Black Music Month '08: The Thom Bell Sessions
This is the second in a series Black Music Month Playlists that will explore common themes explored in the Soul Music Tradition.
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When Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year, it put again placed a focus on the legacy of "Philly" Soul. The success of Philadelphia based acts like Boyz II Men, Jill Scott, The Roots, Musiq, Eric Roberson, Jaguar Wright and Kindred the Family Soul 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 vocalist 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 into the Philly International's camp. Instead Bell chose the role of the free agent, who would have the liberty to work with artist 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
The Delfonics were the first Philly Soul group that Thom Bell had regular success with. They would never reach the supergroup 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. And "La-La (Means I Love You)" 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. The genius of the song was not lost on a young Michael Jackson--a big fan of Hart--who recorded his own classic version of the song on the Jackson Five's ABC (1970) recording.
"People Make the World Go 'Round"--The Stylistics
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. With new writing partner Linda Creed in tow, the Stylistics recorded a string of simply 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 Soul sound. 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 1993 period piece Crooklyn.
"You Are Everything"--The Stylistics
"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 and Linda Creed wrote those lyrics only a short time after Bell mistakenly believed that he saw someone he knew in the street. And I cite 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? Cards on the table, I'm a romantic cat, and Ne-Yo ain't writing nothing like this.
"I'll be Around"--The Spinners
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.
"Old Friend"--Phyllis Hyman
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."
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