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CLASSIC O'JAYS....A FANTASTIC COLLECTION ! !

willgee | ca | 09/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is classic O'jays at their best!!Those of us from Ohio and the Midwest have known about the O'Jays for a long time before the rest of the country and those of us from Cleveland and Canton consider this "our hometown group". They had hits for many years before "Back Stabbers"&" Love Train", and this album captures their best early national and regional hits . What a lot of the rest of you also don't know is that in those days,the late William Powell was also a featured lead singer in the group just as much as Eddie Levert and Walter Williams were . Why Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff didn't let him lead under their productions for Philidelphia International Records is a mystery ,because most critics at the time considered him one of the best first tenor lead singers in the country - right up there with The Miracles' Smokey Robinson, the Temptations' Eddie Kendricks, The Impressions' Curtis Mayfield,and the Imperials' Little Anthony Gourdine. You can hear William on two songs in this collection-"Oh How You Hurt Me" and "Working On Your Case" Other collections have William's lead voice on The O'jays" early hit "Let It All Out" and a partial lead on their Philidelphia International album "Survival" on the song "How Time Flies" This is a fantastic collection of their greatest early hits and an absolute MUST for any O'JAYS fan ,featuring all five original members: EDDIE LEVERT (love the hair!) WALTER WILLIAMS, (when he still had hair) , WILLIAM POWELL,{ Sadly, no longer with us } BOBBY MASSEY,(Who could probably kick himself-- He left the group JUST before they hit it big ) , and BILL ISLES.( Why didn't he get inducted with the rest of the group into the RRHOF ? } Want to know why they're in the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME ? Get this CD !!



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