Exciting News

[Guest Gavin Page]

(A Co-Presenter on StarPoint ) Richard Felstead has posted this up, from the Detriot News !

Sounds Great !!!!!!!!

Two cities, one soul.

Inside a bland, unmarked building in Dearborn this past week, some hot soul and funk has been heating up the dismal winter weather as a virtual Soul Summit convenes. Philadelphia producers and Detroit artists are laying down tracks together in top-secret sessions for a recording project they're calling "A Soulful Tale of Two Cities."

It's a Motown/Philly soul throwdown, with producers, songwriters and artists from Motown Records and Philadelphia International Records having the time of their lives recording some of the best songs from the two music giants.

On Monday, drummer Uriel Jones' steady beat drove the Funk Brothers through the lazy but insistent groove of a Philly soul classic, the Spinners' "I'll Be Around." Philadelphia producers Phil Hurtt and Bobby Eli guided the band along, with Hurtt singing the lyrics and Eli conducting.

"A Soulful Tale of Two Cities" was conceived by Hurtt, a Philly singer/songwriter producer (he co-wrote "I'll Be Around"). The first singles from the CD set will be released on his Soul Renaissance label in several weeks. A tour and DVD film will follow.

"The goal is to come together to honor one another, and honor these two cities," Hurtt said, "to tell our story musically."

This is how "A Soulful Tale of Two Cities" works: Philadelphia soul artists like Barbara Mason ("Yes I'm Ready"), Major Harris ("Love Won't Let Me Wait"), Ted Mills of Blue Magic ("Sideshow"), Russell Thompkins of the Stylistics ("You Are Everything") and William Hart of the Delfonics ("La La Means I Love You") recorded classic Motown songs in Philadelphia, backed by Eli and other players from Philadelphia International's house band MFSB.

In Detroit, Motown artists and producers including Freda Payne, Lamont Dozier, the Velvelettes, Bobby Taylor, Clay McMurrayand others have been recording Philly songs like "Me and Mrs. Jones," "Love Train" and "I'll Be Around," backed by Motown's Funk Brothers. Still on tap are Gladys Knight, Dennis Edwards and Ollie Woodson.

It's like Coke and Pepsi filming an ad together; GM and Ford executives caught swapping blueprints. If this had happened back in the day, Berry Gordy would have first hit the roof, then docked everybody's pay.

After all, the Philly Sound was a major thorn in Motown's side. The Detroit label's '60s hit streak had been stopped short by the '70s soul juggernaut of Philadelphia International Records, launched by Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff with groups like the O'Jays, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the Stylistics, Intruders and Delfonics.

Gordy was so intent on catching up to Philly International that he personally co-wrote and produced the Jackson 5 to give Motown some much-needed heat.

But now the two cities -- both known for a scrappy, blue-collar spirit as well as solid rhythm and blues -- have declared a truce.

The Philadelphians are even eating Buddy's pizza -- washed down by cups of steaming hot "cawfee," as they call it.

"When our songs were hot, they had to play our songs," said Philly singer/songwriter/producer Bunny Sigler. "And we played Motown songs in Philly. We played them in the clubs; we grew up with them."

The project is all old school. "Everybody you see, they're all at least 50," Hurtt said. "They've been around the business, they're producers, writers, engineers, artists. Those are the ones I went after, for the integrity of the project. It's important to honor these guys."

There's money behind the project, with Motown artists and the Funks being flown in from afar, not to mention the Philly brigade. Hurtt won't disclose who his investors are except to say several are ministers who love the music, and the musicians.

"Our demographic is huge and it's not been catered to for several decades," said Hurtt. "We have something that I know will be hot. But we're doing it for us and for our contemporaries, first."

There's no rap world-style competition between the Motown and Philly R&B stars.

"It's just the opposite," agreed Hurtt. "Now that we're working together, we'll say stuff like 'You guys are heavy man, I loved that tune you wrote,' or 'I love the spin you put on that song.' "

Just as the two cities are alike, and yet differ markedly in style, Motown and Philly International are two distinct soul styles. Motown was distinguished by an addictive, driving beat, a youthful vocal style and an emphasis on lyrical storytelling. The Philly sound was lushly orchestrated, upbeat and danceable, with sexy, sweet lyrics and harmonies.

A little of the Motown-Philly synergy erupted Monday afternoon when the Funks' Bob Babbitt, playing his bass on "I'll Be Around," tossed in an edgy figure from the Stevie Wonder song, "I Was Made To Love Her."

Even the song "TSOP The Sound of Philadelphia," the instrumental that epitomized the big, lush Philly sound has been redone by the Funk Brothers with a bit of a "Cloud Nine" Temptations feel.

"TSOD! The sound of Detroit!" someone yelled.

"Hey Eli remember what you said last week?" cracked Philly engineer Gene Leone as Eli bobbed to the beat of the Funks churning through "Expressway to Your Heart." "Remember, you said 'Does it get any better than this?'

"It doesn't," said a happy Eli. "It just doesn't get any better."

Eli is a veteran of Philadelphia International's MFSB studio band, a sort of Quaker City counterpart to Motown's Funk Brothers. MFSB were the backing on all those smooth Philly soul songs by the O'Jays, the Delfonics and the rest of the Philly stable, and they had their own hit in "TSOP."

A songwriter/producer as well, Eli co-wrote and produced hit songs including "Sideshow" for Blue Magic and "Love Won't Let Me Wait," for Major Harris.

Many grew up together.

To say the Philly guys grew up knowing each other is an understatement. Many of them can be traced to the same North Philadelphia high school, Dobbins Tech, a vocational high school.

"Bobby was the only white guy in the hood," said Sigler, who's also from North Philly. "Nothing but brothers, and then you'd see Bobby. Bobby's neighborhood was 99 (percent) and 1 (percent). He was the one."

That so many of them either grew up together or met in the neighborhoods of Philadelphia in their early 20s is another similarity between the Motown and Philly artists that Hurtt sees.

"I talked to Lamont (Dozier) and he went to the same school as Freda Payne and some of the Supremes," Hurtt said.

Actually, the "Soulful Tale of Two Cities" isn't the first Motown-Philly musical connection.

In the early '70s the Spinners jumped from Motown and semi-stardom to Philadelphia International, where they became superstars.

Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross sang a duet on the lovely Thom Bell-Linda Creed song "You Are Everything," and Ross made a memorable recording of Gamble & Huff's "I'm Going to Make You Love Me."

The Funk Brothers bassist Bob Babbitt was a human bridge from Motown to Philadelphia; in 1974 he jumped to Philadelphia to do sessions for the Spinners and the O'Jays.

"The biggest similarity is (Philly International) really had a spiritual connection, like Motown did," Babbitt said. "As soon as I started working with the Philly guys, I could tell, they were a family, too."

One Philadelphia sideman burst into tears when he arrived at the studio for the first time in decades. Emotions have run high as many of the veterans met each other for the first time.

Hurtt understands. He took one arm, said, "This is Detroit," took his other arm, said, "This is Philadelphia," and wrapped his arms around his body. "This is what we've done here."

He doesn't doubt for a minute what Berry Gordy would think of his guys (and girls) singing and playing Philly soul.

"He'd say 'Man, what a great idea!' "

As the article says the first single from this project will be released in a several weeks with a DVD to follow.

Edited March 26, 2006 by Gavin Page