The O'Jays
' stay at
Bell Records
, immediately preceding their hookup with the
Gamble & Huff
production team, saw them land three strong- to mild-charting
soul
singles. But even though they had nearly a decade of recording under the belt, they really didn't hit their stride until becoming a big part of the
Philly
sound. With
Bell
, as documented by this compilation, they were a good sweet
harmony group, though not one with the kind of ace material and production needed to make them big stars. So this 20-song CD, including all of their
45s and LP tracks (along with five previously unreleased cuts), is something for the serious
O'Jays
fan or serious '60s
buff, rather than something on par with their famous '70s work. These are still respectable late-'60s
uptown soul
productions, sometimes strongly echoing
Motown
or the emerging
Philly soul
genre, and featuring strong counterpoint/trade-off harmonies.
"I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today),"
a Top Ten
R&B
hit and their biggest
single, is the most memorable performance; two lower-charting
45s,
"Look Over Your Shoulder"
and
"The Choice,"
are also here. Yet it's interesting to hear them venture, if tentatively, into more sinister early sweet
funk
on
"That's Alright,"
and mimic the harder-rocking
Temptations
sides on
"Four for the Price of One"
"Don't You Know a True Love."
If you want ultra-sweet
that's almost sickly sweet, though, you can turn to
"Going Going Gone,"
where they moan in ecstasy about strawberry ice cream chills -- quite literally -- up and down their backs. ~ Richie Unterberger