Looking for rare Philly Soul / Disco 1970 - 1975

[DJJesseOne]

Does anyone know more titles like:

Fantastic Johnny C "Don't Depend on Me"
Lloyd Price "Love Music"

I love the early disco sound of this period. (1971-1975)

I know there have been some threads on this topic before, but I have looked in the forums and can't find them.

[eddie]

The Gamble and Huff box will give you some of the better known stuff.
I bought the Cd about a month ago called The Sound of Philadelphia: Funk, soul and roots of Disco 1965-73. It features the Three Degrees, Ambassadors, First Choice, and the Ethics. It's more northern soul and ballads but is very solid.
There are a couple compilations of Philly Groove records with rarities like Ultra rare frequency, Quickest way out, and Nat Turner.

Anything you can find by Moment of Truth is worth getting. Their one Salsoul Lp which is on CD is of Highest quaility. "Helplessly" is a great northern soul meets disco tune.

[Disco Funk]

Anything on Philly Groove and North Bay. CD comps like the Philly Groove ones and one called Spirit of Philadelphia. The Creme De La Creme series from WEA in the UK (there are 2 volumes now) has lots of great Philly soul as well.

Check out records by artists like:

Executive Suite - When The Fuel Runs Out
Philly Devotions - I Just Can't Say Goodbye, etc...
Monday After - Merry Go Round
Touch of Class - I'm In Heaven (if you like the John Davis sound)
Whispers - Bingo, and One For The Money albums
Ebonys self-titled on PIR
Continental IV (if you like that early 70's Thom Bell/Delfonics sound)
Blue Magic
True Reflection - Where I'm Coming From (just released on CD in Japan)
Look for Dave Crawford productions using Philly musicians like Jackie Moore's 1973 (the one with 'Time' - I can't remember the name of the album); BB Kings two records 'Friends' and 'To Know You Is To Love You'; and even the Mighty Clouds of Joy 'It's Time' and 'Kickin' LPs.
I'd recommend even going later than 1975 if you look specifically for Norman Harris' produced stuff. Albums like 'He's A Friend' by Eddie Kendricks; 'They Said It Couldn't Be Done' by The Dells; and 'At The Top' by The Four Tops maintain that early/mid 70's classic Philly sound.
Ritchie Rome and even Jacques Morali used the same Philly musicians MFSB and Salsoul Orchestra used up until about 1977. 'My Man' b/w 'Rain' by Blanche Carter is Philly. Same with the first 3 Ritchie Family records (Brazil, Arabian Nights, Life Is Music).

A lot of the hunting and finding has been through trial and error on my part. Compilations certainly help. If you are familiar with the musicians (eg. Ronald Baker, Charles Collins, Larry Washington, Etc...) or producers (Gamble & Huff, Thom Bell, Stan Winston, etc...) or Sigma Sound studios in Philadelphia you'll be able to dig up plenty of Philly records using those names.

Disco Funk

[discodjinn]

Charles Mann: "It's All Over" '73
Ecstasy, Passion & Pain lp '74
First Choice: "The Player" '74
Trammps: "Stop & Think" '75
South Shore Commission: "Free Man" '75
Double Exposure: "Everyman" '76
Carl Bean: "I Was Born This Way" '77
Linda Clifford: "Bailin' Out" '79
Ava Cherry: Ripe lp '80

[thommy2458]

or try...
Gettin Together/brothers united
Beggin'/timebox
love is everywhere/city limits
take it from me/dionne warwick
prophecy/margie josephs
givin' up/zulema
three steps from true love/reflections
the circle of love lp/sister sledge
one day of peace/by I forgot!
(it's on TSOP or Philly though-really good)
i'm still thinking....
Thom

[Disco Funk]

I think I'll throw out a few more:

BT&TB - I Can't Quit Your Love PIR
Carl Carlton - I Wanna Be With You (Bunny Sigler produced) ABC
Philadelphia Society - 100 South Of Broadway
William DeVaughn - Be Thankful For What You Got
Philly Sound - Don't Depend On Me/Waitin For The Rain (instrumental versions of the Fantastic Johnny C recordings of the same name)
Duke Williams & The Extremes - Monkey In A Silk Suit, and Fantastic Fedora LPs feature Philly musicians playing funky prog rock.
Sound Experience - awesome funk group produced by Stan Winston. Big sound.
Yellow Sunshine S/T LP on PIR - self-contained funk/rock group whose members Dexter Wansel, Roland Chambers and Karl Chambers would go on to be part of MFSB and produce for PIR.
New York City - I'm Doin' Fine Now (Spinners-esque group and track).
The Stylistics

Disco Funk

[ashley]

.. "One day of peace" is by Love Committee (1974 Golden Fleece 45) .. it's a great little philly dancer .. a big club hit at the time .. and another disco classic long overdue for release on CD

[Disco Funk]

.. "One day of peace" is by Love Committee (1974 Golden Fleece 45) .. it's a great little philly dancer .. a big club hit at the time .. and another disco classic long overdue for release on CD

I think I messed up on the BT&TB one. Even though it was distributed by PIR, it sounds like West Coast/LA guys playing on that one. The flip side (Queen of the Ghetto?) clearly sounds like Ed Greene playing, the guy who was Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra drummer.

Getting Together was Brothers Guiding Light
Dionne Warwick did an entire LP called Track of The Cat with Thom Bell, in addition to Then Came You with The Spinners. I don't know if that track mentioned above was from that record. Once You Hit The Road is a great track from that LP.
That Sister Sledge LP wasn't a philly production. I think it was New York. They recorded a couple of tracks, Mama Never Told Me, and Cream Of The Crop, which were definitely philly.
I don't think Zulema ever recorded in Philadelphia or with the philly guys.
Early Van McCoy productions (pre-'74's Love Is The Answer LP) feature philly guys, on records by The Presidents, who became Anacostia; and Brenda & The Tabulations.

And for labels, in addition to Philly Groove and North Bay, there were other labels like Gamble, Marmaduke, Virtue and Jay Walking that were mainly philly. Same with Silver Blue and the Omega labels (MelOmega, PhilOmega). Also, Atlantic/Atco had a number of productions in the early 70s by The Young Professionals, a group of Philly guys that included Phil Hurtt and I think Tony Bell.

Disco Funk