A Black Music Month Tribute to Soft Rock

A Black Music Month Tribute to Soft Rock

by Mark Anthony Neal | NewBlackMan

For much of my childhood, I lived an undercover life.  Growing up in the Bronx and amongst my friends, I was, for the most part, a normal nappy-headed Negro—that is until I retreated into the safety of my bedroom and my transistor radio, and listened to stations like WAMC-AM, WCBS-FM and WXLO—99X (in the years before 98.7 Kiss).  It is in those moments that I fell in love with Soft Rock—a secret I was able to keep, until I was exposed one day, after a trip to the record store and some of my friends discovered the copy of Andy Gibbs’ “Shadow Dancing” in my bag and followed with the quip, “you listen to that shit.” 

Indeed there were many afternoons, holed up in my room, listening to Harry Harrison or Dan Ingram on WABC, while playing dozens of games of Strat-o-Matic Baseball.  Even today, it not unusual during long drives with the family, to put on my playlist “Harry Harrison” (recently renamed “Chuck Leonard” to acknowledge the late Black jock who broke through on Pop-Top 40 radio, before beginning a long career and 98.7-Kiss-FM), much to the dismay of my family, especially when I break out in-sing-along with Paul McCartney on Wings’ “With a Little Luck.”

Below is my small “Black Music Month” tribute to Soft Rock.

Todd Rundgren—“I Saw the Light” (1972)

Came to appreciate Rundgren’s songwriting as an adult, listening to the Isley’s version of his “Hello It’s Me,” (they also covered Seals and Crofts’s “Summer Breeze”) but it’s “I Saw the Light” that finds me hitting the repeat button—often.  Something about that feeling of a new relationship and that sense of whimsy and surprise in his vocals.

England Dan and John Ford Coley—“Love is the Answer” (1979)

The duo is most well known for the track “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight”—which I didn’t like.  I always managed to catch “Love is the Answer” in the middle, right before the Gospel choir breaks out in song.  For years I thought it was Cliff Richards, until a successful Google search a few years ago directed me to England Dan and Coley (both from Texas, incidentally).  Turns out there was a Rundgren connection; song was written by Rundgren and originally recorded by his group Utopia in 1977.

Ambrosia—“How Much I Feel” (1978)

The year was 1978 and I was in 8^th grade, experiencing my first real romantic relationship (if you could call it that at age 12).  Was in the midst of an afternoon nap when I first heard Ambrosia’s “How Much I Feel” and immediately loved the story that the group was telling, about the ups and downs of a relationship.  The post-breakup third verse has always stayed with me: “how’s your life been going on? | I got a wife now, for years we been going strong…”—a line I have imagined saying to any number of my ex-girlfriends.  With songs like “The Biggest Part of Me” (later covered by Take 6) and “You’re the Only Woman,” Ambrosia remains one of my favorite pop groups from that era.

Bee Gees—“Fanny (Be Tender with My Heart)” (1976

I was never a big fan of the Bee Gees, but after Saturday Night Fever (1977), I absolutely hated them.  Give the Brothers Gibb some credit—they could write some songs.  Folk often forget that Al Green was covering them, on his classic “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.”  “Fanny” was the third single from their first Gold album Main Course (1975) which also included “Nights on Broadway” and “Jive Talkin,’” the latter signaling their entry into Disco.

Boz Scaggs—“Lowdown” (1976)

So for the record, Boz Scaggs shouldn’t be on this list; he’s the only White artist from the 1970s (save Elton John or David Bowie) that I would have heard on both WABC and WBLS in New York. “Lowdown” was quintessential 1970s Pop radio, taken from his breakthrough Silk Degrees.  When I later heard “Lido Shuffle” on 99X, I was surprised to find out that it was from the same artist.  But Scaggs wasn’t just slumming on Soul street, as a track like “JoJo” (1980) later showed.

Rickie Lee Jones—“Chuck E’s in Love” (1979)

While my parents listened to Black radio in the 1970s, namely WBLS, and I was trolling on AM Top-Pop-40, I was largely obvious to FM rock stations, of which 99X was one of the most prominent in New York.  The introduction came courtesy of my bestie Frank Paul, whose older sister Stacy was a fan of the station.  With access to groups like Queen,  ELO and Steeley Dan, my musical palate was immediately expanded.  It was in that same Paul household where I was introduced to Rickie Lee Jones’ “Chuck E’s in Love,” and Jones bluesy' slur of a voice (clearly influenced by Billie Holiday, though I was oblivious to that in 1979). Returned to Jones’ self-titled debut years later when Jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves covered her “Company.”

