The Fuzz "Val, Barbara, Sheila"

Enough of The Dells already! :¬)
(Well, we might have to revisit those talented gentlemen some other time – there's still a lot of great albums we haven't posted!)

All thanks to contributor Cee The Chef (aka CeeVee) it's time for the lovely ladies Val Williams, Barbara Gilliam and Sheila Young, also known as The Fuzz – and their self-titled debut album from 1971! Best known for one of the worlds best slow-dances of all times, "I Love You For All Seasons"!

Andrew Hamilton over att AMG just loves The Fuzz:
The Fuzz were three teenage females from Washington, D.C. who scored with the lovely "I Love You for All Seasons," written by lead singer Sheila Young. "Seasons'" is a sentimental ballad with a loping bass line and a soothing feel; it's sweetly innocent and captivates you every time you hear it. The strings are tastefully arranged by Joe Tate. The other songs are all about love, and the Fuzz delivers these well-crafted tales in a mature fashion that belies their ages, including an eye-wetting rendition of "Ooh, Baby, Baby." Unfortunately, none of their other releases did much. "Like an Open Door" followed "Seasons" and had the same sweet, innocent sound, but did little to further their careers.

I found this review over at Bad Cat Records that goes even deeper:
Barbara Gilliam, Val Williams and Sheila Young were originally known as The Passionetts and managed to record a one-off single for the small Path Records label ('My Plea' b/w 'My Fault'), Path 101.)

1970 saw them picked up by Uni Records and the release of a second 45: 'Sister Watch Yourself' b/w 'Stand By Your Man' (Uni catalog number 55230). Probably an administrative oversight, the single was credited to 'The Passionettes' (note the extra 'e').

Billed as 'The Fuzz' (so much cooler than the earlier nameplate), 1971 found the trio recording for Roulette Records' Calla subsidiary. In a rather daring marketing move their self-titled debut was a concept piece. Well, the first half of the album was apparently built around a concept. Written by Young and arranger Joe Tate, the eight 'A' side tracks were built around a theme comparing love to the four seasons. Mixing a series of spoken word narratives with some catchy ballads and mid-tempo numbers the results were occasionally quite cheesy (check out the monotone reading of ''I Think I Got the Making of a True Love Affair"), but to my ears that simply added to the album's charm. In contrast, the flip side abandoned the concept approach in favor of discrete songs. Material such as 'Like An Open Door', 'Leave It All Behind Me' and 'I Love You for All Seasons' served as a nice showcase for Young's songwriting skills and the trio's lovely harmony work – these gals were easily as good as Honey Cone (whom they actually remind me of).

The group enjoyed a series of three R&B hits from the album: 'I Love You for All Season', 'Like An Open Door' and 'I'm So Good'. But after one final non-LP single ('Do Just What You Can Do' b/w 'Mr. Heartaches and Miss Tears', Calla C-183) their recording career seems to have come to an end.

Again, big thanks to Cee The Chef for this lovely contribution...unfortunately there's some issues with one of the tracks (the wicked cover version of the Smokey Robinson penned "Ooh, Baby Baby" on the B-side) but we're working on that, and will probably post that as a seperate track real soon!

Enjoy!

Interested in buying this rare gem? I've found one copy (Venezuelan pressing) of the original vinyl right here! Hurry up!

While checking that out, here's a tasty snippet of the single "I'm So Glad"...try it out!
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The Dells "We Got To Get Our Thing Together"

And another one folks! This great album is brought to you courtesy of the ever so wonderful Bowlisha1! She posted a link in the cbox for this and I could not let it get buried there! So here it is. This is an excellent album straight up and down. And just to make this post a little more exciting, there was not a damn thing about this album anywhere! So please forgive me for the lack of info. This LP was rather confusing actually. It seems that it was released on Mercury Records and Cadet. This was right around the time they left Cadet in 1975 and moved over to Mercury. So it made it difficult to pin where it was released first. Either way.....this is a nice addition to the string of Dells posts we have done. Thanks Bowlisha1!!!!

If anyone out there can help add additional info to this post hit us up in the comments or cbox.

Here is what DustyGroove had to say about this album:
A big move to Mercury for the Dells, after a pretty successful run at Cadet in the late 60s and early 70s -- but the group's still in fine form vocal-wise, and on many of these they're still working with the great Don Davis, who gave the band a strong 70s soul groove, similar to his work with The Dramatics. Charles Stepney produced the great "Love Is Missing From Our Lives", which features guest work by The Dramatics, and a great sound that's very much in the classic 70s group tradition. Other nice cuts include "Overnight", "We Got To Get Our Thing Together", "Thank God You're My Lady", and a version of Terry Callier's "You Don't Care".

Here is a nice track off of the album.
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I would like to thank Bowlisha1 for this excellent contribution and to the rest of our readers who have contributed to the 4BB 2.0. We see y'all and we truly appreciate your efforts. Trust me, we know how much hard work goes into preparing these posts! We will try our best to cover all the goodies being shared with us. :)

Search no more! This record is for sale right here.

Now listen up and enjoy your weekend!

The Dells "Musical Menu"

Our friend Ricardo (who contributed with the elusive Water & Power joint some weeks back) sent us this wonderful contribution to the impromptu 4BB Dells series that just seem to go on and on – almost by itself! This is The Dells rare and tasty 1969 outing "Musical Menu", and it's a real treat too!

Three of my favourite oldschool Dells cuts are on this album – the wartime epos "Does Anybody Know I'm Here", the super sweet "Always Together" and the groovy monster "I Want My Momma"! Man, can these guys sing or what!!!

Dustygroove.com says:
One of The Dells' best albums from this period – and a real Cadet studios masterpiece, thanks to some incredibly groovy arrangements by Charles Stepney! The sound's a bit like some of the Rotary Connection albums put together under Stepney's supervision – but given that the group is the Dells, the vocals are much much better, with a much stronger soul component – and fused with some incredible musical arrangements! The whole thing's wonderful – and graced by an incredible gatefold cover that has pictures of miniaturized Dells members being served with eggs and bacon as part of a "musical menu"! Tracks include "Believe Me", "Always Together", "Hallways of My Mind", and the trippy "Agatha Van Thurgood".

Dig in!

Not convinced? Just listen to this (Man, this is what we should have posted for Mothers Day!):
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Buy the orginal vinyl – there's two for sale right here! If you crave for that remastered CD quality, this might just be your best option (Yeah, I know it's a bit pricey, but if you crave it you crave it)!

(Ps. Big thanks to Ricardo – show the guy some appreciation in the comments...he's got some upcoming treats as well, so be good! :¬)

The Dells "Sing Dionne Warwicke's Greatest Hits"

Update!: TGrundy was so inspired by this post that he made a special mix over on his terrific blog RIBS: Rhythms In Black Satin (I just love that name!) So go check it out and tell him that 4BB sent ya! ;)

This album shocked the hell out of me! I am a sucker for cover songs but I rarely like it when there is no imagination applied to the arrangement or delivery. Who wants to hear an artist sing a song exactly like the original? Granted, some songs are so well-written that they need no reinterpretation. There is only one album of cover songs that, in my opinion, has not been topped and that is the criminally neglected 1994 album by Roberta Flack entitled Roberta (which I will post in the future). It's one thing to re-sing a song and quite another to reinterpret a song. (Another stellar example of this is Me'shell N'degeocello's reinterpretation of Earth, Wind & Fire's "Fantasy." A total mindblower/mindfuck if ever there was one.)

So anyway, when I saw this title, I almost rolled my eyes because I have heard other artists cover "Dionne's songs" (i.e Burt Bacharach's songs) before and they have merely been retreads at best, muzak at worst! Well, The Dells, or should I say producer-arranger Charles Stepney, sure shut my ass up! The arrangements! The delivery! The DRAMA! Burt must have heard this and said, "Did I write that? Dayuum, I'm the shit!!"

AMG's review is right on target:
The Dells, one of Chicago's greatest soul groups of the classic period – which is saying plenty – were all set to step into another era at the beginning of the 1970s. Their first greatest-hits collection had been issued in 1969, and they'd recorded the Come Together soundtrack for Apple in 1971; then there was the fine, topical, Freedom Means set for Cadet in 1971. In 1972, the Dells issued this unlikely masterpiece. Whoever heard of recording an album of another singer's greatest hits, and a female singer at that? Nobody. And perhaps that's why it works. Produced and arranged by Charles Stepney for Cadet, this set is, without question, not a tribute to Dionne Warwick but to the man who wrote her songs, Burt Bacharach. Stepney was beyond hip to sophisticated arrangements, having already worked with Rotary Connection, Minnie Riperton, and Ramsey Lewis by this time. His work on Riperton's albums is mind-blowingly lush, textured, and dynamic, and loses none of its soul appeal to its production values. The Dells are accompanied here by Phil Upchurch, Roland Faulkner, Cash McCall, and a horn section that includes Art Hoyle, Ethel Merker, Robert "RX Lord" Lewis, and Paul Ondracek; Derf Reklaw-Raheem lends a hand on percussion, as do Bobby Christian, Oye "Nalls" Bisi, Ealee Satterfield, and drummers Morris Jennings and Donny Simmons. Some of these cats' names might be familiar to listeners as the Pharaohs. Stepney plays Rhodes, acoustic piano, harpsichord, and percussion, and a string section is also employed. Who knows what Bacharach thought of the set and who cares?

The radical interpretations of these tunes, from the deep, smooth soul of "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" with its lithe, sprightly, jazz-funk backdrop to the dynamic "Raindrops Keep Fallin on My Head," with its staggered strings and counterpoint horn fills are outrageous but in the pocket. The striated near-doo wop vocal chart on "Close to You," makes the tune a slow dance groover with jazzy dissonant chords, and the extended harmonic strings on that five-part vocal harmony are just plain tripped out and wonderful. Yet for all the experimentation on these songs, there isn't one that isn't immediately accessible as a great soul tune. If anything, this set sounds more in tune with what's happening in the present day than it did in the '70s – but it couldn't have come out during any other time.

The sense of adventure and that anything was possible is reflected in the clean, fresh energy not only in the performances and arrangements, but in the production as well. "Walk on By," while radically different than the Isaac Hayes' take on the tune (which is in itself diametrically opposite Warwick's reading) is tighter but even more heartbreaking. The version of "I Say a Little Prayer," with Johnny Carter's clean falsetto and the other four vocalists falling just underneath Vern Allison's leading support harmony are intercut with fine instrumental horn breaks that alternate with the strings. "Alfie" is announced by Upchurch's signature chord voicings before Carter begins to sing the intro. The rest of the band is introduced by a swoop from Ed Druzinsky's harp and the string section, and comes in gauzily. But it's the use of space here that is the identifying mark. Everything has its own place, gelling at the most poignant moments in the tune, adding a kind of believable rather than sophomoric dynamic and drama to the tune that is almost cinematic in scope. If you think of Francy Boland's wonderfully moody and dramatic Fellini 1972 album you get a hint – combine it with soul and Charles Stepney's sense of rhythmic invention and you can almost get to it. It's simply amazing.

While it's true that album didn't sell at the time, those fine folks over at the Dusty Groove label made it their seventh and final release of their own first year in 2007. This is a stone classic, a must for fans of Bacharach, Stepney, the Dells and, well, everybody who has even a passing interest in innovative soul from its golden era.

There is nothing more that I can add to that review. The bottom line is, if you are a music lover who listens to the music behind the voices, you will be throughly delighted! I'm ranking this right next to Roberta Flack's joint. Both the CD reissue and the original vinyl can be found at Dusty Grooves and Ebay.

Check out the soulful spin they put on I'll Never Fall In Love Again:
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Enjoy!

The Dells "Sweet As Funk Can Be"

After the tremendous response to Arkane's brilliant Dells posts, I figured I'd keep the momentum going a little longer with two more albums by this amazing group! First up is one that I saw requested earlier, their 1972 release Sweet As Funk Can Be.

This is a beautifully strange album. It has intros, outros and segues between songs, much like the ones r&b artists adopted 10 years ago to irritating affect. You know where the tracklist showed "25 songs" but there were really only 10 (think Janet Jackson). But it does not have that annoying affect here. As a matter of fact, I like the segues more than some of the songs! And make no mistake, the music is good. It's the Dells after all. Sometimes they have a Four Tops-ish feel, but edgier.

Reviewer Motown67 over at SoulStrut.com had this to say:
I always associated the Dells with sweet Chicago Soul. Then one day at a flea market I came across this record. Hmm, Cadet and Funk in the title? This could be something different. Took it home, and the record blew me away. There are eight cuts and in between each are a series of segues of the group talking about Funk. With titles like Origin of Funk, Sweet As Funk Can Be, you know those conversations have to be good. None of this is apparent however when you first put the needle to the vinyl as Prologue – Ol Amigo has some female Doo Wop vocals with a man’s voice talking over it. When Windy City Soul hits, however you’ve got some fine upbeat Soul with the singers trading off in the middle and a nice rolling horn line. That’s followed by the first segue entitled Funky Breeze/Ghetto Scene. Most of the actual songs are more mellow, laid back Soul tunes, but there are two others worth a listen. Till I See You Again and When You’re Alone are both in that Chicago Soul vein.

It's a great listen! I love the track When You're Alone, which by the way Quasimoto (Madlib) sampled for his cut "24/7", off of his album "Unseen." Killer! Another favorite is their cover of The Look of Love. I love that song and at one time I had all the cover versions of it. At least I thought so, but oddly enough I didn't have this one. They change it from a quiet meditation to a burning shouter of a man begging for his woman's love. Whew!

Never reissued on CD, but the vinyl can found here on Ebay. And it don't come cheap either!

Check out a little of When You're Alone:
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Enjoy!

The Dells "Stay In My Corner - Live"

This is the original undiluted good stuff – a live performance recorded in 1975, with The Dells performing their 1968 hit "Stay In My Corner"! Johnny Carter and Marvin Junior are handling the lead on this one, backed up perfectly by Michael McGill, Verne Allison and Chuck Barksdale. 5 minutes and 21 seconds of sheer bliss!

Thanks for two brilliant posts Arkane1, and for reminding us of The Dells true greatness!

/Laf & The B's

The Dells "The Dells"

Here is part two of the double header!!! This is one hell of an album as well. This was released in 1973 on Cadet Records. Enjoy!!!

The Dells were one of those rare Soul vocal groups that were able to age well with time. Their self-titled album is one of my favorites of theirs because of the mood they are able to create with the songs. The Dells get right down to business with the opening Let The Feeling Talk To You with a deep baritone voice doing some sexy talk to his girl over a slow and easy rhythm that builds up just a little with the horns and strings before the rest of the group comes in with their singing. That kind of sophisticated Soul for grown folks is what marks the record. My Pretending Days Are Over and Let’s Make It Last are much in the same mood, while I Miss You has a little more of a groove to it, and I Hear Voices is a bit darker with its lyrics about struggling in the ghetto. ~Review By Motown 67 (www.soulstrut.com)

You can find this LP and other albums in the Dells' catalog here.

Here is a tasty cut from the LP.
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Enjoy this – and your Weekend!