OLD & NEW MAKES A PERFECT SOUNDTRACK: Favorite Group Of All Time

THE O'JAYS

Before I get started, I wanted to say Happy New Years and welcome back to my music blog. Now before the new year began, I didn't know what my first blog of the new year was going to be about. But my mother gave me the original vinyl cover (33s) of the O'Jays classic 1975 Family Reunion album. When she gave me that cover, I knew I had to blog about my favorite group of all time the O'Jays.

Take a look at the CLASSIC "Family Reunion" cover of UNITY

I was introduced to the O'Jays when I was about 7 years old. During the Christmas Holiday, my family played 8 tracks before we got our record player. I remember my mother playing The Ship Ahoy album on 8 track. I remember hearing the first song the gospel inspired "Put Your Hands Together", hearing Eddie Levert's voice stuck in my mind because it was so soulful. I just remember that album playing when I fell asleep and I woke up hearing the title track "Ship Ahoy" then I was hook. Everytime I got a chance you would play that 8-track. But the song on that album that become my favorite song from the O'Jays was "You Got Your Hooks On Me", take a listen to Eddie breakdown

That sounded good didn't it...I'm going to give you a little background then back to the music.

O'Jays were formed in the late 50's, but then known by the Mascots. But In 1963, they got the name The O'Jays, from a DJ in Cleveland who was with the part the management of the late Frankie Crocker. During that time, they had local hits that included "Ill Be Sweeter Tomorrow", "Stand For Love", and "One Night Affair". But it was when the trio got with Gamble and Huff they got their first big hit the 1972 Backstabbers. The album included hits like these:

Backstabbers

Time To Get Down

Sunshine

#1 Pop Song- Love Train

Sidebar some of these songs where also written by Whitehead & McFadden, the people responsible for this...

Ain't No Stopping Us Now

I know yall grooving to this but back to the O'Jays. After the Backstabbers album the hits just keep coming. The album that I introduced me to the classic group, Ship Ahoy. The hits included

Put Your Hands Together (Figured I would give you a Soul Train Line Clip)

Now We Found Love (Rapper Heavy D or Reggae Third World didn't make it first..youngins)

One of the realest song of all time- For The Love of Money (Live)

See the O'Jays just kept bring the hits, their third album Survival included the hits "Give The People What They Want" and the love anthem "Let Me Make Love To You". In this song, Eddie Levert is SANGING to that woman...take a listen

The fourth album Family Reunion as I spoke about previous was just a unified album for everyone. As you look at the cover above, the group was trying to show that we all are a family, all races. This album included hits like

Unity

One of my Grandmother's favorite O'Jays song- Livin For The Weekend

The Pop Classic- I Love Music(Another Soul Train Line)

Stairway To Heaven

Every Black Family get together plays this- Family Reunion

After the Family Reunion album the hits kept coming like the inspirational "Message in the Music", the smooth "Darlin Darlin Baby", "Use Ta Be My Girl", and the song about a dog "Brandy". When I first heard this song, I thought he was singing about a girl. But my mother told me it was about his dog that died. Take a listen.