Customer Reviews

When Love Is New

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

"When Love Is New" is part of a mid-price series of Philadelphia International reissues by Demon's EDSEL label in the UK (see PS below). Most of the albums seem to be focusing on the year 1975.

Released April 2010, Edsel EDSM0003 (an import) breaks down as follows (37:43 minutes):

Tracks 1 to 7 are a straightforward reissue (no bonus tracks) of the LP "When Love Is New" released December 1975 on Philadelphia International Records PZ 33843 in the USA and early 1976 on Philadelphia International Records S PIR 69207 in the UK. It was his 5th album for the famous soul label and peaked at Number 17 on the US R 'n' B charts.

The 12-page booklet provides you with production credits and superb liner notes by noted soul expert TONY ROUNCE. But the real deal is in the sound. The CD has been mastered by TALL ORDER of the UK and the sound quality is truly fantastic (Rounce name checks this). Clear, ballsy and wonderfully detailed - the remaster allows the lush GAMBLE & HUFF production values to really shine.

The album itself is a tale of two halves - Side 1 has 3 socially-conscious tunes in a row ending with a slightly upbeat 4th ditty ("Marjorie"), while Side 2 is a full-on lover man suite with all 3 songs provided by label founders Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff.

My personal favourite (and recently sampled by rap/soul artists Jay Dilla, Steve Spacek and Cartie) is "Let The Dollar Circulate" (lyrics above) which is a brilliantly funky tune with a top 'message' that unfortunately reverberates to this day. I also like the album opener too "People Power" - which is arranged by jazz-funk favourite Dexter Wansel.

As the years have passed by, some soul fans have deemed Billy Paul to be just a little too lightweight to be taken seriously. But I'd say this album should be revisited so as to change that opinion.

It's not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination - it's not - but there are goodies on here - and they now have superlative sound and a dirt-cheap price tag thrown in.

Worth investigating...

PS: other titles in the series are/will be...

1. Dance Your Troubles Away - ARCHIE BELL and THE DRELLS (1975) [due Summer 2010, Edsel EDSM0006]

2. Wake Up Everybody...Plus - HAROLD MELVIN and THE BLUE NOTES (1975) [April 2010, Edsel EDSM0002] - see REVIEW

3. Philadelphia Freedom - M.F.S.B. (1975) [due Summer 2010, Edsel EDSM0005]

4. Family Reunion...Plus - THE O'JAYS (1975) [April 2010, Edsel EDSM0001] - see REVIEW

5. The Three Degrees Live [aka Live In London] (1975) - THE THREE DEGREES (due Summer 2010, Edsel EDSM0004)

Billy Paul is clearly a master in a lofty spot all his own when it comes to amazing jazzy soulful singers, though the years have actually worn out compact disc copies of "Me And Mrs. Jones; The Best Of Billy Paul" featuring the sublime title track of this amazing collection "When Love Is New", closing out "The Best Of Billy Paul" masterpiece. Each magnificent gem within "When Love Is New" takes the listener on a musical journey that is flowing, that silky smooth voice massages the senses and soul in a way no other voice can do! Combine this incredible singer with Gamble & Huff, Dexter Wamsel, Jack Faith, Bobby Martin & Company, you will find brilliance in music that cannot be topped, every collection on the Philly International Label is a must have and a magical musical carpet ride...Bravo Billy Paul!

This is an excellent piece of music. Billy Paul is your standard when it comes to love songs and your standard for smooth jazz singers. No loud singing, no "we want the funk", but plenty of good singing, and great late night entertainment. I've been a fan since '71-'72 and his music never gets old.

I bought this album on vinyl when it first came out in 1975. Aside from Me & Mrs Jones of course, I think the last 3 tracks - When Love is New, I want cha Baby and Let's make a Baby are the best work Billy Paul has done! Great stuff!

Released in late 1975, this was by no means Billy Paul's best or most consistent album for Philadelphia International Records but it's nonetheless well worth getting. As a whole, it's very breadth of material ensures that it has something for everyone. The slow-tempo ballads "Let's Make A Baby", "I Want 'Cha, Baby" and the title track are excellent examples of sweet, creamy and ultra-smooth Philly Soul at its finest while the straight-ahead Jazz number "Malorie" allows Billy to show off his Jazz roots in fine fashion. The uptempo Disco tracks "Let The Dollar Circulate" and "People Power" sound like they were (probably) originally written and intended for The O'Jays to record (because of their socio-conscious lyrics) but Billy's renditions are by no means bad--it's just that Billy Paul was an artist that (like Isaac Hayes and Lou Rawls) was always a far better balladeer than an interpreter of uptempo dance tracks. In any case, this album was Billy Paul's final Philadelphia International album to make any significant chart impact as once Lou Rawls and Teddy Pendergrass signed with the label they became the label's flagship solo artists and scored one platinum record after another while Billy (tragically)only sporadically scored minor hits on the R&B charts. It's nonetheless wonderful to have this album available on CD with excellent sound quality and very informative liner notes. Enjoy!

Maravilloso album que contiene temas que nunca se han incluido en los recopilatorios de Billy Paul. Srs Gamble-Huff ¿ Porqué no publican este album en CD ?. Los "Phillyadictos", que somos más de los que ustedes creen, estamos deseando comprar el CD y si es posible con temas extras, de esos que seguro tienen en sus archivos y que hara las delicias de nuestros oidos.

Although this album could not be considered among his best efforts, it is still worth having for any Billy Paul fan. I await the release of "got my head on straight".