A pair
of 70s gems from Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes! Black & Blue is 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 s
lightly 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". On Wake Up Every
body, 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 Every
body" – 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.
(Hybrid Super Audio CD pressing – also works on standard CD players!)