The first eleven tracks make up the 1969 LP Observations In Time, that album opening with “Here Today And Gone Tomorrow,” a rather sweet and soulful number that eases in before developing a good groove. It features a strong vocal performance and some cool work on horns. “That’s how you show your love to me/That’s how you show your love to me.” I love how that line is repeated, and the power the second time is striking. We can hear the need to connect with us in his delivery. “Each time you come, you leave a little bit of sorrow.” Yes, this opening track is so much better than the band’s later hits. Things get a little more fun on “Mother-In-Law,” which opens with the phrase “The worst person I know.” Ha! No holding back there, but rather getting right to the point. This track has a seriously delicious rhythm. The bass line is fantastic, and I love the drumming. This track also features some excellent work on guitar. The song was written by Allen Toussaint.
“Stop Lying To Yourself” has a lively rhythm, and contains some excellent work from the brass players. That’s followed by an unusual take on “Over The Rainbow,” which begins on drums. Yet when the vocals come in, it takes on more of a classic sound. It actually feels like a number for a slow dance in an early rock and roll setting, working really well in that context. The pace then picks up on the lines, “One day I’ll wish upon a star/And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.” These guys put their own spin on it, and it is effective. The vocal work here is really good, sometimes surprising. Things get fun and funky with “Find Someone To Love,” a delicious instrumental track. Has this music been used in any movies? If not, someone should write a movie specifically to use this tune. The band slows things down then with “Cold Cold World,” getting into the blues. “My poor mother before she died/She said things won’t ever change/You were born a loser/And all your life you’ll play a game.” Wow. This is such a good song. Again, this is the music the band should be known for. Perhaps with this collection, that will become the case.
I’ve said it before, but you can never go wrong with Gershwin. On this album, Ohio Players cover “Summertime,” a song that Janis Joplin totally nailed when she was with Big Brother & The Holding Company. There have been a lot of damn good versions of this song over the years, and this rendition by Ohio Players can certainly be counted among their number. There is a raw bluesy power, particularly in the guitar work and the vocals, while the horns have a somewhat smoother sound. The band gets loose here, jamming on this song, delivering a rendition that is nearly eight minutes long. In the second half, there is a cool lead on flute. I also love the drumming in that section. That’s followed by “Bad Bargain,” a soulful and powerful song. Check out the opening lines: “A man buys a house/And the bank takes it away/A woman, you know, she works real hard/And yet the family grows deeper in debt each day.” These lines are still true today; well, if someone can actually afford to buy a house in the first place, that is. “It’s a bad, bad bargain/When nobody gains.”
“The Man That I Am” features a good, earnest vocal performance. That’s followed by “Lonely Street,” which begins with the question, “Have you ever walked down a lonely street at midnight/Just to be alone, to think alone, and to dream alone?” The music itself feels like night, puts us in that space, that feeling. The original album concludes with “Street Party,” a lively number that might get you up and dancing. “There’s a place that I go in the middle of the summer/Everybody has a good time/The people laugh and they sing/They don’t talk about their troubles.” That sounds so appealing, and this song is perhaps the perfect choice to create such an atmosphere. Most of us could use it.
The next several tracks were included on First Impressions, a collection released in 1972, but recorded in 1968. The first of those songs is “A Little Soul Party (A Woman & Some Soul),” continuing the party atmosphere. “I don’t want no messin’ around/Hey, I don’t want no delay.” First Impressions does include a few songs that were also on Observations In Time, but there are no repetitions on this disc, so “Over The Rainbow” is skipped, and the next track is “A Thing Called Love,” a fun number featuring a good bass line and some nice work from the brass section. That’s followed by “My Neighbors,” a playful and funky song that makes use of children’s nursery rhymes, bringing those characters into a modern context, and riffing on them. Then in “Tell Me Why,” the band is eager for answers regarding the differences in people’s lives.
“You Don’t Mean It” and “Trespassin’” were included on First Impressions, but also released four years earlier on a single. “You Don’t Mean It” features some delicious percussion, keeping a quick pulse throughout. “You don’t mean the things you say/You just couldn’t mean it.” And “Trespassin’” has a fantastic energy and power, with a raw edge, and also contains some strong work on drums. “I Got To Hold On” and “It’s A Cryin’ Shame” were likewise included on First Impressions and released on a single in 1968. I really like the guitar work that begins “I Got To Hold On.” Here the band professes, “I can’t stand for you to be away/When you’re gone one minute, it seems like a day.” “It’s A Cryin’ Shame” is another track to get folks on their feet, shaking and dancing. “Lord have mercy,” indeed! First Impressions ends with “Alabama Soupbone, Pt. 1 & 2,” here listed as “Alabama Soupbone (Pt. 1& 2),” an instrumental track featuring good stuff on piano and flute. It’s odd how it fades out approximately halfway through, then comes in again. I guess those are the different parts, but it’s not a very long song, so it doesn’t make sense that it’s divided into parts at all.
The next two tracks come from 16 Greatest Hits, a 1976 release. The first of those two is “I’ve Gotta Get Away” (though it was listed as “I Gotta Get Away” on the original release), and it is another of this collection’s highlights. It’s about getting away from a relationship, and it features a passionate vocal performance. “It’s hard to believe now baby that you would deceive me.” The second is a cover of “Love Slipped Through My Fingers,” which Ohio Players title “Love Slips Thru My Fingers.” It was written by Edward Lewis, James Lewis and Marion Farmer, and released on a single Sam Williams in 1967. Ohio Players deliver a good rendition. This collection’s final two tracks are instrumental renditions of two songs from Observations In Time, “The Man That I Am” and “Street Party.” They were included on a 1977 record titled Superpack. Interestingly, both tracks are longer than their vocal counterparts, ”Street Party” by just a few seconds, but “The Man That I Am” by a minute and a half.
CD Track List
- Here Today And Gone Tomorrow
- Mother-In-Law
- Stop Lying To Yourself
- Over The Rainbow
- Find Someone To Love
- Cold Cold World
- Summertime
- Bad Bargain
- The Man That I Am
- Lonely Street
- Street Party
- A Little Soul Party (A Woman & Some Soul)
- A Thing Called Love
- My Neighbors
- Tell Me Why
- You Don’t Mean It
- Trespassin’
- I Got To Hold On
- It’s A Cryin’ Shame
- Alabama Soupbone (Pt. 1 & 2)
- I’ve Gotta Get Away
- Love Slips Thru My Fingers
- The Man That I Am (Instrumental)
- Street Party (Instrumental)
Observations In Time: The Johnny Brantley/Vidalia Productions is scheduled to be released on April 5, 2024 through Omnivore Recordings.
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