One of the greatest voices ever in soul music – served up here in a stunning set of new mixes by the legendary John Morales – king of the edit, with a talent that goes way back to the best modes of the early club scene in NYC – and an equally great ability to find all the best bits in a cut and make them even better! In other words, these aren't the kind of remixes that seek to bludgeon an original track to death in service of putting the remixer in the spotlight – and instead, Morales has a superb way of helping Teddy Pendergrass shine even more than ever – letting the vocals soar over majestic Philly soul grooves – on tracks that are both from the Pendergrass years in Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, and some of Teddy's later solo cuts too. Titles include Morales mixes of "The More I Get The More I Want", "The Love I Lost", "Come Go With Me", "Don't Leave Me This Way", "Only You", "Now Is The Time To Do It", "Satisfaction Guaranteed", "If You Know Like I Know", "You Can't Hide From Yourself", "Is There A Place For Me", "Where Are All My Friends", and "If You Don't Know Me By Now". LP, Vinyl record album

Not a bad little album from Teddy, although not nearly as sublime as his earlier work for Philly International. The record has Pendergrass working with arranger Michael Masser, who also wrote most of the songs on the set (save for one by Luther Vandross) – and the overall feel is pretty mellow, almost in a quiet storm mode, but with a few slightly stepping numbers that deliver a bit of Teddy's old energy. His voice is still great, but the choice of material is a little off – and titles include "Hot Love", "In My Time", "So Sad The Song", "Stay With Me", "Hold Me", "You're My Choice Tonight", and "Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Teddy Pendergrass' last album for Philly International – showcasing a warmer Teddy than ever before – one who glides along with a majestic, mature approach to his music – in a way that shows that Pendergrass was as good an interpreter of ballads and mellow cuts as he formerly was of more club-driven tunes. A few tracks on the album still hit a nice midtempo groove, but there's a mellower feel here overall – one that has the aging Teddy setting a sound that other singers would steal heavily in the decade to come. Titles include "Just Because You're Mine", "Crazy About Your Love", "Judge For Yourself", "Life Is For Living", "Heaven Only Knows", and "Don't Ever Stop". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest voices ever in soul music – served up here in a stunning set of new mixes by the legendary John Morales – king of the edit, with a talent that goes way back to the best modes of the early club scene in NYC – and an equally great ability to find all the best bits in a cut and make them even better! In other words, these aren't the kind of remixes that seek to bludgeon an original track to death in service of putting the remixer in the spotlight – and instead, Morales has a superb way of helping Teddy Pendergrass shine even more than ever – letting the vocals soar over majestic Philly soul grooves – on tracks that are both from the Pendergrass years in Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, and some of Teddy's later solo cuts too. Titles include Morales mixes of "The More I Get The More I Want", "The Love I Lost", "Come Go With Me", "Don't Leave Me This Way", "Only You", "Now Is The Time To Do It", "Satisfaction Guaranteed", "If You Know Like I Know", "You Can't Hide From Yourself", "Is There A Place For Me", "Where Are All My Friends", and "If You Don't Know Me By Now". 2CD set features 18 tracks in all – 6 more than the vinyl version! CD

One of the greatest voices ever in soul music – served up here in a stunning set of new mixes by the legendary John Morales – king of the edit, with a talent that goes way back to the best modes of the early club scene in NYC – and an equally great ability to find all the best bits in a cut and make them even better! In other words, these aren't the kind of remixes that seek to bludgeon an original track to death in service of putting the remixer in the spotlight – and instead, Morales has a superb way of helping Teddy Pendergrass shine even more than ever – letting the vocals soar over majestic Philly soul grooves – on tracks that are both from the Pendergrass years in Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, and some of Teddy's later solo cuts too. Titles include Morales mixes of "The More I Get The More I Want", "The Love I Lost", "Come Go With Me", "Don't Leave Me This Way", "Only You", "Now Is The Time To Do It", "Satisfaction Guaranteed", "If You Know Like I Know", "You Can't Hide From Yourself", "Is There A Place For Me", "Where Are All My Friends", and "If You Don't Know Me By Now". 2CD set features 18 tracks in all – 6 more than the vinyl version! CD

