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“It takes the right combination to get hits in this business. That’s what
you’re looking for, all the time: the right people to work with.” Eddie Levert, Melody Maker, 1973
There are times in popular music where an unstoppable force truly meets an immovable object and a strange, unique, alchemy occurs. This is absolutely true of the union between the O’Jays (Eddie Levert, Walter Williams and William Powell) and producers and writers Gamble & Huff.
The power of the moment in 1972 when the group broke through into the US and UK mainstream with a series of memorable hits still burns bright. During their years on Philadelphia International Records (PIR), they released some of the greatest and most successful soul standards of all time. ‘Love Train’, ‘Put Your Hands Together’, ‘Now That We Found Love’, ‘Backstabbers’, ‘For the Love of Money’, ‘I Love Music’... there’s a seemingly endless supply of hits in the O’Jays’ PIR songbook, all here on this 2LP of classics.
Success was not instant for the group that started out recording as The Mascots in Cincinnati in 1961. “It’s been a long road for the O’Jays, but their music has travelled beautifully,” Blues & Soul wrote in 1973, but then the hits started flowing. The O’Jays also notched up 8 Billboard Top 20 albums to match their success in the single charts around the world.
Tracklist
- Love Train
- 992 Arguments
- Put Your Hands Together
- Now That We Found Love
- Backstabbers
- For The Love Of Money
- I Love Music
- Livin’ For The Weekend
- Message In Our Music
- Darlin’ Darlin’ Baby ( Sweet, Tender, Love )
- Use Ta Be My Girl
- Brandy
- Put Our Heads Together
- My Favorite Person
- I Just Want To Satisfy You
- Summer Fling