Q's version is great. One of the rare cases where he took the lead himself, and it's a nice fit for his voice. From the same album that featured the Sanford and Son theme aka "The Streetbeater".
Actually one of two albums to contain that theme. YGIBG had the full version; an excerpt was on this LP:
One factor in Stevie "breaking out" to the white audience with this breakthrough number was his touring in '72 with The Rolling Stones. And to think he'd written "Superstition," given all that he gave on it, with Jeff Beck in mind . . .
Next #1 R&B Hit: Another song I really loved during this time. It sounded creepy on the radio at night: Why Can't We Live Together - Timmy Thomas Note that the video features the longer album version when the single was faded earlier. The recording is in mono. Recently, Eric Records created a DES version, but it is, IMO, too wide and has a bit too much reverb.
The minimalism of WCWLT must've really stood out, especially when played alongside the big orchestration on the Philly Int'l hits. It truly does have an eerie vibe. Never saw that label design before. I aquired a bunch of Glades 45s in a grab bag sale much later in the decade, but they all had the outdoorsy Everglades artwork.
So simple, yet so profound. The funny thing was, Billboard, for the entry of this song on the Hot 100 (where it ended up at #3), misidentified Steve Alaimo as producer. Mr. Alaimo - a former "teen idol" singer of the '60's who by this point was an A&R staffer at T.K. - had been set to produce a more professional-sounding recording of this with full band backing, but in the end wisely decided to put out this demo-quality recording "as is," with Mr. Thomas backed only by Lowrey organ and early rhythm machine (the same one previously heard on Sly & The Family Stone's "Family Affair"). The bulk of copies of this were turned out by Capitol's plants, with their 360 interlocking serrations and smaller 3.3125" diameter labels - and size-reduced artwork from the Miami pressing plant that T.K. and its subsidiaries used to press their product. I have Los Angeles and Scranton copies of this, once also had one from Winchester. The Scranton, had a lacquer where the tape operator at the Florida studios where this was mastered, started the machine just as the music was starting, thus a slow pitch drag at the start of the rhythm before it got to the proper speed. Some lacquers from there had higher tape surface noise than others. Not just the sparse instrumentation, but the song itself works fine just as is. Can't stand that so-called "song" from the hack Drake ("Hotline Bling" - ugh!) of more recent (I know this is jumping way ahead, but since that sped-up the opening of this, I had to say it).
Much of There's a Riot Goin' On has a sparse rhythm-machine dominant production. Wonder if the influence of that album played any part in releasing the Timmy Thomas demo as is.
Five posts on "Why Can't We Live Together"??? One would think that such an unusual song would command more responses than five! Five. And, where my homies at? Many people act like this thread is some kind of little side thing, but R&B figures just as big into music of the 70s as pop did. So, anyway...Next #1 single: Could It Be I'm Falling In Love - Spinners Now, this is the song that made me take notice! I'm not sure if I heard it first on a Black radio station, a top 40 station, or on Soul Train, but I loved it. The song had a solid groove, and i'm happy that it made it as high on both the pop and the Black charts as it did. This is the song I remember where I noticed the formula of Bobby Smith doing the main part of the song, and Philippé Wynne doing the ad-libs at the end.
One of the great hits of the decade, and a good example of how a mellow song could be dynamic and spellbinding. You can definitely hear the Al Green influence on the loping beat of the song and on Bobby Smith's vocal delivery (and even more in Wynne's scatting ad-libs at the end). But the only-in-Philly arrangement lifts this one far beyond being a riff on Green's schtick, right from the sweeping intro with those strings, horns and vibes. The arrangement is then wisely dialed back on the first verse, only to slowly build throughout the course of the song until the instruments take center stage during the dramatic break, including a brilliant (I assume electric) harpsichord solo. The whole intensity of the song kicks up a notch after that, leading to the hair-raising outro. What really makes the arrangement isn't just the building drama though, but the sort of call-and-response interplay of the individual instrument blocks, which trade off over and over again in the background during the verses and start of each chorus before falling together during its conclusion. They often don't finish a line but instead stop and hand over their little countermelody to another block of instruments. There are also the strings which play this halting figure in each chorus before coming together to a dramatic peak right at the end. It's just brilliant work, brings in loads of drama and elevates the song way above most of its peers. I mean, it's a beautiful melody to begin with, but the complex, dynamic arrangement lifts it completely over the top, and makes most pop of the era look really amateur in comparison. I assume Barry Gibb was paying close attention, because he'd definitely employ this kind of technique when he whistled up the arrangements to some of the biggest Bee Gees hits of the disco era. You can definitely hear how Philly was the cornerstone of the whole disco genre on this track, and also how crucial arrangements and musicianship would be to that genre. Most rock acts simply weren't musically gifted enough to produce material like this. Sorry.
