"Sound of Philadelphia" CD Box Set and tv special . . .

[drlove]

Just saw this article online about a forthcoming cd Box Set of great tunes marking "The Sound Of Philadelphia" and a PBS special airing Thanksgiving weekend, and thought I'd share as the writer remarks "and its nimble bass lines and trebly percussion later became the cornerstone of disco."

Ought to be interesting listening AND viewing ! :icon_cool:

* * * * *

(CNN) -- The music of Philadelphia International Records sounds effortless: the easygoing groove of the O'Jays' "Love Train," the triumphant horns of MFSB's "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)," even the cocky declamations of Billy Paul's "Me and Mrs. Jones."
Leon Huff, left, and Kenneth Gamble founded Philadelphia International Records.





But forming a new R&B label in the early '70s -- particularly one leaning away from the funky, angular sounds of James Brown and Sly & the Family Stone popular at the time -- wasn't easy at all, says Kenneth Gamble, who co-founded the label with Leon Huff in 1971 after several years of producing and songwriting success.
"It was very, very hard to get information for us. It had pretty much been the norm for African-Americans to [be cheated] out of a lot of their music and their royalties," he said. "I think the industry, by closing us out of so many doors ... in order for us to make it, we had to do it on our own."
But, Gamble is quick to add, "on our own" didn't mean alone. There were independent distributors and radio stations, much more plentiful back then. There were disc jockeys, who were still allowed to have a say in the music they played. There was a major corporate label, Clive Davis' CBS, which supported PIR's work.
And, of course, there were the musicians: the Delfonics and Stylistics, O'Jays and Spinners, Teddy Pendergrass and Billy Paul, and especially the house band, MFSB, which helped make PIR into the top R&B label of the 1970s.
"This was music -- sweet, gritty, elegaic, sensuous -- that celebrated love, fomented activism, pressed for change, celebrated 'blackness' in a moment in which black America, in an urgent sense of what that might mean, was just blinking awake," Lynell George writes in the liner notes to a new box set, "Love Train: The Sound of Philadelphia" (Philadelphia International/Legacy).
It was all about family, Gamble says, something expressed in the name MFSB: Mother, Father, Sister, Brother. (Don't believe the urban legend that says it stands for something else, Huff adds.)
"We used the same musicians on all the productions that we did," Huff observed. "That sort of created a chemistry of sound, though none of the artists sounded the same."
That chemistry is evident on the box set, which collects the label's greatest hits with Gamble and Huff's pre-PIR productions -- including the Soul Survivors' "Expressway to Your Heart" and Jerry Butler's "Only the Strong Survive" -- and material from artists contracted to other labels and produced by PIR's Thom Bell, such as the Spinners.

The label is also the subject of a PBS special, also called "Love Train," which is scheduled to air Thanksgiving weekend.

PIR's sound was something different. It was often lushly orchestrated, with instruments such as French horns and vibraphones taking prominent roles, and its nimble bass lines and trebly percussion later became the cornerstone of disco.
Bell, a longtime Gamble-Huff pal who oversaw many of the arrangements, had trained as a concert pianist, giving it up because, he said, "I was tired of articulating someone else's music. I was tired of hearing it go the way I was hearing it. I was hearing chords and tones and colors and feelings and emotions going one way, but ... when the master's notes are set in stone, they cannot be changed."
Arranging and producing gave Bell the opportunity to put his musical education to work in a different way, he says.
"We experimented with a lot of different instruments, because we were always infatuated with trombones and French horns and vibes; we used the whole orchestra," Huff said. "We incorporated a lot of those instruments in our productions, and that turned out to be a different kind of approach."
Arranger Bobby Martin and Sigma Sound studios engineer Joe Tarsia were also key players in constructing the PIR sound.
The model was Motown, with its smooth-running songmaking machinery, though PIR's songs were deliberately designed for the PIR artists, notes Gamble.
"Most of the songs that we wrote ... were tailor-made for these artists," he said. "When we would sit down to write ... we would say, 'Who are we going to write for?' And then we'd lock that person into our minds."
As an example, he mentions Lou Rawls' "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine," which for Rawls was "like going into a tailor shop, and the tailor measured you up and put the coat on you, and it fit perfectly."
Rawls, who had been in a career trough, took the song to No. 2 in 1976.




