The Three Degrees (album)

Last updated

The Three Degrees
The Tree Degrees - The Three Degrees.jpg
Studio album by
Released1973
Recorded1972–73
Studio Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genre
Length31:26
Label Philadelphia International
Producer Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff
The Three Degrees chronology
Maybe
(1970)
The Three Degrees
(1973)
International
(1975)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]

The Three Degrees is a 1973 studio album released by girl group The Three Degrees. Since their formation in 1965 until 1969, The Three Degrees had released several hit singles on various labels, including Swan Records, Warner Bros. Records, Metromedia, and Neptune. Their first studio album, entitled Maybe was released on Roulette Records in 1970 as were several other singles on the same label.

Contents

This was the first studio album recorded by the Group for Philadelphia International Records and was produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Released in 1973, the album includes three hit singles, "Dirty Ol' Man", a #1 hit single in the Netherlands, [3] "Year of Decision" and the UK #1, "When Will I See You Again". [4] The album charted at #11 on the UK album chart. [4]

The album was re-issued on CD in 2010, for the first time in the UK, by Big Break Records. This re-issue includes three bonus tracks including a 1977 remix of "Dirty Ol' Man" by Tom Moulton.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dirty Ol' Man" Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff 4:33
2."Can't You See What You're Doing to Me"Joseph B. Jefferson, Bruce Hawes2:31
3."A Woman Needs a Good Man" Bunny Sigler, Mikki Farrow, Marvin E. Jackson4:19
4."When Will I See You Again"Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff2:58
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."I Didn't Know"Bunny Sigler, Jean Lang2:50
6."I Like Being a Woman"Joseph B. Jefferson, Bruce Hawes3:56
7."If and When"Joseph B. Jefferson, Bunny Sigler7:07
8."Year of Decision"Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff2:42
2010 remastered reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" (MFSB featuring The Three Degrees)Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff3:36
10."Love Is the Message" (MFSB featuring The Three Degrees)Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff2:41
11."Dirty Ol' Man" (A Tom Moulton Mix)Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff8:21

Personnel

The Three Degrees

with:

Technical

Charts

Chart (1973)Peak
positions [5] [4]
Australia (Kent Music Report) [6] 46
U.S. Billboard Top LPs 28
U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs 33
UK Albums Chart 12

Singles

YearSinglePeak chart positions
US
[5]
US
R&B

[5]
US
A/C

[5]
UK
[4]
1973"Dirty Ol' Man"58
1974"Year of Decision"7413
"When Will I See You Again"2411
1975"I Didn't Know"18

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bee Gees</span> Music group (1958–2012)

The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in the mid-to-late 1970s.

The Belle Stars were an all female British pop/rock band. Formed in 1980, they are best known for their 1983 hit single "Sign of the Times" as well as their cover of "Iko Iko" originally released in 1982 and featured on the soundtrack to the film Rain Man in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Three Degrees</span> American female vocal group

The Three Degrees is an American female vocal group formed circa 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although 16 women have been members over the years, the group has always been a trio. The current line-up consists of Valerie Holiday,Freddi Poole and Jessie Wagner. The group were particularly successful in the UK, achieving 13 Top 50 hit singles between 1974 and 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anita Ward</span> American singer and musician (born 1956)

Anita Ward(sources differ) is an American singer and musician from Memphis, Tennessee. Beginning her professional music career in the late 1970s, Ward is best known for her 1979 million-selling chart-topper R&B/Disco hit "Ring My Bell": it was #1 on the United States Hot 100, R&B, and Dance charts, and in the United Kingdom.

Sheila Diana Ferguson is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and author, who has worked primarily in the United Kingdom. Between 1966 and 1986, she was a member of the American female soul music group The Three Degrees, singing lead vocals on most of the group's biggest hits, most notably "When Will I See You Again", which had international success, topping the UK Singles Chart and peaking at #2 in the US.

<i>Bad Girls</i> (Donna Summer album) 1979 studio album by Donna Summer

Bad Girls is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer. It was released on April 25, 1979 by Casablanca Records. Originally issued as a double album, Bad Girls became the best-selling and most critically acclaimed album of Summer's career. It was also her final studio album for Casablanca Records. In 2003, Universal Music re-issued Bad Girls as a digitally remastered and expanded deluxe edition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monster Mash</span> 1962 novelty song

"Monster Mash" is a 1962 novelty song by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. The song was released as a single on Gary S. Paxton's Garpax Records label in August 1962 along with a full-length LP called The Original Monster Mash, which contained several other monster-themed tunes. The "Monster Mash" single was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on October 20–27 of that year, just before Halloween. It has been a perennial Halloween favorite ever since. In 2021, nearly 60 years after its release, "Monster Mash" re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 37.

Pilot is a Scottish rock group, formed in 1973 in Edinburgh by David Paton and Billy Lyall. They are best known for their songs "January", "Magic", "Just a Smile" and "Call Me Round".

