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Classic Philly soul from Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – a killer batch of studio tracks, despite the live image of the group on the cover! The album's got a slightly more expansive feel than some of the other Teddy Pendergrass-era albums by The Blue Notes – almost a mini-symphony of soul, and one that takes arrangements from Bobby Martin, Norman Harris, and Vince Montana – and wraps the vocals up in a soaring, righteous sort of feel! The rougher, more personal Teddy Pendergrass style of I Miss You is folded a bit more into the harmonies of the rest of the group here – and the result is a powerful wave of soul that pushes The Blue Notes right to the top of the pack. The album features classics like "The Love I Lost" and "Is There A Place For Me" – plus other nice material like "Concentrate On Me", "It All Depends On You", and "I'm Weak For You". This CD edition has 2 bonus tracks: "The Love I Lost (Part 1 – Single Version)" and "I'm Weak For You (Part 1 – Single Version)".

A non-Philly International, non-Teddy LP for the group – but still recorded in the City of Brotherly Love, with a classic 70's sound that's pretty similar to their work with Gamble & Huff. Titles include "Hostage", "He Loves You And I Do Too", "Stay Together", and "Reaching For The World".

We never tire of this one – and we think it's a landmark soul LP that forever changed the face of soul music! Teddy Pendergrass is in perfect form, and he really gets into it on the album's 2 incredible long tracks – "I Miss You", and "Be For Real" – both with amazing monologues that will knock your socks off! The rest of the LP is prime Philly stuff with a sound that's a lot more soulful and less uptempo than their later ones – and tracks include the hit "If You Don't Know Me By Now", "Ebony Woman", "Yesterday I Had The Blues", and "Let It Be You". CD features a bonus live version of "If You Don't Know Me By Now", from 1973!

Teddy Pendergrass and crew get a bit more political than on earlier releases, and adopt the righteous bubbling soul groove that had put the O'Jays over the top a few years earlier – with incredible results! The title cut – "Wake Up Everybody" – would prove to be a great example of the political Philly International hit formula applied to socially conscious themes, but the record probably scored even bigger with the club crossover hit "Don't Leave Me This Way". Other tracks include "Keep On Lovin You", "Tell The World How I Feel About Cha Baby", "I'm Searching For A Love", and "You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good" – the latter two of which also feature female vocals by Sharon Paige. Bobby Martin, Norman Harris, and Ronnie Baker did the arrangements – and this was Teddy's last LP with the group.

Sublime work from one of our favorite groups ever on Salsoul Records – the amazing harmony quartet Double Expsoure – soaring out here in a set of Philly gems produced by Norman Harris! The album's got a wonderful sound right from the start – rich in rhythms, yet also soaring on harmonies that few other Philly acts could even touch – especially at this point in the 70s, when the group sound seemed to be waning a bit on other fronts. In a way, Double Exposure really carry on the best tradition of the east coast scene with a set like this – pushing things forward with rolling grooves for the clubs, yet also showing that they still can have a special way with a ballad too – a blend that's maybe only matched by Teddy Pendergrass-era work by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. Titles include "Newsy Neighbors", "Perfect Lover", "There's Something Missing", "Handy Man", and "Why Do You Have to Leave". CD features bonus tracks – "Perfect Lover (orig single)", "Newsy Neighbors (unreleased 12" mix)", and "Newsy Neighbors (orig single)".

The setting is the Golden Gate, but the sound is pure Philly International – a rare early live performance from the label, featuring some of its key vocal heavyweights working here with live accompaniment from MFSB! Although the instrumental group backed Philly artists often in the studio, this 1973 concert marks the only time they worked live with the singers – in a stunning showcase for the young label, performed as part of a Columbia Records convention in San Francisco! Given the setting, and the uniqueness of the whole event, the CD release of this rare material is a treasure for soul fans of many generations – a rare addition to the amazing run of music the label first started giving us at the time. The set begins with MFSB doing a version of "Freddie's Dead" – then runs into Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes singing "I Miss You", "The Love I Lost", and "If You Don't Know Me By Now" – followed by Three Degrees on "I Didn't Know" and "Dirty Ol Man". MFSB then follow with "TSOP", then Billy Paul sings "East" and "Me & Mrs Jones", and the set ends with The O'Jays on "Love Train", "Sunshine", "Back Stabbers", and "When The World's At Peace".

With Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes.

As perfect a summation of the Teddy Pendergrass genius as you'll ever hope to find – a magnificent maturation of that incredible sound he first forged with Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, set forth in even more confident, sophisticated soul territory! As with the Melvin albums, there's a nice mix here of sultry ballads and groovers – the latter of which are changing with the Philly modes of the time, but still very much at the top of their game – light years from clunky commercial work, or easy dancefloor fodder. The album's stunner is "Love TKO" – a killer mellow soul track that's not only one of Teddy's best, but which has enjoyed recent popularity due to a heavy bit of sampling by hip hoppers – but the whole thing's great, and other titles include "Take Me In Your Arms Tonight", "Let Me Love You", "Girl You Know", "Is It Still Good To Ya", "I Just Called To Say", and "Can't We Try".

