What If The Beach Boys Had Been The O'Jays?

[JSngry]

An alternate universe of all kinds of waves, all kinds of tides, all kinds of VIBRATIONS. Think it over, baby.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1O-0Yh8cK-o&feature=youtu.be

[soulpope]

4 hours ago, JSngry said:

An alternate universe of all kinds of waves, all kinds of tides, all kinds of VIBRATIONS. Think it over, baby.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1O-0Yh8cK-o&feature=youtu.be

Harmonies are spot on ....

[soulpope]

5 hours ago, JSngry said:

An alternate universe of all kinds of waves, all kinds of tides, all kinds of VIBRATIONS. Think it over, baby.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1O-0Yh8cK-o&feature=youtu.be

In trouble .... double (aka THNX to EDP) ....

Edited May 16, 2016 by soulpope

[Teasing the Korean]

Loves me some Nick DeCaro!  

[JSngry]

I knew the O'Jays had been around before they hit on Philadelphia International, but I had never heard any of it and just assumed it was various local labels with good-enough songs and productions. No idea that they were placed into this soundworld, no idea at all. Found a compilation on Amazon called The Ultimate Collection covering the pre-PI stuff (a lot of it on Imperial, I think?), and AMG refers to it as something like "not complete, but essential". So, yeah, carpe-diemed all over that one, and am very curious about what awaits.

[felser]

I've owned this one for a while and am glad to have it.  Would like to get the  set of their Bell recordings on Sundazed, but not willing to pay the going OOP rate for it.  

[JSngry]

Have you heard any of the Bell stuff? Who's the producer, what bag are they working in?

This one example on Imperial was, I guess, a B-side, and, yeah, if you bought/buy 45s at all, you know that B-Sides can be where the real fun is. it puts me in mind, of the things Irma Thomas did for the label with Nick DeCaro & JerryRagovoy, one "type" of song/production, another "type" of voice, and in the end, one marvelous sounding set of records, yet more fusion from the minds and souls and profit motives of American Popular Music.

[felser]

B-sides were a great hobby.  Righteous Brothers did one called "There's a Woman" (I think it was the flip of "You've Lost That Lovin Feelin", first record I ever bought) that I loved as a kid and have never been able to find in the CD era.  Here are two different takes on the  O'Jays Bell sides from Allmusic.  Together they paint a pretty good picture.  I've never heard the material, but plan to eventually.

 George Kerr produced most of these tracks, with some productions from the Poindexter brothers; the recordings were originally released on Bell Records. "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow," a gorgeous ballad, became their highest chart entry to date. The follow-up, "Look Over Your Shoulder," nearly duplicated its predecessor's success; both were indicators of good things to come. The B-sides of the aforementioned, "I Dig Your Act" and "I'm So Glad I Found You," were both quality uptempo grooves, and all four sides were led by Eddie Levert. Walter Williams handled the lead on their third 45 for Bell Records, "The Choice," an energetic message about finding yourself. It did poorly, and its flip, "Going, Going, Gone," had more in common with the first two releases but was not nearly as compelling. The fourth single, "I Miss You," didn't receive much play, even in the Cantonian's adopted hometown of Cleveland. The slow, meandering ballad just didn't have enough of the right stuff. The flip, "Now That I Found You," featured Levert and Williams alternating leads on the same song for the first time. Two more singles were released by Bell: "Don't You Know a True Love When You See It," which was a drastic change in their style, and "Four for the Price of One," released in 1973 to capitalize on their success at Philadelphia International Records. Bell slapped "Look Over Your Shoulder" onto the flip of the remake of Larry Williams and Johnny "Guitar" Watson's "Two for the Price of One." Walter Williams' best lead, "Just Another Guy," tenderly sung in his mercurial baritone, never appeared on a 45. This is an O'Jays fanatics' must-have; the only disappointment is that neither Kerr nor the Poindexter brothers saw fit to feature the late William Powell's chilling falsetto.

---------------------------------------------------------------

The O'Jays' stay at Bell Records, immediately preceding their hookup with the Gamble & Huffproduction team, saw them land three strong- to mild-charting soul singles. But even though they had nearly a decade of recording under the belt, they really didn't hit their stride until becoming a big part of the Philly sound. With Bell, as documented by this compilation, they were a good sweet soul harmony group, though not one with the kind of ace material and production needed to make them big stars. So this 20-song CD, including all of their Bell 45s and LP tracks (along with five previously unreleased cuts), is something for the serious O'Jays fan or serious '60s soul buff, rather than something on par with their famous '70s work. These are still respectable late-'60s uptown soul productions, sometimes strongly echoing Motown or the emerging Philly soul genre, and featuring strong counterpoint/trade-off harmonies. "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today)," a Top Ten R&B hit and their biggest Bell single, is the most memorable performance; two lower-charting R&B 45s, "Look Over Your Shoulder" and "The Choice," are also here. Yet it's interesting to hear them venture, if tentatively, into more sinister early sweet soul funk on "That's Alright," and mimic the harder-rocking Temptations sides on "Four for the Price of One" and "Don't You Know a True Love." If you want ultra-sweet soul that's almost sickly sweet, though, you can turn to "Going Going Gone," where they moan in ecstasy about strawberry ice cream chills -- quite literally -- up and down their backs.

 

 

 

Edited May 17, 2016 by felser

[JSngry]

Yeah, this is nice enough, but not MegaBucks nice.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cq3lGjZxrqw

 

 

[soulpope]

IMO the Bell Sides  are aptly described via the Allmusic review posted by "felser" .... well produced group uptown soul but based on this material you would have never foreseen their breakthrough to fame thereafter ....

[felser]

Found the Bell set at a semi-acceptable price ($18.99), will report back on it after it arrives and I listen.

[mjzee]

Noticed that this was produced by Tommy LiPuma, so went to his Wikipedia page.  It says he started working with the O'Jays in late 1964.  This song has an arrangement and feel very similar to Little Anthony's Going Out Of My Head, also from 1964.

[JSngry]

https://www.discogs.com/OJays-Lipstick-Traces-On-A-Cigarette-Think-It-Over-Baby/release/3241207

Interesting - produced by Tommy LiPuma and Joe Saraceno, arranged and conducted by Nick DeCaro, and the A-Side (a minor hit, I guess?), arranged by Harold Battiste, written by Naomi Neville. Harold Battiste had Sony Bono & Phil Spector connections, New Orleans still in the mix, right alongside Brian Wilson outflows.

What an interesting confluence, all more or less in the interest of getting a hit.

 

[felser]

Don't miss "The Wrecking Crew" documentary blu-ray, by Tedesco's son.  About 8 hours of extras, largely fascinating.  Artistry in search of a hit is still artistry - long live Hal Blaine & Co.!  

[JSngry]

 

 

LiPuma/DeCaro producing/arranging again, this time on a Van McCoy song...fine.

[felser]

On 5/17/2016 at 8:31 AM, felser said:

Found the Bell set at a semi-acceptable price ($18.99), will report back on it after it arrives and I listen.

It's pretty good, writing is meh.  Not nearly as striking as what came before (on Imperial) or after (the monster hits on Philly International that helped define an era).  BTW, here is a great Philly International album cut that was spectacularly popular here, even though it was not a charting song.