The Spirit Of Philadelphia series is back with a fourth installment, a further 17 track feast of Philly gems from the music’s heyday in the 1970s. In keeping with the tradition of the series, most cuts are either rare on CD or previously unreleased in this format. These are the recordings beyond the walls of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff’s Philadelphia International Records but involve many key musicians, arrangers and artists. At the disco end of the spectrum are three Tom Moulton mixes included here, Monday After’s “Merry-Go-Round” extremely rare on Buddah Records promo 12” unavailable commercially until now. Detailed liner notes reveal how events surrounding the Everett ‘Blood’ Hollins track lead to the birth of Chic and how Van McCoy’s music was inspired by the sound of Philadelphia. This plus soul legends including The Temptations and Ben E. King at their Philly best.
