(Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff (seated))


By Todd Leopold
Link
November 21, 2008

The music of Philadelphia International Records sounds effortless: the easygoing groove of the O'Jays' "Love Train," the triumphant horns of MFSB's "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)," even the cocky declamations of Billy Paul's "Me and Mrs. Jones."

But forming a new R&B label in the early '70s -- particularly one leaning away from the funky, angular sounds of James Brown and Sly & the Family Stone popular at the time -- wasn't easy at all, says Kenneth Gamble, who co-founded the label with Leon Huff in 1971 after several years of producing and songwriting success.

"It was very, very hard to get information for us. It had pretty much been the norm for African-Americans to [be cheated] out of a lot of their music and their royalties," he said. "I think the industry, by closing us out of so many doors ... in order for us to make it, we had to do it on our own."

But, Gamble is quick to add, "on our own" didn't mean alone. There were independent distributors and radio stations, much more plentiful back then. There were disc jockeys, who were still allowed to have a say in the music they played. There was a major corporate label, Clive Davis' CBS, which supported PIR's work.

And, of course, there were the musicians: the Delfonics and Stylistics, O'Jays and Spinners, Teddy Pendergrass and Billy Paul, and especially the house band, MFSB, which helped make PIR into the top R&B label of the 1970s.

"This was music -- sweet, gritty, elegaic, sensuous -- that celebrated love, fomented activism, pressed for change, celebrated 'blackness' in a moment in which black America, in an urgent sense of what that might mean, was just blinking awake," Lynell George writes in the liner notes to a new box set, "Love Train: The Sound of Philadelphia" (Philadelphia International/Legacy).

It was all about family, Gamble says, something expressed in the name MFSB: Mother, Father, Sister, Brother. (Don't believe the urban legend that says it stands for something else, Huff adds.)

"We used the same musicians on all the productions that we did," Huff observed. "That sort of created a chemistry of sound, though none of the artists sounded the same."

That chemistry is evident on the box set, which collects the label's greatest hits with Gamble and Huff's pre-PIR productions -- including the Soul Survivors' "Expressway to Your Heart" and Jerry Butler's "Only the Strong Survive" -- and material from artists contracted to other labels and produced by PIR's Thom Bell, such as the Spinners.

The label is also the subject of a PBS special, also called "Love Train," which is scheduled to air Thanksgiving weekend.

PIR's sound was something different. It was often lushly orchestrated, with instruments such as French horns and vibraphones taking prominent roles, and its nimble bass lines and trebly percussion later became the cornerstone of disco.

Bell, a longtime Gamble-Huff pal who oversaw many of the arrangements, had trained as a concert pianist, giving it up because, he said, "I was tired of articulating someone else's music. I was tired of hearing it go the way I was hearing it. I was hearing chords and tones and colors and feelings and emotions going one way, but ... when the master's notes are set in stone, they cannot be changed."

Arranging and producing gave Bell the opportunity to put his musical education to work in a different way, he says.

"We experimented with a lot of different instruments, because we were always infatuated with trombones and French horns and vibes; we used the whole orchestra," Huff said. "We incorporated a lot of those instruments in our productions, and that turned out to be a different kind of approach."

Arranger Bobby Martin and Sigma Sound studios engineer Joe Tarsia were also key players in constructing the PIR sound.

The model was Motown, with its smooth-running songmaking machinery, though PIR's songs were deliberately designed for the PIR artists, notes Gamble.

"Most of the songs that we wrote ... were tailor-made for these artists," he said. "When we would sit down to write ... we would say, 'Who are we going to write for?' And then we'd lock that person into our minds."

As an example, he mentions Lou Rawls' "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine," which for Rawls was "like going into a tailor shop, and the tailor measured you up and put the coat on you, and it fit perfectly."

Rawls, who had been in a career trough, took the song to No. 2 in 1976.

Gamble, Huff and Bell, whose history together goes back to their 1950s teen years, are proud of the label's influence, and they still maintain ties to their hometown. Bell, who lives in northern Washington state, will be returning to the City of Brotherly Love to conduct its famed orchestra in 2009; Gamble has been active in building housing and schools there.

"Philly's a great city. It's the greatest city in America," Gamble said with pride. "It's the place where America begins." And the place where the "Love Train" chugged out to the world.

