Live in Europe (Billy Paul album)

Last updated
Live in Europe
Billypaulliveineuropealbum.jpg
Live album by Billy Paul
Released 1974
Recorded December 1973
Genre Soul, Philadelphia soul
Length30:56
Label Philadelphia International
Producer Bobby Martin
Billy Paul chronology
War of the Gods
(1973)		Live in Europe
(1974)		 Got My Head on Straight
(1975)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Live in Europe is an album by soul singer Billy Paul. The album was produced by Bobby Martin and arranged by Billy Paul and Caldwell McMillan. It was recorded at Hammersmith Odeon, London and Central Hall, Chatham, England in December 1973. Released in 1974, this album reached #10 on the Billboard Soul Album chart and #187 on the Billboard Pop album chart.

Billy Paul American singer

Paul Williams, known professionally as Billy Paul, was a Grammy Award-winning American soul singer, known for his 1972 #1 single, "Me and Mrs. Jones", as well as the 1973 album and single "War of the Gods" which blends his more conventional pop, soul, and funk styles with electronic and psychedelic influences.

Contents

Release and critical reception

Following his 1973 European tour, Billy Paul taped an episode of Soul Train on January 20, 1974. Stephen McMillian wrote: "During Billy's interview with Don [Cornelius], he mentioned that he had returned from a European tour with the O'Jays and The Intruders, stating that the response was great and very receptive. 'The most amazing thing is to see people who can’t understand your language but they enjoy your music and the sound,' Billy told Don. Several of the songs he performed on the London leg of the European tour were released on his wonderful live album entitled Billy Paul Live in Europe." [2]

<i>Soul Train</i> American music show

Soul Train is an American music-dance television program which aired in syndication from October 2, 1971 to March 27, 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, dance/pop, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists also appeared. The series was created by Don Cornelius, who also served as its first host and executive producer.

On its release in 1974, Billboard noted in its June 22 issue: "The five songs on the album average eight minutes in length, but the time is taken up by extended singing, concentrating on separate parts of the material, rather than a lot of empty rapping. The excitement at Paul's London debut is palpable. Best cut: 'Brown Baby.' Dealers: Can display in tandem with new O'Jay live LP cut at same hall." [3]

<i>Billboard</i> (magazine) American music magazine

Billboard is an American entertainment media brand owned by the Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group, a division of Eldridge Industries. It publishes pieces involving news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style, and is also known for its music charts, including the Hot 100 and Billboard 200, tracking the most popular songs and albums in different genres. It also hosts events, owns a publishing firm, and operates several TV shows.

AllMusic's Ron Wynn wrote: "Paul was not a great live vocalist either as a jazz or soul singer, something that was evident on this mid-'70s set. No matter how polished or well-rehearsed the backing band, Paul's flaws couldn't be covered as smoothly in a concert setting, and they're revealed along with his strengths -- timing, a good delivery, and decent range and interpretative skills." [1]

AllMusic Online music database

AllMusic is an online music database. It catalogs more than 3 million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musical artists and bands. It launched in 1991, predating the World Wide Web.

Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, United States, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and developed from roots in blues and ragtime. Jazz is seen by many as "America's classical music". Since the 1920s Jazz Age, jazz has become recognized as a major form of musical expression. It then emerged in the form of independent traditional and popular musical styles, all linked by the common bonds of African-American and European-American musical parentage with a performance orientation. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation. Jazz has roots in West African cultural and musical expression, and in African-American music traditions including blues and ragtime, as well as European military band music. Intellectuals around the world have hailed jazz as "one of America's original art forms".

Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community in the United States in the 1950s and early 1960s. It combines elements of African-American gospel music, rhythm and blues and jazz. Soul music became popular for dancing and listening in the United States, where record labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Stax were influential during the Civil Rights Movement. Soul also became popular around the world, directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff; except where indicated

Side 1

  1. "War of the Gods Introduction-Brown Baby" – 9:11
  2. "Thanks for Saving My Life" – 4:19

Side 2

  1. "Me and Mrs. Jones" (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, Cary Gilbert) – 8:48
  2. "Your Song" (Bernie Taupin, Elton John) – 8:41

Note: digital versions of the album divide the LP's first track: "War of the Gods Introduction" (2:00) and "Brown Baby" (7:09); the live version of "Me and Mrs. Jones" appears in a slightly longer form (9:04) as a bonus track on digital versions of the studio album 360 Degrees of Billy Paul (1972).

Me and Mrs. Jones 1972 single by Billy Paul

"Me and Mrs. Jones" is a 1972 soul song written by Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert, and originally recorded by Billy Paul. It describes an extramarital affair between a man and his lover, Mrs. Jones. In the song, the two meet in secret "every day at the same cafe", where they hold hands and talk. The two are caught in a quandary: "we both know that it's wrong/but it's much too strong/to let it go now".

<i>360 Degrees of Billy Paul</i> 1972 studio album by Billy Paul

360 Degrees of Billy Paul is an album by soul singer Billy Paul. It was produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and arranged by Bobby Martin, Lenny Pakula and Norman Harris. Released in 1972, it includes the Grammy Award-winning number 1 pop and soul single "Me and Mrs. Jones" and its follow-up "Am I Black Enough for You?" which reached number 29 on the soul chart and number 79 on the pop chart. The album was expanded and remastered by Big Break Records for compact disc in 2012 with three bonus tracks, new liner notes by Andy Kellman, and new quotes from Billy Paul.

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1974)Peak
position
Billboard Pop Albums [4] 187
Billboard Top Soul Albums [4] 10

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References

  1. 1 2 Wynn, Ron. Billy Paul: Live in Europe Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  2. ↑ McMillian, Stephen (16 March 2015). "Soul Train History Book: Billy Paul". soultrain.com. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "Billboard's Top Album Picks". Billboard Magazine. 22 June 1974. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Billy Paul US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
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