Gamble, Huff and Bell, whose history together goes back to their 1950s teen years, are proud of the label's influence, and they still maintain ties to their hometown. Bell, who lives in northern Washington state, will be returning to the City of Brotherly Love to conduct its famed orchestra in 2009; Gamble has been active in building housing and schools there.
"Philly's a great city. It's the greatest city in America," Gamble said with pride. "It's the place where America begins." And the place where the "Love Train" chugged out to the world.

[RobbaDobba]

Ought to be an interesting viewing. The boxed set is OK...but if you have the original Philly Sound box from 1996, you don't really need it.

[Chap2Power]

Ought to be an interesting viewing. The boxed set is OK...but if you have the original Philly Sound box from 1996, you don't really need it.

Any track listing differences ? Like the extended of If You Wanna Go Back by Jean Carn ???

Vince

[Disco Funk]

I'll definitely be checking out the special. I hope they have lots of old school footage of the MFSB guys. Unfortunately many of the core rhythm section players have passed away, like Ron Baker (bass), Norman Harris (guitar), Larry Washington (Congas), Karl Chambers (drums) and his brother Roland (guitar).

But there are a lot of guys they could still interview from those late 60s to 70s Philly days, like Thom Bell, Vince Montana Jr, Bobby Eli (who usually contributes a lot of information to the liner notes in CDs), Bunny Sigler, and my man Earl Young.

I haven't check out the CD boxset. I probably have it all on other CDs or vinyl anyway. But I'm sure it's good for people who are getting into the music for the first time.

Also, I'd recommend tracking down Tony Cummings book 'The Sound of Philadelphia' from 1975. Too bad it never was updated and reprinted. It's probably the best book on the philly sounds early years, featuring bios and photos of artists most people probably never even heard of. Since I found it a couple of years ago, I've found it a useful reference tool for tracking down everything musically philly.

Here's some early examples of the philly sound you won't see on most compilations:

Early MFSB under the name The Interpretations 'Jason Pew Mosso' 1969


Electric Indian (early MFSB) doing 'My Cherie Amour' 1969 (starts around 1:50 in the video)


Nat Turner Rebellion 'Tribute To A Slave' 1969 (Major Harris' original group before he joined the Delfonics then went solo after)


Continental IV produced by Bobby Martin on the Jay Walking label (MFSB backing) 1972


Eddie Holman on the GSF label, 'Young Girl' 1972 (Peter DeAngelis producer)


Executive Suite on North Bay 'I'm A Winner' 1972


Ben Aiken (instrumental version) When The Bottom Falls Out on philly groove 1972



Fantastic Johnny C on Phil-LA Of Soul 'Don't Depend on Me', release in early '73


Barbara Mason's 'Bed and Board' on Buddah (lots of B's!) 1973


Charmettes 'What About The Children' on MelOmega (I think John Davis produced this) 1973


Hidden Cost 'Bo Did It' 1973


Invitations on Silver Blue 'Look on the Good Side' 1973


Philly Devotions 'I Just Can't Say Goodbye' (I think this is the Don De version, before Moulton remixed it (made it really trebley)). John Davis producing.


Delfonics doing some philly disco in early '74, 'I Told You So'


Ronnie Dyson 'Lady In Red' 1975


Disco Funk

[Chap2Power]

I'll definitely be checking out the special. I hope they have lots of old school footage of the MFSB guys. Unfortunately many of the core rhythm section players have passed away, like Ron Baker (bass), Norman Harris (guitar), Larry Washington (Congas), Karl Chambers (drums) and his brother Roland (guitar).

But there are a lot of guys they could still interview from those late 60s to 70s Philly days, like Thom Bell, Vince Montana Jr, Bobby Eli (who usually contributes a lot of information to the liner notes in CDs), Bunny Sigler, and my man Earl Young.

I haven't check out the CD boxset. I probably have it all on other CDs or vinyl anyway. But I'm sure it's good for people who are getting into the music for the first time.

Also, I'd recommend tracking down Tony Cummings book 'The Sound of Philadelphia' from 1975. Too bad it never was updated and reprinted. It's probably the best book on the philly sounds early years, featuring bios and photos of artists most people probably never even heard of. Since I found it a couple of years ago, I've found it a useful reference tool for tracking down everything musically philly.

Disco Funk

Is Lady In Red on any Ronnie Dyson album ??? It looks like it's on One Man Band, but I don't remember ever hearing this..

Vince

[remicks]

*****

Thank you Disco Funk for taking the time to post all those! I enjoyed going through them one by one !! (& Isn't youtube great!)

I think Electric Indian sound more like early Salsoul Orchestra than MFSB.


And BO DID IT by Hidden Cost .....love it ...
and right away I thought: Bohannon!!!! ..... then thought about the title... ....surely that is the intended reference ???

My pick though is ESCAPE FROM PLANET EARTH by Continental IV ...great guitars & group vocals .....
those harmonies are out of this world !! :icon_mrgreen:


Thanks again for those DF!!


--------- oh & thank you Dr Love for posting the information in the first place .....be nice if we made a group effort to watch it when it airs and then comment later .........

remicks


*****

[RobbaDobba]

Any track listing differences ? Like the extended of If You Wanna Go Back by Jean Carn ???

Vince

See for yourself...I just think they should've re-released the 1996 set with a fourth disc added taking us from 1976-1983. Instead, they added in some Spinners tracks and Stylistics tracks, which is great, but some weird choices/omissions were made, IMO.

Philly Sound-1996 set:

The Philly Sound: Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and the Story of Brotherly Love (1966-1976)

Sound of Philadelphia-2008 set:

Love Train:The Sound of Philadelphia

I might have issues with the track selections, but I can't argue with the music.

[Chap2Power]

See for yourself...I just think they should've re-released the 1996 set with a fourth disc added taking us from 1976-1983. Instead, they added in some Spinners tracks and Stylistics tracks, which is great, but some weird choices/omissions were made, IMO.

Philly Sound-1996 set:

The Philly Sound: Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and the Story of Brotherly Love (1966-1976)

Sound of Philadelphia-2008 set:

Love Train:The Sound of Philadelphia

I might have issues with the track selections, but I can't argue with the music.

The 1996 box set covers most of this. This set is what's wrong with Sony BMGs catalogue department in a nutshell. It's a pure money grab.

How disappointing.

Should I spend another 50 or 60 dollars to get William Devaughn on CD ?

I don't think so..

Vince

[drlove]

you're welcome, remicks, and I checked the New Orleans public station's tv program calendar for Thanksgiving weekend, but failed to see it as airing (hopefully, that will change).

I guess each public tv station across the country gets to pick its own programming, so some may have it ; some may not.

[drlove]

. . .just checked further --- it happens to air in New Orleans beginning Wednesday, December 3, but different markets may premiere it earlier. :icon_biggrin:

[Disco Funk]

Is Lady In Red on any Ronnie Dyson album ??? It looks like it's on One Man Band, but I don't remember ever hearing this..

Nope. Sorry Vince, this was a single-only release on Columbia. The flip-side is an equally great dance track called 'Cup (Runneth Over)'. The single is hard to find. Once in a while it turns up on Ebay. Norman Harris produced it in '75. One Man Band, the LP, was released in '73, and I think was produced by Thom Bell.

*****

Thank you Disco Funk for taking the time to post all those! I enjoyed going through them one by one !! (& Isn't youtube great!)

I think Electric Indian sound more like early Salsoul Orchestra than MFSB.


And BO DID IT by Hidden Cost .....love it ...
and right away I thought: Bohannon!!!! ..... then thought about the title... ....surely that is the intended reference ???

My pick though is ESCAPE FROM PLANET EARTH by Continental IV ...great guitars & group vocals .....
those harmonies are out of this world !! :icon_mrgreen:


Thanks again for those DF!!
*****

I don't know if they were talking about Bohannon, but when I saw that song for the first time a couple of years ago, I immediately thought of Bo Jackson. Remember the whole thing about 'Bo knows....' this and that.