A great take on the sound of Philadelphia International – a double-length set of re-edits of Philly gems from years back – but all done in ways that are completely respectful to the originals! The approach here is wonderful – as warm and soulful as the Philly grooves from back in the day – but often extended and reworked slightly – the way you might have heard on a vintage 12" promo – which is even more impressive once you consider that some of these tracks never came out in that format! The choice of tracks is totally right on the money – and a great demonstration of that old school edit mode that never tried to mess with the track at all – just increase the pleasure it brought to the dancefloor – and the set features 21 very long tracks, including "Satisfaction Guaranteed (Morning Star re-edit)" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, "Only The Strong Survive (J*Ski re-edit)" by Billy Paul, "Free Love (Victor Rosado re-edit)" by Jean Carn, "Life On Mars (DJ Mila re-edit)" by Dexter Wansel, "Ain't No Stoppin Us Now (The Noodleman re-work)" by McFadden & Whitehead, "Nights Over Egypt (Womack & TOT re-edit) by The Jones Girls, "Strategy (Touchsoul re-edit)" by Archie Bell & The Drells, "Let The Dollar Circulate (Scratch N Sniff's ext re-reub)" by Billy Paul, "Darlin Darlin Baby (Deep & Disco re-work)" by The O'Jays, and "Be For Real (Tim McAllister re-edit)" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes.

Massive mixes from the mighty Tom Moulton – a huge package that not only includes some classic lost and rare mixes from the 70s, but also previously unreleased Moulton mixes, appearing here for the first time ever! If there's anyone who's ever been well-suited to reworking a Philly groove, it's Tom – given his long standing association with the soul scene in the City Of Brotherly Love – and his crucial role in pushing soul tracks into the clubs during the 70s. As with most of Tom's best work, the mixes here are richly faithful to the originals – and never try to overstate themselves at all, just focus on the best elements, and bring them to the forefront of the groove! This totally cool package features 31 mixes in all – pressed up as eight 12" EPs – most with four tracks each, leaving plenty of room for very long mixes! Titles include Moulton mixes of "Jam Jam Jam" by People's Choice, "I Don't Love You Anymore" by Teddy Pendergrass, "Party Time Man" by The Futures, "Intro/My Love Don't Come Easy" by Jean Carn, "Trusting Heart" by The Trammps, "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, "Let's Groove" by Archie Bell & The Drells, "Dirty Ol Man" by Three Degrees, "Slow Motion" by Johnny Williams, "I'll Always Love My Mama" by The Intruders, "The Devil Made Me Do It" by Robert Upchurch, "Back Stabbers" by The O'Jays, "See You When I Get There" by Lou Rawls, and "Love Epidemic" by The Trammps.

The most loving tribute to Philadelphia International that we've ever seen – a massive 10CD box set that also features a 60 page booklet, a full Philly International discography, and a huge amount of great tracks from the legendary label – over 12 hours of music in all! The track list is wonderful – put together by Ralph Tee, of Expansion Records fame – with a great ear for the full range of Philly sounds, not just the hits – which means that in addition to work by The O'Jays, Teddy Pendergrass, MFSB, and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – the set also features work by The Ebonys, Bobby Bennett, Robert Upchurch, Love Committee, Kaleidoscope, Monk Montgomery, Norman Harris, Frantique, The Dells, Silk, The Ethics, The Futures, Carolyn Crawford, and others! Great stuff all the way through – and a bargain at this price.

Massive mixes from the mighty Tom Moulton – a huge 4CD package that not only includes some classic lost and rare mixes from the 70s, but also a whopping 17 previously unreleased Moulton mixes, appearing here for the first time ever! If there's anyone who's ever been well-suited to reworking a Philly groove, it's Tom – given his long standing association with the soul scene in the City Of Brotherly Love – and his crucial role in pushing soul tracks into the clubs during the 70s. As with most of Tom's best work, the mixes here are richly faithful to the originals – and never try to overstate themselves at all, just focus on the best elements, and bring them to the forefront of the groove! 4CDs, 31 tracks, and Moulton remixes of "Back Stabbers" by The O'Jays, "Dirty Ol Man" by Three Degrees, "Trusting Heart" by The Trammps, "Do It Any Way You Wanna" by People's Choice, "Nights Over Egypt" by The Jones Girls, "I Don't Love You Anymore" by Teddy Pendergrass, "Year Of Decision" by Three Degrees, "Slow Motion" by Johnny Williams, "The Love I Lost" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, "She's A Winner" by The Intruders, "Trammps Disco Theme/Zing Went The Strings" by The Trammps, "Let's Groove" by Archie Bell & The Drells, "The Devil Made Me Do It" by Robert Upchurch, "Love Is The Message" by MFSB, "Party Time Man" by The Futures, and "See You When I Get There" by Lou Rawls.

