Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells A Story
Rod the Mod finds his solo footing, headed for stardom, with the Faces in his wake.
6:00 AM GMT 22/06/2011
Features Disc of the day
Teddy Pendergrass
Teddy Pendergrass
(Philadelphia International, 1977)
Harold Melvin & The Blues Notes' lead singer steps out.
Despite their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame last year, the music of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International label not infrequently seems under-valued, over-shadowed by Motown and Stax, the other major soul independents of the '70s and early '80s. Perhaps its emergence at the same time as disco is partly to blame, yet Philly swam with the political, social and spiritual undertow Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield had brought to early '70s soul, and with great arrangers such as Thom Bell, Bobby Martin and Jack Faith, a house band every bit the equal of Motown's Funk Brothers and Booker T. And The M.G.'s at Stax, plus an exceptional horn-string orchestra (MFSB), created a sophisticated and influential new sound. Arguably the best body of work, and most cautionary tale, to be found among the acts on the Philly roster is that of Teddy Pendergrass. A proven hit-maker as the vocal focus of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes' greatest hits (I Miss You, and If You Don't Know Me By Now, both 1972; The Love I Lost, 1973; Bad Luck and Wake Up Everybody, both 1975), the drummer turned braggadocio frontman quit in 1976 to embark on a meteoric solo career. Although not his biggest-seller, his 1977 debut launched Gamble & Huff 's newest Philly soul project with an emphatic wallop. Big-voiced, expressive, gospel-powered, Pendergrass attacks the uptempo material with a breathtaking vigour, often on the edge of losing control (eg. The More I Get, The More I Want). Which makes his tender readings of ballads like And If I Had and the hit single The Whole Town's Laughing At Me always a surprise, simply because of the power you know is held there in his voice, straining to be unleashed.
Geoff Brown
Posted by Ross_Bennett at 6:00 AM GMT 22/04/2009
Further Listening
Lou Rawls – When You Hear Lou, You’ve Heard It All(Philadelphia International, 1977)
Jerry Butler – Nothing Says I Love You Like I Love You (Philadelphia International, 1978)
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – Wake Up Everybody (Philadelphia International, 1975)
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