Continental IV was a great little vocal group. They only had a bunch of songs around '71 to '73. They never did a true disco tune, althought they had a few uptempo dance numbers that probably fall into the Northern Soul category. They were kind of like the Delfonics. Here are a couple of other tunes by them:

How Can I Pretend


Take A Little Time



And here are some more nice choice Philly cuts that aren't in the set (including some that were on PIR or their sub labels)

The Futures - Stay With Me (1972)


Rosey Jones - Have Love Will Travel (1973) on the Today label


Charles Mann - It's All Over (1973) produced by Dave Crawford


Mighty Clouds of Joy - Mighty Cloud of Joy (1974) on ABC


Barbara Mason - Sunday Saint Weekday Sinner (1974) on Buddah


Ecstasy Passion and Pain - I Wouldn't Give You Up (1974) (I think they were a self contained band on the road, but in the studio, it was clearly MFSB on rhythm)


Black Ivory - What Goes Around (1974)


Duprees - Delicious (1975) a Jerry Ross production


Gabor Szabo - Keep Smilin (Instant Funk was the backing group) 1976


Archie Bell & The Drells - Soul City Walk (Instant Funk on rhythm) 1975


Brown Sugar - Game Is Over 1976


MFSB - Morning Tears 1976


Anglo Saxon Brown - Call On Me (a self contained band that recorded at Sigma) 1976


Dexter Wansel - Theme From The Planets 1976 PIR or TSOP


Eli's Second Coming - Love Chant 1976 on TK


Flashlight (AKA Quickest Way Out) - Beware She's Pulling My Strings 1977 on Salsoul


Arthur Prysock - When Love Is New (produced by John Davis) 1976


Futures - Make It Last 1976 on Buddah


Wild Honey - At The Top of The Stairs (1976) on TK


Soul Train Gang - Country Girl (1976)


Solar Flare - Boogie Fund 1978


George Bussey Experience - Yours For The Taking 1978


Jerry Butler - Cooling Out 1978 on PIR


Skip Mahoney - Janice 1979 on Salsoul


Trammps - Love Magnet 1979 on Atlantic


Okay, I'm overloading the bandwidth. Enjoy!

Disco Funk

[Disco Funk]

Did anyone catch this program? Last week I checked listings, but didn't see it. Then I just checked it now and I see that it played at 8pm on the local PBS station. There's another showing on Saturday, and yet another on Sunday, but I'm not sure if those are continuations or the same episode. Love Train is listed as being 'Part 1'.

Disco Funk

[rhessel]

Hi:

Thank you so much Disco Funk.

I have been looking for Charles Mann - It's All Over (1973) produced by Dave Crawford for the last 30 years, maybe more...

I have listened to this song when I was 14 or 15 (1974 or 1975) and have never listened to it again, but the amazing rythm of this song was always on my mind.

After 30 years I found out the performer and the song name. And of course... so Phylli.... so Baker, Harris & Young.

Who was the mixer??

Thanks,

Hessel

[Disco Funk]

Hi:

Thank you so much Disco Funk.

I have been looking for Charles Mann - It's All Over (1973) produced by Dave Crawford for the last 30 years, maybe more...

I have listened to this song when I was 14 or 15 (1974 or 1975) and have never listened to it again, but the amazing rythm of this song was always on my mind.

After 30 years I found out the performer and the song name. And of course... so Phylli.... so Baker, Harris & Young.

Who was the mixer??

Thanks,

Hessel

Glad to be of help! I don't have the album handy, but I imagine it was mixed by whoever was the engineer at Sigma Sound in Philadelphia during that time, with Dave Crawford most likely overseeing it. Not quite as echoey as the PIR stuff, but still a nice and wide distribution of the instruments typical of the Sigma mixing board sound.

Here are a few more nice philly nuggets

Major Harris - 'What's The Use In The Truth' from Jealousy 1976


Impact - Happy Man 1976


William Devaughn - Give The Little Man A Great Big Hand 1974


Carl Bean - I Was Born This Way 1977


Temptations - In A Lifetime 1978


Whispers - Mother For My Children 1974


Loose Change - All Night Man 1979


TJM - Put Yourself In My Place 1979


Grace Jones - Sinning/Repentance 1979


Montana - Montana & Friends 1978


Disco Funk

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

Did anyone catch this program? Last week I checked listings, but didn't see it. Then I just checked it now and I see that it played at 8pm on the local PBS station. There's another showing on Saturday, and yet another on Sunday, but I'm not sure if those are continuations or the same episode. Love Train is listed as being 'Part 1'.

Disco Funk

I caught "Love Train - pt.1" last night. It was like the rest of the PBS "oldies concerts". Certainly not a Documentary, if that's what you're looking for.

Aside from that... It was really quite moving to see the performers, once again. I'll admit to getting a bit teary-eyed when the O'Jays performed "Love Train". I was 15 years old, all over again.

