VA: Philly Soul Girls, Vol.1 (1963-1967)

B & L Productions, formed by songwriter Frank Bendinelli and arranger Leroy Lovett, recorded quite a bit of music in Philadelphia in the ‘60s for either their own small labels or for lease to other companies. Much of it typified the city's transition from R&B, doo-wop, twist, and girl group music to early Philadelphia soul, and this 26-song compilation of rare singles and unreleased material focuses on the women vocalists they recorded during the mid-'60s. It could not be said that Motown wasn’t an inspiration for many of these songs, but that's not the worst thing in the world; at least the model is good, and the execution more than pleasing. Certainly the standout cut here is Patty & the Emblems' ‘Mixed Up Shook Up Girl’ (the unreleased long version), with its swaggering horns and confident girl-group-styled vocal. It was a big hit in Philly in 1964, and had the potential to be a big hit everywhere. Another highlight is Joyce Bennett's ‘New Boy,’ a good sassy girl-group tune with an uptown sound. Incidentally, the four cuts by Honey & the Bees are by an entirely different group than the more popular Honey & the Bees that recorded for Arctic/Josie. All in all, this is a wonderfully rich body of work filled with many overlooked gems and lots of upbeat groovers with a Northern Soul bounce, including ‘Call On Me’ and 'It Happens Everyday' by The Persianettes, ‘The Hard Way’ by The Butterflies, ‘Uncle Sam’ by The Sherwoods, ‘That Guy Belongs To Me’ by The Swans, ‘Inside of Me’ by Fannie & The Varcells, ‘Dead End’ and ‘Here I Am’ by Ann Byers, plus two great tracks by unknown artists! Although, of course, the city had in the early ‘70s a huge reputation for pre-disco girl groups, this great collection takes a good look at Philly's strong female soul scene during the ‘60s. Shouldn’t miss this one! http://www.answers.com/, http://www.dustygroove.com/

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