Customer Reviews

Something Silver

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4 star:		(4)
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To most people perhaps, Labelle had one major hit ("Lady Marmalade") in the mid-70s and that was about it. They broke up after two follow-up albums to "Nightbird" because they didn't catch fire and amidst internal squabbles about the musical direction they should be taking. Patti Labelle went on to become a superstar to the supperclub crowd in the 80s and 90s, Nona Hendryx realised her true ambition when she ventured off in the direction of black rock and funk and fell in with New York's hip music making crowd, while Sarah Dash surfaced sporadically with an occasional album but declined into relative obscurity.

But what's unknown to all but Labelle's serious fans is that even before "Lady Marmalade", Patti, Nona and Sarah had already discarded their 60s girl group image and transformed themselves into "something silver" in the 3 years or so preceding "Lady Marmalade". Or that during this time, they made three criminally neglected albums that were commercial failures few knew about and none would remember and that's why "Something Silver", drawing on some key tracks from these three lost albums, is such a revelation.

Listening to this great compilation album makes you realise what a powerhouse these three ladies were when they were simply Labelle. Produced and managed by Englishwoman Vicky Wickham, they dabbled convincingly with rock material by the Who ("Won't Get Fooled Again"), the Rolling Stones ("Wild Horses") and Cat Stevens ("Moonshadow"), covered Laura Nyro ("Time And Love") but more significantly started recording their own material. Nona Hendryx was the main writer in the group and it is on her songs that Labelle produced their best work during this time. Unlike most 60s girl groups which had only one featured lead singer, Vicki's concept of Labelle was about three distinct personalities, so Sarah and Nona were either distinctly audible or had their own solo spots in any given song. The magical blending of their three separate voices is simply unbelievable. My own personal favourites are "Shades Of Difference", "I Believe That I've Finally Made It Home", "Sunshine (Woke Me Up This Morning") and "(Can I Speak To You Before You Go To) Hollywood". The opening track, "Something Silver/The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", from their "Pressure Cooking" album, is also a stunner. It broke new ground. While "Labelle" and "Moonshadow" (recorded for Warner) are now separately available on CD, somebody should coax RCA into reissuing "Pressure Cooking" on CD too. It is possibly the strongest of the three early Labelle albums.

"Something Silver" is an inspired compilation and a must for all soul music lovers. To my ears, we lost a great and progressive black vocal group when Labelle split up in 1976. While Patti, Nona and Sarah went on to do some excellent stuff on their own, none rivalled the freshness and vibrancy of their 70s recordings as a group, including material from "Phoenix" and "Chameleon", their two equally underated post-Lady Marmalade albums.

not enough people realize that patti labelle existed before her duet with michael mcdonald. in fact, "existed" is too weak a term. with a career spanning four decades and a number of incarnations, no artist is doing anything (artistically) today that patti labelle has not done at some point. in the 1970s, the space-aged funky divas of labelle epitomized glam rock while shocking the world with frank musical discussions about love, war, racism and sex. labelle marks a decidedly dramatic departure from the groups former incarnation of patti labelle and the bluebelles, and was something the likes of which nobody had ever seen. on _something silver_ some of the group's best tracks are compiled, providing a musical narrative of their remarkable career. patti, of course, is fierce and benefits greatly from the powerful back-up vocals of dash and hendryx. while lady marmalade may be their most well-known hit, "forgotten" gems such as "runin' out of fools/if you gotta make a fool of somebody" are welcome additions to this collection and separate it from others.

Unlike anything you are likely to hear nowadays, Labelle's "Something Silver" captures the best from their early 70's recordings when they liberally fused Rhythm & Blues, Rock , Funk and Politics. Patti Labelle has never sounded better than when Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash were at her side. CD features a funky cover of Cat Stevens' "Moonshadow" and a tender version of the Rolling Stones'"Wild Horses". The best tracks are those penned by group member Nona Hendryx: the rousing "Sunday's News",the bluesy "If I Can't Have You", and the highlight of the whole affair is the gospel-inflected "I Believe That I've Finally Made It Home" (one of my all-time favorite songs). A classic!!!!

This is not a live album! These are studio recordings. This is a compilation comprised - with the exception of the 1975 hit "Lady Marmalade", from their 1974 Epic album "Nightbirds" - of the vocal trio Labelle's first three albums: "Labelle" (Warner Bros., 1971), tracks 2, 6, 7, 9, 10; "Moon Shadow" (Warner Bros. 1972), tracks 3, 5, 8, 11; and "Pressure Cookin'" (RCA, 1973), tracks 1, 13, 14.

SOMETHING SILVER consists of 15 songs, all but one (track 15) were recorded 1971-1973. Disc packaged in white standard jewel case; total running time: 63:18. Booklet includes an essay by Vince Aletti, detailed track information, and several black & white photos. The sound quality is excellent.

The album is a "Warner Archives" release. "Time and Love" (track 6) features additional vocals by The Sweet Inspirations. While consistently high energy, most of the songs are ballads, slow-tempo, or mid-tempo (like "Hollywood" or "Wild Horses"); there are few up-tempo or danceable songs (like the funky "Better in the Morning").

In terms of product quality, this is a superior release to "Lady Marmalade: The Best of Patti and Labelle", which is a 1995 collection of 16 Epic recordings, 8 by Labelle (1974-1976) and 8 from Patti LaBelle's early solo career (1977-1980). My only criticism about "Something Silver" is that at 15 tracks and barely over an hour, I wish it included more (additional) songs.

