Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Thom Bell might have been The Mighty Three, but dozens of musicians joined them in shaping The Sound of Philadelphia.  That triumvirate's lush, lithe productions were brought to life by the loose aggregation of players known as MFSB, or the house band at Sigma Sound Studios.  These are the same musicians who went on to form The Salsoul Orchestra under the baton of Vincent Montana, Jr., including Norman Harris, Ronnie Baker, Bobby Eli, Ron Kersey, Lenny Pakula, Roland Chambers, Charles Collins, T.J. Tindall, Larry Washington, Zack Zachery, Don Renaldo, and, among others, Earl Young.  The Philadelphia-born drummer never met a song for which he couldn't find the perfect groove.  Whether working within the strict confines of Bell's written orchestrations or Gamble and Huff's looser environment, Young anchored The Sound of Philadelphia - and effectively created the rhythm that propelled the entire disco sound.  His immense contributions to popular music have been recently celebrated by Ace Records' Kent imprint on Groove Machine: The Earl Young Drum Sessions.  The 23-track anthology not only anthologizes some of Young's finest performances behind the kit, but effectively serves as a Philly soul primer.

The compilation opens with "Penguin at the Big Apple/Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" from Young's own band, The Trammps.  Tom Moulton's 1975 medley fused a Baker-Harris-Young instrumental with the classic James Hanley standard.  Young's driving drums are among the first elements heard on the recording, along with funky bass, supple guitar, and velvet strings; his deep bass singing voice is also heard as he trades lyrics with lead vocalist Jimmy Ellis.  Though The Trammps went on to have bigger hits, the track encapsulates the transformative nature of the drummer's work.

Compiler-annotator Tony Rounce has done a typically solid job in balancing familiar Philly hits with rarities which showcase Earl Young's varying, true-to-the-song approaches; a complete log of hits on which Young played would take dozens of volumes, if not more.  In the major-hit column, there's The O'Jays' "Backstabbers" (produced by Gamble and Huff and arranged by Thom Bell) with its slinky groove; Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes' "The Love I Lost (Part I)" with its urgent, hi-hat-propelled sound that spawned disco; the long album version of MFSB and The Three Degrees' "TSOP," with Young's beats designed for dancing; and William DeVaughn's "Be Thankful for What You Got," an indie hit shepherded by Philly veterans Allan Felder and John Davis with Young, as always, holding down the rhythm.  (Special mention should be made of often-unsung hero Bobby Martin, arranger of both "The Love I Lost" and "TSOP" as well as another highlight here, Billy Paul's "Be True to Me.")

There are still more beloved favorites here, such as "Silly, Silly Fool" from Dusty Springfield, whom Young describes in the liner notes interview as "my favorite female singer."  He mentions the song as a "hard song to play," but his drumming sounds as effortless as ever.  He also refers to the late Thom Bell as "a tough producer: with Thommy Bell, everything had to be written down note-for-note.  You did not freelance anything...We used to joke about it, if a fly got on the paper, you would play the fly!"  If Young and his fellow musicians might have chafed at Bell's fastidious approach, the proof remains in the pudding thanks to such resplendent tracks as The Spinners' "Just Can't Get You Out of My Mind," The Delfonics' "Trying to Make a Fool of Me," and New York City's "I'm Doin' Fine Now," all exquisitely orchestrated by Bell and played precisely by Young and his compatriots.

The rarities here are uniformly delightful.  Atlanta-based singer Charles Mann's 1973 ABC LP Say You Love Me Too, produced by Dave Crawford, yields a top-to-bottom reinvention of Steely Dan's sinuous "Do It Again," fusing southern soul with the sizzling Memphis Horns and the tight MFSB Mk. 1 rhythm section.  Mann co-wrote B.B. King's "I Like to Live the Love" with producer-arranger Crawford, showcasing a more urbane side of the famed bluesman.  Ex-Drifter Clyde McPhatter's "Please Give Me One More Chance," an early production for the Baker-Harris-Young trio, is another lost gem as dramatic strings swirl around Young's imploring beat and McPhatter's pleading vocal.  The central riff of The Modulations' "I Can't Fight Your Love" will be immediately recognizable as the backbone of Charo's later Salsoul classic "Dance a Little Bit Closer;" arranger Vince Montana recycled it for his later production.

