Golden Gate Groove: The Sound Of Philadelphia in San Francisco - 1973

This 1973 concert, amazingly left unreleased for nearly 40 years, features Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the Three Degrees, Billy Paul, and the O'Jays, all at the peak of their powers and backed by MFSB with Soul Train's Don Cornelius as emcee. The occasion, which took place at San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel on June 27, was a convention for CBS Records, distributors of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International label. It was a true one-off, mostly because a tour of that scope would be too massive a production; MFSB alone, featuring Huff on organ, included 35 members. Even Joe Tarsia of Sigma Sound, PIR's recording home base, was flown out; he recorded the event, and the sound is vivid, with Ronnie Baker's bass and Earl Young's drums present enough to keep one's feet moving throughout the likes of "The Love I Lost," "Dirty Old Man," the second half of "East," "Back Stabbers," and "Love Train." It's all supremely entertaining and moving, not just for the quality of the music but for the impassioned energy emanating from all the performers, as well as the amusing banter from several of the vocalists and Cornelius. There are six number one R&B singles played here. It should be an additional kick for any soul freak to hear one of them -- MFSB's own "T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia)" -- performed prior to its release, before Cornelius was able to use it as the most popular theme for his long-running music program. Ashley Kahn provides extensive, insightful, and quote-filled liner notes that enhance the listening experience. There certainly could not have been a better place to be that night. ~ Andy Kellman