Producers, writers, and musicians Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, with their Philly International label, were a cottage industry of mammoth proportions. From MFSB, with or without the Three Degrees, and the Intruders to Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes and on to the O'Jays, who had nine R&B hit singles on the label, Gamble & Huff were behind a veritable treasure-trove of enduring and endearing smooth soul masterpieces.
Philadelphia Classics is a four-sided affair, showcasing the duo's near-permanent, long-term stable of artists across some monstrous arrangements -- so don't expect to find any material from brief one-off encounters here. Split evenly among the above five artists, the selections very nicely collect the string-heavy soul grooves and light beats that epitomized the Philly sound. The emphasis across this double album is on extended mixes. Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes clock in with an 11-minute "Don't Leave Me This Way" and a not-quite-so-epic "Bad Luck" one side later. Included, of course, is the duo's self-defining "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)," performed by MFSB with the Three Degrees. Elsewhere, the weak inclusion of the Intruders' throwaway "I'll Always Love My Mama" does let the side down a little, but only to bounce back with two stellar cuts from the O'Jays, "Love Train" and "I Love Music." Time, sadly, perhaps takes away some of the glory of this material. The disco sounds dated, and jostled together in a compilation the songs, too, lose some of their punch. But still, this is a nifty little slice of the Gamble & Huff pie.
Philadelphia Classics is a four-sided affair, showcasing the duo's near-permanent, long-term stable of artists across some monstrous arrangements -- so don't expect to find any material from brief one-off encounters here. Split evenly among the above five artists, the selections very nicely collect the string-heavy soul grooves and light beats that epitomized the Philly sound. The emphasis across this double album is on extended mixes. Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes clock in with an 11-minute "Don't Leave Me This Way" and a not-quite-so-epic "Bad Luck" one side later. Included, of course, is the duo's self-defining "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)," performed by MFSB with the Three Degrees. Elsewhere, the weak inclusion of the Intruders' throwaway "I'll Always Love My Mama" does let the side down a little, but only to bounce back with two stellar cuts from the O'Jays, "Love Train" and "I Love Music." Time, sadly, perhaps takes away some of the glory of this material. The disco sounds dated, and jostled together in a compilation the songs, too, lose some of their punch. But still, this is a nifty little slice of the Gamble & Huff pie.
TRACKLIST:
1. MFSB – Love Is The Message (11:30)
2. MFSB – TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia) (feat. The Three Degrees) (5:45)
3. The Three Degrees – Dirty Ol' Man (8:19)
4. The O'Jays – I Love Music (9:43)
5. Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – Don't Leave Me This Way (11:03)
6. The O'Jays – Love Train (6:14)
7. Intruders – I'll Always Love My Mama (9:44)
8. Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – Bad Luck (8:00)
Bonus Track :
9. People's Choice – Do It Any Way You Wanna (5:35)
:: LOSSLESS ::
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:: CBR 320 kbps ::
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