Salsoul Orchestra
| Salsoul Orchestra | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New York City, New York |
| Genres | Dance, soul, disco, pop |
| Years active | 1974 - 1982 |
| Labels | Salsoul Records |
| Associated acts | Loleatta Holloway |
| Past members |
Vincent Montana Jr Ronnie Baker Earl Young Norman Harris Gordon Edwards Bobby Eli Larry Washington |
The Salsoul Orchestra was the backing band of session musicians for many acts on New York City label, Salsoul Records and, under its own name, recorded several hit singles and albums between 1975 and 1982.
History
The orchestra was formed in 1974 and was disbanded in 1982. Their music featured elements of Philadelphia soul, funk, Latin and disco. The Salsoul Orchestra included up to 50 members and was created and masterminded for Salsoul Records by Philadelphia musician. Vincent Montana, Jr.. Montana wrote, arranged, conducted, produced and played on all of the orchestra's tracks until 1978, including a gold-selling Christmas album. [1]
The Salsoul Orchestra initially consisted of many of the original members of Philadelphia International's MFSB, who had moved to Salsoul as the result of a disagreement with producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff over finances. Other members began performing as The Ritchie Family and as John Davis and the Monster Orchestra. On later MFSB and Philadelphia International recordings, Gamble & Huff used a new rhythm section which resulted in a slightly different sound.
The orchestra's biggest chart singles were 1976's reworked version of the standard, "Tangerine" (pop #18, R&B #36) and "Nice 'N' Naasty" (R&B #20, pop #30) later in the same year.
When Montana left Salsoul, the orchestra recorded a final album at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia mainly with producer Bunny Sigler. The orchestra's last three albums were recorded in New York City with local session players and producers, including Patrick Adams and Tom Moulton.
The orchestra's track, "Love Break (Ooh I Love It)" has been sampled in rap songs such as 50 Cent's "Candyshop" and Eric B & Rakim's "Paid in Full".
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Record label | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] |
US R&B [2] |
CAN [3] | ||||||||||||
| 1975 | The Salsoul Orchestra | 14 | 20 | 47 | Salsoul | |||||||||
| 1976 | Nice 'n' Naasty | 61 | 23 | — | ||||||||||
| Christmas Jollies | — | 38 | — | |||||||||||
| 1977 | Magic Journey | 61 | 51 | — | ||||||||||
| Cuchi-Cuchi (with Charo) | 100 | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1978 | Up the Yellow Brick Road | 117 | 52 | — | ||||||||||
| How Deep Is Your Love | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1979 | Street Sense | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| How High | 201 | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1981 | Christmas Jollies II | 170 | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1982 | Heat It Up | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album | Peak | Record label | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] | ||||||||||||||
| 1978 | Greatest Disco Hits: Music for Non-Stop Dancing | 97 | Salsoul | |||||||||||
| 1994 | Anthology | — | ||||||||||||
| 2005 | The Anthology | — | Suss'd | |||||||||||
| 2015 | The Salsoul Orchestra Story: 40th Anniversary Collection | — | Groove Line | |||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] |
US R&B [2] |
US Dan [2] |
CAN [3] |
NLD [4] |
UK [5] | |||||||||
| 1975 | "I Just Can't Give You Up" (with Floyd Smith) | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Salsoul Hustle" | 76 | 44 | 4 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1976 | "Tangerine | 18 | 36 | 100 | 21 | — | ||||||||
| "You're Just the Right Size" | 88 | 76 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Nice 'n' Naasty" | 30 | 20 | 3 | 87 | — | — | ||||||||
| 1977 | "Ritzy Mambo" | 99 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Short Shorts" | 106 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Getaway" | — | 33 | 3 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Run Away" (featuring Loleatta Holloway) | — | 84 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Magic Bird of Fire" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Dance a Little Bit Closer" (with Charo) | 104 | — | 18 | — | — | 44 | ||||||||
| "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1978 | "West Side Encounter" / "West Side Story" (medley) | — | 68 | 13 | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Ease on Down the Road | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Fiddler on the Roof" (medley) | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "The Little Drummer Boy" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1979 | "Sun After the Rain" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Street Sense" | — | — | 40 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "212 North 12th" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "How High" (featuring Cognac) | 105 | 66 | 21 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1981 | "Deck the Halls" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| 1982 | "Take Some Time Out (For Love)" | — | 52 | 46 | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Seconds" (featuring Loleatta Holloway) | — | — | 22 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1983 | "Ooh, I Love It (Love Break)" | — | — | 19 | — | — | 83 | |||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
See also
- The Funk Brothers
- Booker T and the M.G.'s
- The Wrecking Crew (music)
- Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra
- The J.B.'s
- Tower of Power Horn Section
- MFSB
References
- ↑ Top Pop Singles 1955-1999. Joel Whitburn. 2000. Record Research Inc. p. 429. ISBN 0-89820-139-X
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "US Charts > Salsoul Orchestra". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
- 1 2 "CAN Charts > Salsoul Orchestra". RPM. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
- ↑ "NLD Charts > Salsoul Orchestra". MegaCharts. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ↑ "UK Charts > Salsoul Orchestra". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-02-21.