Not only were Labelle a great group, but some of Patti LaBelle's best work was done as part of this trio. Patti LaBelle is one of the best voices, probably the best living vocalist; it is a shame her career has dwindled from her Pop stardom of the 80s and R&B success of the early 1990s to her more recent Adult Contemporary marginalization and current near-obscurity after being dropped from Def Soul and problematic foray into the gospel scene.
I'm ready for a Labelle comeback. I think it is time for Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx, & Sarah Dash to reunite !

music: 3 stars
packaging: 5 stars

SOMETHING SILVER is a perfect intro for people who want to explore the music behind the group Labelle that gave us the funky hit single "Lady Marmalade."

Patti Labelle--flanked by Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash--already had a booming voice, but you add in the other two and you get an explosive harmony that razors through songs like a hot knife through butter.

Labelle was an anomaly: part funk, part r&b, part rock & roll, part jazz, and all with a gospel tinge--because they had so much soul--they turned music upside down and put their stamp on all they touched.

Just listen to "Won't Get Fooled Again" a remake of the Who's song and it's hard to believe it wasn't originally written for Labelle. Cover versions of Laura Nyro's "Time And Love," The Rolling Stone's "Wild Horses," and Cat Stevens' "Moon Shadow," not only showed the versatility of Labelle, but that their unmistakable sound could make any song sound tailor-made for them.

And they were just as good on their original compositions like the righteous song penned by Pattie LaBelle and Nona Hendryx, "Shades Of Difference" to the torch-song-slow-burn of "Touch Me All Over" and the melancholy "(Can I Speak To You Before You Go To) Hollywood?," along with the rollicking up-tempo inspirational songs "Sunshine (Woke Me Up This Morning)" and the "I Believe That I've Finally Made It Home"--all written by Hendryx incidentally--proved that Labelle could rock with the big boys.

Why they never broke through, until "Lady Marmalade" (also on this collection) is beyond me. Perhaps Labelle was so out there and ahead of their time that they were simply overlooked. But this collection is for a new generation to discover these wonderful songbirds and for those of us who might have missed them the first time around.

The songs are remastered and sound pretty good for a 1997 release and most of the songs were taken from the Labelle albums: Labelle, Moon Shadow, Pressure Cookin', and Nightbirds. A small booklet with liner notes from 1996 by Vince Aletti is also included.

This CD along with Lady Marmalade: The Best of Patti and Labelle was my education to the fabulous Ms. Patti, Nona and Sarah aka Labelle. And from there I've been tracking down the original Labelle albums on CD and they don't disappoint.

This CD will leave you breathless with how powerful Labelle could sing . The group tore down the boundaries and constraints of traditional r&b with their expansion into a mix of rock/soul/gospel in the early 70's. Patti, Sarah & Nona could tear into a song like Laura Nyro's TIME AND LOVE or The Rolling Stones WILD HORSES with unrelenting force. This compilation collects their huge hit LADY MARMALADE with 14 songs from their 1st 3 albums from 1971-1973 [ LABELLE/MOON SHADOW/PRESSURE COOKIN' ].

The original material written by Nona Hendryx are songs of self awakening, social awareness , love & politics . CAN I SPEAK TO YOU BEFORE YOU GO TO HOLLYWOOD is a theatrical type piece that starts with an acoustic guitar , then builds with each verse, and all 3 trade off lead vocals. Songs like SUNDAY'S NEWS and SHADES OF DIFFERENCE highlight the unison of their voices & spirit in finding truth. One of my favorites is MORNING MUCH BETTER off of their first 1971 self-titled album . Patti delivers one of her greatest vocals backed up by the power of Sarah & Nona's call and response vocals & some stellar playing by the group's musicians. Talk about a fusion of r&b with rock - this song is WILD!

The expertly written liner notes & live concert photos in the booklet add to the completeness of the CD. It's more representative of Labelle's contributions in the history of rock and r&b than the half group Labelle/half solo Patti CD that Sony Legacy released called LADY MARMALADE: THE BEST OF PATTI AND LABELLE. SOMETHING SILVER illustrates the group's inventiveness & uniqueness , and is highly recommended as a true Labelle collection.

If Patti and Nona and Sarah aren't as well known as imitators like Whitney, Lauryn Hill, Mariah Carey, it's a shame cause Labelle could sing circles around those girls. I usually listen to the whole album at once, but when I program a few tracks it's usually "Won't Get Fooled Again" "I Believe I've Finally Made It Home" "Morning Much Better" "Time and Love" and of course "Lady Marmalade". Be sure to bring a wash cloth with you, cause you'll sweat hearing this album.

From the Bluebelle days, Patti, Nona, and Sarah were a great trio (forget Cindy). Now, they burst out and show their real power as true women warriors. Sarah's sweetness with Nona's boldness blend perfectly with Patti's fire. "Something In the Air" calls out to me in the beginning. This CD greatly illustrates their diversity in the early years of the group. Honestly, I feel that "Lady Marmalade" should not have been on this album,but it is great just the same.

LABELLE is A Fantastic Trio.Their Voices are Better than Much Of What Goes as Female R-N-B Singers Or Groups.The Music Here&The Voices are a Must.Wild Horses&Lady Marmalade are the Jams.It's a Must.

All pretenders to the coveted diva throne...take a listen to this compilation and see how it's truly done. No female group was tougher, sexier, bolder, and politically in tune than Labelle in the 70's. Something Silver is a revelation, a fully stylized work by three women at the top of their game. Blowing away all girl group convention, Labelle told us what time is truly was. By the time Lady Marmalade rolled around, they had said more than most groups do in 20 years in the business, and still had the nerve to record two more groundbreaking albums, PHOENIX and CHAMELEON. If you think that anyone in black pop or rock for that matter is singing like that today...guess again. Pretenders like Erykah Badu, and Lauryn Hill as well as diva wannabe's like Whitney, Mariah, and Celine should take a few minutes to just listen to the words of Nona Hendryx to see what empowerment is all about. Labelle the GROUP, was as good as it gets. Lesson complete.