Teenbeat XVIIII - Driving to Billy Paul

More from the the time it was less clunk click fasten your seat belt so much as as it was a rat-a-tat CLUNK  coming from Pops Q8 player as we sped the highway between hospital appointments which both avoided being out of FM range on the radio and gave us four speakers.

 Life was simple then! Speakers in all four doors, push tape in to play, pull out to stop or spin the radio dial for a station and that was it.

Anyway that trip on takes us to these three albums and yes I can count -just!-  cos we had them .
Billy Paul was one the big names of the then big Philadelphia International  records label that specialized in jazz influenced soul, going beyond Motown and PhillyGroove and I loved that music and it has to be said, still do.
Philadelphia International was formed by producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff after their earlier Neptune and Gamble labels with the backing of Columbia Records who wanted to tap into soul and "Black Music" sales.

In 1972 Philadelphia International issued 360 Degrees of Billy Paul which wasn't his first album but it was the home of the smash hit Me and Mrs Jones, the more decisive Am I Black Enough  U.S. follow up and Brown Baby which I think was issued in the U.K.
The record was issued in SQ quad (four channel surround sound) that played on regular stereo players and tape but released on Q8 quadraphonic tape in early 1973.
War of the Gods was issued in 1973 and is a more psychedelic soul album that personally I find more musically interesting if less overly commercial. 
From it Thanks For Saving My Life was lifted reaching #37 on the U.S. singles chart and #33 in the U.K. It two was issued on SQ record and Q8 Quadraphonic tape.

In December of 1973 Philadelphia International brought over a number of artists to the UK and Europe and two albums, one by the O'Jay's and this short set by Billy Paul were issued the next year.
Billy's is a short set recorded in London and Chatham, Kent where he expands upon the studio versions and acts today as a reminder of his ability to hold an audiences attention.
The Quad mix unlike many of live albums doesn't just place the audience in the rear but does put a few effects in the rear channels.
The SQ records were phased out  by the end of the 70's and the Q8 tapes were discontinued  by around 1977 although we hung onto our player for several years. 
In that time until last week, these albums in those mixes remained locked in the tape vaults when Vocalian-Dutton in Great Britain re-issued them as extra content on the Super Audio cd versions they issued complete with original stereo mixes on sacd and regular cd layers.
They sound superb on my player and accompanying hifi equipment.