The Intruders are one of the original groups of the Philly Soul mainstream explosion in the late 60's to mid 70's developing a soft, romantic, and easy-listening style, along with the Delfonics (my favorite group). The Delfonics were working with Thom Bell, while The Intruders worked with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. gamble and Huff gave the intruders some nice slower to mid-tempo grooves to harmonize to. This collective ranges from 1966 to 1974. "Together" (1967)is my choice song here, since I have no actual albums by them since they are so darn hard to find at a reasonable cost. "Together" has a nice mid-tempo beat with some fantastic horns and some outstanding harmonizing in the hook. It is one romantic song with clever lyrics (some about being lost together on an island and not even noticing it because the couple is so intensely in love). The lead crooner, Sam "Little Sonny" Brown has a unique tenor voice that fits the mold of the songs perfectly, especially in "Cowboys To Girls" (1968). I love the comparison of love to a sport, not to mention the awesome vocal arrangements and harmony of "(Love Is Like a)Baseball Game," (1968) Gamble and Huff even interpolate part of the "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" composition and blend it with their own original composition of the beats. "Slow Drag" (1968) is simple marvelous. The man in (possibly Brown himself?) moves to his own beat while trying to romance women, even though some people shun him for not being hip to their standards. As for the 1970's songs, "Teardrops" (1973) is a sad but romantic heart pouring slow jam. "I'll Always Love My Mama" (1973)is a sweet uptempo jam about being raised up with a wonderful mother, and all that she endured trying to make a good life for her son. "I Wanna Know Your Name" (1973) is a great soundtrack for a guy who has a crush on an anonymous lady he dearly wants to know. The guy portrayed in the song tells a little about himself (interests and tastes) and how he wants to dance with the cutie. The harmony in the chorus is unbelievably breathtaking. On a lighter not, I swear that these guys could sing about dog dookie and still sound great. All I can say, as a 26 year old who loves and is still learning about these great soul groups, is that these guys are immaculately talented, and this collection seriously aroused my interest in getting a hold of more of the intruders music because they really represent every facet of what is classic RnB.
September 22, 2008"I BET HE DON'T LOVE YOU" BY THE INTRUDERS IS NOW AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE
EXCELLENT QUALITY, THE INTRUDERS AT THEIR BEST
June 9, 2008 |  | Well done--sound, liner notes, photos--recommended |  |
I want to skip over the analysis and get to the fun part: I love the way the lead singer (apparently Sam "Little Sonny" Brown) sings "chaseded" girls in "Cowboys To Girls". The little-kid pronunciation is perfect in context. OK, that was analysis. Another special moment is during "I'll Always Love My Mama", when the guys temporarily leave the arrangement, and maybe their senses, to just start talking with each other. The chatting feels spontaneous, though knowing Gamble and Huff's meticulous production style, it can't have been (can it?). It's also a great Mom song, which I wish I'd discovered in time to play for my own mom.
The essay by Carol Cooper is excellent. It ends a bit sadly--noting that the group's breakup coincided with the emergence of the O'Jays as Gamble & Huff's new stars--a note only made sadder by Mr. Brown's suicide the very year this compilation came out (1995). The All Music Guide notes that a (increasingly-less) current touring edition of the Intruders includes no original members. Since founding members Phil Terry and Robert Edwards are still with us, this has hopefully changed.
May 12, 2008| | | Love - But Missing "This Is My Love Song" & "I Bet He Don't Love You" | |
I received this as a requested Xmas gift and love it. However, in looking at my old 45s from Junior High, I noticed that a couple of my favorite Gamble & Huff songs for the Intruders - "I Bet He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" and "This Is My Love Song" - are not on this CD (or anywhere else that I can find). This is a great CD, but my joy with having it receded a bit - such a shame! I can only rate this 4-stars because primarly, these two songs are not on the CD, and secondly, the sound quality could use a bit of improvement.
January 18, 2008 | | Unique otherworldly charming | |
These are some of the best of the Intruders but definitely not all the best; personally I hold "Lollipop (I Like You)", vocals led by "Little" Sonny Brown, and "I Bet He Don't Love You", vocals by Bobby Starr, 1969 and 1971 respectively, to be almost as good. The overwhelming part of their recordings were arranged by Bobby Martin more often than not joined by Thom Bell, some of the earliest by Joe Renzetti and some of the later by MFSB-members so that it constitutes the basics of the later world famous Sound of Philadelphia. "Do You Remember Yesterday", B-side of "I Bet He Don't Love You" is simply the proto for New York City's "I'm Doin' Fine Now". But this is wonderful; just listen to "Slow Drag" and you'll immediately feel much better ... luckily, the records of the Intruders which are not on CD - and that's about two thirds or more - are not that hard or expensive to get, although it takes a 45' old-fashioned record player to hear them. Only trouble is, the sound doesn't really come through on 45's, so LP's - and, alas, more money - are preferable, which leaves about half a score of singles-only tracks. Distinguishing Bobby Starr from Little Sonny takes some experience at first. For an exercise, they have both recorded a version of "Tender (was the Love we knew)", it seems, the one led by Little Sonny, the single (I guess), is available on Japanese CD: "Super Hits" (with bonus tracks), the one led by Bobby Starr, the more relaxed and superior of the two as to arrangement, not to vocal effort, I should say, is on the "When we get married" LP.
November 30, 2007More reviews at Amazon.com ...
