Hello again, soul brothers & sisters!

As surely some of you knows I'm a Philly Soul Lover since my teens: this was the soul music I discovered when I was aged 14 years - old. After the first year in the High School I started to work as barman in a restaurant along the entire summer and there's was a turntable and different speakers distributed in the local. The vynil collection included the typical "hits" from these years, first half of the 70's: Raffaella Carrá, Fausto Papetti, Adriano Celentano, Ornella Vanoni, María Dolores Pradera, Los Panchos, Carlos Mejía Godoy y Los Indios Tabajaras; Demis Roussos, Albert Hammond, Abba, Sylver Convention, Boney M, Barry White, Love Unlimited Orchestra... AND THE COMPILATIONS "EL SONIDO DE FILADELFIA, VOL. 1" AND "EL SONIDO D EFILADELFIA, VOL. 2" and the album "El Sonido de Filadelfia" by MFSB (the "Love Is The Message" album with the title changed). Those compilations included Johnny William's "Slow Motion", Soul Survivor's "City Of Brotherly Love", Billy Paul's "Thanks For Saving My Life"... those tracks captivated me at the first moment, so, despite the fact I started to buy Atlantic, Stax, Hi, Motown, Chi - Sound, and other stuff, Philly Soul was my favorite soul sound until the present day.

Here in Spain there was a radio program conducted by Antonio Fernández (RIP) called "Área Reservada" in Radio 3 / Radio Nacional de España. The program was focused in Soul, Fusion, Smooth Jazz,... (Marvin, Curtis, Stevie, the Tempts, contemporay fusion artists as Ben Sidran, Incognito, etc. were regulary played and some of these artists were interviewed live in the studio). And he confessed his passion for The Sound Of Philadelphia and dedicated some monographic programs to the stuff of the "Green Label". One time he explained what were his Top Ten P.I.R. favorites (and also played):

01- "Life In Mars" - Dexter Wansel

02- "Let's Clean Up The Ghetto" - Philladelphia Intl. All-Stars

03- "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" - McFadden & Whitehead

04- "Let Me Show You The Way To Go" - The Jacksons

05- "Love TKO" - Teddy Pendergrass

06- "Mysteries Of The World" - MFSB

07 - "Tight Money" - Leon Huff

08 - "She's A Winner" - The Intruders

09 - "Sunshine" (Live in London) - The O'Jays

10 - "Wake Up Everybody" - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes

I "hate" the "top lists" as I can change my taste day by day or I can't condensed in a limited list my "favorites" (if is ten top I can have 20; if is 50 top I can have 200...) but I made the effort to say what P.I.R. titles are, today, at the present moment, my favorite 10:

01- "Don't Call Me Brother" - The O'Jays

02- "Bitter Sweet" - MFSB

03 - "Virgin Girl" - Soul Survivors

04- "Don't Send Me Away" - People's Choice

05- "Where I Belong" - Billy Paul

06- "For The Love Of Money" - Thad Jones / Mel Lewis

07- "Theme From The Planets" - Dexter Wansel

08- "No Greater Love" - Leon Huff

09- "Tell Me Girl" - Jerry Butler

10- "What Color Is Love" - Dee Dee Sharp

 

Cheers To All!

This wouldn't have made my Top 10 but does get 

big bonus points for being such an improvement on the original.

 

Edited March 18, 20187 yr by the yank

Talkin' about P.I.R. and gospel, I knows some stuff published in the TSOP, North Bay and Peace International subsidiaries (Ted Wortham & Co., the two compilations entitled "Gospel Biennal Festival" or something like that, Louise Williams with Rev. Isaac Douglas album, Rev. James Cleveland feat. Lou Rawls & Phyllis Hyman's "Run, Jesse Run" single, the singles by Brockington Singers or by Dandridge Choral Ensemble, Five Blind Boys and Young Delegation stuff produced by Cecil Womack and G&H,...).

And here's a nice gospel version of "If You Don't Know Me By Now" as "If You Don't Know HIM By Now" by Rev. Isaac Douglas (I have heard reagge cover as the one by Zap Pow, pop-soul cover as the one by Simply Red,... but this one is da bomb!):

 

I've always been a big Philly fan.  Here's my top 10:

Free Love/Jean Carn

The Love I Lost/Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes

Love Is The Message/M.F.S.B.

