Customer Reviews

Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes - Collectors' Item (All Their Greatest Hits!)

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Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes are one of the great forgotten soul groups, one of those groups with a distinctive sound that the listener knows...but has no idea whose sound it is. It was, of course, the sound of Teddy Pendergrass, before the jewel-bedecked Love Man phase and before the tragic injuries...back when all the man had was a voice that wouldn't quit. Buy this CD if you must, but know that once you do you'll be back for the more inclusive If You Don't Know Me By Now package, which is far superior.

Their facility with the kind of danceable R and B that would soon enough be called disco (and, in their case, was spinning the disco clubs about as often as the earlier Donna Summer and the Trammps, among others) should never obscure that, first and foremost, the lineup of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes which became stars in the early 1970s was a soul ensemble and a powerful enough one. You can find plenty enough who mistake them for just another disco act, and that's horribly unfair.

Their regular albums tended a little too much toward either filler or extensions that didn't really enhance the songs, but here is where you get the absolute best of this quintet - from "If You Don't Know Me By Now" and "I Miss You" through "Bad Luck," "Where Are All My Friends," and "The Love I Lost" - without the excess and with everything that made them stars, from the effortless harmonies and rhythmic facility to the singular voice (maybe the most stentorian classic soul voice since Levi Stubbs) of Teddy Pendergrass (or, Theodore Pendergrass, as he was usually billed in the Blue Notes' heyday). Even three decades after their most successful period ended acrimoniously, this music is both the bridge between the vintage 1960s soul and what the 1970s ultimately became, for better or worse. Don't blame the Blue Notes for what was developed on the other side of the bridge; this set makes clear enough that, at their best, they had the music's best interest at heart.

Over a span of 1972 - 1976 comprised over these years from Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes a Collectors' Item of a group with a soulful sound of deeply rooted R&B. Though I am a bit confused of the group's name, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, it should have been Teddy Pendergrass & the Blue Notes or simply Blue Notes. "The Love I Lost" is simply an upbeat tune of a love going in opposite directions. Titles such as "Bad Luck", "Be For Real" and "Where Are All My Friends" are songs with a message as the foundation, yet played a minimum role as the vocals were more relevant. They show their faults as some relationships may suffer instead of healing some surprising issues on "If You Don't Know Me By Now". Sharon Paige featured on "Hope That We Can Be Together Soon" aids with a more subtle tone to give this song the needed climax. The conclusion of this eight title LP, "I Miss You" was well worth the wait as Teddy vamps under the talk session of another member.

...when the TSOP/MFSB orchestrators break down the tunes and goes into extended grooving. Particularly on Bad Luck and Where are All My Friends. Some fans of HM&BNs will be slightly dismayed that Don't Leave Me This Way is not found on this collection. I however overlooked that because the compilation producers found it fit to put the dynamic Be For Real (I want folks to dig my style with a smile) here. Additionally the soulful I Hope that We Can Be Together Soon can be heard here. Teddy boy seemed to be a hard guy to replace because HM&BNs never did recapture thier success after this great Philadelphia International (with Teddy lead vocals) run. Thanks to the Recording Technology Gods we can hear how good soul music used to be...

MAY THE LORD REST AND BLESS TEDDY "P"'S SOUL. HE WAS DEFINITELY THE HEART AND SOUL OF HAROLD MELVIN AND THE BLUENOTES. IN MY OPINION, HE WAS THE SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA. THAT TRADEMARK VOICE WAS WORTH MORE THAN A TRILLION DOLLARS. TEDDY WAS ALSO A HUMBLE BROTHER. I SAW A CLIP FROM SOUL TRAIN ON YOUTUBE WHEN HAROLD MELVIN AND THE BLUENOTES WERE BEING INTERVIEWED BY DON AND DON SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT THAT PEOPLE COMPARED HIM TO ANOTHER LATE, GREAT SOUL LEGEND, MARVIN GAYE. TEDDY SAID IT WAS A COMPLIMENT TO BE COMPARED TO MARVIN. TEDDY IS ONE OF MY TOP 5 R&B SINGERS OF ALL-TIME. HE COMMANDED RESPECT AND ATTENTION WHEN HE SANG (JUST PEEP HIS RAP ON"BE FOR REAL"). HE REMINDS ME OF A LION, CUZ HE EXUDED MANLINESS AND KINGLINESS(IF THAT'S A WORD). I WISH ON THIS PARTICULAR COLLECTION THAT 2 MORE OF THEIR SONGS WERE ON HERE (TELL THE WORLD HOW I FEEL ABOUT 'CHA, BABY AND DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY). BUT OTHER THAN THAT, I'M THRILLED TO HAVE THEM BACK IN MY COLLECTION. REST IN PEACE, T.P.

This was one of the best CD's ever. Arrived in great condition. Thanks.

This greatest hits collection focuses more on their funk and disco period of the 1970's, which is what I personally prefer. It also contains full versions of their hits, rather than some songs which are followed by "Part 1". And when you're enjoying "The Love I Lost" and "Bad Luck", you don't want condensed versions!