2016 proved a very good year for fans of southern soul songwriter (and sometimes singer) extraordinaire Dan Penn. The U.K.'s Ace Records label released a generous second volume of Penn's rare and previously unreleased recordings for Fame Records as Close to Me: More Fame Recordings, and later in the year, Analog Spark delivered a surprising and very welcome release. Nobody's Fool was recorded by Penn for Bell Records in 1973, and remained his only solo album for more than two decades.
Ooh Baby You Move Me: Ace Collects Soulful Sounds of Linda Jones
Linda Jones' life was tragically curtailed at the age of 28 in March 1972, felled by a long battle with diabetes. Yet the passionately emotive vocalist left behind a catalogue so rich that it's still cherished by soul connoisseurs. In 2015, Real Gone Music collected Jones' complete sides for Atco, Loma, and Warner Bros. Records, spanning the period of 1964-1969. Now, Ace's Kent imprint has bookended the Linda Jones story with Precious: The Anthology 1963-72, culled from every one of her label
The Big D: Guitar Hero Dennis Coffey's Detroit Soul Released On "Hot Coffey In The D"
Dennis Coffey's credits are too numerous to mention. As a session guitarist, he brought a rock edge to numerous Motown hits including The Temptations' psychedelic soul favorites like "Cloud Nine" and "Ball of Confusion." As a producer, he helmed Gallery's soft-pop hit "Nice to Be with You" and "Sugar Man" Sixto Rodriguez's acclaimed debut album. As a solo artist, he charted with the instrumental "Scorpio," and crafted guitar-driven disco soul at Westbound Records. Now, the Resonance Records
Turn Them Loose! BBR Reissues Philly Classic From People's Choice
"Come on everybody, let's jam with The People's Choice!" goes the lyric to the funky title song which opens 1978's Turn Me Loose, the third album from Frankie Brunson's Philly outfit. People's Choice was a bit different from the other groups populating the roster at Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records, being a self-contained band rather than a vocal group. (Instant Funk was another such band, though that unit found greater success after migrating to Salsoul
Review: "Prince 4Ever"
Prince 4Ever (NPG Records/Warner Bros. 558509-2) is not the Prince compilation I imagined. I've had plenty of time to think about it, from the day Prince and Warner Bros. announced the end of their decades-long war with a new catalogue agreement that honest-to-God made me cry, to the day almost exactly two years later where we cried over Prince for a different reason. But even in my wildest dreams, something about a Prince catalogue campaign seemed ephemeral, not entirely knowable--just like
To Be Happy Is The Real Thing: BBR Reissues, Expands The Intruders' "Save the Children"
Before The O'Jays or Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes, The Intruders were the first stars in Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's orbit. Founded in 1960, the group formed an association with the duo beginning in 1966 for the pre-Philadelphia International labels named Gamble and Excel. "(We'll Be) United," produced and penned by the label's namesake and his partner, earned The Intruders a No. 14 R&B/No. 78 Pop hit. In 1968, "Cowboys to Girls" earned them an R&B chart-topper and Top 10 Pop
Ace Collects Classic Beatles Covers On "Let It Be: Black America Sings Lennon, McCartney and Harrison"
If there was ever any doubt as to the versatility, adaptability and endurance of the songs of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, it would certainly be dispelled by Ace’s new release of Let It Be: Black America Sings Lennon, McCartney and Harrison. The latest volume in the label’s Black America Sings series (also encompassing volumes dedicated to Sam Cooke, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding, and the team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David) and the second dedicated to the music of The Beatles,
Turn Off The Lights: BBR Goes Philly with Teddy Pendergrass, Edwin Birdsong
