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Thelma Houston first signed with Motown records in 1971, following the 1969 release of her critically-acclaimed Jim Webb-produced album “Sunshower.” Her self-titled debut Motown album was released on Mowest in 1972 (and reissued by Soulmusic records as an expanded edition in 2012, SMCR 5072). Subsequently, she spent the next few years recording a large amount of material – much of which was initially unreleased save for literally a handful of singles issued between 1973 and 1977.
In 1977, Motown assembled a second Thelma Houston album Any Way You Like It and included was a cover that altered Thelma’s career trajectory forever – her take on ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way,’ a track from a 1975 album by Philadelphia International Records group Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes. After a Boston record pool of club DJs began playing it and getting immediate reaction, it was released as a single and became a Grammy-winning global hit for Thelma, topping the US pop, R&B and dance charts.
This expanded edition of Any Way You Like It includes six bonus tracks: the single version of ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’ and its non-LP “B” side ‘Today Will Soon Be Yesterday’); non-album singles, the Grammy-winning ‘You’ve Been Doing Wrong So Long’ and ‘One Out Of Every Six’; and Thelma’s long sought-after ultra-rare version of ‘Do You Know Where You’re Going To’ (only ever issued in New Zealand), subsequently recorded by Diana Ross as the theme for her 2nd film, “Mahogany” along with the “B” side, ‘Together’.
Liner notes by Soulmusic.com founder David Nathan include 2014 quotes from Thelma.
Tracklist
1. ANY WAY YOU LIKE IT
2. DON’T LEAVE ME THIS WAY
3. DON’T KNOW WHY I LOVE YOU
4. COME TO ME
5. DON’T MAKE ME PAY (FOR ANOTHER GIRL’S MISTAKE)
6. SHARING SOMETHING PERFECT BETWEEN OURSELVES
7. IF IT’S THE LAST THING I DO
8. DIFFERENTLY
BONUS TRACKS
9. DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO (PREVIOUSLY ISSUED ONLY IN NEW ZEALAND)
10. TOGETHER (PREVIOUSLY ISSUED ONLY IN NEW ZEALAND)
11. TODAY WILL SOON BE YESTERDAY (US ‘B’ SIDE ONLY)
12. YOU’VE BEEN DOING WRONG FOR SO LONG (US NON-ALBUM SINGLE)
13. ONE OUT OF EVERY SIX (CENSORED VERSION) (US NON-ALBUM SINGLE)
14. DON’T LEAVE ME THIS WAY (US SINGLE EDIT)