Love Train/O'Jays

Let's Groove/Archie Bell & The Drells

The More I Get, The More I Want/Teddy Pendergrass

When Will I See You Again/Three Degrees

I'll Always Love My Mama/Intruders

Love Epidemic/Trammps

Happy 'Bout The Whole Thing/Dee Dee Sharp 

7 minutes ago, Motownguy said:

 

Here's another great midtempo inspirational recorded recorded in Philly by The Young Delegation.  Sorry for the double post, I'm new here.  

Edited March 18, 20187 yr by Motownguy

If I can have one bonus on my previous list I would go with Teddy Pendergrass' The more I get, the more I want

1 hour ago, EnricoACM1899 said:

If I can have one bonus on my previous list I would go with Teddy Pendergrass' The more I get, the more I want

Hi, mate! You can add the bonus you want! 8after naming the "top 10" you can add "special mentions", for example, )

In my case, I posted my particular top 10 the other day, when I feel mellow and listed some mellow - mood tracks. Today I'm feel more "positive" and my top ten can we the more "dynamic" and up tempo ones:

01- People's Choice: "Party Is A Groove Thing"

02- Monk Montgomery: "Bump - de - Bump"

03- McFadden & Whitehead: "Mr. Music"

04- Jones Girls: "You Can't Have My Love"

05- Whitehead Brothers: "You Lift Me Up"

06- MFSB: "When Your Love Is Gone"

07- Dee Dee Sharp: "Breaking & Entering"

08- Edwin Birdsong: "Gold Mine"

09- Trammps: "Trammps Disco Theme"

10- The O'Jays: "Get On Out And Party"

So hard to choose, but here is my top ten.  Brings back such happy memories of seeing the O'Jays, Billy Paul and the Intruders, all supported by MFSB, live at the Hammersmith Odeon on 7 December 1973 and Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes with Hot Chocolate (!) at the same venue a few months later.  Billy Paul and members of MFSB, came into the Fuller's pub opposite the Odeon before the concert.  Fortunately he avoided the Fuller's Extra Special Bitter (ESB) - then Britain's strongest beer (allegedly).

1. Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes                                                 I Miss You (1972)

2. Intruders                                                                                             I Wanna Know Your Name (1973)

3. Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes featuring Sharon Paige       I’m Searching For A Love (1975)

4. O’Jays                                                                                                   Family Reunion (1975)

5. Teddy Pendergrass with Stephanie Mills                                      Feel The Fire (1978)

6. Futures                                                                                                Party Time Man (1978)

7.  McFadden and Whitehead                                                             I’ve Been Pushed Aside (1979)

8. Jean Carn                                                                                             Intro/My Love Don’t Come Easy (1979)

9. Lou Rawls                                                                                            Let Me Be Good To You (1979)

10.Silk                                                                                                       I Can’t Stop (Turning You On) (1979)

 

13 minutes ago, KesalocaSoul said:

So hard to choose, but here is my top ten.  Brings back such happy memories of seeing the O'Jays, Billy Paul and the Intruders, all supported by MFSB, live at the Hammersmith Odeon on 7 December 1973 and Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes with Hot Chocolate (!) at the same venue a few months later.  Billy Paul and members of MFSB, came into the Fuller's pub opposite the Odeon before the concert.  Fortunately he avoided the Fuller's Extra Special Bitter (ESB) - then Britain's strongest beer (allegedly).

1. Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes                                                 I Miss You (1972)

2. Intruders                                                                                             I Wanna Know Your Name (1973)

3. Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes featuring Sharon Paige       I’m Searching For A Love (1975)

4. O’Jays                                                                                                   Family Reunion (1975)

5. Teddy Pendergrass with Stephanie Mills                                      Feel The Fire (1978)

6. Futures                                                                                                Party Time Man (1978)

7.  McFadden and Whitehead                                                             I’ve Been Pushed Aside (1979)

8. Jean Carn                                                                                             Intro/My Love Don’t Come Easy (1979)

9. Lou Rawls                                                                                            Let Me Be Good To You (1979)

10.Silk                                                                                                       I Can’t Stop (Turning You On) (1979)

 

Nice stuff! I have the vynil "The O'Jays Live In London" and in the liner notes writed by Tony Blackburn, says they are back with their own rhythm section (I think in Dennis Richardson keyboardist and ignore who are the others, in the 60's they are backed by Dyke & The Blazers on stage)... and says also "and a UK group of musicians" (??)... so I don't knows if Baker-Harris-Young, Montana, Pakula, Washington, Eli, etc. come to the UK and this "UK group" added the horn section.

