Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff’s label that launched the “Philly soul” sound prepping an array of archival releases and special projects

https://www.rollingstone....s-1118581/

An essential piece of modern music history.

I guess this is why the Jones Girls Anthology that was supposed to be released by Reel Gone Music a couple months ago was cancelled because Gamble & Huff plan on releasing it as part of the 50th Anniversary. I hope these releases actually happen this time. They announced something similar 10 years ago, including an unreleased Phyllis Hyman album. They released a vault Patti Labelle concert CD and I believe something on Teddy Pendergrass and then things went totally dark.

[Edited 1/27/21 14:54pm]

SoulAlive said:

speaking of the Jones Girls....why is Shirley Jones’ 1986 solo album ‘Get As Much Love As You Can’ so hard to find?! I love the song “Do You Get Enough Love”,which was a major hit back then.

Shirley Jones 1986 solo album "Always In the Mood" ("Get As Much Love As You Can" is a 1981 Jones Girls album ) was reissued by Soulmusic.com with a couple of bonus tracks a few years ago. I have both the original CD pressing as well as the reissue. Yeah, both are rather diffcult to find now. If you can find it, I also recommend Shirley's second solo CD "With You", which was only released in Europe in the early 90s. There is a jam on there, a gospel song entitled "Perfect Love" that bares a striking resemblence to Chante Moore's "Love's Taken Over".

[Edited 1/28/21 9:15am]

SoulAlive said:

I think there should be a movie about Gamble and Huff.This is a really interesting story.”The Philly sound” was huge in the 70s,to the point that other artists like The Jacksons and Elton John jumped on this bandwagon too.

no doubt...they were Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis of the 70s...in fact Jimmy Jam says he idolized and studied them when he first started DJing and playing Keys... so many hits and not just hits...they were ANTHEMS... by the dozens ...by SEVERAL different artists... i cant wait

kitbradley said:

RJOrion said:

the first of these box sets is being released in May!

I already pre-ordered my copy

Editorial Review

kitbradley said:

SoulAlive said:

namepeace said:

SoulAlive said:

kitbradley said:

I guess this is why the Jones Girls Anthology that was supposed to be released by Reel Gone Music a couple months ago was cancelled because Gamble & Huff plan on releasing it as part of the 50th Anniversary. I hope these releases actually happen this time. They announced something similar 10 years ago, including an unreleased Phyllis Hyman album. They released a vault Patti Labelle concert CD and I believe something on Teddy Pendergrass and then things went totally dark.

Looks like they’re really gonna through this time and I am ecstatic.I just love this music so much! Are you gonna get the first box set?

Not much on the first box set that I would be too terribly interested in. I may cop it sooner or later. I'm more interested in albums from Phyllis Hyman, Jean Carn and The Jones Girls. I just hope we get some unreleased material on some of these releases. It would be such a relief to finally see those remaining unreleased tracks from Phyllis Hyman included as bonus tracks in conjunction with "Living All Alone" or "Prime Of My Life".

SoulAlive said:

kitbradley said:

SoulAlive said:

kitbradley said:

I don’t ever recall hearing anything from Phyllis until “Living All Alone” in 1986. In Detroit, several of the songs were in heavy rotation on the radio. I was at the record store one day, I picked up the album and was looking at it, trying to decide if I was going to spend my allowance on this album. A guy in the store noticed me. He asked me was I going to buy it? I told him I was thinking about it. He told me I would not regret it. Boy, was he right on the money! I turned hardcore Phyllis after just one listen of the entire album! I would later familiarize myself with Phyllis’ Arista catalog but it all paled in comparison to her PIR releases. For me, “Prime Of My Life” is her best recording. The songs hold very special meaning for me. But, “Llving All Alone” comes in a very close second.

I agree,’Living All Alone’ is her absolute masterpiece! On some of those Arista albums,Clive Davis had her going in a pop music direction.I have always seen her as more of jazzy,quiet storm R&B singer (like Anita Baker).Pop/dance stuff like “Riding The Tiger” just doesn’t suit her,imo.Gamble and Huff understood this.They made sure that she was doing real R&B during her PIR years.

Phyllis could sing anything. I thought she was a great Pop singer. Clive just didn't have a clue on how to market her in that genre. Pairing her with Barry Manilow on the song "Somewhere In My Lifetime" was, I think, a huge mistake. It just fell and felt flat.

I think a better example of where Arista actually got it right was on her swansong for the label, a song called "25 Miles To Anywhere". That was a big, beautifully executed Pop ballad where she actually got a chance to use what she learned on broadway. By that time, Clive had already "discovered" Nippy and Phyllis was on her way out of the door. But, I wonder what would have happened to her career if Phyllis would have stayed and been given those big Pop songs instead of Nippy? It all worked out for the best, I suppose. Because if she had of stayed with Arista, we would have have never got "Living All Alone" or "Prime Of My Life".

ReddBlitz said:

SoulAlive said: