Philly Int 40: what did they miss?

[mr soul]

Ok...so I've just finished typing all the titles/artists/composers to my Windows Media Player [phew! what a job that was as my typing skills or lack of them would make a sloth's movement look dynamic]. Now this is not a criticism of the box set, which I am enjoying listening to, however as always with these things the track listings are very subjective, no doubt everyone on SDF has a couple of favourites they could name, that should have been included.

My two are:

Yesterday I Had The Blues - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes [did they record a better song?]
Somebody Loves You - Bunny Sigler [right from the piano intro I just submerge myself right into this song & then push the repeat button, I've been hooked for 36years & counting]

So that's my choice, what's yours.

think hard 'cause two's the limit.

[Amithesameboy]

Ok...so I've just finished typing all the titles/artists/composers to my Windows Media Player [phew! what a job that was as my typing skills or lack of them would make a sloth's movement look dynamic]. Now this is not a criticism of the box set, which I am enjoying listening to, however as always with these things the track listings are very subjective, no doubt everyone on SDF has a couple of favourites they could name, that should have been included.

My two are:

Yesterday I Had The Blues - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes [did they record a better song?]
Somebody Loves You - Bunny Sigler [right from the piano intro I just submerge myself right into this song & then push the repeat button, I've been hooked for 36years & counting]

So that's my choice, what's yours.

think hard 'cause two's the limit.

Love Train - Bunny Sigler
I wanna know your name - Intruders

[manny]

Hi, Mr. Soul

A few years ago I bought "My Music" CD by Bunny Sigler at a web music store [[issued by UK Edsel). Until now the only one track I was familiarized with is "Come On And Dance, Dance, Dance" that was included in the 14 x LP's box by UK Street Sounds "Philly Story"... and i was immediately falling in love with THAT PIANO INTRO! Definitively one of my Bunny's faves jointly with "Regina".

We can name some classic tracks and also some obscure but real gems "in senso stricto" for their intrinsically value and from a "general public point of view". Also we can consider the fact that some "recent" compilations reissues includes some of these more obscure tunes [["Yesterday I Had The Blues" was included in the 3 x CD box "G & H and the History of Brotherly Love")... I wanna say, after "thinking very hard" the two ones I likes a lot and, in addition, I don't have it on CD [[only on vynil):

- "OPUS DE FUNK" - People's Choice. [[from the "We Got The Rythm" TSOP album, 1976). An Opera Funk with mellow feel and good organ jam and amazing saxo alt by Sam Peak.

- "Never Repay Your Love" - Anthony White [[from the "It Could Be magic" PIR 1975 - 76? LP). This is smooth, mellow and at the same time "deep" flavored with only comparison with "Slow Motion" by Johnny Williams in the whole PIR catalogue. Also, reminds me the same feel of intimate soul on "Never Say Can't You Survive" by Curtis Mayfield [[the same kind of horns riffs).

Cheers to all!

[soulster]

Well, a few of my favorite singles, and they were significant hits, didn't make the cut:

I Wanna Know Your Name - The Intruders
I'm Not In Love - Dee Dee Sharp
Thanks For Saving My Life - Billy Paul
Slow Motion - Bunny Sigler

It was said by someone somewhere that these titles were all supposed to be only what was released on the PIR label proper. However, a couple of them were issued on the subsidiary label TSOP, like the People's Choice. So, the Dee Dee Sharp song could have been included.

I personally wish they would have added the Gamble tracks like "Cowboys To Girls" by The Intruders, or from the late 60s as well. As far as i'm concerned, they were essentially PIR songs anyway. Just my opinion.

[manny]

Yep! Soulster, if you name FOUR [[not only two), I add two more tracks [[heheheheh...!!) [["maquiavelic" laugh)

- "How Time Flyes" - The O'Jays [[a rare moment with a Bill Powell falsetto intro; I never understand how G & H don't give Bill the opportunity to play more lead on more tunes)
- "Virgin Girl" - Soul Survivors [[perhaps the most mellow ballad in the entire PIR catalogue, with nice neil Larsen organ and some nice spanish guitar part)

[soulster]

Yep! Soulster, if you name FOUR [[not only two), I add two more tracks [[heheheheh...!!) [["maquiavelic" laugh)

- "How Time Flyes" - The O'Jays [[a rare moment with a Bill Powell falsetto intro; I never understand how G & H don't give Bill the opportunity to play more lead on more tunes)
- "Virgin Girl" - Soul Survivors [[perhaps the most mellow ballad in the entire PIR catalogue, with nice neil Larsen organ and some nice spanish guitar part)

Were those singles? The ones I listed were all singles.

[manny]

Were those singles? The ones I listed were all singles.