Sublime solo material from the great Teddy Pendergrass – the kind of record that instantly proves that his departure from Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes was a great idea, as the man alone is even more of a power to be reckoned with! The set's a cornerstone in that great second wave of Philly soul from Gamble & Huff – that point when the rest of the world was picking up on the disco grooves they forged earlier in the 70s, and they went for a more adult, more sophisticated style with singers like Teddy, Jean Carn, Phyllis Hyman, and others. The whole thing's perfect – and nicely balances between mellow moments and groovers – with gems that include the always-great "Close The Door", the massive "When Somebody Loves You Back", and other cuts that include "Get Up Get Down Get Funky Get Loose", "Life Is A Song Worth Singing", "Cold Cold World", and "It Don't Hurt Now". LP, Vinyl record album

Proof that Teddy Pendergrass was a fantastic solo act – and some of the most godlike work that he ever recorded! The record shows Teddy moving into territory all his own – with wonderfully smooth quiet storm arrangements offsetting the deeply soulful vocals he forged with Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. This one's perhaps the ultimate Teddy Pendergrass album of all time – as it features the incredible track "Come Go With Me", which kicks off the album, and which has some of the most sublime backings we've ever heard on a mellow soul cut! Other killers include "Turn Off The Lights", "Life Is A Circle", and "Do Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Another fine compilation of 70's soul tracks from the Music Club label, and put together in a nice looking package that's a good deal for the money. There's 15 tracks in here, with nearly 75 minutes of Teddy's best stuff, including "Close The Door", "Turn Out the Lights", "Come Go With Me", "When Somebody Loves You Back", "Love TKO", and "The Whole Town's Laughing At Me". Great stuff by one of the greatest voices ever to grace soul music. We've heard these tracks a million times on AM radio, but we still can't get enough of them. CD

A massive collection of work by one of the greatest soul singers of all time – the amazing Teddy Pendergrass, an artist who really helped raise soul music to a new level back in the 70s! This collection mostly features work from Teddy's key years as a solo act in the late 70s and early 80s for Philly International – but it also includes some of his sublime early sides with Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, and a few titles from his 80s years on Elektra. All tracks are newly remastered, with really wonderful sound – and the package also features full notes on each track, liner notes, and rare photos too. 28 tracks in all – including "I Don't Love You Anymore", "When Somebody Loves You Back", "And If I Had", "Love TKO", "You're My Latest Greatest Inspiration", "The Love I Lost", "Nine Times Out Of Ten", "If You Don't Know Me By Now", "Life Is A Song Worth Singing", "Come Go With Me", "Close The Door", "It's Time For Love", "Feel The Fire", "Only You", "Bad Luck", "Joy", "This Gift Of Life", and "I Want My Baby Back". CD

One of the greatest voices ever in soul music – served up here in a stunning set of new mixes by the legendary John Morales – king of the edit, with a talent that goes way back to the best modes of the early club scene in NYC – and an equally great ability to find all the best bits in a cut and make them even better! In other words, these aren't the kind of remixes that seek to bludgeon an original track to death in service of putting the remixer in the spotlight – and instead, Morales has a superb way of helping Teddy Pendergrass shine even more than ever – letting the vocals soar over majestic Philly soul grooves – on tracks that are both from the Pendergrass years in Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, and some of Teddy's later solo cuts too. Titles include Morales mixes of "The More I Get The More I Want", "The Love I Lost", "Come Go With Me", "Don't Leave Me This Way", "Only You", "Now Is The Time To Do It", "Satisfaction Guaranteed", "If You Know Like I Know", "You Can't Hide From Yourself", "Is There A Place For Me", "Where Are All My Friends", and "If You Don't Know Me By Now". LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime solo material from the great Teddy Pendergrass – the kind of record that instantly proves that his departure from Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes was a great idea, as the man alone is even more of a power to be reckoned with! The set's a cornerstone in that great second wave of Philly soul from Gamble & Huff – that point when the rest of the world was picking up on the disco grooves they forged earlier in the 70s, and they went for a more adult, more sophisticated style with singers like Teddy, Jean Carn, Phyllis Hyman, and others. The whole thing's perfect – and nicely balances between mellow moments and groovers – with gems that include the always-great "Close The Door", the massive "When Somebody Loves You Back", and other cuts that include "Get Up Get Down Get Funky Get Loose", "Life Is A Song Worth Singing", "Cold Cold World", and "It Don't Hurt Now". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Get Down Get Funky (disco version)" and "Only You (single version)". CD