Great article! I bought the 'Love Train' 4-CD box set as a Christmas present for my father.Can't wait to see the PBS TV special next week.

SoulAlive said:

Oh snap, when is that coming on? TSOP is legendary.
The memorabilia store here in Philadelphia sucks, though.

1sexymf said:

The special will air during Thankgiving weekend.Check your local listings.

What's wrong with the memorabilia store? If I was in Philly,I'd be there everyday...lol...I recently ordered the Phyllis Hyman book from them.

SoulAlive said:

Wow

I wanted to buy this for my momma...

Harlepolis said:

You should! It's a nice package.I already wrapped it

71 tracks on 4 CDs. The deluxe package includes a lavish booklet with essays, unpublished photos and interviews with Leon Huff, Kenneth Gamble, Thom Bell and more.


Track Listings:

Disc 1

1. Expressway (To Your Heart) - Soul Survivors
2. La-La---Means I Love You - The Delfonics
3. Cowboys To Girls - The Intruders
4. Hey, Western Union Man - Jerry Butler
5. Ready Or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide From Love) - The Delfonics
6. Only The Strong Survive - Jerry Butler
7. Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time) - The Delfonics
8. Brand New Me - Dusty Springfield
9. Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You - Wilson Pickett
10. You're The Reason Why - The Ebonys
11. Drowning In The Sea of Love - Joe Simon
12. I'm Stone In Love With You - The Stylistics
13. I Miss You - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
14. Back Stabbers The O'Jays
15. Sunshine The O'Jays
16. I'll Be Around The Spinners
17. Slow Motion (Pt. 1) Johnny Williams
18. Me And Mrs. Jones Billy Paul
19. If You Don't Know Me By Now Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
20. Lovie is Here The Futures

Disc 2

1. Love Train The O'Jays
2. Break Up To Make Up The Stylistics
3. Family Affair MFSB
4. It's Forever The Ebonys
5. Time To Get Down The O'Jays
6. There's No Me Without You The Manhattans
7. I'll Always Love My Mama The Intruders
8. The Love I Lost Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
9. I Wanna Know Your Name The Intruders
10. Dirty Ol' Man The Three Degrees
11. Put Your Hands Together The O'Jays
12. Thanks For Saving My Life Billy Paul
13. Mighty Love The Spinners
14. Be Thankful For What You Got (PT. 1) William DeVaughn
15. For The Love of Money The O'Jays
16. Where Do We Go From Here THE Trammps
17. T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia) MSFB (Featuring The Three Degrees)

Disc 3

1. Then Came You The Spinners with dionne watwick
2. Love Is The Message MFSB (Featuring The Three Degrees)
3. When Will I See You Again The Three Degrees
4. Where Are All My Friends Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
5. Picture Us Bunny Sigler
6. Bad Luck Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
7. Give The People What They Want The O'Jays
8. Billy's Back Home Billy Paul
9. Hope That We Can Be Together Soon Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (Featuring sharon Paige)
10. Do It Any Way You Wanna People's Choice
11. The Big Hurt People's Choice
12. Let Me Make Love To You The O'Jays
13. Wake Up Everybody Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
14. I Love Music The O'Jays
15. Don't Leave Me This Way Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
16. Let's Groove Archie Bell & The Drells
17. Livin' For The Weekend The O'Jays

Disc 4

1. Kiss And Say Goodbye The Manhattans
2. I'm Not In Love Dee Dee Sharp
3. You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine Lou Rawls
4. The Rubberband Man The Spinners
5. Enjoy Yourself The Jacksons
6. Free Love Jean Carn
7. I Don't Love You Anymore Teddy Pendergrass
8. See You When I Git There Lou Rawls
9. Use Ta Be My Girl The O'Jays
10. Close The Door Teddy Pendergrass
11. Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now McFadden & Whitehead
12. You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else The Jones Girls
13. Hurry Up This Way Again The Stylistics
14. Love T.K.O. Teddy Pendergrass
15. I Ain't Jivin', I'm Jammin' Leon Huff
16. It's Gonna Take A Miracle Deniece Williams
17. If Only You Knew Patti Labelle

It's worth noting that the box set contains full-length versions of the songs.No single edits here.

SoulAlive said:

14. Be Thankful For What You Got (PT. 1) William DeVaughn

Is it the full version depsite the Part 1 noted here?

Listening to some Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes right now. I gotta get this set!