We got to name "only" single realises...? I think there are many tracks in the 40th Anniversary box that not were issued as 7" or 12"... i.e. "Soncere" by Michael Pedicin or "For The Love Of Money" by Thad Jones / Mel Lewis.
Anyway, "Virgin Girl" here in Spain was the B side of "What It Takes" single. [[BTW, I'll examine the long list of the PIR discography on the booklet... so little characters!)

Cheers

[mr_june]

I want to know why they picked The Intruders "A Nice Girl Like You." I like the song but it seems like a random pick to say the least. How about "Call Me" from the Cowboys To Girls album. That is a very nice version of that song.

And any chance I get I'm gonna say it but while you're at it how about the Intruders box set or at least the albums that have never been on CD. Dead horse I know but it's really wierd that they have neglected to do that. Is there a "the reason we haven't done that is" reason going on? Very frustrating for a big Intruders fan. I wish I had Kenny's and Leon's e-mail address.

[roger]

I want to know why they picked The Intruders "A Nice Girl Like You." I like the song but it seems like a random pick to say the least.

Well .. it was a 45 mr_june . on T.S.O.P. in the U.S. and Philadelphia International in the U.K. and Europe.

Having looked through the tracklist my "two that are missing", and that I would consider ESSENTIAL on any P.I.R. anthology would be ..

PEOPLES CHOICE - "Moving In All Directions"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ydh5C_4ays

and ...

HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUENOTES - "You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1q0Po-KCsg

Roger

[mr soul]

It didn't take long for Soulster to up the ante, although "I Wanna Know Your Name" would have been my 3rd choice, had I made it! lol.

Manny...the recent compilation that you refer to, which had "Yesterday I Had The Blues" came out in 1997 lol.

Nice ones Roger & Amithesameboy keep 'em coming, food for thought for volume 2 huh!

Mr June...you'd be behind me in the queue for the Intruders box set.

[daddyacey]

mr soul;;;; Thanks for opening this can of worms! [[lol) Not a surprise, considering your ear ,etc. etc.
So I hope you understand that ...I can't do just two choices..


H. Melvin & Blue Notes---Tell The World How I Feel About You.

Archie Bell & the Drells---Lets Go Disco

MFSB----Summertime And I'm Feeling Mellow

Leon Huff---I Aint Jiving I'm Jammin

Jones Girls--- I Close My Eyes
I Just Love The Man

Billy Paul ---Lets Make A Baby
How Good Is Your Game

O"JAYS Time To Get Down
Livin For The Weekend

That's just a few that I would like.

[mr soul]

Daddyacey...when I posted I knew it wouldn't take long...as I've been guilty of doing the same previously [I'll have to stop livin' on the edge].

of your list the MFSB, Leon Huff, Billy Paul's "Lets Make A Baby" & O'Jays "Livin For The Weekend" [that's the thing about having to type in all the titles and recently enough for me not to have forgotten them lol]

[Amithesameboy]

I want to know why they picked The Intruders "A Nice Girl Like You." I like the song but it seems like a random pick to say the least. How about "Call Me" from the Cowboys To Girls album. That is a very nice version of that song.

And any chance I get I'm gonna say it but while you're at it how about the Intruders box set or at least the albums that have never been on CD. Dead horse I know but it's really wierd that they have neglected to do that. Is there a "the reason we haven't done that is" reason going on? Very frustrating for a big Intruders fan. I wish I had Kenny's and Leon's e-mail address.

I am totally agreed about the Intruders box set - I would buy it at any price whatsoever.

Can' t agree about the " Call me " track though : nothing wrong with the record at all, but putting anything on the box set that pre-dates the 40th anniversary doesn' t make sense.

[mr soul]

Amithesameboy...this is pure fantasy as an Intruders box set will never happen...however I do feel that any box set should represent the whole of the artists career up to that point, so the best box sets for me are the ones that give you everything warts 'n' all...although I'd still buy it if they just did the Philly Int. stuff.

[tom_moulton]

MR. Soul, I wouldn't be so sure. It only took Gamble 35 years to finally agree about the Philadelphia International Classics box and I also asked him about doing an Intruders Box set about the same time and always mention it when I see him. The wheels turn very slow at PIR, but they do turn.

[no_place_like_motown]

I'd be happy with a "Complete A&B Sides" by the Intruders if a box set isn't possible although chances are probably slim with that idea as well. The group had some great "B" sides.

[soulster]

It didn't take long for Soulster to up the ante, although "I Wanna Know Your Name" would have been my 3rd choice, had I made it! lol.


Huh? What's I do now? :)

[manny]

Hi, dear Tom Moulton [[Mr. "Trade Mark" or "T.M." :) )

What can you explain to us about the quantity and the quality of unissued stuff in the PIR vaults and if, finally, with the 40th [[or perhaps at the 50th) anniversary pretext, G & H, in your opinion, can or want finally put this treasures availables...?

