Labelle's Warner Bros. debut album up for Run Out Groove vote now (October 2021)

I doubt that they will win against Curtis Mayfield's "Super Fly 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition" or Steel Pulse "Babylon The Bandit", but I'm hoping there are enough fans here (and elsewhere) to help vote for it!

While this album was not a hit, it was their first album released as Labelle.



ALBUM DETAILS

• Out of print on vinyl for 50 years!
• Would be expanded to a 2LP set to include previously unreleased tracks
• Would be remastered for maximum fidelity and cut from original analog tapes
• Would feature deluxe packaging, new liner notes and be individually numbered/limited to a one time pressing

Run Out Groove Vote For Next Release

Biography

Labelle is an American all-female singing group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the area around Philadelphia and Trenton, the Ordettes and the Del-Capris, forming as a new version of the former group, then later changing their name to the Blue Belles (later Bluebelles). The founding members were Patti LaBelle (formerly Patricia Holte), Cindy Birdsong, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash. As the Bluebelles, and later Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, the group found success with ballads in the doo-wop genre, most notably "Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)", "You'll Never Walk Alone", and "Over the Rainbow". After Birdsong departed to join the Supremes in 1967, the group, following the advice of Vicki Wickham, changed its look, musical direction, and style to re-form as Labelle in 1971. Their funk rock recordings of that period became cult favorites for their brash interpretation of rock and roll and for dealing with subject matter that was not typically touched by female black groups. Finally – after adapting glam rock and wearing outlandish space-age and glam costumes – the group found success with the proto-disco smash "Lady Marmalade" in 1974, leading to their album Nightbirds, which achieved gold success. They are notable for being the first contemporary pop group and first black pop group to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House. They were also the first black vocal group to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone. The group members each went on their own after the end of a tour in 1976, going on to have significant solo success. Nona Hendryx followed an idiosyncratic muse into a solo career that often bordered on the avant-garde;[1] Sarah Dash became a celebrated session singer; Patti LaBelle enjoyed a very successful Grammy-winning career, with several top-20 R&B hits between 1982 and 1997, a number-one pop hit with "On My Own," and lifetime-achievement awards from the Apollo Theatre, World Music Awards, and BET Awards.The group reunited for their first new album in 32 years, Back to Now, in 2008.

Original track listing:

Side A

1. "Morning Much Better" (Aram Schefrin, Michael Zager) (4:00)
2. "You've Got a Friend" (Carole King, Toni Stern) (4:16)
3. "Baby's Out of Sight" (Sarah Dash, Armstead Edwards) (2:35)
4. "Time & Love" (Laura Nyro) (3:45)
5. "Too Many Days" (Nona Hendryx) (2:57)

Side B

1. "Running Out of Fools/If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody" (Kay Rogers, Richard Ahlert/Rudy Clark) (4:15)
2. "Shades of Difference" (Nona Hendryx, Patti LaBelle) (3:14)
3. "Heart Be Still" (Bert Berns, Jerry Ragavoy) (3:14)
4. "Wild Horses" (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) (3:03)
5. "Time" (Patti LaBelle, Armstead Edwards) (3:48)
6. "When the Sun Comes Shining Through (The Ladder)" (Michael D'Abo) (3:56)

Here's one of the original tunes, "Shades of Difference", a rare co-write by Nona and Patti:

 

Got my vote in. Wish they would do this for all of their albums, something that is long overdue.

 

I don't think that particular Steel Pulse album stands much of a chance-- Most fans would likely consider it the start of their decline.

Super Fly is probably unbeatable, though.

 

Here's their great

It really seems unfair to put that Curtis album up for vote — why not just go ahead and release it?

Here’s their cover of “Wild Horses”:

 

Here's another funky highlight from the album, with beautiful high notes from the late, great Sarah:

 

I hope Pressure Cookin' gets a reissue on LP someday as well.

 

And Moonshadow.

 

"Labelle" without question! "Superfly" has already gotten several releases, including an SACD.

 

Yes those would be great as expanded vinyl reissues!

Might as well add the three Epic albums as well -- perhaps there are extra unreleased studio recordings for those?

And finally, their reunion album is an underrated gem that should see a belated vinyl release!

 

Just bumping this to get some attention!

 

Another bump and hoping to inspire some votes for this excellent album from Labelle at Run Out Groove!

Run Out Groove Vote For Next Release

 

Not sure when voting closes, but just thought I'd bump this for anyone interested in voting for this!

 

Needless to say, Curtis Mayfield won -- that is some serious first class BS to put something like this against such a mega-selling title UGH