<i>Dynasty</i> (Kiss album) 1979 studio album by Kiss

Dynasty is the seventh studio album by American rock band Kiss, produced by Vini Poncia and released on May 23, 1979, by Casablanca Records.

<i>Love to Love You Baby</i> (album) 1975 studio album by Donna Summer

Love to Love You Baby is the second studio album by American singer Donna Summer, released on August 27, 1975, and her first to be released internationally and in the United States. Her previous album Lady of the Night (1974) was released only in the Netherlands. The album was commercially successful, mainly because of the success of its title track, which reached number 2 on the US Pop charts despite some radio stations choosing not to play the song due to its sexually explicit nature.

<i>The Wanderer</i> (Donna Summer album) 1980 studio album by Donna Summer

The Wanderer is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer, released on October 20, 1980. It marks a musical departure for Summer, being an album influenced by rock and new wave whilst previous albums all fell under the disco music category. Her inaugural release of the Geffen Records label, it became a top 20 album in the United States, with the title track reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100; other singles failed to enter the top ten. However, the record was more unsuccessful on the charts than her previous album Bad Girls, which topped the Billboard 200 for five weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Own Way (song)</span> 1981 single by Duran Duran

"My Own Way" is the fourth single by English new wave band Duran Duran, originally released on 16 November 1981.

<i>10cc</i> (album) 1973 studio album by 10cc

10cc is the debut album by the British rock band 10cc, first released in 1973. It was recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, which was part-owned by guitarist and engineer Eric Stewart, and released on Jonathan King's UK Records label. The album reached number 36 in the UK Albums Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Could It Be Magic</span> 1971 single by Barry Manilow

"Could It Be Magic" is a song written by Adrienne Anderson and composed by American singer-songwriter Barry Manilow, inspired by Frédéric Chopin's Prelude in C minor, Opus 28, Number 20.

Ol' 55 are an Australian band specialising in retro, 1950s-era Rock 'n' Roll. They formed as Fanis in 1972 in Sutherland, Sydney. Drummer Geoff Plummer was working with Glenn A. Baker at the NSW Department of Media and invited Baker to hear his part-time band, including Patrick "Meatballs" Drummond, Rockpile Jones and Jimmy Manzie. In 1975, Baker took on their management, renamed them as Ol' 55 for the Tom Waits song, and recruited front man Frankie J. Holden and, later in the year, saxophonist Wilbur Wilde.

<i>She Works Hard for the Money</i> (album) 1983 studio album by Donna Summer

She Works Hard for the Money is the eleventh studio album by American singer Donna Summer, released on June 13, 1983, by Mercury Records. It was her most successful studio album of the decade, peaking at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and its title track became one of the biggest hits of her career and her biggest hit of the decade, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>I Remember Yesterday</i> 1977 studio album by Donna Summer

I Remember Yesterday is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer. It was released on May 13, 1977, seven months after the release of her previous album. Like her previous three albums, it was a concept album, this time seeing Summer combining the recent disco sound with various sounds of the past. I Remember Yesterday includes the singles "Can't We Just Sit Down ", "I Feel Love", the title track, "Love's Unkind" and "Back in Love Again". "I Feel Love" and "Love's Unkind" proved to be the album's most popular and enduring hits, the former of which came to be one of Summer's signature songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story</span> Song composed by Francis Lai; lyrics by Carl Sigman

"(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story" is a popular song published in 1970, with music by Francis Lai and lyrics by Carl Sigman. The song was first introduced as an instrumental theme in the 1970 film Love Story after the film's distributor, Paramount Pictures, rejected the first set of lyrics that were written. Andy Williams eventually recorded the new lyrics and took the song to number nine on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 and number one on their Easy Listening chart.

<i>3D</i> (The Three Degrees album) 1979 studio album by The Three Degrees

3D is a studio album by vocal trio The Three Degrees released in late 1979. The album, which was produced by Giorgio Moroder and Harold Faltermeyer, yielded two successful single releases, "Jump the Gun" and "My Simple Heart". "Without You" and "Starlight" were also released as singles, but failed to make any impact on the singles chart. In the US "Set Me Free" was released and was a hit in the clubs and US Disco Charts. The album peaked at No. 61 in the UK album charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dreamin' (Cliff Richard song)</span> 1980 single by Cliff Richard

"Dreamin'" is a song recorded by Cliff Richard from his 1980 album, I'm No Hero. The track was the first of three singles released and was the biggest hit from the album, becoming a top-ten hit in numerous countries including the UK and the US where it became his third and last top ten hit.

References

  1. "Disco Savvy: 1972-1974 Disco". discosavvy.com. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  2. Hanson, Amy. The Three Degrees: The Three Degrees > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  3. "Top 40". Top40.nl. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Three Degrees – Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "US Charts > The Three Degrees". AllMusic . Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 309. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.