For many Soul Music fans, the rise of "The Sound of Philadelphia" in the early 70s was the high point in modern Soul, from which there has been a slow, steady deterioration. The emergence of acts such as The O'Jays, the Stylistics, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass and others certainly made the City of Brotherly Love the musical center of the Soul world for the better part of a decade and influenced the development of Soul music to this day, both in the U.S. and internationally. However, this musical period has never been documented as meticulously as John A. Jackson does in his new book, A House on Fire: The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Soul. Jackson follows the lives of Philadelphia's "Mighty Three," Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell, from their childhoods to their emergence as the architects of the often lush, orchestral and danceable music that eclipsed Motown by 1973 and set the stage for the rise of disco music. Jackson especially focuses on Gamble, a mercurial genius and the business force behind the meteoric rise (and the fall) of Philadelphia International Records, the centerpiece label of Philadelphia soul.
Jackson also documents in an orderly fashion the roles of many relatively unknown contributors to the Philly Sound, from engineers to session musicians, who, like their Motown brethren a decade earlier, often toiled in obscurity (and with little long term financial reward) while adding unique elements that would shape PIR's signature sound. Interviews with a number of the principals, including Bell, add additional authenticity to Jackson's account.
While at times written in a style more focused on completeness than entertainment value, A House on Fire: The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Soul answers many questions that have been hanging for years, and is a very worthwhile read for lovers of Philly Soul. It is also an interesting study of the forces and characteristics of greatness and how many of those same characteristics can serve to accelerate and even exacerbate the eventual fall from glory. Highly recommended.
by Chris Rizik
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