HIGH BIAS -- reissues

High Bias refreshed

MFSB
MFSB
BILLY PAUL
360 Degrees of Billy Paul
THE TRAMMPS
Trammps
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Philadelphia Classics
Philly Super Soul Hits
(Philadelphia International/Epic/Legacy)
The brainchild of musicians/producers/songwriters Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, the label Philadelphia International ruled soul music in the early 70s. Gamble and Huff were already veterans of the R&B scene; they could've gone to Motown and taken over if they'd really wanted to, but loyalty to their home town prevented it. Instead they set up their own label in Motown's image, with themselves as chief songwriters and producers. Gamble and Huff attempted to find the middle ground between the sweet pop confections of Motown and the grittier and (oh hell, let's just come out and say it) blacker music coming from Stax and Atlantic. Utilizing a core group of musicians based in Philly's Sigma Sound Studios, they smoothed out the funk rhythms and added elements of jazz and classical to the melodies, but also emphasized the social consciousness of 70s black life in the lyrics. (Gamble always claimed "There's a message in the music.") This was probably the most intelligent music made to fill dance floors in pop, at least until hip-hop claimed prominence in the 80s. The duo's rhythmic vision gave rise to disco even as its musical and lyrical ideas expanded the boundaries of what R&B could cover. Philly International was as much a vision of its co-CEOs as any company in history.

MFSB was the instrumental backup for nearly every artist that passed through Sigma Sound; this combination of funksters, jazzbos and classical musicians provided the spine from which Philly International's limbs grew. MFSB (which stands for Mother Father Sister Brother) became famous in its own right in 1974 with the hit "T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia)," which would become the theme song for the TV show Soul Train. As heavy on strings and horns as on rhythm and with label co-leader Leon Huff on piano, the group's 1973 self-titled debut features a curious mix of instrumental versions of originals and then-current funk standards. The opening "Freddie's Dead" takes the Curtis Mayfield hit through jazzy keyboard improvisation and string-laden classicism, with a fuzz guitar holding the bottom all the while. The ensemble's version of the O'Jays' classic "Back Stabbers" smoothes out the angular funk rhythm and adds hard-edged flute, gnarly electric guitar, smooth sax and a tinkling vibraphone solo. The loose arrangement of Sly Stone's "Family Affair" stretches the already elastic melody to its limits, giving the various players plenty of room to move about. Originals like "Something For Nothing" and "Lay in Low" are less successful, simply because the melodies aren't strong enough for these tunes to qualify as more than aural wallpaper. Nice wallpaper, mind you, nothing you would be embarrassed to show future in-laws, the kind you feel good about choosing at the Home Depot. Which pretty much describes MFSB in a nutshell—quality background music for discriminating consumers.

Singer Billy Paul was a curious choice by the fates to provide Philly International's first number one single. By the time he signed with Gamble and Huff, he'd been around nearly two decades, singing jazz and ballads in the style of Nat King Cole. He cut one unsuccessful record for PI in 1971, but his 1972 release 360 Degrees of Billy Paul hit paydirt with the massive smash "Me and Mrs. Jones." Using his jazz chops to sing around the melody, Paul makes infidelity sound less like a choice than an inevitability; the song (which is also included here in a live version) holds up extremely well. There's more to this record than the hit, though. The Gamble/Huff social conscience makes itself felt on the epic ballad "I'm Just a Prisoner" (complete with prison block announcements) and the funky workouts "Brown Baby" and "Am I Black Enough For You?" The closing "I'm Gonna Make It This Time," however, is a sentimental ballad more in line with Paul's older style. Even more interesting are the covers. Paul and the Philly team put their own funky spin on Carole King's "It's Too Late," Elton John's "Your Song" and Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," using the signature melodies as a jumping off point for their own interpretations. The Green tune is transformed into a dirge, while the King and John songs bump against the edge of unrecognizable. Paul's background in jazz serves him well here, preventing him from creating easy renditions of familiar hits. His baritone seems at first listen to be too smooth for R&B, but it fits right in the Philly soul style. 360 Degrees of Billy Paul is a minor gem that deserves rediscovery.

The Trammps scored one of disco's most popular and recognizable hits in 1977 with the still-in-circulation monster "Disco Inferno." Before that, however, the group honed its disco chops at Philly International. The Trammps' 1975 debut features the smooth sounds of PI at its apex/nadir, depending on how you see it. Led by PI/MFSB drummer Earl Young, the group softened the funk edges of 70s soul even further, emphasizing the sweeping strings as much as the often surprisingly gritty vocals of Jimmy Ellis. Young keeps the beat propulsive but never as heavily grooving as R&B up 'til that time. Songs like "Stop and Think," "Trusting Heart" and "Love Epidemic" are dance-floor friendly without being out of place on the living room hi-fi. Strangely, the funkiest track, "Oh Waa Hey," is one of three bonus tracks not on the original issue. The band also indulges a fetish for bass-toned Barry White seduction raps with "Every Dream I Dream is You" and "Where Do We Go From Here" and covers the Isley Brothers' "Shout" with mixed results. As easy-listening disco goes, this record isn't bad, but it's just a warm-up for what the band would achieve with "Disco Inferno." The reason that song holds up after 25 years is its sheer ostentatiousness; the band wasn't afraid to take the silly message way over the top. There's little of that exuberance here; everything is simply too restrained, too tasteful for a gonzo moment like "Disco Inferno." As an album, The Trammps is mostly of interest to Philly soul completists.

Philadelphia Classics was originally issued in 1977 and contains extended versions of Philly International's biggest hits on the dance floor, as remixed by Tom Moulton. Though rightfully considered a pioneer, Moulton was not a remixer in the contemporary sense; he didn't rebuild tracks from the ground up, merely stretched them out for extended dancing. Eleven-plus minutes of MFSB's "Love is the Message" and Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' "Don't Leave Me This Way" are certainly too much for casual listening, though probably ideal for samplers and hardcore discophiles. Besides, with the exception of the Three Degrees' "Dirty Ol' Man," all of the tunes on Philadelphia Classics can be found in their original versions on Philly Super Soul Hits, a 15-track sampler of the label's best singles. From the O'Jays' "Love Train" and "Back Stabbers" (possibly Philly soul's finest moment) and the Blue Notes' "Bad Luck" and "You Don't Know Me By Now" to the Three Degrees' "When Will I See You Again," Billy Paul's "Me and Mrs. Jones" and the Intruders' "I'll Always Love My Mama," this is the album to get not only for a crash course in 70s soul, but for just plain good music. It and the other reissues discussed here are merely the tip of the iceberg in a large catalog of still-relevant, still-great soul. Michael Toland

For fans of:
MFSB: the Salsoul Orchestra, the Love Unlimited Orchestra, early 70s film soundtracks
Billy Paul: Teddy Pendergrass, Lou Rawls, Sam Cooke
The Trammps: McFadden & Whitehead, Ashford & Simpson, Barry White