Cherry Red’s Big Break Records imprint has turned back the clock to 1979 for a pair of titles from the legendary roster of Philadelphia International Records. BBR has continued its journey through the catalogue of the late Teddy Pendergrass with an expanded reissue of his third PIR solo platter, simply entitled Teddy. Overseen by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, the 1979 album followed in the footsteps of its predecessor, the previous year’s R&B chart-topper Life Is a Song Worth Singing, in
He's No Ordinary Guy: Ace Celebrates Songs of Jerry Ross on "Some Kinda Magic"
Before Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell created The Sound of Philadelphia, Jerry Ross created the sound of Philadelphia. The Philly-born producer-songwriter-entrepreneur penned hits for Diana Ross and the Supremes and The Temptations and produced chart-toppers by Bobby Hebb and Shocking Blue, but only now has his remarkable legacy in pop, rock-and-roll and soul been celebrated on disc. Ace has recently issued Some Kinda Magic: The Songs of Jerry Ross, a 24-track compendium of Ross'
Disco Nights: Big Break Gives GQ a "Standing Ovation" on New Anthology
"The feeling's right, and the music's tight, on the disco nights..." With the irresistible rhythms of 1979's "Disco Nights (Rock Freak)," the members of GQ established themselves as premier artists at Arista Records and indeed of the disco generation. Between 1979 and 1981, the band notched seven successes on the U.S. R&B chart, with three crossing over to the Pop survey. All of those hits, and more, are collected on Big Break Records' definitive new anthology Standing Ovation: The Story
Now, Voyager: Big Break Collects Dexter Wansel's "Philadelphia International Records Anthology"
Are you ready to blast off? With the August 5 release of Dexter Wansel's Stargazer: The Philadelphia International Records Anthology 1976-1980, Big Break Records is headed for the stars. Wansel was one of the brightest lights of PIR's "Mk. II" period, releasing four criminally underrated LPs on the label. His work as an artist, songwriter, arranger and producer pushed the envelope of Philly soul, bringing in elements of jazz fusion and even progressive rock. Stargazer brings together all of
Review: Rhonda Ross, "In Case You Didn't Know"
In Case You Didn't Know: Rhonda Ross has dropped a new release. The album of that title showcases the singer-songwriter on a set of fourteen potent, original tracks. Ross, a gifted vocalist with an expressive instrument, has written or co-written every song on the album, and though the CD's exclusive retailer CD Baby categorizes the record as "Jazz Fusion" - calling to mind the liquid soundscapes of Return to Forever or Weather Report - that term only tells part of the artist's story. The
Too Hot! Big Break Collects Heatwave On "Always and Forever"
Heatwave was a band like no other. American vocalists Johnnie Wilder Jr. and his brother Keith Wilder joined with British singer-songwriter-keyboardist Rod Temperton, Swiss bassist Mario Mantese, Czechoslovak drummer Ernest "Bilbo" Berger, and Jamaican guitarist Eric Johns to form this truly international cadre of first-class R&B purveyors. Thanks to a string of hits including "Boogie Nights," "Always and Forever" and "The Groove Line," the seductive grooves of Heatwave ruled both the
People of the World, Rise: BBR Reissues "The Trammps III" and Gaynor's "Glorious"
Today, we're looking at two recent releases on Cherry Red's Big Break Records label from two legends of disco (and so much more): The Trammps and Gloria Gaynor! "Where were you when the lights went out in New York City?" asked The Trammps in song on the opening track of 1977's Trammps III. (The answer? Everyone was making love, naturally!) The urgent, atypically topical track by Allan Felder, Ron Tyson and arranger-producer Norman Harris is just one highlight on this underrated album,
My Oh My What A Groove: Ace Collects Unreleased Motown on "One Track Mind"
The first volume of Ace/Kent's series dedicated to the male artists of Motown was entitled Satisfaction Guaranteed - but that title would be equally apt for the recent release One Track Mind: More Motown Guys, a second disc of rarities from the Sound of Young America. With 16 previously unissued cuts among this collection's 24 tracks, it proves that the treasures of the Motown vault are far from exhausted. This is also one volume sure to keep your foot tapping and your body moving, with each
Mighty Mighty: Varese Compiles "The Best of The Impressions" - And YOU CAN WIN!
