Observations in Time [The Johnny Brantley/Vidalia Productions]

by Ohio Players

Overview

In the '60s, you didn't have to live in the Deep South to have a Southern R&B sound. Aretha Franklin lived in Detroit, but many of her '60s recordings favored the rawness and toughness of Southern soul over the sleeker, more pop-influenced soul that was coming out of Detroit, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Even though the Ohio Players were from Dayton, many of their early recordings sound like they could have been recorded in Memphis. Produced by Johnny Brantley in New York, Observations in Time is full of songs that would have been perfect for a Sam & Dave or Rufus Thomas session; there is no shortage of Southern-style grit on "Street Party," "The Man That I Am," or the single "Here Today and Gone Tomorrow" (which was a minor hit). However, some of these 1968 recordings hint at the type of jazz-influenced experiments that the Players would provide at Westbound in the early '70s. The jazz influence is strong on imaginative versions of the standards "Over the Rainbow" and "Summertime," and "Cold Cold World" is the sort of jazz/blues item that one would have expected from Lou Rawls, Jimmy Witherspoon, or Bobby "Blue" Bland in the '60s. Although the Players offer a lot of Southern-minded R&B on Observations in Time (which was their only album for Capitol), they aren't afraid to branch out and try some other things. [In 2024, Omnivore reissued Observations in Time with other material the Players recorded with Johnny Brantley: two 1968 singles for the Compass label and nine additional songs that originally appeared on the 1970s Trip label compilations First Impressions, 16 Greatest Hits, and Superpak.] ~ Alex Henderson

Product Details

Release Date:	04/05/2024
Label:	Omnivore Recordings
UPC:	0810075113891
Rank:	38369

Tracks

1. Here Today and Gone Tomorrow
2. Mother-In-Law
3. Stop Lying To Yourself
4. Over the Rainbow
5. Find Someone To Love
6. Cold Cold World
7. Summertime
8. The Bad Bargain
9. Man That I Am
10. Lonely Street
11. Street Party
12. A Little Soul Party (a Woman & Some Soul)
13. A Thing Called Love
14. My Neighbors
15. Tell Me Why
16. You Don't Mean It
17. Trespassin'
18. I've Got To Hold On
19. It's a Cryin' Shame
20. Alabama Soupbone Pt. 1 & 2
21. I Gotta Get Away
22. Love Slips Thru My Fingers
23. Man That I Am [Instrumental]
24. Street Party [Instrumental]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ohio Players   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Gregory Webster   Composer
Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks   Composer
Johnny Brantley   Producer
Bill Shannon   Liner Notes
Mark E. Jones   Composer
Theodore Robinson   Composer
Marshall Jones   Composer
Leroy Bonner   Composer
Allen Toussaint   Composer
Joe Harris   Composer
Andrew Noland   Composer
E.Y. "Yip" Harburg   Composer
Gary Webster   Composer
Clarence "Satch" Satchell   Composer
Ralph Middlebrooks   Composer
Marshall "Rock" Jones   Composer
Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner   Composer
DuBose Heyward   Composer
Ira Gershwin   Composer
George Gershwin   Composer
Dutch Robinson   Composer
Harold Arlen   Composer