Teddy Pendergrass - Self LP 1977 1st Press Gamble & Huff Philly Soul Near Mint

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Teddy Pendergrass - Self LP 1977 1st Press Gamble & Huff Philly Soul Near Mint
Teddy's Best one great song after another .... Essencial Philly Soul
"Teddy Pendergrass", who starts an Album Revolution with his first "Self Titled" joint....That's because "Teddy's" Voice was synonymous (along with "Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes") with some of the best "Philly Soul Classics" like, "If You Don't Know Me By Now", "The Love I Lost", "Bad Luck, and my favorite, "Wake Up Everybody"

After leaving "Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes", "Teddy" came roaring out the gate with his "Philadelphia International Records" solo Debut album (under the guidance of "Kenny Gamble" and "Leon Huff", of course )And man what an album. Everything on here is pure butter. Not a sorry song in the bunch, which makes this a total Ultimate Crown Jewel.

The album starts off with "You Can't Hide From Yourself"....This Funky Horn Drivin' joint, along with "Teddy's" roaring powerful Vocals, was a straight up, in your face, get yourself together type jam.

"Somebody Told Me" was a Spiritual inspired song that was smooth at the same time..."Teddy's" Vocals was so persuasive, that he made you believe every word!!! 

Rounding out the first side was the smooth "Be Sure", and the Moody "And If I Had"....Both were equally powerful, even though they were different in styles...

The second side starts with the Massive Hit, "I Don't Love You Anymore"....Teddy sounded Extremely serious on this one with his roaring Vocals...I laugh every time I hear this one!!!!! To me, it was funny because he sounded just that serious.

"The Whole Town's Laughing At Me" (written by "Sherman Marshall" and "Ted Wortham"), is an outright "Classic Slow Jam"!!!! The way "Teddy" delivers this joint, once again, makes you believe in every word he says about the Love he lost...

"Easy, Easy, Got To Take It Easy" (written by "John Whitehead", "Gene McFadden" and "Victor Carstarphen"), is another smooth jam, tailored made for "Teddy's" Vocals...The Music surrounds him so well, with terrific Background Vocals as well...

The perfect album closer, "The More I Get, The More I Want" (also written by "John Whitehead", "Gene McFadden" and "Victor Carstarphen"), is a total Disco banger, that helps makes this album the classic that it is.

I believe that "Gamble & Huff" planned this album so well for "Teddy"...

Think about it....They have worked with him since 1972, so watching him all those years made this album the perfect platform for him...."Teddy" also became a very hot commodity....Every T.V. show, from "Soul Train" to "American Bandstand" wanted him to perform for them (and for very good reason)....No doubt, "Teddy made the right decision going solo, because once he did, he never looked back.

Theodore DeReese Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter. He was born in Kingstree, South Carolina. Pendergrass lived most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initially rose to musical fame as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. After leaving the group in 1976, Pendergrass launched a successful solo career under the Philadelphia International label, releasing five consecutive platinum albums (a record at the time for an African-American R&B artist). Pendergrass's career was suspended after a March 1982 car crash left him paralyzed from the chest down. Pendergrass continued his successful solo career until announcing his retirement in 2007. He died from respiratory failure in January 2010.

In 1977, Pendergrass released his self-titled album, which went platinum on the strength of the disco hit "I Don't Love You Anymore". Its follow-up single, "The Whole Town's Laughing at Me", became a top 20 R&B hit. Although not released as singles, the uptempo album tracks "You Can't Hide from Yourself" and "The More I Get, The More I Want", as well as the ballad "And If I Had" were also hits. The debut album was quickly followed by Life Is a Song Worth Singing, in 1978. That album was even more successful with its singles "Only You" and the classic million selling number 1 R&B hit "Close the Door".The latter song firmly established Pendergrass as the top male sex symbol in soul music. The album's popularity was furthered by the disco hit "Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose", the ballad "It Don't Hurt Now", and the mid-tempo classic "When Somebody Loves You Back". That double platinum number-one R&B triumph was followed up in 1979 by two successes, the albums Teddy (which stayed at number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart for eight weeks and was named the second-biggest R&B album of the year), and the live release Live Coast to Coast. Hits off Teddy included the classics "Come Go with Me", the erotic ballad "Turn Off the Lights",and the uptempo album cut "Do Me". With his sex appeal at an all-time high after his 1979 tour, Pendergrass took a more mellow approach on his 1980 album TP. It included the classic number two R&B hit "Love TKO", the Stephanie Mills duet version of "Feel the Fire" and the Ashford & Simpsoncomposition "Is It Still Good to You". Between 1977 and 1981, Pendergrass landed five consecutive platinum albums, which was a then record-setting number for a rhythm and blues artist.

Pendergrass's popularity became massive at the end of 1978. With sold-out audiences packing his shows, his manager, Shep Gordon, who was known for his innovative approaches to publicizing his artists, soon noticed that a huge number of his audience consisted of women of all races. Gordon devised a plan for Pendergrass's next tour to play to just female audiences, starting a trend that continues today called "women-only concerts". With four platinum albums and two gold albums, Pendergrass was on his way to being what the media called "the black Elvis", not only in terms of his crossover popularity but also due to him buying a mansion akin to Elvis's Graceland, located just outside his hometown of Philadelphia. By early 1982, Pendergrass was perhaps the leading R&B male artist of his day, equaling the popularity of Marvin Gaye, and surpassing Barry White and all others in the R&B field. In 1980, the Isley Brothersreleased "Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love)" to compete with Pendergrass's "Turn Off the Lights", which sensed Pendergrass's influence on the quiet storm format of black music.