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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". LP, Vinyl record album

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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. 15 tracks in all – including "Turn Off The Lights", "Close the Door", "Love TKO", "I Don't Love You Anymore", "The More I Get, The More I Want", "The Whole Town's Laughing At Me", "You Can't Hide From Yourself", and the amazing "Come Go With Me". CD

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". CD

Sophisticated soul from the great Walter Jackson – one of the best voices ever to come out of the Chicago soul scene, and a wonderful interpreter of just about any material! The record's got some wonderful arrangements by Riley Hampton – who worked with Jackson on his earlier sessions for Okeh – and the record recasts Walter as a smooth modern singer with an adult approach, kind of in the same style as Teddy Pendergrass in the late 70s. Includes "Good To See You", "We Could Fly", "Open Up Your Heart", "If I Had My Way", "I Won't Ever Remember Losing You", and "Time". Not nearly as sublime as his work for Okeh, but still not a bad batch of tracks! LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful stepper from the enigmatic Wee Gee! "Hold On" begins with a spare spacey intro, then sneaks into a warm midtempo groove – stepping along underneath some incredibly soulful vocals by Wee Gee that remind us of the best that Teddy Pendergrass had to offer. The real talent, though, is from Vernon Bullock – who provides some seminal mellow soul arrangements and production on the cut! Rolls on for 10 minutes long – and the flipside's a pretty catchy uptempo number too! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A real classic from Lenny Williams – most likely his strongest solo album ever! By the time of this set, Lenny had been out of Tower Of Power for a few years, working on his own in the west coast scene. But the real genius here comes from producer/arranger Frank Wilson – once a key force at Motown, but here a key contributor to the album – creating a set of smooth groovers and wonderfully mellow tracks that bring out a warmly silky quality that we'd never heard in Lenny's vocals before! Includes the smooth ballads "Think What We Have" and "Cause I Love You", the latter a fantastic stretched out soul track that has Lenny in a Teddy Pendergrass mode that's miles ahead of his old work! Other tracks include "Midnight Girl", "Changes", and "You Got Me Running" – all key numbers in this excellent set! CD

3rd volume, and the righteous 70's soul and funk tracks keep on coming! Titles include "World Is A Ghetto" by War, "Ike's Mood" by Isaac Hayes, "Trouble Man" by Marvin Gaye, "Love TKO" by Teddy Pendergrass, "Breakout" by Johnny Hammond, "Ironside" by Quincy Jones, "Move On Up" by Curtis Mayfield, "Who Is He & What Is He To You" by Creative Source, "Melting Pot" by Booker T & The MGs, "Westchester Lady" by Bob James, and lots lots more! 25 tracks in all. CD

Massive mixes from the legendary John Morales – one of the key talents for really opening up the sound of New York dancefloors at the end of the 70s! The mixes here were all cut by John back in the day – all for special play in the clubs, and never commercially issued at the time – which makes the package one hell of a musical discovery – like finding your way back onto an underground dancefloor in the waning years of disco – when a handful of mixers like Morales were still finding some rich new energy in the scene! Most tracks are quite long, and have all their best elements expanded out by John – but in ways that really avoid some of the later "look at me" styles that mixers would use in the next generation. Vinyl part 1 features some very extended mixes – "Never Never Gonna Give Ya Up (M+M keep on doin it mix)" by Barry White, "Was That All It Was (M+M South Philly groove mix)" by Jean Carn, "If You Know Like I Know (M+M Teddy know best mix)" by Teddy Pendergrass, and "I Think I'll Do Some Stepping On My Own (M+M stepping out the door mix)" by Sandy Barber. LP, Vinyl record album

A dozen soulful tunes from the 70s – sweet, mellow, and nice and funky at times! Plus, more than a few of these cuts will be known to you from the famous samples lifted from them over the years – making the package a great bunch of mellow grooves for more than a few reasons. Titles include "Come Go With Me" by Teddy Pendergrass, "I Hear The Love Chimes" by Syl Johnson, "Inside My Love" by Minnie Riperton, "Something" by Al Green, "Wake Up Everybody" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, "Shorty The Pimp" by Don Julian, "Playing Your Game Baby" by Barry White, "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" by Roy Ayers, "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down" by Ann Peebles, and "You Can't Turn Me Away" by Sylvia Striplin. CD

