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4: The New Silhouettes
and Other Post-Silhouettes Groups
from Love Played A Leading Part
by Todd R Baptista (1996)
In the late 1960s, The New Silhouettes continued to do live shows and club dates, keeping their sound alive. In 1968, an album merchandising agreement was made with the Sears and Roebuck company that resulted in the distribution of the group's first album. Titled The Original and New Silhouettes 58/68 Get A Job, the album was released on Goodway Records, a small company located on Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia under the direction of Ed Cotlar. Cut at The Bell Studio in New York, it featured original versions of songs that spanned the group's career, from Get A Job and I Am Lonely to Rent Man and Climb Every Mountain. The album also included new recordings including a contemporary version of the 1930s tune Gaucho Serenade, and a soul-laced reworking of Get A Job.
According to the sales figures given to Lewis, over 200,000 copies of the Goodway LP were sold through Sears. The album is a collector's item today with copies selling for $200-$800. A photo of Wilson, Lewis, Beal, and Brown appeared on the back of the album. Although Brown sang on the new recordings, the liner notes listed Otis Lewis as being the group's bass. In actuality, Otis Lewis served as a temporary replacement and did not record with The Silhouettes. Goodway also released a single from the album, Gaucho Serenade / Not Me Baby, which they included in the jacket of each LP. Disco enthusiasts have long pointed to Not Me Baby as being one of the earliest examples of that style. For this reason, demand for the record in America and overseas remains high.
Soon thereafter, the acid rock and ever-present British groups had made it impossible for The New Silhouettes to find work. The number of live dates had dwindled, and without a record deal in sight, The New Silhouettes called it quits at the end of 1968.
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Intro | 1951-7 | 1957-61 | 1961-68 | 1968-93
Writing by Todd R Baptista
TRB Enterprises, PO Box 50962,
New Bedford, MA 02745-0033