I was a teenager who absolutely worshipped AM Top 40 radio in the ’70s (which was the most diverse radio available where we lived), and to have been a Top 40 listener then was to be awash in The Sound of Philadelphia – the incredible output of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff and their Philadelphia International Records.
1972 was the year I really started to listen to music, the year I was given an AM clock/radio that I practically glued to WTRY, one of two or three Top 40 stations in the Albany/Schenectady/Troy area at the time (WPTR is another that comes to mind, and the powerhouse WGY was certainly Top 40-adjacent but prioritized other programming over music).
1972 was also the year that The O’Jays had their first big hit single, 12 years into their career, with “Back Stabbers.” And that song, which I think is incredible to this day, was everywhere. Has a song ever started off more unexpectedly? With a lush piano,string and guitar intro that leads up to the percussive stabs – and then, a response with no call – “What they do.” Genius. They followed that with hit after hit (though some of their songs were much more recognized on the R&B charts). So, very early on, that Philadelphia sound was etched into my developing brain.
Still, while I had a few of the singles, I didn’t buy any of the albums, and so found myself without any O’Jays in my collection until Philadelphia International started repackaging its incredible archives – I just got this two-disc collection in late 2021. Songs I knew, songs I didn’t, a few I could have done do without. But even when the lyrics were completely phoned in, there’s that Gamble & Huff production – every instrumental part is perfect, and the very spirit of restraint. Some little fantastic lick will be delivered exactly where it’s needed, and then disappear. Every instrument is clearly heard, and the vocal mix is sublime, every time.
I’ve picked up a number of these Philadelphia International collections, and they’re all amazing. They’re particularly amazing for me in that I only ever experienced a lot of these songs on AM radio or through 45 rpm singles, which could never do the sound justice.
