GWP: NYC TCB Vol 1-2 (2013)

Tracklist
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Vol 1
01. Don't Let It End - Debbie Taylor
02. I Don't Know How (To Fall Out Of Love With You) - The Persians
03. No Defense - BobPenn
04. Gotta Find A Way - The Hesitations
05. Heaven's Will (Must Be Obeyed) - Alice Clark
06. Let's Prove Them Wrong - Debbie Taylor
07. (You'd Better) Straighten Up And Fly Right - The Devonnes
08. I've Been Down So Long - Benny Gordon
09. I'm Ready - Milton Bennett
10. Without Your Love - The Shaladons
11. Ooh It Hurts Me - Larry Banks
12. Doin' The Gittin' Up - The Devonnes Band
13. Don't Nobody Mess With My Baby - Debbie Taylor
14. Is This The Way To Treat A Girl (You Bet It Is) - The Hesitations
15. Keep Your Love Warm - Lily Fields
16. All That I Have - Debbie Taylor & The Hesitations
17. You Want My Lovin' - Betty Barney
18. He's What I Need - Little Rose Little
19. My Lucky Day Part 1 - Frankie Newsome
20. You Can't Stand Alone - Benny Gordon
21. I Can't Take It Any More - The Persians
22. Honey Man - The Modettes
23. We Can Do It - Joan Bates aka Jaibi
24. What's One More Lie - The Milton Bennett Band

Vol 2
01. Detour - The Persians
02. Without Your Love - BobPenn
03. My Life Is No Better - Larry Banks & Jaibi
04. Go Away - The Hesitations
05. Never Gonna Let Him Know - Debbie Taylor
06. I Don't Care What He's Done - The Devonnes
07. All In My Mind - Benny Gordon
08. Good To Me (As I Am To You) - The Hesitations
09. You Hit Me (Right Where It Hurt Me) - Alice Clark
10. Changes - Lilly Fields
11. Tennessee Waltz - Little Rose Little
12. Momma, Look Sharp (from the new Broadway musical comedy "1776") - Debbie Taylor & The Hesitations
13. Here It Comes - The Persians
14. So Much In Love - The Exceptions
15. How Long Can This Last - Debbie Taylor
16. It Was Like A Nightmare - Jaibi aka Joan Bates
17. Never Give Up On Love - Benny Gordon
18. I Really Love You - Larry Banks
19. Stop - Debbie Taylor
20. Happiest Girl In The World - Plus 4
21. I Won't Be Such A Fool Anymore - The Modettes
22. Yes I'm Ready - The Hesitations
23. Don't Let Your Mind Go Wild - Benny Gordon
24. You Got Me - Jaibi


There was considerable talent involved in the GWP label, formed by Gerard W. Purcell (manager of various popular artists) and taking major input from Paul Robinson (who had produced soul artists on RCA) and Larry Banks (the artist/songwriter most famous for writing "Go Now"). The unglamorously titled GWP NYC TCB is a compilation of 24 tracks from the late '60s and early '70s; while some were either released on GWP or otherwise affiliated with the company, a good 15 of them were previously unreleased. Any vintage soul compilation on which the majority of the material was previously unissued is almost by definition for specialist collectors, and so it is here. But even if GWP lacked much of a house sound (or, for that matter, commercial success, though a few of their singles tickled the bottom of the R&B charts), it's OK by the standards of such things. Generally the songs are competent excursions into various shades of the New York pop-soul sound, though few of the artists are often discussed even among soul fanatics. Of particular interest are versions of two songs that would later become early-'70s R&B hits for the Moments, "All I Have" (here titled "All That I Have" and performed by Debbie Taylor & the Hesitations) and "Gotta Find a Way" (here done just by the Hesitations). Taylor's 1969 single "Don't Let It End" stands out as the kind of above-average uptempo soul tune guaranteed to fill the floors at Northern soul dance clubs. Also worthy of a listen, though it wasn't issued at the time, is Lily Fields' catchy midtempo ballad "Keep Your Love Warm," one of several items here actually recorded prior to GWP's formation, but found in the tape library while research was done for this compilation. And as usual, the Kent label's research for this compilation is impressive, the 16-page liner notes presenting more information about this obscure label than is likely to ever appear anywhere else.

GWP productions and the GWP label worked with a host of soul performers based in New York and Detroit, though as the liner notes to this compilation frankly note, their "successes were few and far between." This 24-track CD has a couple dozen tracks cut under their direction from the late '60s and early '70s, half of them previously unreleased. A reissue with an unwieldy title such as GWP NYC TLC Vol. 2 is obviously geared toward the collector market, though even soul specialists might not view it as a jump-off-the-shelf item owing to the pretty average level of the music and the obscurity of most of the performers. Of the numerous artists here, only the Hesitations made a commercial impact, and a mild one at that, though some might recognize Larry Banks as the composer of the early soul classic "Go Now" (made into a British Invasion hit by the Moody Blues). As a composite, the CD is the sound of a company casting about for a hit, knowing what it's doing production-wise, and recruiting skilled performers, but not having that something special needed to make either a commercial or artistic impact. It sure tried a lot of approaches, tending toward the slightly glossier soul style of the period, though some bluesiness creeps into the efforts by Banks and Benny Gordon. Occasionally a track stands out as worthy of closer attention than most, like the Hesitations' lusciously harmonized cover of Barbara Mason's hit "Yes I'm Ready" or "How Long Can This Last" by Debbie Taylor, whose despondent wailing vocals have an urgency missing from many of these artists. Influences are sometimes pretty obvious for those who like music of a certain type, Alice Clark's "You Hit Me (Right Where It Hurt Me)" sounding a great deal like an end-of-'60s Motown production.

DOWNLOAD ALBUM [flac] vol 1

DOWNLOAD ALBUM [flac] vol 2