Good mention on "I'm Searching For A Love"!! During years my favorite track from "Wake Up Everybody" album and , in justice, should be credited to the real singer, THE GREAT SHARON PAIGE.

There is no mention of the backing musicians in the programme (produced by Black Music magazine).  Tony Cummings, in his very unsympathetic reviews of the two London concerts (Croydon and Hammersmith) in Black Music (February 1974), mentions three different rhythm sections.  And John Abbey confirms that MFSB didn't come (as anticipated) and that there were three different rhythm sections augmented by a nine-piece horn section put together in London (Blues and Soul 125 - December 1973).  So it was wishful thinking on my part that they were there!

Sharon Paige certainly deserved greater recognition and an album of her own.  She appeared with Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes at Hammersmith in March 1974, although her contributions then were covers of two recent Diana Ross recordings Good Morning Heartache (from Lady Sings The Blues) and Touch Me In The Morning.  Sharon Paige was managed by Harold Melvin, so her time with PIR presumably came to an end when the Bluenotes left the label.

Another great one from Sharon and the group 

 

12 hours ago, KesalocaSoul said:

There is no mention of the backing musicians in the programme (produced by Black Music magazine).  Tony Cummings, in his very unsympathetic reviews of the two London concerts (Croydon and Hammersmith) in Black Music (February 1974), mentions three different rhythm sections.  And John Abbey confirms that MFSB didn't come (as anticipated) and that there were three different rhythm sections augmented by a nine-piece horn section put together in London (Blues and Soul 125 - December 1973).  So it was wishful thinking on my part that they were there!

Sharon Paige certainly deserved greater recognition and an album of her own.  She appeared with Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes at Hammersmith in March 1974, although her contributions then were covers of two recent Diana Ross recordings Good Morning Heartache (from Lady Sings The Blues) and Touch Me In The Morning.  Sharon Paige was managed by Harold Melvin, so her time with PIR presumably came to an end when the Bluenotes left the label.

I get the impression from several sources, including interviews with Kenny Gamble, that Harold Melvin made some poor choices. He made sure that when David Ebo replaced Teddy P that Ebo would never have the same prominence as Teddy, and so despite the fact that Ebo could sing his socks off, there's a lot of what Gamble called "crooning". There's some great duets between Ebo and Melvin on the ABC albums and on the "All things happen in time" LP on MCA in 1981. But the most commercially successful post-PIR track was the Ebo-only "Prayin'", originally on Source in 1979.

Sharon Paige followed Melvin and also got a track to herself on the "Blue Album", as well as turning up on the 1976 ABC LP "Reachin for the World":

Bruce Hawes writes about this on YouTube:

This was the result of me traveling to the Mt Airy section of Philadelphia. Late one night I stopped for a drink off of Stenton Avenue. I had my customary one drink. I have never over indulged. It was not very late so I stopped at Harold's home which was three blocks away from where I was. In fact he answered the door in his lavish dinner lounging robe. Harold had a lot of class. We proceeded to his beautifully decorated family and guest lounge in the basement section of his home. I sat behind the piano. That's the seat I would always prefer when a piano was present in a room. Herald began singing and then he instinctively began recording us. Later, before this song was finally formally recorded, Kenny and Harold collaborated on the lyrics. That is the story of how "After You Love Me" was created. Thank you for writing to me and for the kind words, +Kid Sanders. Gratefully, #BH

In addition, Sharon Paige had a single released on ABC in her own name in 1977, produced by Melvin and arranged by Hawes:

 

Edited March 19, 20187 yr by Mickey Finn

"Reaching For The World" IMHO is a great and underrated album. I likes a lot all the tracks except "Sandman", and the tracks feat. Sharon Paige, specially her high motes in the intro of "He Loves You And I DO Too" are fantastic, or the deep voice by David Ebo on "Big Singing Star"... or the mellow piano intro on "Here There's A Way, There's A Will"... Recently, I discovered that Derek Boyd, the writer of the tittle track, is the same Derek from Derek & Cyndy ("You Bring Out The Best In Me" single on Tommy Records). He also collaborated along years with Bobby Womack.

My favorite track from the "Summertime" album. And with Spring right around the 

corner- it seems like a good idea.

