PHILLY ALL STARS - PHILLY CLASSICS REVISITED

Being a huge fan of MFSB and the Salsoul Orchestra, you’ll just love this new release entitled Philly Classics Revisited by the Philly All Stars!  The music on here is played by a group that features plenty of talents from the legendary Sigma Studios scene of the 70s! As you'd guess from the title, most of the cuts here are remakes of earlier Philly cuts – mostly Gamble & Huff favorites from back in the day – but redone here in a session from the start of the 80s, so most of the classic elements are still very firmly intact! Plus, the players are all the right choice to make the record come off just right – a lineup that includes Norman Harris on guitar, Lenny Pakula on organ, Vince Montana on vibes, Ronnie Baker on bass, Earl Young on drums, and Larry Washington on congas – about as great a Philly rhythm section as you could hope for! Vocals are by a well-chosen group too – David Simmons, Ron Tyson, and Joe Freeman – who might be best known for his work with The Ethics and Love Committee. By all indications it appears that these cuts were produced with musicians from the Salsoul Orchestra.  If you know you’re history, these same set of guys started off as part of MFSB, then migrated off to become the Salsoul Orchestra when Gamble & Huff pissed them off one too many times by ripping them off of their royalties and song credits. In any event, overall there is a very strong Gamble & Huff vibe running through the set – and titles include "Philly Medley (parts 1 & 2)", "Bad Luck", "I Don't Love You Anymore", "Backstabbers", "Love Train", "The Love I Lost", and "TSOP Medley".