I have read many things about those unissued stuff, here at SDF, others i don't remember where, some possibly untrhues,... a certain Dennis Edward's LP; many Love Committee, Ron Tyson solo, Phillipe Wynne, MFSB, Johnny Williams, Silk, Anthony White,... stuff enough for one or more LP's by those artists. The last thing I have read was a comment in Youtube by Bruce haws who says he got some MFSB tracks he wrote that were recorded and are unissued [[uuufff! If there are a track like "Bitter Sweet" in the vaults, this is UNJUST, brothers!!)

A great salute from Spain and cheers to all.
Viva el Sonido de Filadelfia!!

[mr soul]

Thanks Tom it's nice to know your rooting for the cause, although whether I'll be around in another 35 years is questionable. lol.

Soulster...I'll let you off this time, methinks though, I've got a very slight inkling that it won't stop you from doing it again on another thread.

[jdwheat]

Thank You - Kaleidoscope
We're Not Getting Any Younger - Kaleidoscope
:[[

[mr soul]

Jdwheat...I've only got a needle drop of "We're No Getting Anmy Younger" from a promo LP called "Get Down With The Philly Sound" which I nailed onto CD several years ago, so it would have been nice to have a proper copy.

[soulster]

Soulster...I'll let you off this time, methinks though, I've got a very slight inkling that it won't stop you from doing it again on another thread.

I still have no idea of what you're talking about.

[tom_moulton]

Manny, Gamble has a lot of unissued sessions in the can. One of the problems is a lot of it hasn't been mixed and there is the cost factor.

[theboyfromxtown]

I'm not buying that one Tom. Not more than 40 years after they were recordedf

You only have to look on youtube to see that there's a mountain of people out there who would do it for free. Not everyone does stuff for the love of money.

There was a lot of hard work put in by the people involved in those unreleased recordings and it's a real shame that their talents have to be hidden away because of monetary considerations.

Bobby Eli used to get my juices going overboard on SDF with his tales of Norman Harris, Jermaine Jackson, Elton John etc

[soulster]

Lesson 101: Never do anything for free.

[manny]

Manny, Gamble has a lot of unissued sessions in the can. One of the problems is a lot of it hasn't been mixed and there is the cost factor.

Many thanks, Tom. But I knows that fact you have explain any other time. Anyway, from those little bit of unrealised stuff that is mixed [[i.e., I think, the case of Dennis Edward's album) what ones you knows; and, in general, who are the most "rare" artists who have recorded unissued stuff for PIR or using Sigma and Sigma musicians, producers, etc. that you knows [["rare" in the sense that their relation with Philly is not obvious; I think in the case of "southern soul" style singer of Freddie Scott or Bobby Martin producing LJ Reynolds or Etta James!)

Thanks again and a great salute to all!


P.D.: returning to the subject of the thread one track, another track I missed specially, because the "first track-list" of the CD #3 included it and after this track list was changed [[!!!???), is the mellow "Another World" by Elliot Hoffman.

[theboyfromxtown]

Lesson 101: Never do anything for free.

I don't agree.

Nevertheless, we all now know not to ask you for any favours.

[mr soul]

Surely if anyone's going to make any money out of it, it's now, do you think anyone will care about these recordings in 10 or 20 years, I know I won't be around to buy them & even if I am the nursing home will be taking all my money.

Theboyfromxtown...I agree your I don't agree.

[soulster]

I don't agree.

Nevertheless, we all now know not to ask you for any favours.

You know what I mean! Digging up a tape for someone for free, that's no big deal. It's an act of courtesy. To do a mixing project for free is quite something else. If you do something like this for free, a union job, BTW, people will expect you do work for free all the time, or they will attempt to underpay you. You cannot parlet it into a paying gig. That is what I meant!

[tom_moulton]

theboyfromxtown , That's the problem right there. If your not buying it Gamble's not doing it! Demon had to pay for EVERYTHING when they licensed all those PIR tracks. The Multi transfers and tape copies. There was no charity there. In this economy it's difficult to know what's going to sell and if there would be a big enough demand to make it worth while. Even with SONY there is a break even point on releasing something that doesn't have the potential of doing better then that. You really can't blame them. We are Lucky to have a label like Harmless/Demon who believes in something enough and is willing to spend some money to do something right. Because of the success of this project they are considering doing some others and going back to the multi-tracks and doing them right. That great Mel & Tim record has more meaning now then it did when it was first released. The first line of the song really applies to what we are going through now.

[texassoul]

Fantastic discussion here and spot on suggestions about songs that should have been included. For me it's:

O'Jays - Let Life Flow

[Amithesameboy]

Fantastic discussion here and spot on suggestions about songs that should have been included. For me it's:

O'Jays - Let Life Flow

It IS included ! Dont people check things before posting ?: )