Andy Gibb and Olivia Newton John—“I Can’t Help It” (1981)

As I mentioned in the intro,  had a bit of a thing for Andy Gibb’s music when I was young.  Bought singles from both of his first two albums with “I Just Want to Be Your Everything” (1977)  and “Everlasting Love” (1979) being particularly favorites.  My favorite Gibb song though is from his last studio album—as his career would be derailed by drug addition until his death at age 30 in 1988.  “I Can’t Help It,” paired Gibb with friend Olivia Newton John—the Brothers Gibb, Newton John, and Air Supply (the group that practically defined Soft Rock) were all part of an Australian music invasion.   There was a  sweetness about “I Can’t Help It” that I recognized even as a 15-year-old—a sweetness that I return to fairly regularly on my iPod.

Dave Mason—“We Just Disagree” (1977)

The joy on the MP3 era is that if you liked a song, you could just download that song—and such was the case with Dave Mason’s “We Just Disagree.”  I don’t know any other Mason songs, except “Feelin’ Alright,” a song he wrote while with the band Traffic and was later recorded by Joe Cocker.  Given the era it was released, I always thought the song was a post-1960s remembrance of that time—two friends, one who might have gone to Vietnam, another, who left for Canada, reconnecting; turns out it’s a song about divorce. Go figure.

Motherlode—“When I Die” (1969)

“When I Die” was a song that I recall hearing on three separate occasions between 1983 and 1997.  First heard it during one of WCBS-FM’s weekly top-20 countdowns from the past—1969—and of course I didn’t get the name of the song or the band, but the song just affected me.  Heard it again on two occasions while living in the Buffalo area in the 1990s, which I would later find out made some sense, since the band was from just across the border in Ontario and got a lot of airplay in places like Buffalo and Detroit (more on that in a bit) during their heyday.  Enough of the melody and lyrics had stayed with me, that when I heard the song in the car of my colleague, Northwestern political scientist Richard Iton, I gasped for air, figuring that my long search was over (which it was).  Iton, who had roots in the Caribbean and Ontario, was aware of the song from his youth, but had taken an additional interest in the song because of a now celebrated Detroit producer—James Yancy—who sampled the song (on his deathbed) for “Welcome to the Show” (Donuts).  And yes, one of them is Black.

Bert Williams in 'A Natural Born Gambler' (1916)

BritishMovieDrama;

A lovable scoundrel is busted for gambling and thrown into jail, where he dreams of playing poker - but even in his dreams, he loses.

Cast
Bert Williams ... The Hon. Bert Williams, walking delegate

Directed By Bert Williams
Written By Bert Williams
Produced By Bert Williams


Details
Country: USA
Release Date: July 24,1916

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Black Music Month: The Thom Bell Sessions

Black Music Month 2011: 

The Thom Bell Sessions

by Mark Anthony Neal

When Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, it  again placed a focus on the legacy of “Philly” Soul. The success, in recent years, of Philadelphia based acts like Boyz II Men, Jill Scott, The Roots, Musiq, Eric Roberson, Jaguar Wright, Kindred the Family Soul and of course the timeless presence of Patti Labelle, has helped give the very idea of Philly Soul contemporary cache. But all too often memories of the classic days of Philly Soul fail to recall the impact of Philly based doo-wop acts, which featured high-pitched lead vocalists and many of the forgotten musicians and producers that gave the city its signature sound.

At the height of their power, Gamble and Huff managed Philadelphia International Records (the groundbreaking black boutique label) and presided over a music publishing company known as “Mighty Three Publishing.” The third member of that triad was Thom Bell, a staunchly independent, Caribbean bred musician and producer who always resisted joining the Philly International’s camp. Instead Bell chose to free-lance giving him the liberty to work with artists that he wanted to work with. The product of that independence are definitive Soul recordings from The Delfonics, The Stylistics and The Spinners. Here’s a playlist of some of the best of the Thom Bell Sessions:

“La-La (Means I Love You)”—The Delfonics (1968)

“Can You Remember?”—The Delfonics (1968)

The Delfonics were the first Philly Soul group that Thom Bell had regular success with. They would never reach the super-group status of groups like The Stylistics and The Spinners, but like their New York City based peers The Main Ingredient, they were the quintessential East-Coast Soul harmony group of the late 1960s. “La-La (Means I Love You)”, co-written with William Hart, from the Delfonics album of the same title, is just timeless, from the simplicity of the lyrics: “Now I don’t wear a diamond ring and I don’t even have song to sing, all I know is la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…la mean, I love you,” to the earnestness of lead singer William Hart’s soaring falsetto. “Can You Remember?” was a product of the same session. The genius of both songs song was not lost on a young Michael Jackson—a big fan of Hart—who recorded a handful of Bell compositions including “Can You Remember?” on the Jackson Five’s first Motown recording Diana Ross Presents and “La La” on The Jackson Five’s ABC (1970) recording.

