Most prominently featuring "Love Is the Message" and "T.S.O.P.," this 1975 album by MFSB serves as a landmark LP for Philadelphia's mid-'70s soul movement.
While "T.S.O.P." became a giant hit for the group at the time of its release, forever being associated with the television show Soul Train, "Love Is the Message" would go on to be an enormous underground hit in New York's late-'70s disco scene, championed by influential DJs such as Larry Levan (becoming an anthem at Levan's Paradise Garage).
In addition, the album also features the orchestra's take on "Touch Me in the Morning," a song popularized by Diana Ross that was another proto-disco classic.
The other tracks here -- "Cheaper to Keep Her," "My One and Only Love," and "Bitter Sweet" -- are also wonderful tracks exemplifying the group's uplifting, massive sound but aren't nearly as timeless as the three aforementioned songs.
Sony's Love Is the Message: The Best of MFSB is still the best and most readily available showcase for this group's influential accomplishments as a proto-disco group, while this album is arguably their strongest non-compilation release and one of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's shining moments.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zack's FanfareFrank Loesser | MFSB | Play | 00:23 | 0 MB | 2 MB |
| 2 | Love Is the MessageKenny Gamble | MFSB | Play | 06:35 | 15 MB | 43 MB |
| 3 | Cheaper to Keep Her | MFSB | Play | 06:53 | 15 MB | 42 MB |
| 4 | My One and Only LoveR. Mellin | MFSB | Play | 04:33 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 5 | TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)Kenny Gamble | MFSB | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 6 | Zack's FanfareFrank Loesser | MFSB | Play | 00:23 | 0 MB | 2 MB |
| 7 | Touch Me in the MorningMichael Masser, R. Miller | MFSB | Play | 06:22 | 14 MB | 42 MB |
| 8 | Bitter Sweet | MFSB | Play | 05:28 | 12 MB | 34 MB |
| 9 | Love Is The Message (Single Version) (Bonus Track) | MFSB, Three Degrees | Play | 02:38 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 10 | TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia) (A Tom Moulton Mix) (Bonus Track) | MFSB, Three Degrees | Play | 05:43 | 13 MB | 40 MB |
| 11 | Love Is The Message (A Tom Moulton Mix) (Bonus Track) | MFSB | Play | 11:24 | 26 MB | 76 MB |
| 54 mins | 123 MB | |||||
| 54 mins | 357 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michal Bednarek | Audio Research |
| 2 | Paul Bevoir | Booklet Design, Logo Design |
| 3 | Dede Dabney | Liner Notes |
| 4 | Wayne A. Dickson | Mastering, Reissue Producer |
| 5 | Colin Elliot | Logo Design |
| 6 | Jack Faith | Arranger, Producer |
| 7 | Bart Forbes | Cover Illustration |
| 8 | Leon Fort | Associate Producer, Transcription |
| 9 | Kenny Gamble | Composer, Producer |
| 10 | Bruce Hawes | Producer |
| 11 | Don Hunstein | Back Cover Photo |
| 12 | Ed Lee | Art Direction |
| 13 | Frank Loesser | Composer |
| 14 | Bobby Martin | Arranger |
| 15 | Michael Masser | Composer |
| 16 | R. Mellin | Composer |
| 17 | MFSB | Primary Artist |
| 18 | R. Miller | Composer |
| 19 | Vince Montana | Arranger, Producer |
| 20 | Nick Robbins | Digital Remastering |
| 21 | Marcus Spehr | Research |
| 22 | Joe Tarsia | Engineer |
| 23 | The Three Degrees | Featured Artist |
| 24 | Rico "Superbizzee" Washington | Interviewer, Liner Notes, Research |
| 25 | Christian John Wikane | Associate Producer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |