Didn't I POLL Your Mind This Time; Thom Bell poll

this is tough but I went with:

"People Make the World Go Round" - The Stylistics

this is nigh impossible

"I'll Be Around" is the essence of this sound I think; such a mega record; not sure what those strings are saying but I'm pretty sure it's not consistent with the lyric.

I'll Be Around is what i voted for

But Russell Thompkins is a (falsetto) God. Hard to choose between those Stylistics gems.

V. tough. Love the Stylistics to death, but "Stone in Love with You" is probs my favourite favourite. Still remember seeing them on Top of the Pops the first time round.

Top 5 Stylistics

1. You Are Everything
2. Betcha by Golly Wow
3. Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)
4. You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)
5. You Make Me Feel Brand New

My fave is actually "Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)" but it's outside the remit of this poll.

"Then Came You" is kinda perfect.

so tough.

1. games people play
2. stop look listen
3. people make the world

it's one of those three

"i'll be around" and "then came you" are pleasant enough songs but kind of boring to my mind

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I'm surprised ilm doesn't show much interest in philly soul. With the standard (and well deserved) love for Holland–Dozier–Holland and Rodgers/Edwards around here, I would expect more respect for Gamble, Huff and Bell.

there are not many songs that move me as deeply as "then came you." it is so human & yet so perfect. who that has felt love hasn't also felt "I never knew love before/then came you"? an incredible feat of lyricism in my opinion

2nd closest for me is "rubberband man" but the spinners were one of the first bands I really felt in my bones so I'm super biased toward them

if you're looking for some rare & unusual philly soul thom bell action btw check out Johnny Mathis's I'm Coming Home -- seek esp. "99 Miles from L.A."

Lest we forget:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpglG_ibcfQ

(to be fair, it was my introduction to the song)

man Alfred that is just not right on the Thom Bell thread

look ok I'm sure your intro to "Surfin' USA" was Leif Garrett's version.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Sorry I missed this.

So many incredible songs here...the two I most hate seeing with zero votes would be "La La (Means I Love You)" and "You Are Everything." "I'll Be Around" would probably get my vote too, but "Betcha By Golly, Wow" and "They Just Can't Stop It the (Games People Play)" are right there alongside it, and two or three others aren't far behind.

Slight crosspost with the Bob Stanley thread but he's got a Thom Bell comp coming out in late June:

https://acerecords.co.uk/ready-or-not-thom-bells-philly-soul-arrangements-productions-1965-1978

This guy was a total genius...along with Linda Creed...I mean the poll above didn’t even include ‘Children Of The Night’...

Listening to Bob Stanley's Thom Bell compilation now, and it's a thing of beauty. Didn't realise that:

a) Bell only belatedly found out that Linda Creed had written The Stylistics' 'You Make Me Feel Brand New' about him, after he had had an argument with her about the use of 'God bless you' in the lyrics, as he had a rule about not referencing religion in his songs. Oops.

b) One-hit wonders (in the UK at least) New York City stopped working with Bell shortly after 'I'm Doin' Fine Now' for the following reason:
A lot of people thought it was the Spinners, I couldn't help it! The guys got mad - one was a security guard, another was a bar tender - and they got mad because people talked about me more than they talked about them. 'It's the Thom Bell sound', and they got jealous of that. I said man, what can I do? So they quit.

#RIPThomBell He is one of the greatest writers and producers of all time. My condolences go out to his family and friends. He was the architect of the relationship between #BernardEdwards & me as we were the band for the group New York City (I'm Doing Fine Now) a Thom Bell smash pic.twitter.com/Q56kJlzpsU

— Nile Rodgers (@nilerodgers) December 22, 2022

noooooo

legend. rest well.☮️

To have written one of those songs let alone all of them (plus about another 20 more off the top of my head) makes him one of the greats…Rest In Power..(not forgetting the wonderful Linda Creed as well)

how do you produce a song this light-sounding with such a poignant lyric?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9No6E9QqO8

Yep…this is so so deep and haunting too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9HgE7ENTyY