A sweet little set of classic 70s Philly – one of the best collections of work by the team of Gamble & Huff we've ever seen! There's nothing too obscure or offbeat here – and instead, the collection focuses mostly on the massive crossover tracks produced by the pair back in the day – the landmark soul that not only redefined the sound of Philly, but also the 70s as well! And while most of this material has been on the market often over the years, it's still pretty darn nice to see it all clustered together in one place. Most titles are the full-length album versions – and the CD features 14 tracks that include "Me & Mrs Jones" by Billy Paul, "When Will I See You Again" by Three Degrees, "TSOP" by MFSB, "Do It Any Way You Wanna" by People's Choice, "I'll Always Love My Mama" by The Intruders, "Use Ta Be My Girl" by The O'Jays, "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" by Lou Rawls, "The Love I Lost" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, "Back Stabbers" by The O'Jays, "Love Train" by The O'Jays, "Ain't No Stoppin Us Now" by McFadden & Whitehead, "Close The Door" by Teddy Pendergrass, and "If You Only Knew" by Patti LaBelle.

A strange but great chapter of The Blue Notes – working here without Harold Melvin or Teddy Pendergrass, but still sounding pretty great on their own! This version of The Blue Notes is a male quartet – not the Melvin group with Sharon Paige who were recording for ABC – and they get some fresh help in the studio from George Perry, who brings in this soaring groove that still echoes earlier Philly work, but also has a bit more of a clubby vibe overall! The style's never disco, but makes for some great uptempo soul – the sort that really lets the group's wonderful vocal style soar strongly – a rich blend that's totally great even without Teddy, and which has a great mix of raspy leads and warm harmonies. Titles include the wicked jazzy dancer "The Girl Makes Me Wanna Sing" – plus "It's Over", "Memories", "Standing By You Girl", "People Are Running Around", and "The Truth Has Come To Light".

Teddy Pendergrass – we love you! This is one of Mr. P's greatest albums of smooth mellow soul – recorded after he left Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, and began working in a wonderfully warm solo style that had a huge influence on male vocal soul for years to come! The sound here is tremendous – nearly perfect all the way through, with a great balance between class, sophistication, and soul – clearly an indication that Teddy made the right move by going on his own. The record features the classic "The Whole Town's Laughing At Me", plus lots of other nice material like "Be Sure", "Somebody Told Me", "You Can't Hide From Yourself", "Easy Easy Got To Take It Easy", and "The More I Get The More I Want".

Sublime stuff! When Teddy left Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, he was making one of the best moves of his career – as you'll hear on these amazing tracks, totally perfect bits of modern soul that moved the career of Teddy up about a zillion notches, and which also had a profound effect on the overall development of male soul vocals. 10 tracks in all – including "Turn Off The Lights", "Close the Door", "I Don't Love You Anymore", "The Whole Town's Laughing At Me", "You Can't Hide From Yourself", and the amazing "Come Go With Me".

8 sultry slow jams from the Philly International catalog: "If Only You Knew" by Patti Labelle, "Let Me Make Love To You" by the O'Jays, "Close The Door" and "Love TKO" by Teddy Pendergrass, "I Just Love The Man" by the Jones Girls, "You're The Reason Why" by the Ebonys, "Be For Real" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes and "Find Me A Girl" by the Jacksons.

Nobody fills a dancefloor like Philly – especially with a batch of 70s groovers this great! The set's a really well-chosen batch of classics from the City Of Brotherly Love – one that features a few hits and lots more overlooked nuggets from the Gamble & Huff universe on Philly International – plus some even more obscure bits from labels like Buddah or Epic – showing that there was lots of great Philly work going on in the 70s! The package was put together by Ralph Tee – the man who gave us the sublime Philadelphia Uncovered collections – and the set features 16 titles that include "I Just Can't Goodbye" by Philly Devotions, "I'll Always Love My Mama" by The Intruders, "Do You Like The Way I Love" by The Ebonys, "People Power" by Billy Paul, "Party Time Man" by The Futures, "Can't Accept The Fact" by Gateway, "Falling In Love With You" by Jimmy Ruffin, "Midnight Lady" by David Morris Jr, "Words Without Love" by City Limits, "All I Need" by Anacostia, "Make It Last" by Barbara Mason & The Futures, "Your Love Has Me Locked Up" by The Modulations, and "The Love I Lost" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes.

Soaring sounds from Philadelphia International – the label that virtually defined the sound of soul in the 70s, thanks to a succession of ultra-big hits! Those cuts are great, but this set goes even deeper – to move past the chart standouts, and come up with a brilliant batch of Philly groovers that stayed mostly on the underground – but which have had a huge influence on the global scene over the past few decades! All the best Philly 70s elements are in place here – tight rhythms, impeccable musicianship, and production that finds a way to polish without ever making things too slick – a wonderful blend that makes these tunes totally top-shelf all the way through – and even fresher than some of the bigger hits you'd know from the artists. Titles include "Hey Baby" by Anthony White, "I Heard It In A Love Song" by McFadden & Whitehead, "Old People" by Archie Bell & The Drells, "Sunshine & You" by The Futures, "Groovy People" by Lou Rawls, "You Can't Come Back Now" by Jean Carn, "Tell The World How I Feel About Cha Baby" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, "Let The Dollar Circulate" by Billy Paul, "Found A Love You Couldn't Handle" by The Stylistics, and "I'm Just Thinking About Cooling Out" by Jerry Butler.