New MY Music Soul CD set - Motown, R&B & Classic Soul Pop of the 70s & 80s

**tjl** · 02-26-2012, 06:08 AM

Hi everyone:

I'm excited to share with you that we've custom licensed a new CD collection of 70s & 80s Soul/Pop Soul & R&B , Disco and plenty of Motown classics. The new PBS exclusive set includes many new transfers of songs from 1st generation tape sources and a few surprise extended and longer mixes. This collection also includes several , harder-to-find Philly soul dance, club and Philly area radio airplay classics. Songs that were not always huge nationwide hits, but beloved regional favorites still heard today at dance clubs and on oldies/heritage/R&B stations stations in Philadelphia and South Jersey.

Steve Massie did the excellent mastering for us, with some "special guest mixes" by Tom Moulton. The cd set is part of a special re-release of TJL's "Superstars of 70s Soul [[expanded edition) tv special and DVD, which returns to public television stations in March [[starting March 3rd, check local listings).

Here's the track list [[128 songs, 111 original hit recordings), with a few notes:

1. Close The Door - Teddy Pendergrass
2. You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine - Lou Rawls
3. Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now - McFadden & Whitehead
4. Soul City Walk - Archie Bell & The Drells
5. Don't Leave Me This Way - Teddy Pendergrass with Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes [[stereo single version)
6. Best of My Love - The Emotions
7. Got To Be Real - Cheryl Lynn
8. Shame - Evelyn Champagne King
9, I'll Always Love My Mama - The Intruders [[stereo single version)
10. Native New Yorker - Odyssey [[stereo single version)
11. Back Stabbers - The O'Jays
12. After The Love Has Gone - Earth, Wind & Fire
13. Turn Off The Lights - Teddy Pendergrass
14. Me & Mrs. Jones - Billy Paul
15. If You Don't Know Me By Now - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
16. La La Means I Love You - The Delfonics
17. Slow Hand - The Pointer Sisters
18. Lean On Me - Bill Withers
19. Midnight Train To Georgia - Gladys Knight & The Pips
20. Kiss & Say Goodbye - The Manhattans
21. Love Train - The O'Jays
22. Boogie Wonderland - Earth, Wind & Fire
23. T.S.O.P. - MFS Featuring The Three Degrees
24. You Don't Have To Be A Star [[To Be In My Show) - Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr.
25. Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me - Gladys Knight & The Pips
26. When Will I See You Again - The Three Degrees
27. O-o-h Child - The Five Stairsteps
28. Always & Forever - Heatwave
29. That Lady [[Part 1) - The Isley Brothers
30. Lady Marmalade - Labelle featuring Patti Labelle
31. Turn The Beat Around - Vicki Sue Robinson
32. Rock The Boat - The Hues Corporation
33. Didn't I [[Blow Your Mind This Time) - The Delfonics
34. Together - The Intruders
35. Shining Star - The Manhattans
36. Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye
37. He's So Shy - The Pointer Sisters
38. Love Or Let Me Be Lonely - The Friends of Distinction
39. Trying To Make A Fool Of Me - The Delfonics
40. Everybody Plays The Fool - The Main Ingredient
41. Ladies' Night - Kool & The Gang
42. Celebration - Kool & The Gang
43. Can't Get Enough of Your Love Babe - Barry White
44. Everlasting Love - Carl Carlton
45. Car Wash - Rose Royce
46. Theme From Shaft - Isaac Hayes
47. Brick House - The Commodores
48. Keep On Truckin' [[Part 1) - Eddie Kendricks
49. Ain't No Woman [[Like The One I Got) - The Four Tops
50. I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross
51. Papa Was A Rollin' Stone - The Temptations
52. Band Of Gold - Freda Payne
53. Want Ads - Honey Cone
54. It's A Shame - The Spinners
55. I Want You Back - The Jackson Five
56. I've never Been To Me - Charlene
57. Statue Of A Fool - David Ruffin
58. I Believe In You & Me - The Four Tops
59. Never Can Say Goodbye - Gloria Gaynor
60. Don't Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
61. If I Can't Have You - Yvonne Elliman
62. Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye
63. Super Freak - Rick James
64. Heaven Must Have Sent You - Bonnie Pointer
65. Walk Away From Love - David Ruffin
66. When She Was My Girl - The Four Tops
67. Hot Stuff - Donna Summer
68. Touch Me In The Morning - Diana Ross
69. Distant Lover - Marvin Gaye
70. Signed, Sealed, Delivered [[I'm Yours) - Stevie Wonder
71. You & I - Rick James
72. War - Edwin Starr
73. Cruisin' - Smokey Robinson
74. Cherish - Kool & The Gang
75. It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday - G.C. Cameron
76. I'll Be There - The Jackson Five
77. Until You Come Back To Me - Aretha Franklin
78. Slide Show - Blue Magic
79. I'm Every Woman - Chaka Kahn
80. We Are Family - Sister Sledge
81. Disco Inferno - The Trammps
82. One In A Million You - Larry Graham
83. Love Won't Let Me Wait - Major Harris
84. Rock Your Baby - George McCrae
85. Love Land - Charles Wright & The 103rd Street Watts Rhythm Band
86. Love On A Two Way Street - The Moments
87. Move On Up - Curtis Mayfield [[stereo single version)
88. Games People Play - The Spinners
89. Good Times - Chic
90. I'll Be Around - The Spinners [[special extended Tom Moulton mix)
91. Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get - The Dramatics
92. Working My Way Back To You/Forgive Me Girl - The Spinners
93. If I Ever Lose This Heaven - Average White Band
94. If Loving You Is Right - Luther Ingram
95. Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack
96. Got To Get You Back - Sons of Robin Stone [[new stereo mix)
97. Show And Tell - Al Wilson
98. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart? - Al Green
99. Right On The Tip of My Tongue - Brenda & The Tabulations [[new stereo mix)
100. Lead Me On - Maxine Nightingale
101. You Make Me Feel Brand New - The Stylistics
102. Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel - Tavares
103. Standing In The Darkness - The Ethics [[new stereo mix)
104. Lovin' You - Minnie Ripperton
105. Let's Stay Together - Al Green
106. More Than A Woman - Tavares
107. You Are Everything - The Stylistics
108. Right Back Where We Started From - Maxine Nightingale
109. Boogie Oogie Oogie - A Taste of Honey
110. Don't Take Away The Music - Tavares
111 - 127: Soul Legends Soundtrack [[live versions)
128. ** CD Bonus original recording track) Big Stone Wall - Tapestry [[new stereo mix)

