Thirteen Blue Magic Lane
Encyclopedia
Thirteen Blue Magic Lane is the third album by American
soul
group Blue Magic
, produced by Norman Harris
and Ron "Have Mercy" Kersey
and released in 1975
on the Atco
label.
in Philadelphia and features Sigma's famous house band
MFSB
. Thirteen Blue Magic Lane is the third of Blue Magic's highly-regarded triumvirate of classic Philadelphia soul
albums of 1974-1975, admired for its mixture of equally strong ballads and uptempo tracks. "Chasing Rainbows" and "The Loneliest House on the Block" are ballads in the style for which the group had become known, while tracks such as "We're on the Right Track" are seen as being at what was at the time the cutting edge in the development of disco music out of established soul music forms. "What's Come Over Me" is a remake of a track from the group's first album Blue Magic
, featuring vocalist Margie Joseph
.
Singles
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
group Blue Magic
Blue Magic (band)
Blue Magic is an American soul music group, one of the most popular Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1972, they were originally composed of lead Ted Mills, Vernon Sawyer, Wendell Sawyer, Keith Beaton, and Richard Pratt...
, produced by Norman Harris
Norman Harris
Norman Harris was an American guitarist, producer, arranger and songwriter associated with Philly soul. He was a founding member of MFSB and one-third of the production trio of Baker-Harris-Young...
and Ron "Have Mercy" Kersey
Ron Kersey
Tyrone Garfield "Ron " Kersey was an American keyboardist, songwriter, producer and arranger most known for writing the music to "Disco Inferno" by The Trammps....
and released in 1975
1975 in music
-January–April:*January 2 - New York City U.S. District Court Judge Richard Owen rules that former Beatle John Lennon and his lawyers can have access to Department of Immigration files pertaining to his deportation case....
on the Atco
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who...
label.
History
The album was recorded at Sigma Sound StudiosSigma Sound Studios
Sigma Sound Studios is an American music recording studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania founded by recording engineer Joseph Tarsia in 1968.Located at 212 N. 12th Street in Philadelphia, it was the second studio in the country to offer 24-track recording and the first in the country to use console...
in Philadelphia and features Sigma's famous house band
House band
For the British band that existed from 1984-2001, see The House BandA house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to...
MFSB
MFSB
MFSB was a pool of more than thirty studio musicians based at Philadelphia’s famed 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...
. Thirteen Blue Magic Lane is the third of Blue Magic's highly-regarded triumvirate of classic Philadelphia soul
Philadelphia soul
Philadelphia soul, sometimes called the Philadelphia Sound or Sweet Philly, is a style of soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often featuring sweeping strings and piercing horns. The subtle sound of a glockenspiel can often be heard in the background of...
albums of 1974-1975, admired for its mixture of equally strong ballads and uptempo tracks. "Chasing Rainbows" and "The Loneliest House on the Block" are ballads in the style for which the group had become known, while tracks such as "We're on the Right Track" are seen as being at what was at the time the cutting edge in the development of disco music out of established soul music forms. "What's Come Over Me" is a remake of a track from the group's first album Blue Magic
Blue Magic (album)
Blue Magic is the self-titled debut album by American soul group Blue Magic, produced by Norman Harris and released in 1974 on the Atco label.-History:...
, featuring vocalist Margie Joseph
Margie Joseph
Margaret Marie "Margie" Joseph is an American R&B, soul and gospel singer. Her greatest success came in the 1970s, with her biggest hits being her version of Paul McCartney's "My Love", her version of The Supremes' "Stop! In the Name of Love" and her duet with Blue Magic...
.
Track listing
Personnel
- Vernon Sawyer, Wendall Sawyer, Richard Pratt, Keith Beaton – vocals
- Ted "Wizard" Mills – vocals, keyboards, sound effects on "Looking for a Friend"
- Margie Joseph – vocals on "What's Come Over Me"
- Bobby EliBobby EliBobby Eli is a Grammy Award winning musician, arranger, composer and record producer from Philadelphia, USA. He is a founding member and lead guitarist of Philadelphia studio group MFSB.-Biography:...
, Norman HarrisNorman HarrisNorman Harris was an American guitarist, producer, arranger and songwriter associated with Philly soul. He was a founding member of MFSB and one-third of the production trio of Baker-Harris-Young...
, Roland Chambers – guitars - Ron "Have Mercy" KerseyRon KerseyTyrone Garfield "Ron " Kersey was an American keyboardist, songwriter, producer and arranger most known for writing the music to "Disco Inferno" by The Trammps....
, Carlton "Cotton" Kent, Dexter WanselDexter WanselDexter Gilman Wansel is an American keyboardist, raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He contributed to the development of the Philly Sound and worked with producers Gamble and Huff at Philadelphia International Records. Wansel led the musical group, Yellow Sunshine...
– keyboards - Vince Montana – vibes
- Ronald BakerRonnie BakerRonnie Baker was a famous record producer, bassist, arranger and songwriter. He participated on many Gamble and Huff recordings and was one-third of the production team of Baker-Harris-Young. He was one of The Trammps, who had a #5 UK/#35 US hit with Hold Back The Night....
, Michael "Sugar Bear" Foreman, Rusty Jackmon, Larry LaBes – bass - Earl YoungEarl Young (drummer)Earl Young is a Philadelphia-based drummer who rose to prominence in the early 1970s as part of the Philly Soul sound. Young is best known as the founder and leader of The Trammps who had a hit record with "Disco Inferno". Young, along with Ronnie Baker and Norman Harris, was the owner of the...
, Charles Collins, – drums - Larry Washington, Robert Cupit, Bunny Harris – percussion
- Don Renaldo and his Strings and Horns – strings accompaniment, horns accompaniment
Production
- Norman HarrisNorman HarrisNorman Harris was an American guitarist, producer, arranger and songwriter associated with Philly soul. He was a founding member of MFSB and one-third of the production trio of Baker-Harris-Young...
, Ron "Have Mercy" KerseyRon KerseyTyrone Garfield "Ron " Kersey was an American keyboardist, songwriter, producer and arranger most known for writing the music to "Disco Inferno" by The Trammps....
– producers, arrangement - Alan Rubens, Steven Bernstein, Bruce Gable – executive producers
- Carl Paruolo, Kenny Present, Jay Mark – recording engineers
- Dirk Devlin, Mike Huchinson, James Gallagher – assistant engineers
- Nimitr Sarikananda, Wayne Wilfong – mastering
- Richard Rome – arrangement
- Ted "Wizard" Mills – rhythm arrangement
Charts
Album| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
||
| 1975 | Thirteen Blue Magic Lane | 50 | 9 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
||
| 1975 | "Chasing Rainbows" | — | 17 |
| "What's Come Over Me" (with Margie Joseph Margie Joseph Margaret Marie "Margie" Joseph is an American R&B, soul and gospel singer. Her greatest success came in the 1970s, with her biggest hits being her version of Paul McCartney's "My Love", her version of The Supremes' "Stop! In the Name of Love" and her duet with Blue Magic... ) |
— | 11 | |
External links
- Thirteen Blue Magic Lane at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...