“Ebony Woman” by BILLY PAUL (June 2012 Big Break Records (BBR) CD Remaster of his 1970 Neptune Records Album Reissued By Philadelphia International In 1973 With A Different Sleeve) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Traces Of Love Long Ago..." 

As a long-time contributor to Amazon - I've raved about Britain's BIG BREAK RECORDS before and have reviewed many of their in-depth Reissues and Remasters (see list below).

Each BBR issue has been uniformly superb - especially for those of us looking for great sound quality rather than the half-hearted efforts thrown at us by the majors these days (when they can be bothered). And once again - BBR has delivered on the sound front - even if the material isn't nearly as stellar as you'd hope for. Here are the ebony traces...

UK released 4 June 2012 (5 June 2012 in the USA) - "Ebony Woman by BILLY PAUL on Big Break Records CDBBR 0142 (Barcode 5013929044234) is a straightforward CD Remaster of the rare US Neptune Records LP from 1970 (later reissued by Philadelphia International in 1973) that breaks down as follows (35:41 minutes):

1. Ebony Woman

2. Mrs. Robinson

3. The Windmills Of Your Mind

4. Everyday People

5. Let's Fall In Love All Over

6. Windy

7. Psychedelic Sally

8. Traces

9. Proud Mary

Tracks 1 to 9 are Billy Paul's 2nd album "Ebony Woman" - released July 1970 in the USA on Neptune Records NLPS-201. Neptune was the record label started by the Soul songwriting and producing duo of Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff. The LP received no UK release at this time. However - it was re-issued April 1973 on Philadelphia International Records KZ 32118 in the USA and on Philadelphia International PIR 65931 in the UK - but this time sporting a different front sleeve. This BBR CD Reissue uses the original 1970 artwork on the front - with the back sleeve featuring the 1973 photo of a woman's face (Grace Jones). It is this image that British Soul fans will recognise as the 1973 sleeve (reproduced in full on Page 6 of the booklet). There are no bonus tracks.

This CD reissue comes in one of those rounded-corner jewel cases and has a detailed 12-page booklet with liner notes by ANDY KELLMAN (writer for the "All Music Guide"). The A&B-sides of the lone 7" single initially issued off the album is pictured on Pages 4 and 8 - "Let's Fall In Love Again" b/w "Mrs. Robinson" on Neptune N-30 - while photos of Paul in his trademark hat pepper the text. There are also full album-credits on the last pages. But the real news for fans is the SUPERB SOUND QUALITY...

Remastered from the 1st generation tapes by NICK ROBBINS at Sound Mastering in London - the clarity is fantastic - warm bass and clean vocals.

Just out of the Sixties - the album is full of contemporary hits of the time - Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson", Sly & The Family Stone's "Everyday People" and Noel Harrison's "Windmills Of Your Mind" (theme from "The Thomas Crown Affair"). The single "Let's Fall In Love Again" was written by Bobby Martin (a friend of Gamble & Huff) and the title track "Ebony Woman" harks way back to 1959 when Billy Paul first sang it jazz-style.

Unfortunately most of these tracks are terribly dated and I'll admit to only having time for three songs on here - a Swingin' 60t's cover of Horace Silver's "Psychedelic Sally" (you can see some hippy chick dancing on a podium in a TV studio on this one), a piano-funky take on Creedence Clearwater Revival's classic "Proud Mary" and a truly lovely turn on The Classic IV's "Traces" (lyrics from it title this review).

To sum up - if you're a fan of the album - then you need to own this BBR reissue of it because of the fabulous sound and tasty presentation. If you're new to it and are expecting Billy Paul's "Let The Dollar Circulate" type of Philly Sound - then I'd suggest a listen 'before' you buy...

PS: Big Break Records (BBR) CD Remasters I’ve reviewed to 2015:

1. Is It Still Good To Ya – ASHFORD and SIMPSON (1978)

2. Stay Free – ASHFORD and SIMPSON (1979)

3. Central Heating – HEATWAVE (1977)

4. Hot Property - HEATWAVE (1979)

5. Candles - HEATWAVE (1980)

6. Turnin' On - HIGH INERGY (1977)

7. Harvest For The World - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (1976)

8. Go For Your Guns - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (1977)

9. In The Heart – KOOL & THE GANG (1983)

10. I Hope We Get To Love On Time - MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS (1976)

11.  I Miss You - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (1972) [known as "Harold Melvin The Blue Notes" in the UK]

12. Black & Blue - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (1973)

13. Love Is The Message - MFSB (1973)

14. Universal Love – MFSB (1975)

15. All The Faces Of... - BUDDY MILES (1974)

16. For The First Time – STEPHANIE MILLS (1975)

17. I Can See Clearly Now - JOHNNY NASH (1972)

18. In Philadelphia - O'JAYS (1969)

19. Back Stabbers - O'JAYS (1972)

20. Ship Ahoy - O'JAYS (1973)

21. Down To Love Town – THE ORIGINALS (1977)

22. Ebony Woman - BILLY PAUL (1970 and 1973)

23. 360 Degrees Of Billy Paul - BILLY PAUL (1972)