Baker, Harris, and Young came into their own at Salsoul Records with their Gold Mind imprint.  (A previous, short-lived imprint, Golden Fleece, had been set up largely for B-H-Y by Gamble and Huff at Philadelphia International.)  Most of MFSB Mk. 1 had followed Vince Montana to the upstart New York label - some exclusively, some not.  B-H-Y brought Double Exposure to Salsoul, with their song "Ten Percent" becoming the first-ever commercially released 12-inch single.  Here, they're heard on "My Love Is Free," another irresistible dancer penned by Allan Felder and Bunny Sigler and arranged by Ron Kersey under B-H-Y's auspices.  Arguably even better is Loleatta Holloway's "Hit and Run," a Gold Mind track that shows just how well Young and the rhythm section of Harris on guitar and Baker on bass melded with a bravura singer, shaping their style to suit hers while retaining all the hallmarks of Philly soul and disco.  Less known but no less wonderful is "Time Will Tell" from "Hey There, Lonely Girl" hitmaker Eddie Holman.  Ronnie Baker and Ron Tyson wrote this uptempo number from the falsetto vocalist's lone, underrated Salsoul long-player; Earl's inspired Motown-esque groove makes it one of Salsoul's true hidden gems.

Groove Machine: The Earl Young Drum Sessions reflects the breadth of the Philly sound with its emphasis on productions outside of the Philadelphia International and Salsoul sphere from diverse groups such as The Whispers ("A Mother for My Children"), Ecstasy, Passion, and Pain ("Touch and Go" in Tom Moulton's 12-inch mix), and The Philly Devotions ("I Just Can't Say Goodbye").

The collection features a 32-page booklet with both track-by-track notes from Tony Rounce and a full-length, illuminating interview with Young.  Nick Robbins has done his typically stellar job remastering, though audio varies based on sources.  "I'm really proud of this album coming out," Young told interviewer Ian Shirley, "as it is something about me and it is not something about Baker, Harris, and Young, it's not about Salsoul, and I'm very proud of that."  Anyone who has ever cherished the sound of American pop, soul, and disco in the second half of the twentieth century owes a debt to Earl Young.  (Hi-) hats off to this essential release.  Groove Machine is available via Amazon U.K. or via the Marketplace at Amazon U.S. and Canada; as an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Various Artists, Groove Machine: The Earl Young Drum Sessions (Ace/Kent CDTOP 1629, 2024) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Penguin at the Big Apple/Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart - The Trammps (from Buddah LP BDS 5641, 1975)
2. Storm Warning - The Volcanos (Arctic 106, 1965) (*)
3. Do the Hand Jive - Archie Bell and The Drells (Atlantic 2644, 1969)
4. Ain't Got the Love of One Girl (On My Mind) - The Ambassadors (Arctic 150, 1969)
5. Silly, Silly Fool - Dusty Springfield (Atlantic 2705, 1970)
6. Trying to Make a Fool of Me - The Delfonics (Philly Groove 162, 1970)
7. Please Give Me One More Chance - Clyde McPhatter (from Decca LP 75231, 1970)
8. Backstabbers - The O'Jays (Philadelphia International 3517, 1972)
9. Just Can't Get You Out of My Mind - The Spinners (from Atlantic LP SD 7256, 1973)
10. I Like to Live the Love - B.B. King (ABC 11406, 1973)
11. The Love I Lost (Part I) - Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes (Philadelphia International 3533, 1973)
12. Do It Again - Charles Mann (from ABC LP ABCX 786, 1973)
13. TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) - The Three Degrees (from Philadelphia International LP KZ 33162, 1975)
14. Be Truthful to Me - Billy Paul (Philadelphia International 3551, 1974)
15. I'm Doin' Fine Now - New York City (from Chelsea LP BCL1-0198, 1973) (*)
16. I Just Can't Say Goodbye - The Philly Devotions (Columbia 3-10076, 1974)
17. A Mother for My Children - The Whispers (Janus J 231, 1973)
18. Be Thankful for What You Got - William DeVaughn (Roxbury BRBO 0236, 1974)
19. I Can't Fight Your Love - The Modulations (Buddah BDA-418, 1973) (*)
20. Touch and Go (12" Version) - Ecstasy, Passion, and Pain featuring Barbara Roy (Roulette R-7182DJ, 1976)
21. My Love Is Free - Double Exposure (Salsoul 2012, 1976)
22. Hit and Run - Loleatta Holloway (Gold Mind GM-4001, 1977)
23. Time Will Tell - Eddie Holman (Salsoul SZ 2026, 1977)

All tracks stereo except (*) mono