The Ultimate Blue Notes

by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Harold Melvin

Overview

Actually the Ultimate Blue Notes with Teddy Pendergrass, this collection covers their Philadelphia International years from 1972-1975 as in-depth and representative of the band's talents as a single disc can get. Not to split too many hairs, but the vocal soul group did have a handful of good songs past this period, although none that match the majestic sweep of this material. Boasting dance beats, swirling strings, smooth crooning storytelling, and Pendergrass' booming baritone, this is some of the best as well as most representative R&B of the '70s, and this 15-track compilation is all you'll need to hear why. Practically double the amount of songs as Collectors Item and over twice as long, this anthology adds such often ignored gems as the almost eight-minute "Yesterday I Had the Blues" and the original version of "Don't Leave Me This Way" before Thelma Houston took it Top Ten, which itself clocks in at another six minutes. An updating of Legacy's 1995 If You Don't Know Me By Now: The Best of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, this 2001 disc features improved sound, new liner notes with full chart documentation for pop and R&B positions, slightly different track selection, all full-length album versions, and a snazzier-looking package. Sequenced for most appropriate musical flow (as opposed to chronologically), the disc mixes upbeat tracks with softer ballads for a more consistent listening experience, helped by the coherent Gamble & Huff production team. If you need one album from the legendary soul vocal group, this is certainly the one to choose. ~ Hal Horowitz

Product Details

Release Date:	08/21/2001
Label:	Bmg / Bmg / Sony Music / Sony Music Distribution
UPC:	0886977050220
Rank:	36940

Tracks

1. Wake up Everybody
2. The Love I Lost
3. Bad Luck
4. If You Don't Know Me By Now
5. Yesterday I Had the Blues
6. Don't Leave Me This Way
7. Keep on Lovin' You
8. You Know How to Make Me Feel So Good
9. Hope That We Can Be Together Soon
10. I Miss You
11. I'm Weak for You
12. Be for Real
13. Where Are All My Friends
14. Satisfaction Guaranteed (Or Take Your Love Back)
15. Tell the World How I Feel About 'Cha Baby

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes   Primary Artist
Harold Melvin   Primary Artist
Sharon Paige   Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Earl Young   Drums
Lenny Pakula   Organ
Roland Chambers   Guitar
Vince Montana   Vibraphone
Ronnie Baker   Bass
Leon Huff   Piano
Norman Harris   Guitar
Bobby Eli   Guitar

Technical Credits

Kenny Gamble   Composer,Original Recording Producer
Gene McFadden   Composer
Victor Carstarphen   Composer
Cary Gilbert   Composer
John Whitehead   Composer
Leo Sacks   Producer
Joseph M. Palmaccio   Mastering
Tom Bell   Arranger
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes   Performer
Harold Melvin   Producer
Leon Huff   Composer,Original Recording Producer
Norman Harris   Arranger
Howard Fritzon   Art Direction
Stephen Moore   Project Director
Don Hunstein   Photography