24. War Of The Gods - BILLY PAUL (1973)

25. Platinum Hook – PLATINUM HOOK (1978)

26. Love For What It Is - ANITA POINTER (of The Pointer Sisters) (1987)

27. Live: Stompin’ At The Savoy – RUFUS and CHAKA KHAN (1983)

28. Summernights – SILVER CONVENTION (1977)

29. Smoked Sugar - SMOKED SUGAR (1975)

30. Spinners – SPINNERS (1973)

31. Soul Master – EDWIN STARR (1968)

32. Involved - EDWIN STARR (1971)

33. Switch - SWITCH (1978)

34 Watercolors – THE WATERS (1980)

35. Just As I Am - BILL WITHERS (1971)

36. Heartbeats – YARBROUGH & PEOPLES (1983) 

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“When Love Is New” by BILLY PAUL. A Review of his 1975 Philadelphia International LP now reissued by Edsel on a 2010 CD.

"…Unemployment On The Rise…Interest Rates Going Up…Please…Let The Dollar Circulate…"

"When Love Is New" is part of a mid-price series of Philadelphia International reissues by Demon's EDSEL label in the UK (see PS below). Most of the albums seem to be focusing on the year 1975.

Released April 2010, Edsel EDSM0003 breaks down as follows (37:43 minutes):

Tracks 1 to 7 are a straightforward reissue (no bonus tracks) of the LP "When Love Is New" released December 1975 on Philadelphia International Records PZ 33843 in the USA and early 1976 on Philadelphia International Records S PIR 69207 in the UK. It was his 5th album for the famous soul label and peaked at Number 17 on the US R ’n’ B charts.

The 12-page booklet provides you with production credits and superb liner notes by noted soul expert TONY ROUNCE. But the real deal is in the sound. The CD has been mastered by TALL ORDER of the UK and the sound quality is truly fantastic (Rounce name checks this). Clear, ballsy and wonderfully detailed – the remaster allows the lush GAMBLE & HUFF production values to really shine.

The album seemed to be a tale of two halves – Side 1 had 3 socially conscious tunes in a row ending with a slightly upbeat 4th ditty (“Marjorie”), while Side 2 was a full-on lover man suite with all 3 tunes provided by label founders Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff.

My personal favourite (and recently sampled by rap/soul artists Jay Dilla, Steve Spacek and Cartie) is “Let The Dollar Circulate” (lyrics above) which is a brilliantly funky tune with a top ‘message’ that unfortunately reverberates to this day. I also like the album opener too “People Power” - which is arranged by jazz-funk favourite Dexter Wansel.

As the years have passed by some soul fans have deemed Billy Paul to be just too – well, lightweight. But I’d say this album should be revisited so as to change that opinion.

It’s not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination – it’s not - but there are goodies on here – and they now have superlative sound and a dirt-cheap price tag thrown in.

Worth investigating…

PS: other titles in the series are/will be...
1. Dance Your Troubles Away - ARCHIE BELL and THE DRELLS (1975) [due Summer 2010, Edsel EDSM0006]
2. Wake Up Everybody…Plus – HAROLD MELVIN and THE BLUE NOTES (1975) [April 2010, Edsel EDSM0002] - see REVIEW
3. Philadelphia Freedom - M.F.S.B. (1975) [due Summer 2010, Edsel EDSM0005]
4. Family Reunion…Plus – THE O’JAYS (1975) [April 2010, Edsel EDSM0001] – see REVIEW
5. The Three Degrees Live [aka Live In London] (1975) - THE THREE DEGREES (due Summer 2010, Edsel EDSM0004)

“Family Reunion…Plus” by THE O’JAYS. A Review of the 1975 Philadelphia International LP now reissued by Edsel on a 2010 extended CD.

The O'Jays "Back Stabbers" and "Ship Ahoy" are part of my "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters Soul, Funk & Jazz Fusion" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

                       http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00LQKMC6I

"…Going Across Town…Gonna Pick Up My Lady…Gonna Party Down…"

"Family Reunion...Plus" is part of a mid-price series of Philadelphia International reissues by Demon's EDSEL label in the UK (see PS below). Most of the albums seem to be focusing on the year 1975.

Released April 2010, Edsel EDSM0001 breaks down as follows (52:57 minutes):

Tracks 1 to 7 are the LP "Family Reunion" released November 1975 on Philadelphia International Records PZ 33807 in the USA and on Philadelphia International Records S PIR 69196 in the UK. It was their 6th studio LP for the famous soul label - and along with “Ship Ahoy” from 1973 and “Survival” from March of that year – also reached the coveted Number 1 spot on the US R'n'B charts. In fact November and December 1975 were exceptional months for Philly Soul - “Family Reunion” was immediately replaced at Number 1 only weeks later by another of the label’s gem LPs - “Wake Up Everybody” by Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes (also in this series).

