"Here We Go, Climbing The Stairway to Heaven ..."
Recently I've been reading A House on Fire: The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Soul. In all honesty, it's not the best book on earth.
It's a little cold and 'scholarly' without the sense of excitement and wonder that the better musical books have (Mercy, Mercy Me: The Art, Loves and Demons of Marvin Gaye, and The Act You've Known for All These Years: A Year in the Life of Sgt. Pepper and Friends to name just two). However, there has been so little written about the subject of 'House of Fire', I've stuck with it.
Whenever people talk about soul music in the 60's / 70's, they always talk about Motown and Stax - and sometimes Chess & Atlantic. And for good reason, some amazing music came out of those houses. It seems, tho' that 'Philadelphia International' always gets the short-end of the stick. While it's true that they didn't have a Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding or Aretha Franklin on their label some of the best soul music of that era came out of Philly.
The architects of that sound - Kenny Gamble, Leon Hoff and Thom Bell brought two important ingrediants to this mix- the first being an engagement with the world they lived in. Sometimes that pain and hope was obvious (i.e., For The Love of Money, Am I Black Enough For You, Wake Up Everybody) and sometimes it was subtle. For instnce, when you hear Wilson Pickett sing 'Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You' it can be taken at face-value - as a song about being happy with what you got. It can also be read as the general unease african-americans were living with at that time.
The other thing that distinguishes the Phily Sound from other labels was a lush sound that rivaled Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. Whether they were working someone with the strength of Teddy Pendergrass, the vulnerbility of Dusty Springfield, or the out-right beauty of the Delfonics; Gamble, Hoff, and Bell were always quick to nearly overload the sonic palate of the tune. Not content with the (compartively) straight-forward arrangements of Motown and Stax - Gamble, Hoff, and Bell brought in full orchestras, multiple percussionists, intricate horn and vocal arrangements, while never faking the funk.
So, for the 3-day weekend, I'm posting a 90-minute mix of Gamble/Hoff/Bell tunes. You may notice some big hits (Me And Mrs. Jones, Wake Up Everybody, Only The Strong Survive, etc.) missing. That's just due to me already posting those on recent mixes.
As in past longer mixes, this can be downloaded into iTunes or you can listen to the whole mix here. Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Sound of Philadelphia Track List
CruelNails Radio
It's a little cold and 'scholarly' without the sense of excitement and wonder that the better musical books have (Mercy, Mercy Me: The Art, Loves and Demons of Marvin Gaye, and The Act You've Known for All These Years: A Year in the Life of Sgt. Pepper and Friends to name just two). However, there has been so little written about the subject of 'House of Fire', I've stuck with it.
Whenever people talk about soul music in the 60's / 70's, they always talk about Motown and Stax - and sometimes Chess & Atlantic. And for good reason, some amazing music came out of those houses. It seems, tho' that 'Philadelphia International' always gets the short-end of the stick. While it's true that they didn't have a Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding or Aretha Franklin on their label some of the best soul music of that era came out of Philly.
The architects of that sound - Kenny Gamble, Leon Hoff and Thom Bell brought two important ingrediants to this mix- the first being an engagement with the world they lived in. Sometimes that pain and hope was obvious (i.e., For The Love of Money, Am I Black Enough For You, Wake Up Everybody) and sometimes it was subtle. For instnce, when you hear Wilson Pickett sing 'Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You' it can be taken at face-value - as a song about being happy with what you got. It can also be read as the general unease african-americans were living with at that time.
The other thing that distinguishes the Phily Sound from other labels was a lush sound that rivaled Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. Whether they were working someone with the strength of Teddy Pendergrass, the vulnerbility of Dusty Springfield, or the out-right beauty of the Delfonics; Gamble, Hoff, and Bell were always quick to nearly overload the sonic palate of the tune. Not content with the (compartively) straight-forward arrangements of Motown and Stax - Gamble, Hoff, and Bell brought in full orchestras, multiple percussionists, intricate horn and vocal arrangements, while never faking the funk.
So, for the 3-day weekend, I'm posting a 90-minute mix of Gamble/Hoff/Bell tunes. You may notice some big hits (Me And Mrs. Jones, Wake Up Everybody, Only The Strong Survive, etc.) missing. That's just due to me already posting those on recent mixes.
As in past longer mixes, this can be downloaded into iTunes or you can listen to the whole mix here. Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Sound of Philadelphia Track List
- O'Jays - Living For The Weekend
- The Spinners - Rubberband Man
- The Delfonics - La-La Means I Love You
- Jerry Butler - Western Union Man
- Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes - Bad Luck
- O'Jays - Now That We've Found Love
- Dusty Springfield - A Brand New Me
- The Stylistics - Betcha by Golly Wow!
- Joe Simon - Drowning In The Sea Of Love
- O'Jays - One Night Affair
- Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes - Don't Leave Me This Way
- Billy Paul - Am Black Enough For You?
- Wilson Pickett - Engine No. 9
- The Delfonics - Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)
- The Intruders - Cowboys & Girls
- Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes - The Love I Lost
- O'Jays - For The Love Of Money
- Dusty Springfield - Silly, Silly Fool
- Wilson Picket - Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You.
- Billy Paul - Brown Baby
- O'Jays - Back Stabbers
- Archie Bell - I Can't Stop Dancing
- Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes - If You Don't Know Me By Now
- Three Degrees - Precious Love
- O'Jays - Stairway to Heaven
CruelNails Radio