Barry' Girls: Love Unlimited

[Mario]

Hello Guys...I was listening to some old albums the other day and ran across a couple of albums by Barry White's Love Unlimited girl group. I had forgotten what a great sound Barry White provided for his group in the background!! :D Were any of this groups songs played at discos back in the early 70s? A couple of songs off of the "Under of Influence Of..." album sound as though they would have made great records to dance to back then. I've always thought that this classy, soulsy group was so underrated! Too bad they never caught on to the mainstream... Take Care... Mario 8)

[eddie]

"High steppin hip dressin fella" from 1979 was probably big in the clubs. It's from an album called Love is Back on Unlimited Gold/Priority. I just bought a used copy for about $40 on Cd and is was almost worth it. I really liked the track "I am his woman" which is Quiet Storm. Some of the tracks are midtempo but there's nothing as good as "Walking in the rain" or "I belong to you". I thought their would be more spoken passages and distinguished production. This album sort of reminded me of a Leon Ware production like Marvin Gaye's "I want you" Lp or even some mid 70's Minnie Riperton. Lyrics are about sex, female liberation, and sometimes trite and repetative.

[Mixmachine]

"In Heat" is a very good album, later "walking in the rain.. " became a crossover hit as it was all over the top 40 airways..

http://www.discomusic.com/records-more/5214_0_2_0_C/

[eddie]

In Heat Lp was also put on CD a couple of years ago in the UK by Universal. It's a remastered digipack and sounds great. The only Lp of theirs not on Cd is the previously mentioned Under the Influence Lp. From a girl's point of viewLp was the first to get reissed in 1992 by Varese sarabond and has become extremely rare.

[Skywalker]

Another Love Unlimited album on CD: "He's All I've Got",
with the outstanding "I Did It For Love" as opening song.
This album is from 1976, but I can't find the reisue date, it's not on the CD ( Priority Records, Inc. Hollywood, Ca.)

[Mario]

Hey Eddie, Mixmachine, & Skywalker...Thanks for your follow up posts! :D I'd forgotten all about that "greeat" song by Love Unlimited: I Did It For Love. I quickly went hunting into my cardboard 45 boxes for that gem, and rediscovered it once again! The background track for this song is so classic Barry White and then some! Thanks again...Take Care...Mario 8)
(P.S. With the Maestro gone as well as the sad 1985 passing of Diana Taylor, Love Unlimited will simply live on in our music memories...What a great group!)

[Skywalker]

Barry White wrote the music for a 1974 movie called "Together Brothers", I have no idea what this film is about, but the soundtrack contains some fine but rare BW stuff!
Love Unlimited is there as well with another gemm; "People Of Tomorrow Are The Children Of Today".
The same song is done by The Love Unlimited Orchestra on their album "Super Movie Themes, just a little bit different" (1979)
I don't think any of this is on CD, but just wanted to let you know!

[discotom73]

Is "Walking In The Rain (With The One I Love)" (1972) be considered disco? I would think so since many early disco records came from soul and funk, thus this song has plenty of soul. The great thing about the song? Barry White's voice on the telephone!

[originalbigm]

Is "Walking In The Rain (With The One I Love)" (1972) be considered disco? I would think so since many early disco records came from soul and funk, thus this song has plenty of soul. The great thing about the song? Barry White's voice on the telephone!

Definitely a proto disco slow groove and my first and impressive exposure to a new artist whow as yet to hit his stride.He was reluctant to become a recording artist in his own right and had to be cajoled into it.Thank God! :P

From Allmusic:
"When Bronco went out of business, White began doing independent production. Those were some lean times for White. Veteran arranger Gene Page, who would later arrange or co-arrange White's hits, helped him out, giving him work and non-repayable loans. Then three years later, Paul Politti, who also worked at Bronco, contacted him to tell him that Larry Nunes was interested in starting a business with him. Nunes had started cutting tracks for a concept album he was working on. Meanwhile, White had started working with this girl group who hadn't done any singing professionally. They rehearsed for almost a year. White wrote "Walkin' in the Rain (With the One I Love)" with lyrics that were inspired by conversations with one of the singers, Glodean James (who would later become White's second wife). White christened the group Love Unlimited.

Larry Nunes took the record to Russ Regan, who was the head of the Uni label owned by MCA. Love Unlimited's From a Girl's Point of View became a million-seller. Soon after, Regan left Uni for 20th Century Records. Without Regan, White's relationship with Uni soured. With his relationship with Uni in chaos and Love Unlimited contract-bound with the label, White decided he needed to work with another act. He wanted to work with a male artist. He made three song demos of himself singing and playing the piano. Nunes heard them and insisted that he re-record and release them as a recording artist. They argued for days about it. Then he somehow convinced White to do it. White was still hesitating up to the time the label copy was made. He was going to use the name "White Heat," but the record became the first Barry White album. That first album was 1973's I've Got So Much to Give on 20th Century Records. It included the title track and "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby."

White got a release from Uni for Love Unlimited and they joined him over at 20th Century Records. Then he had a brainstorm for another concept album. He told Regan he wanted to do an instrumental album. Regan thought he had lost it. White wanted to call it the Love Unlimited Orchestra. The single, "Love's Theme," went to number one pop, was a million-seller, and was a smash all over the world. The song earned him a BMI award for over three million covers."

And the rest is history

[discotom73]

Thanks originalbigm. I have heard about that story as to how he got started as a solo artist. Even in the liner notes from his "Just For You" box set, he never thought about being an artist; he only wanted to be a producer, a creator,....

Also, Elton John apparently played a "dub" of White's "I'm Gonna Love Just a Little More Baby" before the song was released as a single. Certainly, 20th Century Records had lots of reasons to convince White to become a solo artist!

[Skywalker]

Overhere in Europe, there's a DVD out from Barry White AND Love Unlimited!
It's a life registration of his 1990 European Tour.
De DVD is called: Barry White, The Man And His Music, featuring Love Unlimited.
There are three separate life Love Unlimited (original line-up!!) songs on this DVD,
"I'm Under The Influence Of Love", "It May Be Winter Outside",
and "I Belong To You".
It doesn't say on the box when this was recorded, but my gues is somewhere late seventies!

DVD # 8600
2004 A Carino AG released.
Artwork 2004 Medusa Entertainment International Ltd.