Two Philly Records I've Been Listening To Lately

[Disco Funk]

Ever since I put tracks from these two LPs from my mp3 player, I can't get enough of them:

Ben E King - I Had A Love (which you can find as downloads from places like iTunes)

Major Harris - Jealousy (follow-up to My Way, which was the LP with Love Won't Let Me Wait)

Ben E King's LP is the one from which 'We Got Love' was taken from and featured on the Spirit Of Philadelphia Vol 2 compilation. It's actually a mixture of producers. Side A and one track from Side B are produced by Norman Harris (some with Allan Felder) and the rest of the LP are tracks produced by New York's Bert DeCoteaux & Tony Silvesters. The tracks from the record I've really been playing over and over again are I Betcha Didn't Know That and Smoth Sailing, which interestly were also placed on the same 45. We Got Love is a great track too, but I've played that to death when I heard it on Spirit. Betcha was written by Sam Dees and Frederick Knight, so it's not a Philly-penned tune, but its such a great song! The Sigma Sweethearts really give this mid-tempo dance track it's kick in the last half. Smooth Sailing features an unusual, halting vocal style in the verse sections. It's really what attracts me to this great song. It's done in a fast tempo ballad style, with a rimshot drum pattern throughout.

The other Philly cuts on this record are alright: I Had A Love is a slow tempo ballad; No Danger Ahead is a nice uptempo philly number, but doesn't seem to have the standout factor the other uptempo Philly numbers have.

Major Harris' Jealousy LP doesn't at first to appear to be an album worth getting, because it didn't feature any big hits like the My Way album had. But after listening to this record a number of times now, I'd have to say it's an even better album. He does two cover tracks, one of the Blue Magic's 'Talking To Myself' and the other is an okay version of 'Ruby Lee', which he sang the lead on as a member of Nat Turner on Philly Groove a few years earlier. 'I Got Over Love' sounds eerily similar to 'Love Won't Let Me Wait', but it's not the romantic moaning and groaning love-fest like the latter song was. The other songs on the LP are also really great, featuring a mixture of productions from Norman Harris and Bobby Eli. The best track on the LP, though is, the Opus that is the title of the LP - 'Jealousy'. It starts off as a fender rhodes solo, then strings come in, then the verse with a rimshot drum pattern. Then when it hits the bridge, that's when it kicks up a notch, straight into a 'Be Thankful For What You Got' type groove, and soaring vocals from Major Harris. This track has an 8 minute running time, so there's plenty of room for changes in the arrangement, such as returning to the fender rhodes solo, then kicking back into high gear for the outro. And if you really like this song, I also discovered that the 45 features a slightly different mix, it's not just a straight edit of the 8 minute LP, so it's worth picking up too. It says 'A Tom Moulton' mix, and Tom's name isn't to be found anywhere on the LP, so my guess is he was given the task of turning this epic track into a reasonable length for radio play.

These two LPs would be the last classic Philly LPs these two artists would record. Ben E King would next do an LP with label mates Average White Band. Major Harris did do a great single on WMOT, which was produced by Bobby Eli: Laid Back Love b/w This Is What You Mean To Me. The former is a cabaret shuffle type tune, which is okay. The flip side, though, is a great burner, with the mid tempo 'Be Thankful....' type rhythm. It's the same song that Arthur Prysock covers on the John Davis produced 'All My Life' LP, but it's not clear who recorded it first. These may have been leftovers from the Jealousy session.

Disco Funk

[ashley]

.. cheers Disco-Funk .. I've purchased both albums on-line today .. can't wait to hear them .. I'm especially looking forward to hearing the extended version of "Jealousy" .. if it's anything like "Be thankful for what you got" it should be superb ..
:icon_biggrin:
.. I notice both albums have not yet been issued on CD ..

.. but then lots of good records fail to get issued on CD ..
:icon_eek:
.. one record that has now been issued on CD is the earlier Major Harris album "My Way" .. this album contains his big international smooch ballad "Love won't let me wait" (which I've always hated) .. but what's the rest of "My Way" like? Are there any mid-tempo groovers in the style of William De Vaughn? .. or is it simply a collection of soul ballads?
.. :icon_question:
.. cheers again ..

[ashley]

.. of course .. I didn't realise .. the Major Harris philly dance classics "Loving you is mellow" & "Each morning I wake up" (featured on the CD compilations "Creme de la Creme" volumes 1 & 2 respectively) are both from the "My Way" album ..
:icon_biggrin:
.. superb ..
:icon_cool:
.. is there anything else on "My Way" of this same calibre?

[Disco Funk]

.. of course .. I didn't realise .. the Major Harris philly dance classics "Loving you is mellow" & "Each morning I wake up" (featured on the CD compilations "Creme de la Creme" volumes 1 & 2 respectively) are both from the "My Way" album ..
:icon_biggrin:
.. superb ..
:icon_cool:
.. is there anything else on "My Way" of this same calibre?

I probably shouldn't have compared Jealousy to 'Be Thankful'. I mean, they're both related in that they have a similar message of getting along with your fellow man and all that. And Earl Young was the drummer, doing a mid-tempo heavy on the tom drum beat.

I took another listen to My Way. I still feel that while it's a nice album, it doesn't pull me in the way Jealousy does. And Jealousy has less uptempo dance numbers. You might have a different opinion of it from me. Both albums are worth getting, though.