“People Make the World Go ‘Round”—The Stylistics (1971)

As would be a regular occurrence with Bell, once he did all that he could with a group, he would move on to the next challenge. That next challenge was Russell Thompkins, Jr. and the Stylistics. Thompkins, who is one of the most legendary falsettos of all time, fit perfectly into Bell’s Philly-Soul sensibilities. What Bell was able to bring into the mix (literally) that he didn’t with The Delfonics were lush arrangements. With new writing partner Linda Creed in tow, the Stylistics recorded a string of classic recordings including, “You Make Me Feel Brand New,” “Betcha by Golly Wow” and “Break Up to Make Up”. Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin and Al Green, notwithstanding, Bell’s work with the Stylistics in the early 1970s was the definitive Pop-Soul sound of the era—a sound you hear a generation later in the work of Antonio “LA” Reid and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds. But I always go back to that very first album, when the stakes were less, and find the brilliance of “People Make the World Go Round.” Powerful and subtle social commentary (with the winds of change literally blowing in the background) with an insurgent energy that aimed to find the human connection of it all. The song was never more powerfully employed that in the opening segment of Spike Lee’s period piece Crooklyn.

“You Are Everything”—The Stylistics (1971)

“Today I saw somebody who looked just like you/she walked like you do/I thought it was you/As she turned the corner/I called out your name, I felt so ashamed, when it wasn’t you…” Damn. Thom Bell wrote those lyrics only a short time after mistakenly believing that he saw someone he knew in the street. These lyrics to again highlight how Bell and Creed often took simple everyday experiences and turned them into lyrics and melodies that just tugged at the heart. I mean damn, who hasn’t thought they saw a long lost boyfriend and girlfriend walking across the street or on a passing subway train and then spent the next hour lamenting about what could have been?

“I’ll be Around”—The Spinners (1973)

When signed to Motown in the late 1960s, The Spinners were little more than an afterthought. After a still youthful Stevie Wonder provided them with the gift, “It’s A Shame” in 1970, the group bounced to Atlantic (sans co-lead vocalist GC Cameron) with Philippe Wynne joining Bobby Smith on lead vocals. As the story goes, Atlantic offered Thom Bell the opportunity to record any act on their roster (which at the time included Donny Hathaway and Aretha Franklin) and he choose The Spinners. The rest is history, as the B-side of the first Spinners/Bell single, “I’ll Be Around” can still be heard on cell phone commercials 35-years after its release. Classics like “Could It be I’m Falling in Love,” “Mighty Love” and everybody’s favorite mama song, “Sadie” would soon follow.

“Mama Can’t Buy You Love”—Elton John (1979)

On the surface, Elton John and Thom Bell seem like an odd pairing, but John was a big fan (like David Bowie) of American Soul music, and the Philly Sound in particular; John’s 1975 classic “Philadelphia Freedom,” was in part a tribute to Mighty Three. Though the so-called Thom Bell Sessions did not result in a full album—Bell and John reportedly butted heads in what was John’s first session minus writing partner Bernie Taupin—a 12-inch featuring the hit “Mama Can’t Buy You Love, which was John’s first hit in three years. The full Thom Bell Sessions, with six completed songs was released in 1989/

“Silly”—Deniece Williams (1981)

“It’s Gonna Take a Miracle”—Deniece (1982)

One of the reasons that Bell desired to be more of an independent producer, was the often failing health of his wife; as the professional pressures began to mount, Bell left Philadelphia for Seattle, working much less frequently. One artists who compelled him to return back to the studio was Deniece Williams, one time backing vocalist for Stevie Wonder. Williams had experienced moderate success, most notably with the single “Free” from her debut This is Niecy (1976), before Bell joined her to work on My Melody in 1981. That session produced the now classic “Silly.” Bell and Williams reteamed a year later for Niecy, which produced the cross-over hit “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle.” The song was originally recorded by the Royalettes in 1965 and later by Laura Nyro and Labelle, in a session that was produced by Bell’s Mighty Three partners, Gamble and Huff. The song earned Williams her first Grammy Award nomination.

“Old Friend”—Phyllis Hyman--Living All Alone (1986)

Bell’s writing partner Linda Creed was diagnosed with breast cancer in the late 1970s and as Bell began to retreat from day to day activities in the recording industry, Creed sought other writing partners, including Michael Masser, with whom she wrote “The Greatest Love of All” (initially recorded by George Benson, but a major pop hit for Whitney Houston in 1986, the same year that Creed succumbed cancer. In the backdrop of Houston’s success, the late Phyllis Hyman released her career defining release Living All Alone, which included one of the last major collaborations between Creed and Bell, with “Old Friend.”