Category Archives: Jazz
BILL WITHERS-STILL BILL.
BILL WITHERS-STILL BILL. A year after the release of his debut album Just As I Am, Bill Withers released what would prove to be his most successful album ever, Still Bill. Not only did it build on the success of his debut album Just As I Am, it became the first of two of his …
TEENA MARIE-EMERALD CITY.
TEENA MARIE-EMERALD CITY. Having released four albums for Motown between 1979 and 1981, three of which had been certified gold, Lady T, Teena Marie had signed for Epic after a prolonged and bitter contract dispute that cost her over one-million dollars in legal fees. Her first album for Epic had been 1983s Robbery, which reached …
RONNIE FOSTER-LOVE SATELLITE.
RONNIE FOSTER-LOVE SATELLITE. Between 1972 and 1975, Ronnie Foster released four studio albums and one live album for the legendary Blue Note label. His debut album was 1972s critically acclaimed The Two Headed Freap, before releasing the funk drenched Sweet Revival in 1973. It saw Ronnie interpret ten tracks, including The O’Jays classic Back Stabbers …
ROBERTA FLACK-FIRST TAKE.
ROBERTA FLACK-FIRST TAKE. Mention Roberta Flack‘s name, and most people automatically think of two songs, The First Time I Saw Your Face and Killing Me Softly. The story of First Take is one where if fate hadn’t intervened, might have resulted in the album forever remaining a hidden gem. Having been released in 1969, First Take …
EARTH, WIND AND FIRE-THAT’S THE WAY OF THE WORLD.
EARTH, WIND AND FIRE-THAT’S THE WAY OF THE WORLD. If I were to ask which group during a ten year period between 1973 and 1983 released nine albums in the US, resulting in two album certified gold, plus three platinum, two double platinum and two triple platinum in the US, how many people answer Earth, …
HEATWAVE-TOO HOT TO HANDLE.
HEATWAVE-TOO HOT TO HANDLE. Having spent several years playing London’s club circuit, Heatwave signed to Epic Records in 1975. What would was a three year period where Heatwave released three albums, two of which were certified platinum and one gold. This remarkable run started with 1976s Too Hot To Handle, which reached number eleven in …
VISIONEERS-HIPOLOGY.
VISIONEERS-HIPOLOGY. After a long wait of six year since the release of Dirty Old Hip Hop, Marc Mac under the guise of Visioneers is back with the follow-up Hipology, a double album,due for release on 11th June 2012, on BBE Music. However, during the intervening six years, Marc hasn’t been resting on his laurels. Far …
JEAN CARN-WHEN I FOUND YOU LOVE.
JEAN CARN-WHEN I FOUND YOU LOVE. This year has been a good vintage for anyone who loves Philly Soul. First came the release of Philadelphia International: The Re-Edits, then came the release of Philadelphia International Classics: The Tom Moulton Remixes. Then just two weeks ago came the Magnus Opus, the Philadelphia International: 40th Anniversary Box …
M.F.S.B.-SUMMERTIME.
M.F.S.B.-SUMMERTIME. Recently, when reviewing The O’Jays’ Message In the Music, I mentioned how that 1976 was a pivotal year for Philadelphia International Records and their legendary house-band M.F.S.B. From the very first album Philadelphia International Records released, M.F.S.B. provided the album’s heartbeat. These musicians included bassist Ron Baker, guitarist Norman Harris and drummer Earl Young. …
HARVEY MASON-GROOVIN’ YOU.
HARVEY MASON-GROOVIN’ YOU. By the time Harvey Mason signed a five year recording contract with Clive Davis’ Arista Records in 1976, Harvey was one of the most in-demand session drummers. He was seen as the go-to guy for anyone needing a top-class drummer. This saw Harvey playing on albums by Minnie Riperton, Donald Byrd, Chick …
EDDIE LEVERT-I STILL HAVE IT.
EDDIE LEVERT-I STILL HAVE IT. Never before, has an album title been more apt than Eddie Levert’s debut solo album I Still Have It. What Eddie Levert still has, is one of the best voices in R&B music. Eddie proves the maxim that form is temporary, but class is permanent. After joining The O’Jays in …
MICHAEL KIWANUKA-HOME AGAIN.
MICHAEL KIWANUKA-HOME AGAIN. When a new artist is compared favorably to some of the biggest names in music, then generally, people start to take notice. However, for those of us somewhat long in the tooth, we wonder whether, this is just the marketing department of a record company trying just a bit too hard to …
BILLY PAUL-EBONY WOMAN.
BILLY PAUL-EBONY WOMAN. Billy Paul played a hugely important role in the success of Philadelphia International Records. Not only was his 1972 album 360 Degrees of Billy Paul the first album released on the newly founded Philadelphia International Records, but his classic single Me and Mrs Jones gave the label their first number one single. …
THE FUTURES-THE GREETINGS OF PEACE.
THE FUTURES-THE GREETINGS OF PEACE. I thought that since the Philadelphia International Records-The 40th Anniversary Box Set was due out on 21st May 2012, that I’d revisit a few of the artists that’ll feature on the box set. This has included The Jacksons, first post-Motown album The Jacksons, which gave them the most successful album …
THE LAST PICTURE SHOW-ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK.
THE LAST PICTURE SHOW-ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK. Like many people, one of the most memorable parts of The Last Picture Show is the soundtrack. For me, it’s not just the music typifies the era, it’s the way director Peter Bogdanovich uses and deploys the music in such an evocative way. During the film, the music wafts out …
SNOWBOY PRESENTS NEW VINTAGE VOLUME 1.
SNOWBOY PRESENTS NEW VINTAGE VOLUME 1. When those little shiny discs drop through the door, it’s a bit like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates, “you never know what you’re gonna get.” With Snowboy’s new compilation Snowboy Presents New Vintage Volume 1, this is the ultimate box of chocolates, with every one a sumptuous soft center, …
GINA CAREY-LOVE LETTERS TWO.
GINA CAREY-LOVE LETTERS TWO. Just three months after releasing her sixth solo album Love Letters, Gina Carey returns with another album Love Letters Two. This is a combination of old and new songs. There are four songs apiece from Gina’s two previous albums, 2011s Melodic and 2012s Love Letters. The three new songs, You, Being …
ODYSSEY-HANG TOGETHER.
ODYSSEY-HANG TOGETHER. Not only was Odyssey’s 1977 eponymous debut album Odyssey, the group’s most successful album, it featured their biggest hit single, Native New Yorker. This was a song that would forever become synonymous with Odyssey, reaching number twelve in the US Billboard 100 and number six in the US R&B Charts. Spurred on by …
BILLY PAUL-GOING EAST.
BILLY PAUL-GOING EAST. After releasing Feelin’ Good At the Cadillac Club on Gamble Records in 1968 and Ebony Woman on Neptune in 1970, Billy Paul signed to a newly formed label in Philadelphia, founded by two songwriters, musicians and producers. The label was Philadelphia International Records and the two founders were Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff. …
BILL WITHERS-JUST AS I AM.
BILL WITHERS-JUST AS I AM. How Bill Withers came to become one of the biggest artists of the seventies and eighties, is a fascinating story. Born in 1938, in Slab Fork, West Virginia, Bill’s father died when he was twelve years old. Aged eighteen, Bill joined the US Navy, where he spent nine years. It …
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