The Softones – The Very Best Of The Softones (1973/1996)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 57:24 minutes | 1,18 GB | Genre: Soul
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © AVCO Records Corp.
The easy harmony sounds of Baltimore’s Softones — Marvin Brown, Steve Jackson, Elton Lynch, and Byron Summerville — enjoyed limited popularity in the States, rarely ranging beyond the boundaries of the East Coast. Under Hugo & Luigi guidance, they scored with a fancy reworking of “That Old Black Magic” on H & L Records, but got labeled as remake artists and Hugo & Luigi studio puppets — the producers/writers who stifled the Stylistics’ record sales in the States. The Softones were forced to sing bad material, period! The Best of the Softones features one live cut, “You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine,” recorded in Japan, and 16 studio productions. They shine on the wistful “My Dream,” written by lead singer Brown, whose bell-clear falsetto floats like a bar of Ivory on the lush ballad. There is more slow magic, including “I’m Gonna Prove It,” “Hey There Lonely Girl,” and “Silly Billy,” a rare Ohio Players tune, but four insipid, campy compositions by Hugo & Luigi render this unplayable unless programmed first.
Tracklist:
1-1. The Softones – My Dream (03:16)
1-2. The Softones – Can’t Help Falling In Love (02:51)
1-3. The Softones – I’m Gonna Prove It (03:12)
1-4. The Softones – The First Day (03:32)
1-5. The Softones – Silly Billy (04:18)
1-6. The Softones – Hey There Lonely Girl (03:16)
1-7. The Softones – Any Street (02:51)
1-8. The Softones – Maybe Tomorrow (03:37)
1-9. The Softones – That Old Black Magic (Single Version) (03:37)
1-10. The Softones – Laundromat (03:23)
1-11. The Softones – And I Remember Your Face (03:02)
1-12. The Softones – I Played The Fool (03:33)
1-13. The Softones – Extra Ordinary People (02:53)
1-14. The Softones – That’s What Love Can Do (03:27)
1-15. The Softones – Sweet Dreamer (02:49)
1-16. The Softones – I’m Gonna Make The Score (03:38)
1-17. The Softones – You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine (Live In Japan) (04:03)
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