The Original Debut Album

Stylistics | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 2, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: AMHERST RECORDS
• ASIN: B000001O6K
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,398 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #26 in Music > Indie Music > R&B > Soul
  • #73 in Music > R&B > Soul > Philly Soul

Editorial Reviews

Japanese exclusive reissue for the Philly soul group. Nine tracks including 'Betcha By Golly Wow' & 'You Are Everthing'. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stop, Look, And Listen..., January 14, 2001

By 

David W. Coleman "Sportside Books" (Buckeye, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Original Debut Album (Audio CD)

This is one of the truly great soul album achievements. Hats off to producer Thom Bell and his writing partner on so many significant songs, Linda Creed. This album is a must-buy for any fan of Sweet Soul. All nine cuts shine, and the album just flows from cut to cut. It's almost impossible to start playing it and not play the whole album, and it's almost as great a challenge to not play the whole thing twice! This stellar effort from 1971 has its origin in Philadelphia in 1969. Five young men (Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, James Dunn, and Russell Thompkins, Jr.) who had been part of two competing groups, joined to form the Stylistics. They entered a small Philly studio with no more than drums, bass, guitar, and organ, and with their sweet harmonies soaring toward the heavens, they cut the now-classic, "You're A Big Girl Now." The single appeared on the tiny Sebring label (owned by the single's producer, Marty Bryant), but it caused quite a stir, especially on the East Coast. The single led to the group signing with Avco/Embassy Records and hooking up with Thom Bell. Bell was best known at that time for his work with The Delfonics and The Intruders, but he was about to make an even bigger name for himself. He took the boys on for their self-named first album, and hit after hit followed. "Stop, Look, Listen" was some way to announce that a group had arrived! But even bigger hits followed, like "Betcha By Golly, Wow" and "You Are Everything." The release of "People Make The World Go 'Round" as a single was forced, since requests for airplay for the song went through the roof! (The song is still a big fan favorite at their concerts to this day. It's sung as a medley with "Hurry Up This Way Again," and never fails to bring the house down!) The addition of "You're A Big Girl Now" to the package, two years after the fact, just helped to seal the deal. The other four cuts have all become cult favorites in their own rite. It's safe to say that this was a greatest hits album all by itself. (Bell would do the same the next year for The Spinners.) The next Stylistics album, "Round 2" nearly equalled the first, which is saying a lot. And the group's biggest single, "You Make Me Feel Brand New," first appeared on their third album (Rockin' Roll Baby), the last one produced by Bell. The group is down to a threesome (Thompkins, Love, and Murrell), but they are still going strong in concerts to this day, based mainly on the success they had with their first producer, the great Thom Bell.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To Call This a "Classic" is To Shortchange It, June 2, 2000

By 

Reginald D. Garrard "the G-man" (Camilla, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Original Debut Album (Audio CD)

Back in the true days of singles I forked over many bucks to buy four of the nine tracks featured here on this album. I was in college and no one did it better than the Stylistics; they had harmony, romantic lyrics, and top-notch production from Thom Bell and Linda Creed.

Although I had the edited version of the masterful "People Make the World Go Round," I wanted the full version that I heard on a college dorm mate's turntable. Finally, the original debut album was re-released and I have the full 6:26 cut.

Good music never goes out of style. I suppose that's why they called themselves THE STYLISTICS!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Catalyst of Philadelphia Soul, August 7, 2006

By 

I. Gross Georg "imgeorg" (Edmond, Oklahoma USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Original Debut Album (Audio CD)

Who of a certain age can listen to the oboe introduction to "Betcha By Golly Wow" and not have it send them through the roof? Wonderful to listen to the uncut versions of these songs, too. Radio always seemed to butcher them badly, like they did with Hall and Oates' "Sarah Smile". Anyway I'd forgotten about that extra groove break in "Golly Wow". I wore out a lot of purple 45s listening to these people. Russell Thompkins Jr. IS the Stylistics, just like Levi Stubbs IS the Four Tops; the other guys just back them up and could be anybody.

I was about twelve when this came out, and I remember I couldn't very well bring Stylistics covers home because of the artwork! The debut album was tame, though, and I miss Philly soul so much, it almost makes me cry. I miss Thom Bell and his sound. Always starting a song slower than it ended up. Well-orchestrated finger-poppers: "Country Living" is a new favorite, with it's unconventional Bacharach-style line breaks. "You're A Big Girl Now" seems awfully familiar to me, I was awful young when that came out, I could have absorbed it back then. To think that was the song that started it all. It's unique amongst the Stylistics songs in that you hear someone else trade leads with Russell, and thus, it doesn't sound quite "Stylistic" enough. And what can you say about "People Make The World Go Round", from back in the day when songs lasted forever! LOL! Ah, the extended groove break...kids would have no patience for that nowadays (what! Three extra minutes of MUSIC?!)!

I don't think you can go wrong with all three of the Stylistics' Thom Bell albums. Thom Bell produced two albums for Johnny Mathis that was fabulous (yes, Johnny Mathis), and he of course masterminded the Spinners' best work with Phillipe Wynne and Bobby Smith. The arranger is the one who takes the raw material and composes the masterpieces you remember. Case in point look what happened to them when they signed with "Hugo & Luigi". Look what happened to the others when they were no longer under the spell of Bell. The arranger makes all the difference. I love this album, and thank you to whomever for finally making it available on CD and download.

I saw one of those TJ Lubinski doo-wop shows that had the Stylistics on with a young fellow trying to be Russell, I about choked and turned it off, man. Don't ever do that again. I was glad to hear from another reviewer that the real deal is back together.