Disco Funk

[Disco Funk]

Someone posted Jealousy onto Youtube. The lyrics are kind of depressing and cynical, but are applicable today:Disco Funk

[remicks]

cheers Disco-Funk .. I've purchased both albums on-line today .. can't wait to hear them .. I'm especially looking forward to hearing the extended version of "Jealousy" .. if it's anything like "Be thankful for what you got" it should be superb ..........


.. one record that has now been issued on CD is the earlier Major Harris album "My Way" .. this album contains his big international smooch ballad "Love won't let me wait" (which I've always hated) .. but what's the rest of "My Way" like? Are there any mid-tempo groovers in the style of William De Vaughn? .. or is it simply a collection of soul ballads?
.. :icon_question:
.. cheers again ..

I wonder how you like the LPs Ashley ? ....& especially since you hate ! :icon_eek: LOVE WON'T LET ME WAIT :icon_surprised:

I think between the two LPs I have to part company with Disco Funk and choose MY WAY ....although admittedly I haven't listened to JEALOUSY as much. JEALOUSY has one disco cut ... a frolicking Double Exposure /10 % styled number titled RUBY LEE that is too short at 4:37 ....... and those less than five minutes of disco on the entire album .... well, just isn't enuff !!

The MY WAY album just has lots more pep which is my preference. I LOVE the title cut MY WAY which is nice even in its slower ballad form thru the first four minutes . But then it starts teasingly changing out as if its going to really pick up speed ... and then finally, it does . Its great as an uplifting positive message disco song with its reprise of "I did it my way". ..... unfortunately the disco part of the song is much too short and I find myself imploring "oh no, don't fade out yet !!!." :icon_mad: as it regardless does ....
I think a good solution to extending it would be to just as it's ending ...slip on into TURN THE BEAT AROUND ...that would match the stride it hits ...:icon_mrgreen::icon_mrgreen::icon_mrgreen:


*****

PS> I meant to agree that JEALOUSY is a nice cut .... sort of Spinners-like at first and finishes out O'Jays-ish ..... to my ears ....

[ashley]

.. hello Remicks ..
:icon_biggrin:
I agree .. having listened to both albums, I think "My Way" is much the stronger ..

.. of course, I now realise these albums were produced by the same team that did all the early Blue Magic albums .. and boy is it obvious ..

.. due to the massive smoochy international hit "Love won't let me wait" I had always ignored the Major, dismissing him as another late-night soul balladeer .. but I was wrong .. seems he liked being down the disco as much as I did ..
:icon_eek:
.. "My Way" is probably one of the strongest philly-based 70s dance albums .. sounding as good as any LP record from the Intruders or the O'Jays ..
:icon_razz:
.. and for 30 years I had only ever heard the short radio edit of "Love won't let me wait" .. now listening again to this same track in it's extended full album-length glory, it actually sounds rather tasty .. complete with Donna Summer style moaning from a lady who sounds like she has terrible toothache .. I wonder if Giorgio Moroder copied the idea for "Love to love you baby"? ( .. both tunes are from 1975 .. I wonder which came first?)
:icon_eek:

[Disco Funk]

Sorry, I still have to disagree with you guys! Okay, My Way is interesting when it finally 'takes off', but it's a little too late, and then it just gets too repetitive. Each Morning I Wake Up is a nice dancer, but it's very basic sounding. Love Won't Let Me Wait, I've played that thing out. Don't get me wrong, it's a great track, it's just not something I feel like digging out when I'm in a philly mood. Lovin' You Is Mellow, but again, it's kind of plain after awhile.

Jealousy is a much better album overall. It's not strictly a dance album, but songs like the title track, Tynisa, and Walking In The Footsteps are nice mid-tempo groovers. I actually still have trouble getting into Ruby Lee, probably because the original was so unique and original for it's time (I think that single, which was back with You Are My Sun Sign, was put out in late '71 or early '72, before Harris left Nat Turner and joined the Delfonics). I also find the songs on Jealousy work as a whole, mainly being about love-lost, bitterness, and overally somewhat melancholy, like someone who is disillusioned with life.

Perhaps the album will grow on you guys. I seem to recall finding it disappointing when I first got it, but then many months later, I gave it another spin and found my love for it. I haven't been able to connect with the My Way album in the same way, unfortunately.

Disco Funk

[eddie]

Hey Discofunk:

Did you ever hear the original "I betcha didn't know" by Fredrick Knight? It was released a few years earlier when he was at Stax.

[Disco Funk]

Hey Discofunk:

Did you ever hear the original "I betcha didn't know" by Fredrick Knight? It was released a few years earlier when he was at Stax.

I heard a sound sample of it a month or so ago, but wasn't impressed. I don't like the way the drums are arranged on the Fred Knight track. It's doesn't have a straight, danceable groove, unlike the Ben E King version. I think the track's been covered by a bunch of people, including Harry Wayne Casey i.e. KC of the sunshine band.

Disco Funk

[Afroboy]

Great thread guys .. very informative .
I must listen to Major Harris & more of Ben E King .
One of my favorite alltime B.E.King track is "Street Tough" .
cheers

[Disco Funk]

The 'I Had Love' LP isn't available on CD, but it can be downloaded off of various mp3 sites like iTunes. I'm not really into the Bert DeCoteaux tracks on the LP, but they might be enjoyed by others on the board.

Disco Funk