"Imagination/I Feel A Song/2nd Anniversary/The One And Only…" by GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS – October 1973, November 1974, October 1975 and August 1978 US LPs on Buddah Records (November 2025 UK Beat Goes On (BGO) Compilation – 4LPs Digitally Remastered onto 2CDs – Andrew Thompson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…I'm Leaving On A Midnight Train To Georgia…"

Sales-wise, Soft Soul in the Seventies did well. But who remembers even half of it? Dopes like me maybe!?

It is amazing to think in 2026 that few people would even know US Soul giants Gladys Knight & The Pips – or that they clocked up no less than six number one albums on the US R&B LP charts. Not two – not four – but six. And this is back in a day when real sales numbers were needed to achieve anything above Top Ten.

Two of the four platters on offer here hit that top stop - "Imagination" in late 1973 (armed with the huge Jim Weatherly-penned Countryfied crossover hit "Midnight Train To Georgia") and "I Feel A Song" in the winter of 1974 - also armed with another 45 numero uno - "I Feel A Song (In My Heart)". The talking tale of down-south goings-on Georgia also hit No.1 on the Pop charts. Their first LP for Buddah Records stayed on chart for over a year (53 weeks). The other two studio albums had to settle for a mere No.4 and No.30 chart placing in 1975 and 1978 (GK & The Pips were made Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees in 1996 – 30 years back).

And yet - when I worked the second-hand counters at Reckless Records in Islington and Soho for over twenty years – Soft Soul Seventies groups like The Manhattans or The Detroit Spinners or The Stylistics and Gladys Knight on either Motown or Buddah were notorious sales no-no's for us. Records like these were strictly pound fodder and one quick glance at Discogs LP offerings and you will see that not a lot has changed some fifty-plus years later. 

But – that is not to say that there's no class nor gems here – there is and a few cool surprises too - quality folks like Carole King, Bill Withers, Burt Bacharach, Eugene McDaniels and Van McCoy as guests. And that's where this fab-sounding stacked twofer CD compilation comes in (4LPs Remastered onto 2CDs) – part of BGO's exploration of Philly Soul, Funk and Jazz Funk (see list of 9 below). To the details…

UK released Friday, 27 February 2026 - "Imagination/I Feel A Song/2nd Anniversary/The One And Only…" by GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS on Beat Goes On BGOCD1567 (Barcode 5017261215673) is a 37-Track Compilation that offers Four Seventies Albums Remastered across 2CDs and plays out as follows:

CD1 (76:44 minutes, 19 Tracks):

1. Midnight Train To Georgia [Side 1]

2. I've Got To Use My Imagination

3. Storms Of Troubled Times

4. Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me

5. Once In A Lifetime Thing

6. Where Peaceful Waters Flow [Side 2]

7. I Can See Clearly Now

8. Perfect Love

9. Window Raisin' Granny

Tracks 1 to 9 are their studio album "Imagination" – released October 1973 in the USA on Buddah BDS 5141 and August 1974 in the UK on Buddah 2318 013. Produced by RICHIE WISE, TONY CAMILLO and KENNY KERNER – it peaked at No.1 on the US Billboard R&B LP charts in late 1973 (no chart UK)

10. I Feel A Song (In My Heart) [Side 1]

11. Love Finds Its Own Way

12. Seconds

13. The Goings Up And The Coming Down

14. The Way We Were/Try To Remember

15. Better You Go Your Way [Side 2]

16. Don't Burn Down The Bridge

17. The Need To Be

18. Tenderness Is His Way

Tracks 10 to 18 are their studio album "I Feel A Song" – released November 1974 in the USA on Buddah BDS 5612 and May 1975 in the UK on Buddah BDLP 4030. Produced by RICHIE WISE, TONY CAMILLO, BILL WITHERS, BURT BACHARACH, GLADYS KNIGHT and more – it peaked at No.1 on the US Billboard R&B LP charts in late 1974 and No.20 in the UK LP charts. 

19. Money [Track 1 on Side 1]

Track 19 is the first song on Side 1 of the album "2nd Anniversary" (see CD2 Tracks 1 to 8 for details)

CD2 (79:12 minutes, 18 Tracks):

1. Street Brother [Track 2 on Side 1]

2. Part Time Love

3. At The End There's A Beginning

4. Georgia On My Mind

5. You And Me Against The World [Side 2]

6. Where Do I Put His Memory

7. Summer Sun

8. Feel Like Makin' Love 

Tracks 19 on CD1 and Tracks 1 to 8 on CD2 are their studio album "2nd Anniversary" – released October 1975 in the USA on Buddah BDS 5639 and October 1975 in the UK on Buddah BDLP 4038. Produced by EUGENE McDANIELS, KENNY KERNER and RICHIE WISE – it peaked at No.4 on the US Billboard R&B LP charts (no chart UK). 

