653 The O’Jays - Back Stabbers (1972)

 653 The O’Jays - Back Stabbers (1972)

Studio Album - Soul



About the Act:

The O'Jays are an R&B/Soul vocal group from Canton Ohio. They were formed in 1958 and are still going, with two of the original members.

They have made a lot of records, and presumably a lot of money.

About the Album:

This was the group's 6th album, and their breakthrough.

My History with this Album:

None

Review:

It's hard to find a 70s compilation album without the mega-hit Love Train on it. That's on this album. If you know that song, you will have a decent idea of what this album is like.

Stylistically it slips into the gap between Motown and Disco, They are a vocal band in the tradition of people like The Drifters, I guess, but also looking forwards to bands like The Commodores. The sound is big, and full, and full of strings and brass. There are a good number of up-beat numbers, some are verging on the Funk (especially When The World's at Peace, the opener). There are faster soul songs like Back Stabbers and Love Train, and the delightful 992 Arguments. There are slower soul songs like Who Am I, and Listen To The Clock on the Wall, and the anthemic Sunshine which harks back to the gospel roots of soul. It's music that calls to mind afro hairdos, platform shoes and flares with coloured swirls on them.

With huge production like this, it can be hard to get "feel" and "groove" working, but the production team have done well with this. It's not gritty music, it's light and optimistic, and it's infectious and at times quite exciting.

The song-writing is pretty good. Again I would emphasise it is not designed for depth, it is "pop" - easy to listen to, easy to remember. Some of the songs slot into the "let's all be nice to everybody" theme, some are about the kind of people they don't actually want to be nice to, there is a bit of romance in the air, including Listen to the Clock on the Wall, which I felt a bit like was glamourizing extra-marital affairs, and if I am going to be negative, then it's possible 992 Argument is chauvinistic. One strong positive about the song writing was that on my second listen to the album I was happily singing along at points.

The vocal delivery is good, but not outstanding in the way that it is a particular draw.

I enjoyed it, quite a lot. There's good variety and some really solid soul. Soul has gone through quite a journey over the years, but for me, this sort of thing is the heart of soul.

8/10

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/09jTPeDoSuJLLAwFGNUKCX

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dP3ik52Gqg&list=OLAK5uy_lVYwNxfOyqChwveT4W4Dm6jOsDt1AInj0

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_Stabbers_(album)



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