During the years when Philadelphia was a center for soul music, Philadelphia International Records became distinctive for a sound featuring silken strings, propulsive rhythms and quietly emotive singers. Along with the Love Train set, several Philly LPs have been reissued on CD, some with requisite bonus tracks and jacket notes.
Coming from the cusp of the '60s and '70s, The O'Jays' Back Stabbers (1972) looked back toward social activism and forward toward self-absorption. The title cut merges both tendencies in a three-minute sketch of paranoia and mounting betrayal set in a sophisticated arrangement whose soft-spoken drama led the way for much romantic melodrama to come.
Billy Paul had sung with Sun Ra, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, but by the time of 360 Degrees (1972) he was applying his supple voice to the lounge soul of "Me and Mrs. Jones" as well as funkier tracks such as "Brown Baby" and "Am I Black Enough for You?" Echoes of his jazz past can be discerned, especially on his cover of Carole King's "It's Too Late" and in the subtle chords of "Me and Mrs. Jones."
The co-producer and writer of many Philadelphia International recordings, Leon Huff, released Here to Create Music (1980) several years after the label slipped into disco. The solo album is interestingly eclectic with touches of disco and electro funk along with jazz and Latin grooves and even a gospel echo. The bluesy "Tight Money," inspired by the Carter-era recession, sounds apt today.