Sublime soul from the great Thom Bell – one of our favorite arranger, producer, songwriters of all time – and a talent who really helped push the Philly soul scene much farther than most during the 70s! Bell was trained as a classical pianist as a kid – which might explain part of his ear for a special sort of tune – but by the time of this work, he was neck-deep in the soul scene – and working with a fantastic track record for bringing the best out of a very wide variety of artists! Bell was especially great with groups – he helped more than a few really stretch out their wings and grow – but as you'll hear here, Thom also handled a fantastic range of music in Philly studios – all with magnificent touches that really set the tunes apart from the rest – French horns, harpsichord, and especially that twangy sitar sound that worked so well with a harmony ballad. The set's got 23 tracks in all, and a massive set of notes on the man and his music – with titles that include "What I See" by Three Degrees, "Here I Go Again" by Archie Bell & The Drells, "You've Been Untrue" by The Delfonics, "Moody Woman" by Jerry Butler, "Something For Nothing" by MFSB, "One Man Band" by Ronnie Dyson, "Close The Door" by Teddy Pendergrass, "Life Is A Song Worth Singing" by Johnny Mathis, "Look The Other Way" by Lesley Gore, "What Kind Of Lady" by Dee Dee Sharp, "It's The Same Old Love" by The Courtship, "Do You Remember Yesterday" by The Intruders, "Track Of The Cat" by Dionne Warwick, and "I Wanna Be A Free Girl" by Dusty Springfield. CD

The Manhattans' first album for Columbia – and a monster LP that showed that there was no turning back for the group! After cutting some seminal indie singles for the Carnival label during the 60s, the group sort of bumped around a bit during the early 70s – but with the release of this album, they emerged as a perfectly formed harmony group, armed with a sophisticated adult sound that sounded light years ahead of most of their contemporaries, who were still singing falsetto soul or simple pop. Gerald Alston is a lead vocalist on a par with Teddy Pendergrass in his later years – and the arrangements by Bobby Martin at Sigma Sound are some of his best mellow work of the decade. Titles include "Wish That You Were Mine", "You'd Better Believe It", "We Made It", "There's No Me Without You", and "The Day The Robin Sang To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great post-Philly International album from Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – the group's first after the departure of Teddy Pendergrass, and a set that shows them hardly missing a beat! The group are still recording at Sigma Sound, with Melvin at the production helm – and they've also got that great balance between a deep-voiced lead singer (new arrival David Ebo) and the soaring harmonies of the rest of the group. Tunes are wonderfully written – the right mix of personal and political from the group's biggest years – and the album's got a really great sense of pace and timing overall, maybe even more so than previous records. Titles include "Hostage", "He Loves You And I Do Too", "Stay Together", "Sandman", "Big Singing Star", and "Reaching For The World". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the legendary classics from the Philly International years of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – a time when the group was featuring the tremendous lead vocals of the great Teddy Pendergrass! The set's a stunner all the way through – one of the best Philly mixes of smooth, professional backings and deeply personal lyrics – as Teddy soars to the top of the mix with his excellent leads, and gets excellent support from the rest of the Blue Notes on harmonies – but also steps aside to make a bit of space to introduce singer Sharon Paige on one cut, who'd have a greater role in the group in years to come. The songwriting, production, and other Sigma Studios touches are sublime – and titles include "Hope That We Can Get Together Soon", "Where Are All My Friends", "Bad Luck", "To Be True", "Nobody Could Take Your Place", and "All Because Of A Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

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. LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing little record that's easily one of the most righteous albums ever from Philadelphia International – a set designed to "give back" to the communities who supported the label strongly in the 70s, as a unique fund-raising effort, done before such records were commonplace! The Philly International roster of stars teamed up to put out this stunning set of tracks aimed at cleaning up the "ghettoes", both physical and mental, that continue to haunt the African-American communities in the US – and the set features key new numbers, plus a few more older tracks pulled from other Philly records that really work well to support the righteous message of the set. The centerpiece is the long title cut – "Let's Clean Up The Ghetto" – which has Lou Rawls doing a monologue about the garbage strike in New York, then launches into performances by Teddy Pendergrass, The O'Jays, Billy Paul, and Archie Bell. Other highlights include "The Big Gangster" by The O'Jays, "Old People" by Archie Bell, "Everybody's Talkin" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, and "Now Is The Time To Do It" by Teddy Pendergrass. LP, Vinyl record album

