• Reviews

• All
• Music
• DVDs
• Live
• Cinema
• TV
• Books
• Comic Books
• Video Games

Mar 04, 2022 Web Exclusive By Hays Davis

Satisfaction Guaranteed brings the second volume of The Sound of Philadelphia Records, the ongoing reissue series from the gold-standard label of Philly soul. As with last year’s first volume, Get On Board the Soul Train, this edition provides a real bounty from producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

The 8-CD set picks up with the label’s next eight releases. Originally issued on Gamble Records in 1968, Billy Paul’s Feelin’ Good at the Cadillac Club was reissued by Philadelphia International in 1973. A studio effort rather than a live set that the title suggests, Cadillac Club is a showcase for the jazz-influenced side of Paul’s vocal gifts that provides examples of how he presented material that he performed live during the period of its recording. The official follow-up to ’72’s 360 Degrees of Billy Paul, however, came with ’73’s ambitious War of the Gods. With its complex song suites that melded jazz, soul, and Latin accents, the album also yielded a Top 40 single in “Thanks for Saving My Life.”

The O’Jays’ In Philadelphia (a 1970 Neptune Records release, reissued on PIR in ’73), while not as commercially successful as some of their other albums, features plenty of gems deserving of a new listen. Their ’73 album Ship Ahoy, on the other hand, was a million-seller that earned Top 10 pop hits with “Put Your Hands Together” and “For the Love of Money.” With songs including the moving title track, which pulls listeners into the dark heart of the slave trade, and “Don’t Call Me Brother,” a calling-out of trust-breakers, the album balances weightier themes with lighter material. Featuring exquisite backing by MFSB, PIR’s pool of musicians, Ship Ahoy stands as one of the label’s finest releases.

As noted in the set’s book, Sheila Ferguson of The Three Degrees adamantly pushed back on recording “When Will I See You Again,” as she initially didn’t see the song’s charm. The group did record it, however, and in 1974 the single reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though held off from the US top spot by Carl Douglas’s “Kung Fu Fighting,” it was a UK number one. The Three Degrees, their third album, includes the singles “Dirty Ol’ Man” and “Year of Decision” that also found success overseas.

Along with the rock and funk of the band Spiritual Concept’s self-titled album, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes’ Black & Blue, and The Intruders’ Super Hits compilation, Satisfaction Guaranteed represents a critical period in the history of Philadelphia International Records. Rounded out by a hardback book that fully explores each album, a 12-inch vinyl single of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes’ “The Love I Lost” and The O’Jays’ “It’s Too Strong,” and a poster displaying the set’s album covers, it’s an essential purchase for soul fans, and one that contains plenty to explore for anyone interested in early-’70s soul and pop music. (www.soundofphiladelphia.com)

Author rating: 8/10