Category Archives: Philadelphia Soul
THE DETROIT SPINNERS-MIGHTY LOVE.
THE DETROIT SPINNERS-MIGHTY LOVE. When The Detroit Spinners signed for Atlantic Records and hooked up with producer Thom Bell there was a huge turnaround in their fortunes. Their first two albums, 1967s The Original Spinners and 2nd Time Around in 1970, hadn’t been commercial a success. Only 2nd Time Around had charted, reaching number 199 …
MAJOR HARRIS-MY WAY.
MAJOR HARRIS-MY WAY. For a member of a successful group, it’s always a risk to leave and embark upon a solo career. Often, the success they’ve enjoyed becomes a distant memory. Conversely, the success they’ve enjoyed is often surpassed upon embarking on a solo career. Everyone will have examples when an artists decision to embark …
WILSON PICKETT IN PHILADELPHIA.
WILSON PICKETT IN PHILADELPHIA. By 1970, when Wilson Pickett released Wilson Pickett In Philadelphia, his recording career was eight years old. He’d released his debut single If You Need Me in 1962, and since then, had enjoyed four number one US R&B singles. The first of these was his 1965 classic In The Midnight Hour, …
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-UP THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD.
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-UP THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD. For Salsoul Records and The Salsoul Orchestra, Up The Yellow Brick Road would prove to be the end of an era. Up The Yellow Brick Road proved to be last Salsoul Orchestra arranged, produced and featuring the sound of vibes virtuoso Vince Montana Jr. It also proved to …
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY-LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY.
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY-LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY. When Loleatta Holloway came to record her fifth album, and third for Gold Mind Records Loleatta Holloway, she encountered a very different company. Gone was Norman Harris who’d previously run Gold Mind and who’d been at Loleatta’s side every step of the way, during her Gold Mind career. Norman Harris wasn’t the …
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-STREET SENSE.
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-STREET SENSE. 1978 was a landmark year for Salsoul Records.Vince Montana Jr, the man who created, conducted, arranged and produced many of The Salsoul Orchestra albums left the label. He’d been at The Salsoul Orchestra’s helm between their 1975 eponymous album and 1978s Up The Yellow Brick Road. When Vince left Salsoul, after a dispute with …
ONCE IN A MILLION-THE SONGS OF SAM DEES.
ONCE IN A MILLION-THE SONGS OF SAM DEES. Sam Dees is described as: “a prolific songwriter and occasional performer.” That’s true. While Sam has written nearly four-hundred songs, he’s only released three albums. Clearly, Sam believes in quality over quantity. Anyone whose heard Sam’s 1975 debut album The Show Must Go On will be forced …
MAJOR HARRIS-HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR LOVE.
MAJOR HARRIS-HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR LOVE. Two years after the release of his 1976 sophomore album Jealousy, Major Harris returned with How Do You Take Your Love, which was rereleased by Funkytown Grooves on 21st January 2014. How Do You Take Your Love found Major Harris’ career at a crossroads. His 1975 debut album …
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY-QUEEN OF THE NIGHT.
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY-QUEEN OF THE NIGHT. Having signed Loleatta Holloway to Gold Mind Records in 1976, Loleatta’s producer and mentor Norman Harris set about giving Loleatta a makeover. He started transforming the Southern Soul singer in the a disco diva on her debut album Loleatta. After her Sasloul debut Loleatta was released, Loleatta Holloway’s makeover to …
CHARO AND THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-CUCHI-CUCHI.
CHARO AND THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-CUCHI-CUCHI. Having been discovered by bandleader Xavier Cugat Maria del Rosario Mercedes Pilar Martinez Molina Baeza, or Charo as she became, went on to become one of the highest paid performers in America during the early seventies. Reputedly, actress, singer and guitarist Charo was paid as much as Rat Pack members …
DAN HARTMAN-RELIGHT MY FIRE.
DAN HARTMAN-RELIGHT MY FIRE. Nostalgia it seems is the future. Everyone it seems wants to relive the music of their youth. So a few years ago, major record companies started releasing classic albums. Now it’s no longer just classic albums being released. A whole host of new reissues labels have been founded. They’re digging deep, deeper than before. Every …
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 1.
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 1. As the year draws to a close, I’ve been compiling my lists of the best releases of 2013. So far, I’ve chosen the thirty best box sets of 2013 and the fifty best compilations of 2013. Now I’ve decided to turn my attention to reissues, …
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 2.
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 2. DAMON- SON OF A GYPSY. For any collector of psychedelia, if they’re lucky enough to find a copy of Damon’s Son Of A Gypsy, it becomes one of their most prized possessions. Finding a copy is another thing. Copies are rarer than hen’s teeth and …
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 3.
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 3. GEORGE JACKSON-OLD FRIEND-THE FAME RECORDINGS VOLUME 3. Prolific. That’s the best way to describe George Jackson. As a songwriter, he wrote over three-hundred songs. This includes penning tracks for James Carr, Wilson Pickett, Eddie Floyd, Clarence Carter, Z.Z. Hill, Candi Staton, Bettye Swann, Ann Peebles, …
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 4.
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 4. LOVE COMMITTEE-LAW AND ORDER. Love Committee were one of many Philadelphia soul groups formed in the sixties. Their original lineup featured Larry Richardson, Joe Freeman, Norman Frazier and future-Temptation Ron Tyson. Later, Michael Bell replaced Larry Richardson. Having released their debut single Think About Tomorrow …
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 5.
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 5. OMAR SOULEYMAN-WENU WENU. Prolific. That’s a good way to describe Omar Souleyman. After all, how many artists have released over 550 albums? However, not all that glitters is gold. Many of these albums Omar has released are recordings of him singing at weddings. They’re sold …
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 6.
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 6. THE CURTIS COUNCE QUINTET-EXPLORING THE FUTURE. One of jazz’s best kept secrets is hard bop and West Coast jazz double bassist Curtis Counce. He may not have enjoyed the longevity of many of his contemporaries, but was one of the leading lights of West Coast …
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