Thanks as always to everyone on SDF for being such an inspiration, I hope you like this special collection.
- tj

**soulster** · 02-26-2012, 07:06 AM

tj,

I own just about every single song on here already. I am very familiar with Steve's work, and like it very much, so I know the box sounds great.

But, I would need more detailed information before I plunk down my money for this box. Like, which are new transfers, which are single versions, ect. I know there are extended and stereo mixes, so I don't really hold out much hope for this set having the actual single versions of the songs i've listed below, some of which are very rare on CD, or have never had the single version on CD. My getting the set depends on this.

1. Close The Door - Teddy Pendergrass [[45 version has never been issued on CD)
12. After The Love Has Gone - Earth, Wind & Fire [[true 45 version has never been issued on CD)
18. Lean On Me - Bill Withers [[true 45 length has never made it to CD)
23. T.S.O.P. - MFSB Featuring The Three Degrees [[frankly, i'm tired of getting the disco remix on CD)
24. You Don't Have To Be A Star [[To Be In My Show) - Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. [[the 45 edit is rare as hen's teeth on CD)
28. Always & Forever - Heatwave [[I am aware of only one CD getting the correct 45 edit)
32. Rock The Boat - The Hues Corporation [[I am aware of only one CD getting the correct 45 length)
36. Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye [[the actual 45 version has never been issued on CD)
40. Everybody Plays The Fool - The Main Ingredient [[I am aware of only one CD having the full-length 45 version)
43. Can't Get Enough of Your Love Babe - Barry White [[as far as I know, the correct 45 edit has never made it to CD)
52. Band Of Gold - Freda Payne [[the correct 45 mix has never made it to CD)
53. Want Ads - Honey Cone [[the correct 45 mix has never made it to CD)
54. It's A Shame - The Spinners [[the 45 mono mix is superior)
55. I Want You Back - The Jackson Five [[the 45 mono mix is superior)
76. I'll Be There - The Jackson Five [[the 45 mono mix is superior)
84. Rock Your Baby - George McCrae [[the 45 mix has only ever shown up on one CD waaay back in the late 80s, and it sounded awful)