 

My favorite track from MFSB "Summertime" album is "Sunnin' & Funnin'", specially the strings in the intro and the bass line that reminds me in another McFadden & Whitehead production, Melba Moore's "Standing Right Here". "Pickc-nic In The Park" have a very good vibraphone part at the end.

Good choice- almost forgot about it. Reminds me of .....

 

Wowwwww!!! How times I have played the whole side B of "We Got The Rhythm", the jazzy "Opus-de-Funk" and "Mellow Mood"... a big contrast between the "raw - funk" side A (incredible deep voice by Frank Brunson on "Cold Blooded") and the jazz / jazz funk flavor in the B side. Sadly, their next album "Turn Me Loose", IMHO, was inferior in quality (some R&B ones as "Changing My Life").

Here's my favorite track from Spiritual Concept' settled album on PIR, "California Woman". I found the album in the first 90's with the PIR logo in the sleeve an the Epic logo in the label (?), seems a reedition. Rock music with some soul elements... T.G. Conway and T. Life the two main responsibles, little after go to very different ways, the production (Evelyn Champagne King) and disco-funk music in his own. Perhaps this is the most rare album on PIR catalogue (or the one by Jean Claude T, that advanced Guru, US3, etc more than 10 years earlier!)

 

.

Another bonus for me. One of the O' Jays best effort imho, I'm just listenin' to the album where's in. That lp has other great tracks like "Girl, don't let it get you down"

 

Hi, Enrico

This is probably the O'Jays' LP most underplayed in my turntable... the only track I likes is "You're The Girl Of My Dreams" on which there's some reminiscence of Backstabbers / "999 Arguments". Until "So Full Of Love" I likes all the tracks by all their albums; from "Identify Yourself" on, IMHO, their material went more and more "bland"... but their final album for PIR, IMHO, 1987's "Let Me Touch You" was a great and joyful exception

 

One more from the O'Jays ...

 

So many great choices above but i would add this one just love Billy Paul such a distinctive voice ,must have played War of the Gods lp to death in the 70's

 

 

A real gem hidden on a b-side

 

Featuring Terri Wells of "You Make it Heaven" fame -Slipped into obscurity

 

Almost forgot how good this is! Superb re-interpretation of Elton's

classic...

lassic...

Edited March 27, 20187 yr by the yank

I know this isn't on Philly Int'l but,  it could easily pass as a 3 Degrees song. 

tune

Always thought this one deserved more attention - a bit stop-start for the dancefloor but very a very soulful dancer, Brockington Singers 'Stretch Out'

 

10 hours ago, algsoul said:

tune

Very nice indeed. Amazing to think how many times I saw that album as a cheap as chip wrapper cutout in bargain bins throughout the 80s, just a victim of fashion.

The same year Blue Magic put out a Norman Harris produced LP on Capitol, which completely missed the fashion train as it kept to the Sigma Sound formula of real strings and things:

 

Hello again, soul brothers and sisters!

 

I don't knows if some of you knows the entire PIR "gospel catalogue" (Dandridge Choral Ensemble, Brokington Singers, Ted Wortham & Co. Gamble and TSOP singles, Louise Williams & Isaac Douglas' North Bay album, the Ted Wortham album on TSOP, the two TSOP LP's entitled "Triennial Gosepel festival" or something like that), the stuff published under the subsidiary logo Peace International (Five Blind Boys, Young Delegation,...)... If its worth to find or not. I only have some tracks by Louise Williams, Brockington Singers, there's some Ted Wortham tracks on Youtube,... perhaps its' interesting a CD compilation with those stuff (and the whole 45's A & B sides of Huff Puff, Gamble, Neptune, North Bay, TSOP, Golden Fleece, G&H, Tommy, Thunder,...)

I'm guessing this is basically the same group as the

Brockington Singers on TSOP ?

Don't think this one was mentioned yet ...

 

The word "Hurt" reminds me in, IMHO, the most BLUESY record from the PIR catalogue (more than the Bobby Rush album! or the bluesy "Sweeter than the Berry" by Bunny Sigler): People's Choice's "The Big Hurt" (here in spain appeared as the B side of "Do It Anyaway You Wanna" 45). In the video appears as a "Columbia" 45 (!?)

 

That was a shock! I would have never guessed that song would be on Philly Int'l or TSOP.  "The Big Hurt" is also the flip side to "Do It Any Way You Wanna" 

in the U.S.