Track 8 is "I Love Music (Tom Moulton Mix)", a 9:42 extended version remixed for the “Philadelphia Classics” 2LP set on Philly from 1977.

The 12-page booklet provides you with production credits, mini pictures of the 7” singles taken off of it as well as superb liner notes by noted soul expert TONY ROUNCE. The CD has been mastered by TALL ORDER of the UK and the sound quality is fantastic – clear and hiss free – it really allows the lush GAMBLE & HUFF production values to shine.

Label founders Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff stumped up most of the album’s songs (Tracks 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7) and along with Norman Harris and Tony Bell’s arrangements gave the whole record their lush TSOP production values. The other ace writing team of John Whitehead, Gene McFadden and Victor Carstarphen gave us “She’s Only A Woman” while Bunny Sigler and Louise Bishop wrote "You And Me”.

Both “I Love Music” and the brilliantly infectious “Livin’ For The Weekend” (lyrics above) went to Number 1 on the R’n’B singles chart too. I also like the two big ballads “Stairway To Heaven” and “She’s Only A Woman”.

To sum up - this is another superb Philly album - and pitched at a marketplace price that's less than a fiver - it's an absolute steal.

Recommended.

PS: other titles in the series are/will be...
1. Dance Your Troubles Away - ARCHIE BELL and THE DRELLS (1975) [due Summer 2010, Edsel EDSM0006]
2. Wake Up Everybody…Plus – HAROLD MELVIN and THE BLUE NOTES (1975) [April 2010, Edsel EDSM0002]
3. Philadelphia Freedom - M.F.S.B. (1975) [due Summer 2010, Edsel EDSM0005]
4. When Love Is New - BILLY PAUL (1975) [April 2010, Edsel EDSM0003]
5. The Three Degrees Live [aka Live In London] (1975) - THE THREE DEGREES (due Summer 2010, Edsel EDSM0004)

“Wake Up Everybody…Plus” by HAROLD MELVIN and THE BLUE NOTES. A Review of the 1975 Philadelphia International LP now reissued by Edsel on a 2010 CD.

"…The Way You Walk And The Way You Smile…"

“Wake Up Everybody…Plus” is part of a mid-price series of Philadelphia International LP reissues by Demon’s EDSEL label in the UK (see PS below). Most of the albums seem to be focusing on the year 1975.

Released April 2010, Edsel EDSM0002 breaks down as follows (50:21 minutes):

Tracks 1 to 7 are the album “Wake Up Everybody” released November 1975 on Philadelphia International Records PZ 33808 in the USA and early 1976 on Philadelphia International Records S PIR 69193 in the UK. It was their 4th and final studio LP for the famous soul label – and easily their most successful and fondly remembered - reaching the coveted Number 1 spot on the US R’n’B charts that Christmas.

Track 8 is “Don’t Leave Me This Way (The Tom Moulton Mix)”, an 11:02 minutes extended version remixed in 1977

The 20-page booklet provides you with band snaps, lyrics, pictures of the LP label and 7” singles taken off it - as well as superb liner notes by noted soul expert TONY ROUNCE. The CD has been mastered by TALL ORDER of the UK and the sound quality is fantastic – clear and hiss free – and it really allows the lush Gamble/Huff MFSB production values to shine.

Philly’s ace song-writing team – John Whitehead, Gene McFadden and Victor Carstarphen provided tracks 1, 2, 5 and 6 - while label founders Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff stumped up production and writing credits for tracks 3, 4 and 7.

The lovely SHARON PAIGE provided duet vocals on “You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good” and “I’m Searching For Love”, but it was (Theodore) TEDDY PENDERGRASS who shone with lead vocals on all tracks – especially the huge title track “Wake Up Everybody” (which effectively launched Pendergrass as a solo star).

But for me one of the unheard gems on this album is Track 2 on Side 1, “Keep On Lovin’ You” – as brill a Seventies soul tune as you can get (lyrics above). It’s so good to hear it with such top sound quality.

Niggles – both “Tell The World How I Feel About ‘Cha Baby” and “Wake Up Everybody” have 7” single edits which AREN’T included as bonus tracks and I would have preferred those than the rather tiresome extension of the overly familiar “Don’t Leave Me This Way”.

Other than that – this is a superb Philly album – and pitched at a marketplace price that’s less than a fiver – it’s an absolute steal.

Recommended.

PS: other titles in the series are/will be…
1. Dance Your Troubles Away – ARCHIE BELL and THE DRELLS (1975) [due Summer 2010, Edsel EDSM0006]
2. Philadelphia Freedom – M.F.S.B. (1975) [due Summer 2010, Edsel EDSM 0005]
3. When Love Is New – BILLY PAUL (1975) [April 2010, Edsel EDSM0003]
4. Family Reunion…Plus – THE O’JAYS (1975) [April 2010, Edsel EDSM0001]
5. The Three Degrees Live [aka Live In London] (1975) – THE THREE DEGREES (due Summer 2010, Edsel EDSM0004)