**tjl** · 02-26-2012, 08:05 AM

Whew - - great questions. Really great questions, but i don't know all the answers [[as I haven't recieved my copies yet - and sometimes things change from reference discs to actual pressed discs).

First, let me say so there's no confusion, this is not a "singles" collection, it wasn't intended to be a singles collection, it's meant to be more of a mix of some harder to get single versions, the cleanest versions we could custom compile, some new extended mixes and transfers, and some intersting first time to cd transfers [[like the single version of "Don't Leave Me This Way" from Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, on the same collection as Thelma Houston's version -- I think that's a first)? I can say there is no mono that I'm aware of, as we really went for the best sounding stereo on this one, some are radio versions made for radio airplay. Sadly, we didn't have time with this release to make track notations for every source, but will try to post something in the future online.

What I can share from the refernce discs I've heard is that all the PIR material is like I've never heard it before. We were granted access to some very high quality 1st generation transfers for this project.

Tom, Steve and myself have never heard many of the songs across each disc on this set, sound this way - - parts in the music that we're always there, but [[from variois releases in the past seemed to have suffered from multi-generation distortion, hiss and loss.) All 111 original tracks are not flawless - - but they do sound really good and some very different from what's been out there before, as the sources are very clear.

So for example, the Spinners "I''ts A Shame", is where Tom made new special re-extended mix for us [[complete with a jaw dropping acapella vocal section that had my heart pounding), not the 45 single though, but not anything that's made it to CD before. Hearing Ron Tyson's sections in The Ethics [[extended), Tapesty in a new extended stereo mix [[Big Stone Wall - - whoa what a tune), and many more surprises like first generation clarity of the Delphonics songs [[which is the original single edit of Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time) - - and a crystal clear "Trying To Make A Fool Of Me" and "La La" is chilling. A New mix of "Got To Get You Back" by the Sons of Robin Stone is another great find. Of course, that's always subjective and in the ears of eachof us.

Some other hightlights, the Billy and Marilyn song "You Don't Have To Be A Star" we went for the version that starts with the oooos and ahhs and vocal harmonies before the downbeat [[not sure if that's the single or not - - but I know it's harder to get on CD - - and one I've searched to find for years, we used to play this version on the radio when Pittsburgh was Jammin' Oldies and I did a show called "Soul Of The City). Always and Forever, to the best of my knowledge is the 45 single version, "Rock The Boat" is a crystal clean version that has extended horns at the end, Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" is also different from the usual, with a surprise in the beginning, as is Bobby Womack's "Across 110th Street" very dynamic. But, I think it's best to have someone else do the reviewing and share their feelings here, since making custom compilation projects this broad can be very very subjective to all of us.

We've made the effort to put something different together. But the goal I hope, is that you'd support PBS for what it does 365 days a year - - we did this project as a thank you gift to contributors that pledge. I just wanted to share some of the details I do have here and now with the group. I very much appreciate your passions, thoughts and feedback, if not for this collection, perhaps a future one. Please email me anytime to let me know your thoughts and ideas - - I promise I'll listen and consider for all our TJL releases and plans.

best and warmest;
- tj

**soulster** · 02-26-2012, 08:24 AM

I appreciate that, tj, and I have communicated with you in the past on at least one other project, so you know I approach this as a collector.

I will indeed email you with any further suggestions or thoughts in the future.

Bottom line is that I will have to hear some of these tracks first. Money's tight these days, and I have to put it where it counts. Gone are the days when I could buy blind.