Message in the Music

Last updated
Message in the Music
Ojaysmessage.jpg
Studio album by
Released1976
Recorded1975-76
Studio Sigma Sound Studios, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genre Philadelphia soul, R&B
Length42:51
Label Philadelphia International Records
Producer Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, Bunny Sigler, Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Victor Carstarphen
The O'Jays chronology
Family Reunion
(1975)
Message in the Music
(1976)
Travelin' at the Speed of Thought
(1977)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Christgau's Record Guide B− [2]
The New York Times (favourable) [3]

Message in the Music is a 1976 album by American R&B group the O'Jays.

Contents

Released in 1976 on the Philadelphia International Records label. Recorded at the Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, with six of the eight tracks written and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, Message in the Music spawned two R&B chart-topping singles in "Message in Our Music" and "Darlin' Darlin' Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love)", with the latter also giving the group their fourth UK top 30 single. Message in the Music peaked at #3 on the R&B chart (ending a run of three consecutive #1 R&B albums for the group) and reached #20 on the pop chart.

Message in the Music is the last O'Jays album to feature vocals from original group member William Powell, who would die prematurely from cancer, aged 35, in May 1977.

In 2004, Message in the Music was reissued by Demon Music in the UK in a double package with The O'Jays' 1977 album Travelin' at the Speed of Thought .

Track listing

All tracks are written by Gamble and Huff, except where noted [4] .

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Message in Our Music"6:24
2."A Prayer"6:30
3."Paradise"5:02
4."Make a Joyful Noise"4:02
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Desire Me" 6:21
6."Darlin' Darlin' Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love)" 4:14
7."I Swear, I Love No One But You" Bunny Sigler 5:13
8."Let Life Flow" John Whitehead, Gene McFadden, Victor Carstarphen4:37

Charts

Album

Chart (1976)Peak
position
Billboard Pop Albums [5] 20
Billboard Top Soul Albums [5] 3

Singles

YearSingleChart positions [6]
US
Billboard
Hot 100
US
R&B
1976"Message in Our Music"491
"Darlin' Darlin' Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love)"721

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [7] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

The OJays American R&B group from Ohio

The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor hit "Lonely Drifter" in 1963, but reached their greatest level of success once Gamble & Huff, a team of producers and songwriters, signed them to their Philadelphia International label in 1972. With Gamble & Huff, the O'Jays emerged at the forefront of Philadelphia soul with "Back Stabbers" (1972), and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 the following year with "Love Train". Several other US R&B hits followed, and the O'Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2013.

MFSB, officially standing for "Mother Father Sister Brother", was a pool of more than 30 studio musicians based at Philadelphia’s Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom Bell, and backed up such groups as Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the O’Jays, the Stylistics, the Spinners, Wilson Pickett, and Billy Paul.

Gamble and Huff American songwriting and record production team

Kenneth Gamble and Leon A. Huff are an American songwriting and production team credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre of the 1970s. In addition to forming their own label, Philadelphia International Records, Gamble and Huff have written and produced 175 gold and platinum records, earning them an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the non-performer category in March 2008.

The Intruders (band) American soul music group

The Intruders are an American soul music group most popular in the 1960s and 1970s. As one of the first groups to have hit songs under the direction of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, they were a major influence on the development of Philadelphia soul.

<i>Back Stabbers</i> (album) 1972 studio album by The OJays

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For the Love of Money 1974 single by The OJays

"For the Love of Money" is a soul/funk song that was written and composed by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Anthony Jackson; it was recorded by Philadelphia soul group The O'Jays for the album Ship Ahoy. Produced by Gamble and Huff for Philadelphia International Records, "For the Love of Money" was issued as a single in late 1973, with "People Keep Tellin' Me" as its B-side. The single peaked at number three on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart, and at No. 9 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart in spring 1974. Though the album version of the song was over seven minutes long, it received substantial radio airplay. The song's title comes from a well-known Bible verse, 1 Timothy 6:10: "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." The song was also used as the opening theme song for NBC’s The Apprentice.

"Message In Our Music" was a hit song for the R&B vocal group The O'Jays in 1976 from their album, Message in the Music. Written by famed songwriters Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, it spent a week at number one on the R&B singles chart in October, 1976, and peaked at number forty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

"Darlin' Darlin' Baby " was a hit song by R&B vocal trio The O'Jays released in late 1976 and written and produced by Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff.

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<i>Ship Ahoy</i> (album) 1973 studio album by The OJays

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<i>Family Reunion</i> (album) 1975 studio album by The OJays

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References

  1. Hamilton, Andrew. The O'Jays: Message in the Music > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: O". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved March 10, 2019 via robertchristgau.com.
  3. Rockwell, John (October 22, 1976). "The Pop Life". The New York Times .
  4. allmusic ((( Message in the Music > Overview ))). All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved on 2011-10-13.
  5. 1 2 "US Albums Chart > The O'Jays". Allmusic . Retrieved 2011-08-30.
  6. "US Singles Chart > The O'Jays". Allmusic . Retrieved 2011-08-31.
  7. "American album certifications – O'Jays – Message in the Music". Recording Industry Association of America.