Track Listing

1. Sideshow
2. Look Me Up
3. What's Come Over Me
4. Just Don't Want To Be Lonely
5. Stop To Start
6. Welcome To The Club
7. Spell
8. Answer To My Prayer
9. Tear It Down
10. Guess Who
11. Where Have You Been
12. Look Me Up

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #89150 in Music
• Released on: 2007-10-22
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds

Customer Reviews

Sweet Soul from Philly
Philly Soul had a distinctive face, and was rooted firmly in the Vocal group tradition. It had become a force in the early 70's as Thom Bell and Gamble & Huff had produced a string of hits, both R&B and pop, for groups like the O'Jays and the Delfonics. The latter had a very distinctive sound, due to the falsetto lead, and this in itself was a Black music tradition. They were soon followed by the Stylistics and Blue Magic, both out of Philadelphia and both of whom enjoyed huge success.

This album was Blue Magic's first, produced by Norman Harris, who had worked with Bell, as well as Gamble & Huff, and if you are familiar with the symphonic style of Philly Soul, then you know what to expect here. Ted Mills ethereal vocal leads the group through a series of tracks, which are among the best examples of the genre. Indeed it is rare to find a whole album which maintains the kind of quality on show here.

The album contains the hit singles "Sideshow", "Look Me Up" and "What's Come Over Me", and in fact "Spell" and "Stop To Start" had also been singles without hitting the heights. The whole album creates a relaxed and mellow feel, and I seem to remember it being ideal for generating a romantic mood when I had this album on vinyl on it's original release.

It is a surprise that it has taken this long to resurface on CD, but a welcome one. Recommended.

Classy and smooth 1970,s soul music.
Blue Magic was formed in Philadelphia in June 1973 when former member of The Delfonics, Randy Cain brought singer-songwriter Ted Mills in to do some writing with the Philly-based WMOT production company and a short time later, the group Shades of Blue, featuring Keith Beaton, Richard Pratt, Vernon Sawyer and his brother Wendell, came in for an audition. According to Marc Taylor, in his book A Touch of Classic Soul of the Early 1970's, "although the group performed well, they lacked a standout lead singer and WMOT executives in a rare wise decision for executives decided to put Mills with the Shades of Love and renamed the group Blue Magic. They were signed with Atco/Atlantic Records in the same year. Blue Magic were one of the earliest acts produced by Norman Harris, a Philadelphia records veteran. The group's harmonies were supported by the MFSB house band.
If you like your soul music so smooth it would make grease seem like sandpaper then Blue Magic are the band for you. This expanded edition of the album originally released in 1974 kicks off or more aptly glides off with the top ten hit co- written by guitarist Bobby Eli "Sideshow". it's the sort of seventies soul ballad that I truly despised at that time but I'm older , wiser , balder and know better now. Strings glide like gossamer swallows , the vocals range from truly high falsetto courtesy of Ted Mills to growly baritone . It's by no means the only classy track here though.
"Stop To Start", "What's Come Over Me", "Just Don't Want To Be Lonely" are all exemplary Philly soul . The truly lugubrious ballad "Spell" would placate a psychotic mastiff while "Answer To My Prayer" is more up-tempo with some addictive rhythmic backing strings . The funkier" Look Me Up" has livid bursts of brass and wah wah while "What,s Come Over Me" dares to use that most toe curling of musical affectations. The spoken interlude where "I've never been to heaven/instead I spent the night with you".The extra tracks include another emollient ballad in "Guess Who" and the laid back swing of "Where Have You Been" .The Tom Moulton remix of "Look Me Up" is predictably ace.
I personally prefer my soul a little more dashing and funky than Blue Magic which is why i love Isaac Hayes but this is quality suave soul music, great to listen to if you are in the mood for something a little mellower and deliciously relaxing as well. I suspect this album has been used as a mood setter for many a romantic night in as well , not that I would ever resort to anything as crass and clichéd as that .Don,t let that stop you though .

probably the greatest soul group of the 70s
You will not find many albums you can play all the way through and honestly say there is not a bad track on it.
so this is one of those incredibly rare albums where every track is absolutely brilliant. One of the greatest
albums of all-time.