9. Sorry Doesn't Always Make It Right [Side 1]

10. Come Back And Finish What You Started

11. All The Time

12. It's A Better Than Good Time

13. Butterfly

14. The One And Only [Side 2]

15. Saved By The Grace Of Your Love

16. Don't Say No To Me Tonight

17. Be Yourself

18. What If I Should Ever Need You

Tracks 9 to 18 are their studio-album "The One And Only…" – released August 1978 in the USA on Buddah BDS 5701 and May 1978 in the UK on Buddah Records BDLP 4051 (their eighth and final album for Buddah Records). Produced by RICHIE WISE, TONY CAMILLO, VAN McCOY, MICHAEL MASSER and more – it peaked at No.30 in the US Billboard R&B LP charts (didn't chart UK). Note: the British LP reversed sides – Tracks 14 to 18 are Side, Tracks 9 to 13 are Side 2

The audio you get is TOP NOTCH – Remasters by long-time Sound Engineer for Beat Goes On/BGO – ANDREW THOMPSON. The 24-page booklet inside the card slipcase features all original artwork and a new info-jam-packed history/appraisal of the Motown escapees by admired Jazz & Soul writer CHARLES WARING. Waring smartly lets the lady do the talking in-between the multitude of factoids – quoting extensively from an Autobiography and online accounts (referenced). Gladys states in a 1997 interview that leaving Tamla and Berry Gordy (despite assurances from many that it was a commercially suicidal move) turned out to be the making of her and her gang of four. And on the evidence of the lurve on display here that touched a chord with Soul and R&B lovers around the globe, she was right. To the music…

Whether their albums are worth anything now, back in the mid-Seventies day, England has a thing about Gladys Knight & The Pips on Buddah Records (even when their releases were up to a year after their American counterparts). They landed a lot of seven-inch 45-singles on the UK Pop charts (and past 1977 too). Here are just seven - up first (as far as this set is concerned) is a cover of the Barbra Streisand film tearjerker "The Way We Were – Try To Remember" – it went to No.4 in April 1975 (Buddah BDS 428). The upbeat "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me" hit a very groovy No.7 in August 1975 (Buddah BDS 432) - but "Part Time Love" stalled at No.30 (Buddah BDS 438). Seems odd now too that such a huge Stateside smash as "Midnight Train To Georgia" (Number 1 on both the R&B and Pop charts) should only make No.10 in Blighty (May 1976 on Buddah BDS 444). Apparently, the Jim Weatherly song originally referenced the city of Houston and a plane instead of railways. Gladys liked neither and after a call to him, he kindly changed the lyrics to suit city and mode of transport - and a classic was born. 

"The One And Only…" album arrived in English shops in May 1978 – three months before its US release. To pre-empt that - Buddah put out the title track one month before and were rewarded with an April 1978 No.32 on Buddah BDS 470. Two more from the record followed - "Come Back And Finish What You Started" in June 1978 on Buddah BDS 473 that broke the top twenty, finally landing at No.15, while "It's A Better Than Good Time" would become her last UK chart entry of that decade – Buddah BDS 478 managing only 59 in September 1978.

The "I Feel A Song" LP has a barmaid array of sexy names attached to it – big in my books is Bill Withers writing and producing two exclusives - "Better You Go Your Way" and "Tenderness Is His Way". They are as sweet as you would expect from the Lovely Day balladeer. The mighty Sundance smoocher himself Burt Bacharach provides an unreleased tune he wrote with screenplay genius Neil Simon (dropped from a solo project) in the shape of "Seasons" – very tasty. Both Bubba Knight and William Guest (two of The Pips) get to shine too vocally and are co-producers on an array of tunes. The "2nd Anniversary" album (named after two years with believers Buddah) features a stellar guest list - musicians include George Duke on Synths, Hugh McCracken, Richard Resnicoff and Rusty Young (Pedal Steel on Track 6) on Guitars, Kenny Asher on Keyboards with Ralph MacDonald and Steve Gadd on Percussion and Drums. 

