirling strings, rhythm section and guitars, they drive the track along, with drama interspersed throughout the track. However, good as the Dexter Wansel’s arrangement is, Teddy’s vocal steals the show, on a track the would still fill a dance-floor with it’s quick tempo and contemporary sound.
Side Two of It’s Time For Love is another love song, the title track It’s Time For Love, written and produced by Gamble and Huff and arranged by Leon Huff. It’s another “bedroom ballad”, with a slow sultry sound. A sensuous saxophone drifts above the arrangement, while the rhythm section, handclaps and chiming guitars punctuate the track. Later, backing vocalists accompany a Teddy’s sensual vocal, which grows in power and passion as the song progresses. To me, this is what Teddy Pendergrass did so well, sing love song, and like I Can’t Live Without Your Love which opened Side One, this too, is one of the album’s best tracks.
The tempo drops way down on She’s Over Me co-written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. This is a hugely sad and emotional track, with Teddy singing about how his ex-girlfriend is over him. Here, the slow tempo suits the track, as does the subtle arrangement, that eventually grows in power. The track opens with synths and keyboards, before Teddy’s sad vocal enters. A harp, sad and lush strings and then the rhythm section enter. Drums add to drama and emotion of the track, as strings and female backing vocalists play an important role in the arrangement. Later, a searing guitar solo takes centre-stage in Dexter Wansel’s arrangement. However, the guitar solo seems not to add anything to an already good arrangement, and if anything, breaks up the flow of the arrangement. However, it’s still a good track, co-produced by Teddy with Dexter Wansel full of emotion and sadness.
I Can’t Leave Your Love Alone is a mid-tempo, dance-floor friendly track, where Teddy’s powerful vocal is accompanied by soaring female backing vocalists and blazing horns. Adding to this stomping, funk tinged arrangement from Leon Huff and George Howard, are the funkiest of bass lines, punchy drums and swirling strings. Horns punctuate the track, adding brief bursts of drama, while flourishes of piano and Hammond organ augment the track, adding to what’s a fantastic, dance-floor friendly track, featuring a powerful and emotive vocal from Teddy. Not only that, bit it features a great production from Gamble and Huff, and one of the best arrangements on the album.
Closing It’s Time For Love is another of the faster tracks, You Must Live On. It opens with dramatic bursts of drums and horns, while guitars and keyboards give way to the lushest of string and Teddy’s vocal. It veers between tender and powerful, sometimes in the space of a few bars. With backing vocalists, piano, strings, horns and the rhythm section accompanying him, the track combines a lush sound with bursts of drama. Meanwhile, Teddy’s vocal is a mixture of regret and passion, as the arrangement is driven along, by the rhythm section. However, the strings are key to the lush and sad sound of the arrangement, and help provide the perfect backdrop for Teddy’s vocal. Produced by Gamble and Huff and arranged by Leon Huff and Jack Faith, this is the perfect song to close the album, one that combines emotion, passion and sadness and features one of Teddy’s trademark vocals. What more could anyone ask for?
Although It’s Time For Love wasn’t as successful as Teddy Pendergrass’ four previous albums, it’s still an album full of some stunning music from Teddy. Mind you, when I say it wasn’t as successful as other albums, it still sold over half a million copies, resulting in a gold disc for Teddy Pendergrass. On It’s Time For Love, there are six tracks tracks written by Gamble and Huff, who produced five of the tracks on the album. Teddy Pendergrass also co-produced two of the tracks with Dexter Wansel. It’s Time For Love is an album that I can honestly say doesn’t have one bad track on it. That’s testament to not only Teddy, but everyone at Philadelphia International Records. Tracks like the bedroom ballads I Can’t Live Without Your Love, You’re My Greatest Inspiration and dancers like Keep On Lovin’ Me and I Can’t Leave Your Love Alone, not only prove the quality of music on the album, but also the different styles of music. Truly, It’s Time For Love was a combination of Teddy’s immense talent, and also the talented team of people who worked on It’s Time For Love. During this time, there were fortunate to have some hugely talented and creative people working at Philadelphia International Records. Not long after It’s Time For Love was completed, Teddy’s management announced that Teddy would be leaving Philadelphia International Records after his contract expired in early 1982. However, not long after this announcement, Teddy’s life changed dramatically, and suddenly music and contracts seemed unimportant.
Tragedy struck for Teddy in March 1982, changing his life forever. He was involved in road traffic accident that left him a paraplegic. Amazingly, through sheer courage, Teddy was able to make a comeback, continuing to release albums on Philadelphia International Records until 1983. Not long after his horrific accident, Teddy released This One’s For You in July 1982, which didn’t do as well commercially, reaching number fifty-nine in the US Billboard 200 and number six in the US R&B Charts. Later, having left Philadelphia International Records in 1983,Teddy signed for Asylum, releasing Love Language in November 1984. When Teddy left Asylum, he signed for Electra, releasing Joy in November 1998. Teddy released his final studio album You and I in April 1997, although he’d release a Christmas album in 1998 and two live albums in 2002 and 2009. However, It’s Time For Love was the last great album Teddy released for Philadelphia International Records and in my opinion, was the last great album Teddy released. If you’ve never heard It’s Time For Love, then this is the chance to hear Teddy Pendergrass at his very best, singing a mixture of bedroom ballads and dance-floor friendly tracks. Standout Tracks: I Can’t Live Without Your Love, You’re My Greatest Inspiration, It’s Time For Love and I Can’t Leave Your Love Alone.
TEDDY PENDERGRASS-IT’S TIME FOR LOVE.
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