HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES Vinyl & CDs

Review: Classic alert! This sure-fire party starter is a timeless gem by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes originally released in 1973. It features the powerful vocals of Teddy Pendergrass and is a heartfelt expression of regret and longing over a lost love. With its upbeat tempo and lush orchestration it marked a significant shift in soul music as it blended traditional r&b with the emerging disco sound. It's built on an infectious groove with soulful harmonies and emotive lyrics which will always resonate with audiences and that is why it was such a chart-topping hit back in the day that remains a defining moment in the group's career and a timeless anthem of love and loss. It is backed here with the equally catchy 'Wake Up Everybody.'

Review: British label Demon Singles Club reissue two proper classic disco bits by the American soul group Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes: the original 1979 version of 'Prayin'', a gospel-inspired dancefloor anthem that was produced by Harold Melvin and written by John Whitehead and Gene McFadden, and the contemporaneous Blue Album highlight 'Baby I'm Back'. Both are awe-inspiring, rapturous dance fusions in the genre, cementing Melvin and co.'s legacy with a mood of teary-eyed joy.

Review: Mike Maurro is the label manager and remix king behind the legendary Brookside, who specialise in disco/soul reissues hailing from Brooklyn. His fingers in many pies, Maurro here remixes two classics from Philadelphia International Records, the O'Jays' 'I Love Music' and Harold Melvin's 'Wake Up Everbody'. Draggy, sunny and full of that downtempy, boxy re-edit magick.