VA - Love Train: The Sound of Philadelphia [4CD] (2008) Lossless
BAND/ARTIST: VA
- Title: Love Train: The Sound of Philadelphia
- Year Of Release: 2008
- Label: Legacy / Philadelphia International Records
- Genre: Soul, Funk, R&B, Pop, Disco
- Quality: FLAC (tracks)
- Total Time: 05:02:10
- Total Size: 1,9 Gb
- WebSite: Album Preview
When Barack Obama's victory broke last month, McFadden & Whitehead's "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" cued up coast to coast. The 1979 anthem acts as logical culmination of the aspirational sound developed at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios by songwriter/producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. This 4-CD retrospective begins with Gamble & Huff's first big hit, "Expressway (to Your Heart)," but the 1967 Soul Survivors indelible offers little hint of things to come. The pattern starts emerging on the Delfonics' "La-La – Means I Love You." Combining vestiges of doo-wop with a slightly more mature take on Motown's ornate production, early entries in the Gamble & Huff playbook foreshadowed the quiet storm perfected in 1972 through the fiery growl of Teddy Pendergrass on Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' "If You Don't Know Me by Now." Then the duo borrowed a page from Curtis Mayfield by introducing social justice motifs on the O'Jays' "Back Stabbers" and "Love Train." Girded by a deep-seated groove and infused with gravitas by elaborate string and horn arrangements, the messages couldn't miss. William DeVaughn's 1974 one-off, "Be Thankful for What You've Got," typified the ice-cold gangsta aesthetic that hip-hop promulgated, while the O'Jays' "For the Love of Money" boasted one of the all-time great opening bass riffs, courtesy of 19-year-old Anthony Jackson. Philadelphia also birthed classic disco beat via drummer Earl Young's metronomic hi-hat on tracks such as MFSB's wickedly gorgeous "T.S.O.P. (the Sound of Philadelphia)." The 1980s-era songs that close Love Train suffer from smooth R&B turgidity, but the set's most egregious misstep is the omission of key Spinners tracks meticulously produced and arranged by fellow Gamble & Huff traveler Thom Bell. "I'll Be Around," "Mighty Love," and "The Rubberband Man" are a solid start, but skipping "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" stops Love Train just shy of definitive.
Tracklist
CD1
01 Soul Survivors - Expressway (To Your Heart) (2:21)
02 The Delfonics - La-La Means I Love You (3:22)
03 The Intruders - Cowboys To Girls (2:40)
04 Jerry Butler - Hey, Western Union Man (2:42)
05 The Delfonics - Ready Or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide From Love) (2:03)
06 Jerry Butler - Only The Strong Survive (2:38)
07 The Delfonics - Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time) (3:24)
08 Dusty Springfield - Brand New Me (2:27)
09 Wilson Pickett - Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You (2:50)
10 The Ebonys - You're The Reason Why (3:05)
11 Joe Simon - Drowning In The Sea of Love (3:23)
12 The Stylistics - I'm Stone In Love With You (3:23)
13 Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - I Miss You (8:40)
14 The O'Jays - Back Stabbers (3:08)
15 The O'Jays - Sunshine (3:45)
16 The Spinners - I'll Be Around (3:13)
17 Johnny Williams - Slow Motion (Pt. 1) (3:00)
18 Billy Paul - Me And Mrs. Jones (4:48)
19 Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - If You Don't Know Me By Now (3:29)
20 The Futures - Love Is Here (4:59)
CD2
01 The O'Jays - Love Train (3:00)
02 The Stylistics - Break Up To Make Up (4:00)
03 MFSB - Family Affair (4:25)
04 The Ebonys - It's Forever (4:32)
05 The O'Jays - Time To Get Down (2:55)
06 The Manhattans - There's No Me Without You (3:39)
07 The Intruders - I'll Always Love My Mama (6:39)
08 Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - The Love I Lost (6:25)
09 The Intruders - I Wanna Know Your Name (5:51)
10 The Three Degrees - Dirty Ol' Man (3:06)
11 The O'Jays - Put Your Hands Together (4:09)
12 Billy Paul - Thanks For Saving My Life (3:00)
13 The Spinners - Mighty Love (4:59)
14 William DeVaughn - Be Thankful For What You Got (Pt. 1) (3:26)
15 The O'Jays - For The Love of Mone (7:23)
16 The Trammps - Where Do We Go From Here (3:46)
17 MSFB (Featuring The Three Degrees) - T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia) (5:49)
CD3
01 The Spinners (Featuring Dionne Warwick) - Then Came You (3:59)
02 MFSB (Featuring The Three Degrees) - Love Is The Message (6:39)
03 The Three Degrees - When Will I See You Again (3:01)
04 Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Where Are All My Friends (3:22)
05 Bunny Sigler - Picture Us (2:37)
06 Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Bad Luck (6:31)
07 The O'Jays - Give The People What They Want (4:14)
08 Billy Paul - Billy's Back Home (4:32)
09 Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (Featuring Sharon Paige) - Hope That We Can Be Together Soon (3:41)
10 People's Choice - Do It Any Way You Wanna (3:18)
11 People's Choice - The Big Hurt (3:28)
12 The O'Jays - et Me Make Love To You (3:40)
13 Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Wake Up Everybody (7:33)
14 The O'Jays - I Love Music (6:53)
15 Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Don't Leave Me This Way (6:06)
16 Archie Bell & The Drells - Let's Groove (3:07)
17 The O'Jays - Livin' For The Weekend (6:36)
CD4
01 The Manhattans - Kiss And Say Goodbye (4:31)
02 Dee Dee Sharp - I'm Not In Love (5:17)
03 Lou Rawls - You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine (4:29)
04 The Spinners - The Rubberband Man (3:36)
05 The Jacksons - Enjoy Yourself (3:24)
06 Jean Carn - Free Love (4:08)
07 Teddy Pendergrass - I Don't Love You Anymore (4:00)
08 Lou Rawls - See You When I Git There (4:28)
09 The O'Jays - Use Ta Be My Girl (4:04)
10 Teddy Pendergrass - Close The Door (5:28)
11 McFadden & Whitehead - Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now (7:03)
12 The Jones Girls - ou Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else (4:34)
13 The Stylistics - Hurry Up This Way Again (3:38)
14 Teddy Pendergrass - Love T.K.O. (5:03)
15 Leon Huff - I Ain't Jivin', I'm Jammin' (5:58)
16 Deniece Williams - It's Gonna Take A Miracle (4:13)
17 Patti Labelle - If Only You Knew (4:45)
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