During the O'Jays' self-intro there was mention of them and Gamble & Huff having their "problems" over the years but "getting through them".

The audience was such a complete mix of people. Black, White, Latin... Everyone lip-syncing the lyrics perfectly!:icon_smile: It's touching to remember just how much the Philly Sound transcended race and social barriers.

One quote that I recall (I forget who it was & forgive any minor inaccuracy): "Motown had sophistication... Stax had grit... Philadelphia International had it all."

[Disco Funk]

I caught "Love Train - pt.1" last night. It was like the rest of the PBS "oldies concerts". Certainly not a Documentary, if that's what you're looking for.

Aside from that... It was really quite moving to see the performers, once again. I'll admit to getting a bit teary-eyed when the O'Jays performed "Love Train". I was 15 years old, all over again.

During the O'Jays' self-intro there was mention of them and Gamble & Huff having their "problems" over the years but "getting through them".

The audience was such a complete mix of people. Black, White, Latin... Everyone lip-syncing the lyrics perfectly!:icon_smile: It's touching to remember just how much the Philly Sound transcended race and social barriers.

One quote that I recall (I forget who it was & forgive any minor inaccuracy): "Motown had sophistication... Stax had grit... Philadelphia International had it all."

I checked out a clip on youtube and see what you mean, that it's a concert bringing back the old guys rather than just doing a documentary on the philly sound. That's just as interesting to see. Any appearance by Teddy P? or Vince Montana? Don't worry about running down the list of names. It turns out its airing in my area next weekend.

Disco Funk

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

Any appearance by Teddy P? or Vince Montana?

I didn't see Teddy. He "retired" in 2006, except for a 2007 concert series for his charity. And I didn't see him with Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes, in the clip of their upcoming performance.

I really doubt Vince Montana would be there. There were a lot of war-wounds, from Gamble & Huff. I doubt that one would ever heal.

[Disco Funk]

I didn't see Teddy. He "retired" in 2006, except for a 2007 concert series for his charity. And I didn't see him with Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes, in the clip of their upcoming performance.

I really doubt Vince Montana would be there. There were a lot of war-wounds, from Gamble & Huff. I doubt that one would ever heal.

That's too bad about Montana. He's still doing some great stuff nowadays, in the same feel as the old school sound. Maybe he'll make his own PBS special? :)

Disco Funk

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

That's too bad about Montana. He's still doing some great stuff nowadays, in the same feel as the old school sound. Maybe he'll make his own PBS special? :)

Disco Funk

Here's wishing the Cayre Brothers would green-light a SalSoul Documentary! That's (basically) Vince's baby, anyway.

[drlove]

Thanks, Stephen, for the review. Meant to catch it one evening this past weekend, but went twirling in the bars instead. Will be looking to see when it comes on again.:icon_mrgreen:

[Salsoul1975]

I just found out that Vince Montana arranged Blue Magic's self-titled 1974 album, which contained the superb tracks "Look Me Up" and "Welcome To The Club". Unbelievable.

[discokicks]

Just by chance, I got to see the special on PBS although I missed the first half hour. What a joy to watch...a nice stage setting, full orchestra and continuous music. PBS concert shows are always a treat because of their traditional camera work...none of that hyperactive, special effect trickery of making something more than what it is. The focus here is on the music and a very appreciative audience.

The only complaint that I had is during the intermissions when they were selling the boxed set of cds and dvds. To describe the Philadelphia sound, they used every category of music but I didn't hear the word "disco"!

[originalbigm]

Caught the show Friday night. The O'Jays delivered a knock out performance with the " People Get Ready / Love Train" mix. Bunny Sigler delivered a killer cover of "Me & Mrs.Jones".Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes sounded as good as ever on the "Love I Lost" Don't know who the Teddy Pendergrass on lead was but he measured up in sound and delivery. The orchestra sounded great.The audience were really into it. All round a great presentation.Hats off to PBS. Loved it.:icon_razz::icon_razz::icon_razz:

[RobbaDobba]

It's not a docu? Blech....

[originalbigm]

Apparently Part II won't nbe airing till the next PBS pledge drive in 2009

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Love-Train-The-Sound-Philadelphia/story.aspx?guid={0277854F-D0D6-4F1E-8A17-A62DAB71CFDA}