*****BUMPER MONDAY***** The O'Jays - Back On Top (Expanded Promo Edition) + Bonus Tracks (LP 1968 Bell - CD 1994 P-Vine) (FLAC 322MB)

One of THE legends of soul music with 38 studio albums & 170 x 45,s you must be doing something right!....The group was formed in Canton, Ohio, in 1958 while its members were attending Canton McKinley High School. They consisted of  Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles.  Originally known as The Mascots, and then The Triumphs, the friends began recording with "Miracles" in 1961, which was a moderate hit in the Cleveland area. In 1963, they took the name 'The O'Jays', in tribute to Cleveland radio disc jockey Eddie O'Jay, who was part of the powerful management team of Frankie Crocker & Herb Hamlett. In 1963, the group saw the release of their song "Lonely Drifter," their first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100. Their debut album, Comin' Through, was released shortly thereafter. In the early 1960s, member Frank "Frankie" Little, Jr. joined the group as a guitarist and songwriter. He worked with lead vocalist Eddie Levert, assisting with some of the writing for the group, including 1964's "Do the Jerk" (recorded by Frank Polk), 1964's "Oh, How You Hurt Me" and 1966's "Pretty Words". He is also credited with vocals on 1962's "Down at the Corner." According to Walter Williams, "Frankie was a guitarist and songwriter in the very early O’Jays. He came with us when we first ventured out of Cleveland and traveled to Los Angeles, but he also was in love with a woman in Cleveland that he missed so much that he soon returned back to Cleveland after a short amount of time.  In 2021, human remains discovered in 1982 at Twinsburg, Ohio, were identified as those of Frankie Little. Throughout the 1960s, the group continued to chart with minor hits such as "Lipstick Traces" (which they performed nationally on the ABC television program Shivaree), "Stand In for Love," "Stand Tall," "Let It All Out," "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow," "Look Over Your Shoulder," "Deeper in Love with You," and "One Night Affair." However, while they issued dozens of singles throughout the decade, they never hit the US top 40 (although "Lipstick Traces" made it to number 19 in Canada). On the R&B chart, the O'Jays were somewhat more prominent, but their only top 10 R&B single prior to 1972 was 1968's "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow." In spite of their success as a touring group and on the R&B chart, the group had been considering quitting the music industry in 1972. Around that time, original members Bill Isles and Bobby Massey departed, leaving the group a trio. The remaining three original members, Eddie Levert, William Powell, and Walter Williams, continued recording together, and Gamble & Huff, a team of producers and songwriters with whom the O'Jays had been working for several years, signed them to their Philadelphia International label. Suddenly, the O'Jays released their first million-seller, "Back Stabbers," from the album of the same name.] This album produced several more hit singles, including "992 Arguments," "Sunshine," "Time to Get Down," and the number 1 pop smash, "Love Train." During the remainder of the 1970s, the O'Jays continued releasing hit singles, Original member William Powell died of cancer in 1977 at age 35. After adding Sammy Strain (of Little Anthony and the Imperials), the O'Jays continued recording, though with limited success. In 1978, the group released "Use ta Be My Girl," which was their final top-five hit, though they continued placing songs on the R&B charts throughout the 1980s. The O'Jays also saw some success in the United Kingdom, where they scored nine singles on the UK Singles Chart between 1972 and 1983, including four of which became major hits, reaching the top 20 on that chart. Their 1987 album, "Let Me Touch You", included the number one R&B hit "Lovin' You." The O'Jays never again achieved pop success. In 1992, Sammy Strain left the group and returned to the Imperials. Later in the 1990s, the group did little recording. On October 30, 2010, the group performed at Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in Washington, D.C. an anti violence rally. In Cleveland, Ohio, on August 17, 2013, the O'Jays were inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. The O'Jays are also two-time Grammy Hall of Fame Inductees for their songs "Love Train" (inducted 2006) and "For the Love of Money" (inducted 2016). There cant be anybody on this blog who does not have an O`Jays album or 45...LEGENDS..This was their 3rd album recorded Live but this one isnt that a rare promo version and what a killer it is! Ive included some Bonus tracks from the same bell sessions listed under the back cover.

AMM

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Bonus Tracks Recorded At Same Bell Sessions 1968

15 You're Leaving Me
16 Sure Would Be Nice
17 Don't You Know A True Love
18 Last Thing She Said
19 Baby You Move Me
20 Be My Girl