Ace Records is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary with special releases as well as concerts and a pop-up shop in London. Over the course of those decades, the label has established a number of long-running series including their Songwriters and Producers lines. A recent release in the Songwriters series celebrates two of the all-time greats in both categories: Philadelphia’s Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff. Love Train: The Gamble and Huff Songbook brings together 24 songs from the Philadelphia International Records duo who also formed two thirds of Mighty Three Publishing along with…
The Weekend Stream: March 1, 2025
Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. This week brings new music from Billy Idol and The Chills, cast albums aplenty and some soulful tributes to artists we lost this week. Billy Idol, “Still Dancing” (Dark Horse) (iTunes / Amazon) The recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee is going on tour this year with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, and will release Dream Into It, his first full-length album in more than a decade (and…
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Sock It To Me, Baby: Ace Celebrates Bob Crewe on “Whatever You Want”
Yesterday, we looked at Ace Records’ recent anthology dedicated to West Coast producer Gary Usher. Today, we’re heading east… Stanley Robert Crewe of Newark, New Jersey studied architecture and tried his luck as a fashion model before turning full-time to music. Though the handsome young man was a teen idol-in-the-making, he found his truest calling behind-the-scenes. With writing partner Frank Slay, Crewe gifted “Silhouettes” to The Rays and “Tallahassee Lassie” to Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon. He formed his first record company, XYZ, in 1957, and by 1962 had launched arguably his most…
Ready or Not: Ace Sets Release for Thom Bell Anthology featuring Mathis, Warwick, Spinners, Stylistics, More
After having previously celebrated two of his musical inspirations – Burt Bacharach and Teddy Randazzo – with their own volumes, Ace’s Songwriters and Producers series is turning its attention to legendary soul maestro Thom Bell. On June 26, the label’s Kent imprint will release Ready or Not: Philly Soul Arrangements and Productions 1965-1978. As the title indicates, all 23 tracks were either produced or arranged (or both!) by the multi-hyphenate musician-composer-producer-arranger-conductor who brought an unparalleled depth and sophistication to soul music. Ready or Not, curated by Saint Etienne’s Bob Stanley, begins with…
Ace Throws a Philly Soul “House Party” with The Delfonics, Len Barry, Jerry Butler, More
What is the sound of Philadelphia? As Kent Records’ exciting compilation Nothing But a House Party: The Birth of The Philly Sound 1967-1971 readily admits, there were many such sounds – the sound of teen idols Fabian and Frankie Avalon; of “South Street” and “The Mashed Potato” and Cameo-Parkway Records; of the doo-wop of The Dreamlovers, and before that, of Italian-American singers like Mario Lanza and Al Martino. But the sound of Philadelphia referenced here is the one with capital letters – TSOP, the style perfected by the Mighty Three of Kenny…
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’ finest compositions as issued on various labels including his homes of Swan, Cameo-Parkway and Mercury as…
