So, now onto the rest of my vinyls, all on the Philadelphia International label, distributed by Epic at the time I acquired them, and the oldest one which is 1974’s “Live In Europe”. A couple of years later, he granted me a live on-air interview via telephone after I moved-on to kick-ass at a tiny R&B AM station in Nashville.
I found him truly a gracious and down-to-Earth celebrity and gentleman, and I believe his obviously very loving, protective wife, Blanche was also with him at the time. Like, I was in there talking to one of my co-workers, or getting ready to do some production,turned around and saw this Brother as my mind went something like, “Hey I know him! That’s Billy Paul!!” Holy Cow!” WVLT is not a huge, high-profile radio station, it was out in the woods of Millville, N.J., but not all that far from Philadelphia, the city whose 1970s musical legacy gave Mr. Billy Paul back in the year 2000 while doing my duty at southern New Jersey station WVLT FM. If you are too young to know who he is, or just never were “into” R&B music of the 1970s, just think, “Me & Mrs Jones”, and that should nudge those musical memory cells, as that is Billy’s trademark tune! The first, and one of my personal favorite BP jams I ever heard was the 1971 cautionary song, “This Is Your Life” from the album “Going East” (one I didn’t manage to get hold of, but I have the 45rpm) and of course, as I say often in these posts, heard over the airwaves of WLIB FM, New York City, as it transitioned to WBLS FM, programmed by the legendary Frankie Crocker. It reminds me of the time I was lucky enough to get front row center seats to watch him perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City! Ah, the perks of having record company Promotion Department friends back in the days. The disc affects you with the feel that you are really there at the show, and I love the band that backs him, especially the drummer. Lately I have been playing, not a vinyl, but a “live” CD of his “World Tour 1999”. I remember the opening synthesizer sound as used by many of us in commercials we produced for nightclub parties – I used the piercing lazer over just about any upbeat jam at the time – and still will! Billy Paul has been on my mind a LOT for the past month or so – probably because is a really cool dude! Therefore, I want to write about this singer while he is still with us in the physical world, because the way time is “flying”, who knows which of us will make it to the “finish line”, which keeps moving anyway, lol! To watch or listen to the news these days, brings to mind one of his best album titles, “War Of The Gods”, or as my Mum recently put it, “in our life time we’re seeing the last days of man – the Bible – Revelations.” Only Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff could construct such a backdrop that manages to bring happiness to such a slow, though-provoking, minor-key cut as this one.Mr. “You know love conquers all,” he sings, continuing, “Will you stand, will you stand / Or will you fall.” Again, the validity of Billy Paul is unquestionable! Adding to the glory of this underrated soul classic is the production – a lush, celestial backdrop born out of one of music’s brightest, most creative eras. Paul goes on to describe him as “the one who has no shame.” Again, valid point to the nth degree.ĭespite all the hell unleashed by Satan, Paul knows this “War of the Gods” will only be won by God, who represents all things good. Men and women, with their Mephistophelean ways, sometimes show more cowardice than heroism, with the cowardice being exactly what the Devil thrives off. The hatred around the world and the toxicity are certainly out of control. “We see you every day / Father of the lie / You made man die / Where the light shines / You run and hide.” He definitely has a point – you don’t have to be particularly religious to see that. Simply put, he seeks atonement for all of the bad as “The time has come, for the war of the Gods.”Įxpectedly, Paul characterizes Lucifer as the ‘godawful’ deity that he is. Paul seems to reflect on the evil of the world, specifically the evil work that Satan has been putting in. A 10-minute juggernaut in its original form, a more accessible five-and-a-half-minute version, “War of the Gods (Part 1),” appears as the seventh track of the album. One such gem is “War of the Gods,” the title track from his 1973 album. That said, the late great soul icon had more records worth exploring.
Jones.” It is a fantastic record to say the least. Billy Paul is best known for the ubiquitous soul classic “Me and Mrs.
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