Re. your first point: I was thinking exactly the same thing. Not that I didn't try, Lord knows. I frequent this thread as often as I do the pop thread, and wonder the same thing as you. Especially given what preceded "WCWLT." But this number: Technically, Atlantic "burned off" this one, coming as it did from the same session as yielded their first #1, "I'll Be Around" (which this song's lyrics apparently name-check, within the second verse) - and lo and behold (and no doubt to the label's delight) this did just as well (and even went to #4 on the "pops" while they were at it). The Steals brothers (Melvin and Mervin) used the "Mystro & Lyric" credit in writing this number. It was this twin success that ultimately led to their S/T album which would come out in April. (The B side, "Just You And Me Baby," was written by the same lass - Yvette Davis - who'd penned "How Could I Let You Get Away" of which "I'll Be Around" was originally the flip.) It was also with this record, and while it was on the charts, that "The" began disappearing from the group's name. Specialty Records Corp. and Plastic Products promo and stock pressings both credit "The Spinners," while Monarch simply listed "Spinners" on their pressings (don't know whether they turned out any promos).
I'd like to add another song that was big at this time, and it was another Norman Whitfie...uh...Temptations single that was patterned from "Papa Was A Rolling Stone", and that is "Masterpiece". I'm not sure where the title of the song came from, but i'm guessing it was more of Whitfield's ego at work. The song is about ghetto strife, but the musical track, once again, takes center stage. And, of course, the album version was even longer at almost fourteen minutes, taking up almost a whole side. I don't want to distract from the Spinners discussion, but here is the 45 edit of Masterpiece:
Yeah, "Masterpiece." Definitely what Norman Whitfield thought this was. (Who'd he think he was at this point, a Roman emperor?) This, combined with "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone," exacerbated fissures between him and the group, they were beginning to chafe at his dictatorial heavy hand big-time. The Temps at this point, every so often, were on the verge of being turned into "The Whitfield Tabernacle Choir," or something. The horns heard at the end, in the way they were arranged, seemed to have stirred something down the road in Hall & Oates, given the "No, no, no's" at the end of their much later hit, "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)." And as we'll see, they were certainly Temps aficionadi, and later worked with some alumni. "Masterpiece" was also the first song written after Mr. Whitfield ended his writing partnership with Barrett Strong, who went off on his own merry way (ha-ha) to pursue a solo career, first on Epic and then on Capitol.
It bears mentioning, that whenever they refer to "The Sound Of Philadelphia," there was more than one. In fact one could say there were parallel "Philly Sounds" in this period. Mr. Bell with The Spinners was one area; his work with The Stylistics was another; and then there was Gamble/Huff and their Philadelphia International label which, by this point, was beginning its "running on all cylinders" phase of its storied existence. They may've used the same group of musicians - both the "pickers" and the string and horn sections - but they were all used differently. (And given that the same recording studio - Sigma Sound - was used for such now-classic tracks.) And, I might add, brilliantly. Meanwhile, around this time a little single was being released, also produced by Mr. Bell, from a group that pretty much came and went. May I present, for your perusal, "I'm Doin' Fine Now" by New York City:
Even though Whitfield was using The Tempts as playthings, he still produced some very beautiful ballads for them, too, like "Hey Girl, I Like Your Style", and another one they would release in a year.
In addition to everything else, Mr. Bell also in this period produced a song by Ronnie Dyson (of "(If You Let Me Make Love To You Then) Why Can't I Touch You?" fame) that only got as high as #28 on the Hot 100 and #15 on this chart, but evidently did enough action to warrant its being included in the 1974 K-tel compilation album Dynamic Sound. Ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you, "One Man Band (Plays All Alone)":
I don't know much about Ronnie Dyson other than that he was also an actor, and died way too young. Was he really a multi-instrumentalist?
If you listened to the lyrics of that, you'd think so . . . however, he was primarily a singer-actor, and had quite a few R&B/soul hits into the early '80's. No, here the same musicians who backed up many a "Philly soul" record (including the Spinners #1 that is now under the microscope) are the instrumentalists on this one.
IMO with it's 4-on-the floor beat and lush arrangement this song lacks the groove and does not sound "soulful".
