Re-visiting a classic: "Black and Blue" by Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes

[tsull1]

In one of my many residential moves, I traded in some vinyl or lost some, foolishly one of my favorite albums, "Black and Blue" disappeared. For years I've tried to replace it on CD to no avail. Then some kind soul on this board pointed me to importcds.com, which indeed had it. So it arrives yesterday and I'm like a kid in a candy store. Boy, what a great production. Here we go in track order:

1. Cabaret: Huh? Why? Interesting lead to a great album, though sung well, it doesn't fit. I guess they're trying to capture the night club act with this old standard. It reminds me of the Spinners "Live" album leading off with "Fascinating Rhythm" and leaving out "I'll Be Around" and "It's a Shame" on a 2-record album. All I have to say for both of these experiences is, WTF?!!

2. The Love I Lost: OK, the group [[and Gamble & Huff) redeem themselves in a big, big way from the opening track with this epic hit. Simply a great, moving tune that was originally supposed to be a ballad. Some consider it the first disco hit. I consider it tremendous R & B ... Teddy near his peak on this one.

3. It All Depends On You: A tremendous ballad that I'd forgotten about. The classic G & H/MFSB/Thom Bell French Horn intro. Harold and Teddy rotating lead vocals. Excellent track!

4. Concentrate On Me: Another great album track ballad that has been lost a bit over the years, but shouldn't be. Like the previous track, often left off compilation and hits packages. A great tune.

5. Satisfaction Guaranteed [[Or Take Your Love Back): My second favorite tune on the album and one of my favorite Blue Notes songs. Great song with a great theme. Love Teddy's loud grunts on this one. Fun tune.

6. Is There a Place For Me: Kind of like another one of their songs, "Where Are All My Friends" in that don't be fooled by the fast pace, this is a sad song. When the lead starts off saying he's had four wives and now he's all alone, you know something's not right. But this song is very right, it's excellent.

7. I'm Weak for You: My favorite tune on the album, the slow bluesy ballad is a great one. Again, I like the rotating leads from Harold and Teddy, Teddy eventually taking over, of course.

8. I'm Coming Home Tomorrow: Another great album track I'd forgotten about. A wonderful home coming song.

* The import CD has additional longer tracks of "The Love I Lost" and "I'm Weak for You" which is great.

* Bobbie Eli's liner notes are superb, some very good stories there, including Harold's jealousy of Teddy and how Harold lived it up in nice hotels on the road, while putting the rest of the group in Motel 6. Yikes, group politics weren't good here. I knew a little of this already.

* Gamble and Huff wrote each song, Bobbie Martin does some nice arranging.

[tamla617]

i remember listening to this in my mates battered triumph herald [[60's british car) i hated that caberet track.some good stuff on the album,but not up to the previous self titled album [[imo),with i miss you,be for real etc.but still a good lp.
glad you got a copy,its hell when you cant get records you've had and lost,sold etc.took me 15 years to get an album back i lost.it eats you away!

[tsull1]

Thanks Tamla, yes, getting a CD of lost vinyl or getting another vinyl copy of a long, lost record is like opening presents on Christmas day. It feels very good! For some reason I lost that gem. I was wise enough to keep all Spinners, Tempts, and O'Jays, and various others, but I lost this one as well as "Euphrates River" by The Main Ingredient [[since replaced by another vinyl copy), "Drama V" by The Dramatics [[that one is killing me, BTW, can't find a replacement), and so on.

Yes, someone should've told Gamble and Huff to ax "Cabaret" -- c'mon man! Good grief, like that "Fascinating Rhythm" on "Spinners Live" ... makes absolutely no sense. If I want to hear show tunes and standards, I'll go to a play.

[daddyacey]

Yes ,this is an excellent album by HM&TBN. The group had been around however long before Gamble & Huff produced them and the "Cabaret" track it seemed to me was an exhibit of the versatile vocal talents of the group ,as Gordy had done with the Motown artists, to do standards as well as Soul/R&B. An effort to present the group in a way other than just current ballard and R&B styles. Although it seems out of place on the album ,it did appeal to those who were into that "Jazzy" ,lounge style. A move by G&H to take full advantage of the label deal they had with CBS ,a major at the time that had invested in the Black Music market ,and an attempt to develop a diversified R&B/SOUL artist roster with mainstream pop talent ,as for example The Tops were for B.G. G&H did the same with M.F.S.B with "MY One And Only Love and it's jazzed up version of "Cheaper To Keep Her".

[uptight]

Just as G&H would also encourage Billy Paul to include jazzy tunes on his R&B albums, I didn't mind those. When I was a kid my friends and I who played the Spinners LPs enjoyed all the tracks on those albums, including "Fascinating Rhythm" or "Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You." The same for G&H's albums by Lou Rawls. We thought they were classy tracks.

[heikki]

Hi!

http://www.soulexpress.net/deep410.htm#haroldmelvin

Best regards
Heikki

[platters81]

Thanks Tamla, yes, getting a CD of lost vinyl or getting another vinyl copy of a long, lost record is like opening presents on Christmas day. It feels very good! For some reason I lost that gem. I was wise enough to keep all Spinners, Tempts, and O'Jays, and various others, but I lost this one as well as "Euphrates River" by The Main Ingredient [[since replaced by another vinyl copy), "Drama V" by The Dramatics [[that one is killing me, BTW, can't find a replacement), and so on.

Yes, someone should've told Gamble and Huff to ax "Cabaret" -- c'mon man! Good grief, like that "Fascinating Rhythm" on "Spinners Live" ... makes absolutely no sense. If I want to hear show tunes and standards, I'll go to a play.
heres a link for sales of Drama V Lp...........whoops cant copy the link but theres several copies for sale on Gemm

[paladin]

Yes ,this is an excellent album by HM&TBN. The group had been around however long before Gamble & Huff produced them and the "Cabaret" track it seemed to me was an exhibit of the versatile vocal talents of the group ,as Gordy had done with the Motown artists, to do standards as well as Soul/R&B. An effort to present the group in a way other than just current ballard and R&B styles. Although it seems out of place on the album ,it did appeal to those who were into that "Jazzy" ,lounge style


These guys were way ahead of their time and could sing anything and like a lot of soul artists at the time "bookings were always important" and if you could sing standards, you could almost guarantee a booking that you wouldn't get elsewhere. Additionally you may not have a hit record......The Dells, Temptations, Four Tops and many other groups followed this formula to moderate success. Personally, I love Cabaret, and thats probably because Harold and the Blue Notes would open their shows with this tune and they were repleat in tux's, canes and straw hats.......you knew you were in for a great live show.

[tsull1]

I do think they sing "Cabaret" well, I guess I think they could find better songs for the album. I also think The Spinners sing "Fascinating Rhythm" well, but "It's a Shame" and "I'll Be Around" are left off that Live LP ... that's a crime.

Saw The Spinners last year, they opened with "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" and the place went wild. If they'd opened with "Fascinating Rhythm" I think everyone would've had puzzled looks on their faces. I get the ballad/showtunes stuff sort of, but not when you have better material to put in there and I'm guessing Gamble and Huff had a fairly extensive back catalog from which to choose.