Country songwriter Jim Weatherly provides the lion-share of songs for their 1973 US Buddah Records debut "Imagination" (after a breakaway from an unappreciative Motown). Gladys is quoted extensively from her autobiography regarding Motown in the liner notes and their unseemly Supreme habit of not pushing her or her band. In fact, Bubblegum Pop and Novelty tunes Buddah Records was not seen as anyone's first choice – Rock or otherwise - so the Art Kass and Artie Ripp's-formed indie label Buddah signing a known class act like Gladys Knight was a big deal (they came out of Kama Sutra Records in the late Sixties). And Knight enthuses - Buddah treated her right – allowing artistic freedom. The hits soon started piling up and from what Gladys states – the warmth was reciprocal (Cars, Tours financed, TV spots arranged, constant profiling in the industry). Their "Imagination" LP turned up in Blighty almost a whole year later and with the "Midnight Train To Georgia" song leading the charge as its opener on Side 1 - made an impact in England too.

Her cover of the Johnny Nash classic "I Can See Clearly Now" is excellent as is the Barry Goldberg/Gerry Goffin exclusive contribution "I've Got To Use My Imagination". It was meant for Carole King apparently - but got to Gladys instead – and (no pun intended) the song had legs and turned up in 1994 as a very popular choice on the Forrest Gump soundtrack. Soul and Disco guru Van McCoy turns up on "The One And Only…" album in production credits, but he also arranged and contributed the song "Be Yourself" and co-wrote the popular hit "Come Back And Finish What You Started". GK was indeed "Saved By The Grace Of Your Love".

This kind of smooth sultry Seventies Soul might be out-of-fashion a tad – but her voice, the great backing, the tunes and upbeat messaging – all still hold sway with so many lovers. Like The Manhattans twofer in this Series, I enjoyed this Gladys Knight & The Pips 4LPs-onto-2CDs compilation way more than I had anticipated and for fans there is the dense annotation and great audio to look forward to.

Another winner amongst nine listed below for England's BGO...

Soul/Funk/Disco/Fusion and Jazz Titles in the 

Beat Goes On (BGO) Records 'Four Albums On Two Discs' Series

UK issued 2CD Compilations in a Card Slipcase with Remasters

1. GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS - "Imagination/I Feel A Song/2nd Anniversary/The One And Only…"

Four US Albums originally issued on Buddah Records in 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1978

UK released 27 February 2026 on Beat Goes On BGOCD1567 (Barcode 5017261215673)

2. RAMSEY LEWIS - "Funky Serenity/Ramsey Lewis’ Newly Recorded, Al-Time, Non-Stop Golden Hits/Solar Wind/Sun Goddess"

Four US Albums originally issued 1973 (two) and 1974 (two) on Columbia Records

UK released 18 May 2018 on Beat Goes On BGOCD1335 (Barcode 5017261213358)

3. RAMSEY LEWIS - "Legacy/Ramsey/Live At The Savoy/Chance Encounter"

Four US Albums originally issued 1978, 1979 and two in 1982 on Columbia Records

UK released 30 March 2018 on Beat Goes On BGOCD1330 (Barcode 5017261213303)

4. THE MANHATTANS - "There's No Me Without You/That's How Much I Love You/The Manhattans/It Feels So Good"

Four US Albums originally issued on Columbia Records in 1973, 1974, 1976 and 1977

UK released 21 November 2025, Beat Goes On BGOCD1557 (Barcode 5017261215574) 

5. BUDDY MILES EXPRESS/BUDDY MILES

"Expressway To Your Skull/Electric Church/Them Changes/We Got To Live Together"

Four US Albums originally issued 1968, 1969 and Two in 1970 on Mercury Records

UK released 7 January 2022 (delayed from November 2021), Beat Goes On BGOCD1468 (Barcode 5017261214683)

6. THE O'JAYS - "Back Stabbers/Ship Ahoy/Survival/Family Reunion"

Four US Albums originally issued on Philadelphia International Records in 1972, 1973 and 1975

UK released 21 November 2025, Beat Goes On BGOCD1563 (Barcode 5017261215635)

7. BILLY PAUL – "Ebony Woman/Going East/360 Degrees Of Billy Paul/War Of The Gods"

Four US Albums originally issued on Neptune and Philadelphia International Records in 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973

UK released 7 November 2025, Beat Goes On BGOCD1561 (Barcode 5017261215611)

8. LOU RAWLS - "All Things In Time/Unmistakably Lou/When You Hear Lou, You've Heard It All/Let Me Be Good To You"

Four US Albums originally issued on Philadelphia International Records in 1976, Two in 1977 and One in 1979

UK released 3 October 2025, Beat Goes on BGOCD1560 (Barcode 5017261215604)

9. DEXTER WANSEL - "Life On Mars/What The World Is Coming To/Voyager/Time Is Slipping Away"

Four US Albums originally issued on Philadelphia International Records in 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979

UK released 10 March 2023, BGOCD1490 (Barcode 5017261214904)