Of the many artists who define the distinctive sound of Chicago soul, few stand as tall as The Impressions. Varese Vintage has celebrated the legacy of the group with The Best of The Impressions: The Curtom Years. This new, 18-track anthology of earth-scorching R&B spans the period 1968-1976 and features 16 chart hits (including two chart-toppers) and two choice B-sides from Curtis Mayfield, Fred Cash, Sam Gooden, Leroy Hutson, Reginald Torian and Nate Evans. By the time Curtis Mayfield
Love T.K.O.: Big Break Reissues Two From Teddy Pendergrass
Big Break Records has recently reissued two albums from the late, great Teddy Pendergrass in remastered and expanded editions. 1980's TP, originally released on Philadelphia International Records, welcomed the smoldering soul man into the 1980s and premiered one of his most beloved recordings, "Love TKO." Eight years later, having survived a life-threatening accident, Pendergrass solidified his comeback with the Elektra LP Joy. By the time of 1980's platinum seller TP, the artist with the
Time to Get Down: Real Gone Returns The O'Jays' "Back Stabbers" To Vinyl
The O'Jays quietly began their association with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff on 1970's Neptune album In Philadelphia, announcing the Ohio group's shift to the City of Brotherly Love and its burgeoning soul scene. But there was nothing quiet about the opening track of Back Stabbers, the trio's first album for Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International Records. "When the World's at Peace," by Gamble, Bunny Sigler and Phil Hurtt, imagined a time "when it's safe to walk the streets/when we learn
Slip Away: Ace Reissues, Expands Two Albums From Soul Legend Clarence Carter
As 2000 ushered in a new millennium, it also reintroduced the soulful voice of Clarence Carter on Cameron Crowe's Grammy-winning soundtrack to Almost Famous. Being the sole (pun intended) R&B gem on this compilation, Crowe embedded Carter's hit song, "Slip Away" into what is otherwise his definitive 1970s classic rock retrospective. This is not to say that Carter is the only R&B artist found in the film proper. On the contrary, Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour" was masterfully used
Bad Luck No More: Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' "To Be True" Receives CD Reissue
Blame it on "Bad Luck." Inexplicably, a proper, wide-release CD reissue has long eluded To Be True, the third of four LPs released by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes on Philadelphia International Records. Happily, Cherry Red's Big Break imprint has come to the rescue with a remastered and expanded edition of the 1975 chart-topping album that introduced the hit "Bad Luck." To Be True followed I Miss You and Black and Blue, both of which have already been reissued in expanded CD editions by
Reviews: A Real Gone Trio From The Mamas and the Papas, King Curtis and Nat "King" Cole
Real Gone Music has had some of its most expansive collections released this winter. Today, Randy takes a look at three of them, from The Mamas and the Papas, King Curtis, and Nat "King" Cole! "You gotta go where you wanna go, do what you wanna do, with whoever you want to do it with..." From their very first single, 1966's "Go Where You Wanna Go," The Mamas and the Papas spread their singular brand of California sunshine. The group's songs espoused the
From Memphis To New Orleans: Ace Collects Stax, DeLuxe Rarities
Bring on the B-sides! Despite its title, the massive, indispensable box set The Complete Stax/Volt Singles 1964-1968 concentrated on A-sides, presenting only a fraction of the labels' valuable flips. The box left many worthy B-sides overlooked in the CD era, but Ace Records' Kent imprint has redressed that situation with the release of The Other Side of the Trax: Stax-Volt 45 RPM Rarities 1964-1968. All but one of the 24 tracks on this new compilation are all making their official CD
They Are Family: BBR Reissues, Expands Sister Sledge's Debut "Circle of Love"
"We Are Family" catapulted Sister Sledge to stardom in 1979, but while the uplifting anthem was a breakthrough, it wasn't a beginning. Philadelphia-based Kathy Sledge and her three older sisters Debbie, Joni and Kim had been recording for Atlantic Records since 1973 when all four members were still teenagers. In 1975, Sister Sledge's first album, Circle of Love, was released. This lost gem has been previously released on CD in a bare-bones version, but Cherry Red's Big Break Records label has
Cherry Red, SoulMusic Revive Philly Disco Sounds of Anglo-Saxon Brown
The team of Joseph Jefferson and Charles Simmons is best remembered today for their string of memorable songs penned for The Spinners under the aegis of Philadelphia soul maestro Thom Bell: "Mighty Love," "Games People Play," "Love Don't Love Nobody." But like many of the talented artists orbiting the creatively fertile Philly scene of the period, Jefferson and Simmons were multi-faceted. In 1975, Jefferson became involved with Ujima, a Richmond, Virginia-founded band that had previously
Heat It Up: Groove Line Tells "The Salsoul Orchestra Story: 40th Anniversary Collection"
The title of The Salsoul Orchestra's second album said it all - Nice 'n' Naasty. The soul-disco orchestra, originally under the baton of MFSB alumnus Vincent Montana Jr., could serve up nice, shimmering and lushly elegant soundscapes...and naasty floor-filling grooves that practically demanded you hit the dancefloor! Happily, the group has recently received a lavish tribute in the form of a sizzling 3-CD collection from Groove Line Records (the label responsible for the recent, definitive
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