Episode 4 - Soul Unlimited - Calidelphia Soul

Barry White talks about the pressure he feels with each album release and shares a story about being scammed by a music producer. The podcast discusses the success of Barry White and the symphonic soul genre. Interviews with other artists and experts provide insights into the music scene of the 70s. Barry White rejects the label of being a disco artist and talks about the importance of classical and other influences in his music. Fans and fellow musicians share their experiences seeing Barry White live. Barry White discusses the misconceptions people have about him and his music. The episode concludes with a preview of the next episode. I was always worried. The only pressure was on me. I put on me the next one. See, every album to me is my first chance and my last. See, I'm the boy with the flappin' shoes. I'm the one who was not embarrassed to walk up in front of you with his flappin' shoes and ask you, did you have anything for me to do? I worked for a man once for two and a half weeks, me and six other musicians. He wrote us a bouncing check. My rent man had had the eviction notice to throw me out. Luckily, I had a bouncing check to show him. I did not go off on the man. I called the man that gave me that bouncing check and let him know how much I appreciated the opportunity. Because what I learned in that two and a half weeks, Joe, was awesome. He couldn't have paid me enough. You've shown up again. It's episode four of Soul Unlimited. Welcome back. I'm Stuart Large. So where did we get to? In the last episode, we heard how Barry White was most certainly in a purple patch. He had a trio of artists all enjoying success simultaneously. In fact, you could say he'd become the toast of Los Angeles. In my first year, I had nine gold records. First year. What were the pressures on you from all over? There was none. Press, the record company? I didn't do a lot of press. I had to go out and tour. I went out for a couple of months. I didn't like touring. See, touring to me is something that people need when they don't have other talents. Most singers have to live on the road. That is the thing that I was watching when I was coming up in the industry that I didn't want to do. But as Symphonic Soul gathered momentum, other artists were creating their own versions of bedroom soul, as it would later be coined. Next, we'll hear from Stephen Ivory, former L.A. Times journalist and writer. See what you think of this. Stephen offers us an insight through lived experience. In fact, you could say he's becoming our resident expert on all things 70s soul. For the music scene at that time, funk bands were coming in to play. Isaac Hayes was still doing his thing. Love music was big. Philadelphia International was coming on strong. But basically, the R&B scene, ballads and funk and a lot of orchestrated soul. A lot of stuff like what Barry White was doing and what Gamble & Huff at Philadelphia International were doing. Kenny Gamble, you want to talk about that kind of big produced orchestral sound that you got. Well, you know, that sound of the orchestra was always, that was our dream to be able to play so many counter melodies that came along with those songs that the orchestra was able to put that together. Now, we'll hear from one of the principal architects of the Philly sound, songwriter, arranger and producer Tom Bell. Because I was studying to be a concert pianist from the time I was six until I was 22. By the time I was 18, I found that articulating someone else's music was not quite what I wanted to do. I got bored with that three hours, four hours a day. You keep doing the same thing over new pieces, but you keep doing it to perfect it. When is it perfected? Did you think that this would be a good thing, a long symphonic introduction? Or did you think, well, the soul music crowd might get a little impatient while this introduction is playing? First place, there are areas of music that people do want to hear. I've had many people say, black people don't want to hear that. Black people don't do this and black people don't do that. That's a misconception. And these are black people who are telling me, they don't want to hear that kind of music. Man, they're not interested. Well, I didn't believe that. It sounded good to me. It's an easy reminder of how quickly this symphonic soul was taking on. Even Sir Elton decided groove was in his heart. He collaborated with Tom Bell on five studio tracks, revisiting some of the spinner's most loved tracks. I love you. Are you ready? Are you ready for love? Yes, I am. Strong symphonic influences in there. Yes, that's my mother. Her ears, her appreciation of music that my mother played on the piano was classical. How important is that classical underpinning? It's very important. It's just as important as the Latin influences that are in my records. It's just as important as the gospel influences that are in my records. I think it's the coloration of all that makes Barry White's music acceptable around the world the way it is. Do you accept or reject the notion of yourself as one of the fathers of the so-called disco sound? No, I reject that, Angel. And I have repeatedly over the last 10 years. Disco came to America at a time when Barry White was emerging as an artist. Barry White had a music that the discos loved to play. But Barry White didn't create that market. That market was there. It came from Europe. It's been in Europe since 61. We were very late getting disco. So don't put that name of disco on me because my music is not, it's nameless. I guess now is as good a time as any to let you into a little secret. Not all of these contributors that you're hearing on the podcast had the benefit of preparation. You see, I took the opportunity of throwing a curveball in here and there. Here's the reaction. First is Rhoda Dacker, who's back. The Body Snatchers were an integral part of the much-celebrated Two-Tone Scar period. But it's Barry White. Now, I don't know if his music does anything for you or you know... I've seen him live. Have you? Yeah. I've seen him live. I mean, his voice is amazing. And what was really funny, walking past the stage and his backing singers were offstage. They were on a pedestal, offstage. Not lit, but dressed up. They clearly spent hours getting ready. So they were like... They couldn't be seen by anybody. When I had the chance to go and see him, I went to see him because I felt I should. What was he like live? Amazing. He was amazing. He filled the stage. And I don't mean physically, but his aura filled the stage. He obviously had charisma for days. He was that kind of guy. He was brilliant. Next, Pete Williams, Midlands-based singer-songwriter and former Dex's Midnight Runner. If I mention the words Barry White to you, what sort of reaction does that provoke? Great records. I saw him. Went to see him one of the last concert tours he did at the NEC in Birmingham. Late 80s, I think. Me and my girlfriend, Dan. Might be his name or wife. And we went to see Barry White. In fact, it would be 1988 he was pregnant with our first child. I was really looking forward to it, you know, because I love his record, The Love Unlimited Orchestra. And he got members of the CBSO. He got the Philly, the Funky Philly guys with their Love Unlimited Orchestra. And he stopped a couple of the songs. Because the strings... And he said, get on the beat! Get on the one! Because they hadn't got the funk, obviously, you know. And he stopped. Hey, hey, hey. Second violas. And he pulled them up. And I thought, wow, man. That's... Okay, go again. And then the drummer counted it and off they go. But that sticks in my mind about Barry White. See the way the world is situated today. People don't know what to expect when they see you the first time. Now, big as I am, as tall as I am, as black as I am, I could be looked at as a militant. Because I very seldom smile. You know, there's nothing really funny to smile about. But when they see me on stage, walk out for that first time and associate the music that they hear at that concert with this one man. He wrote it, arranged it, produced it. It's his creation. He can't be all bad. It's his creation. He can't be all bad. So they start to relax. As I feel them starting to relax, I take control of them to make them relax totally. When the concert is over, they Barry White for him. In the next episode, Soul Unlimited. It's amazing, man. It's amazing how they try to treat black people in this industry. And I don't intend to have people label me a black Barry White, a black Love Unlimited, a black Love Unlimited orchestra. We are people, individuals first. This episode featured Barry White, Joe Smith, under Creative Commons or Fair Use policy. All music used under the same license. Background music by Chris Shiroi. Background music by Stuart Zetterberg.