A real classic from Lenny Williams – most likely his strongest solo album ever! By the time of this set, Lenny had been out of Tower Of Power for a few years, working on his own in the west coast scene. But the real genius here comes from producer/arranger Frank Wilson – once a key force at Motown, but here a key contributor to the album – creating a set of smooth groovers and wonderfully mellow tracks that bring out a warmly silky quality that we'd never heard in Lenny's vocals before! Includes the smooth ballads "Think What We Have" and "Cause I Love You", the latter a fantastic stretched out soul track that has Lenny in a Teddy Pendergrass mode that's miles ahead of his old work! Other tracks include "Midnight Girl", "Changes", and "You Got Me Running" – all key numbers in this excellent set! LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work from Randy Brown – a great singer with a massive talent for being both smooth and deep at the same time, something we'd reserve for a rare few, like Frankie Beverly or Teddy Pendergrass during their best periods. This album featuers Randy singing tracks written by Homer Banks and Chuck Brooks – who also produced the album – and the tunes are great little love songs with compelling but uncomplicated structures, in a manner that's similar to mid 70s work by Lou Courtney or Ronnie McNeir. The whole album's pretty darn solid all the way through – and titles include "Use It", "I Wanna Baby You", "I Thought of You Today", "I Was Blessed (The Day I Found You)", and "It Scares Me So". LP, Vinyl record album

The last studio album from Chicago soul legend Walter Jackson – recorded shortly before his untimely death, and offered posthumously as a loving "portrait" to his talents, with a special message on the back written by Jesse Jackson! The feel here is similar to Walter's other Chi-Soul work of the period – strong, mature work done in a style that recalls the work of Teddy Pendergrass – no surprise because Teddy was one of many singers who owed a great debt to Walter for opening the way. The set includes the wonderful groover "Touching In the Dark", plus "If I Had A Chance", "Someone Saved My Life", "It's Cool", and the eerily prescient "I Want To Come Back As A Song". LP, Vinyl record album

Forget the million times you've heard the schmaltzy title tune of this one – and check out Walter's version! Like most of his work from the time, the album's an incredibly mature batch of soul tracks – recorded in a very adult style that was similar to Teddy Pendergrass' work from the same period. The arrangements are great, and the mix of tunes that includes "Send In The Clowns", "The Meeting", "Golden Rays", "Magic Man", and "Girl You're A Woman" is handled with a perfect modern style by Carl Davis. LP, Vinyl record album

A reformed version of this legendary Philly soul group – working here on a special set of tunes for the Holiday season! Singer Sugarbear Aikens is in the lead – in the spot that Teddy Pendergrass once held back in the 70s – and Butch Ingram produced and arranged the set, with a vibe that's more contemporary Philly than classic – but in the best style of Ingram's other recent work on the Society Hill label! Sugarbear dominates most of the vocals, but the group do a decent job on the harmonies – and titles include "The Mistletoe Jam", "Fatman Christmas", "Marry Me This Christmas", "Every Year At Christmas", "My Gift To You", and "Mary Did You Know". CD

A post-Philly International album from Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, but one that still keeps their groove very much intact – thanks to instrumental help from Norman Harris, Ron Baker, Vince Montana, Earl Young, and a host of other Sigma Sound talents! Although recorded in the early 80s, the set's actually got a stripped-down quality that really reminds us of the earliest days of Philly International – kind of a back-to-basics approach that really works well for The Blue Notes, at a time when so many other groups might have been tempted to push off into clunkier territory. We might miss Teddy Pendergrass a bit in the lead, but the vocals are still totally top-shelf – very much in the best group soul mode of the time – and titles include "Hang On In There", "Come Go With Me", "Ain't That Love", "Tell Me Why", "I'm In Love With You", and "Have I Told You I Love You Today". CD

24 tracks from Lionel Richie, Stephanie Mills, Freddie Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Teddy Pendergrass, The Dramatics, Klymaxx, Rene & Angela, The Dells, Al Green, Peabo Bryson, Bobby Womack, The Isley Brothers, The New Birth, and more. CD