King Britt When The Funk Hits The Fan ...1998
Philly
soul was primary a producer's medium, and Vince Montana Jr. took it to its logical
conclusion with the Salsoul sound, driven by Earl Young's four on the floor,
deep house drum style ["Bad Luck"]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philly
Soul early seventies
Philly soul was one of the most popular forms of soul music in the early '70s.
Building on the steady groove of Hi Records and Stax/Volt singles, Philly soul
added sweeping strings, seductive horns and lush arrangements to the deep rhythms.
As a result, it was much smoother -- even slicker -- than the deep soul of the
late '60s, but the vocals remained as soulful as any previous form of R&B.
Philly soul was primary a producer's medium, as Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff
and Thom Bell [not to forget Vince Montana Jr.] created the instrumental textures
that came to distinguish the genre. That isn't to short change the vocalists,
since the Spinners, the O'Jays, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, and the
Stylistics were among fine soul singers with distinctive voices, but the sonic
elements that made Philly Soul distinctive were the creation of the producers.
Gamble & Huff worked with the Delfonics, Archie Bell, Harold Melvin &
the Blue Notes, and the O'Jays; Bell produced the Spinners and the Stylistics,
among others. The highly-produced sound of Philly Soul paved the way for the
studio constructions of disco and urban contemporary R&B.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philly
soul classics like "Love Train" provided a blueprint for disco, and that style
evolved from the dancers' tastes -- for example, the way Don Cornelius kept
asking Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff to make the tempo faster and faster when they
recorded the Soul Train television theme song that eventually became "TSOP (The
Sound Of Philadelphia)." Appropriately, The Ritchie Family's "The Best Disco
In Town" medley was recorded at Philadelphia Sigma Sound Studios with many of
the musicians who'd inspired the songs excerpted in the piece. (How busy was
MFSB ?) Several of the same players in the same studio played on the original
track of "Bad Luck" by Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes, the bit of it included
in "Best Disco," and the full-length instrumental cover by the Atlanta Disco
Band [ha!] on Ariola.)
Brian Chin in liner notes of '70s Disco Queens'on Rhino records:
In French Canadian teen beauty France Joli's "Come To Me," there's a bit of small-world irony too: Even after disco dated the Philadelphia sound, producers continued to look for the Philly magic, and it's the Sweethearts of Sigma, Barbara Ingram, Carla Benson, and Evette Benton, who are singing backup. "Come To Me," in turn, with a vocal cameo by producer/writer Tony Green, represents the generational turning point between traditional Fire Island disco and the more progressive "dance music" of the '80s.
Philadelphia International was the black label of seventies, just like Motown in the sixties. The company was founded by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff. The label became one of the largest black-owned companies in the United States with artsists like M.F.S.B., Billy Paul, the Three Degrees, the O'Jays, Harols Melvin and the Bluenotes (featuring Teddy Pendergrass) and McFadden & Whitehead.
Huff began his career as a session musician and composer in New York before moving to Philadelphia, where he joined Gamble's group: the Romeos. Gamble and Huff met in 1964 and wrote together "The 81" for Candy and the Kisses. Also, they set up their own label in 1966. The two attained major success with a band called the Intruders and their single "Cowboys to Girls" in 1968.
The duo gained a reputation as a talented songwriting and producing team. Philadelphia International was established in 1968 when a deal with New York's Sigma Sound Studios (owned by Joe Tarisia) was made.
Billy Paul gave Philadelphia International their first hit with "Me and Mrs. Jones", a Grammy Award winner for the Best Male rhythm and blues vocal in 1972. Billy's album "360 Dedrees of Billy Paul" went gold in 1973.
The O'Jays, which comprised Eddie Levert, Walter Williams and William Powell, had been together as a group for ten years before scoring their first succesful record with "Backstabbers" in 1972. The album of the same name went gold in 1973. "Backstabbers" was written by Gene McFadden and John Whitehead, who later recorded "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now". Other hits by the O'Jays were "Ship Ahoy" (1974), "Survival" (1975), "Live in London" and "Gratitude". The group was essential in the disco craze: "Love Train" and "I Love Music" bacame international hits played in discotheques all over the world.
Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes were signed to Josie Records, for which they recorded "If You Love Me" in 1957. They eventually signed for Philadelphia in 1971. Back then Teddy Pendergrass was still playing drums for the band. Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes released the gold record "To Be True" in 1975.
M.F.S.B. formed in 1968. Their biggest hit was "T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia) in 1974. They became the house band for the label and played on numerous hits. Besides, "T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia) in 1974 became the theme song for the infamous TV programme Soul Train, replacing "Hot Potatos" by King Curtis. M.F.S.B. was a studio band, which included the likes of Leon Huff and Vince Montana, who later moved to Salsoul Records. Their LP "Love Is The Message" went Gold in 1974. Also, their single "K-Jee" was included in the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack.
Gamble and Huff went on to become writers and producers for artists like Diana Ross, the Jacksons, Lou Rawls, Jerry Butler, Wilson Pickett, Archie Bell and the Drells and Dusty Springfield. They also wrote "Don't Leave Me This Way", originally recorded by Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes and later performed by Thelma Houston.