Blue Magic
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1972-77) - Keith "Duke" Beaton (RIP 2023) -- tenor - Ted "Wizard" Mills -- falsetto, keyboards - Richard Pratt (RIP 2022) -- bass - Vernon Sawyer -- tenor, baritone - Wendell Sawyer -- baritone, tenor
backing musicians (1975) - Ronald Baker -- bass - Ronald Chambers - Charles Collins -- drums - Robert Cupit -- percussion - Bobby Eli -- guitar - Michael Foreman -- bass - Bunny Harris -- percussion - Norman Harris -- guitar - Rusty Jackman -- bass - Ron Kemsey -- keyboards - Carlton Kent -- keyboards - Larry LaBes -- bass - Vince Montana -- vibes - Dexter Wansel -- keyboards - Earl Young -- drums - Larry Washington -- percussion
line up 2 (1977-81) NEW - Michael Buchanan -- baritone (replaced Vernon Sawyer) - Keith "Duke" Beaton (RIP 2023) -- tenor - Ted "Wizard" Mills -- falsetto - Richard Pratt (RIP 2022) -- bass NEW - Walter Smith - tenor (replaced Wendell Sawyer)
line up 3 (1981-90) - Keith "Duke" Beaton (RIP 2023) -- tenor - Ted "Wizard" Mills -- falsetto NEW - Vernon Sawyer -- tenor, baritone NEW - Wendell Sawyer -- baritone, tenor
line up 4 (1990-1996) - Ted "Wizard" Mills -- falsetto - Vernon Sawyer -- tenor, baritone - Wendell Sawyer -- baritone, tenor NEW - Rod Wayne -- lead (replaced Keith Beaton)
line up 5 (1996-1998) NEW - Martin Little -- lead (replaced Rod Wayne) - Ted "Wizard" Mills -- falsetto - Vernon Sawyer -- tenor, baritone - Wendell Sawyer -- baritone, tenor
line up 6 (1998-2008) NEW - Wade Elliott -- lead (replaced Martin Little) - Ted "Wizard" Mills -- falsetto - Vernon Sawyer -- tenor, baritone - Wendell Sawyer -- baritone, tenor
line up 7 (1998-2008) - Wade Elliott -- lead NEW - Fernando "Mo" Kee -- tenor - Ted "Wizard" Mills -- falsetto - Vernon Sawyer -- tenor, baritone - Wendell Sawyer -- baritone, tenor
line up 8 (1998-2008) NEW - Ivory Bell -- lead (replaced Wade Elliott) - Fernando "Mo" Kee -- tenor - Ted "Wizard" Mills -- falsetto - Vernon Sawyer -- tenor, baritone - Wendell Sawyer -- baritone, tenor
line up 9 (2008-2011) - Fernando "Mo" Kee -- tenor - Ted "Wizard" Mills -- falsetto - Wendell Sawyer -- baritone, tenor NEW - Leemy Waiters -- lead (replaced Ivory Bell)
line up 10 (2011-12) - Keith "Duke" Beaton -- tenor - Wendell Sawyer -- baritone, tenor NEW - Gene Stovall -- lead (replaced Leemy Waiters)
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- 3 Tenors of Soul - Ivery Bell (solo efforts) - The Dramatics (Ivery Bell) - Wade Elliott (solo efforts) - Ted Mills (solo efforts) - Moment of Truth (Ivery Bell) - Gene Stovall (solo efforts)
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Genre: soul Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Blue Magic Company: ATCO Catalog: SD 7038 Year: 1974 Country/State: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: still in shrink wrap (opened) Available: 1 Catalog ID: 103 Price: $20.00
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It's amazing how many great soul groups came out of Philadelphia during the early and mid-1970s. Even more amazing is the number of groups that should have been massive stars, but for whatever reason, weren't. In spite of occasional brushes with success, Blue Magic fits into that latter pool perfectly.
Formed in 1972, Blue Magic featured the talents of Keith Beaton, Theodore Mills, Richard Pratt and brothers Vernon and Wendell Sawyer. Mills had previously attracted some attention as a singer/songwriter, while the others had been in the Philly group Shades of Love. When Shades of Love auditioned for WMOT, the label decided they'd make more of an impression with a stronger lead singer. Ted Mills was recruited for the job and the revised line-up dubbed Blue Magic.
Promptly
signed by Atlantic Records' ATCO subsidiary, 1974's "Blue
Magic" was produced and arranged by Norman Harris (he
also co-wrote about half of the material).
"Blue
Magic" track listing: 1.) Sideshow (Bobby Eli - Vinny Barrett) - 4:06 rating: **** stars Yeah, the opening "carnival barker" segment was hokey beyond description, but when Theodore Mills' falsetto kicked it 'Sideshow' morphed into one of those classic mid-1970s soul "hreatbreak" ballads that you couldn't shake out of your head. Imagine all of those hours your heartbroken guys spent crying their collective eyes out with this in the background. It's every bit as good as anything soul ballad monster acts like The Delfonics, The Spinners, or The Stylistics ever cut.
- 1974's 'Sideshow' b/w 'Just Don't Want To Be Lonely' (ATCO catalog number 45-6961) YouTube has a clip of the group performing the song on Soul Train: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TscxLlhMiig 2.) Look Me Up (Norman Harris - Al Felder) - 5:54 rating: **** stars Again powered by Mills falsetto and opening up with some tasty strings, the upbeat 'Look Me Up' has always reminded me of something The Delfonics would have recorded. Perhaps the album's most commercial number with the instrumental ending lowing into an early disco feel, it was tapped as the lead-off single, going top-30 R&B.
- 1973's 'Look Me Up' b/w 'What's Come Over Me' (ATCO catalog number 45-6930)
For anyone interested; another Soul Train performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Msgi_jHWMR8 3.) What's Come Over Me (Ted Mills) - 4:09 rating: ** stars One of two Mills originals, 'What's Come Over Me' was a pretty ballad, but lacked the hook required to kick it into the same category as some of the other tracks. The heavy orchestration and mega cheesy spoken word segment actually made this one sound like a Thom Bell production. That spoken word segment cost it a star. 4.) Just Don't Want To Be Lonely (Bobby Eli - Vinny Barrett - John Freeman) - 7:00 rating: **** stars The humming segment that opened 'Just Don't Want To Be Lonely' bore a passing resemblance to 'Sideshow', but luckily the song quickly took on its own identity, in the process revealing what may be the album's best composition and one of the strongest performances. Simply one of the sweetest slow dance numbers out there ! By the way, the song's secret ingredient came in the form for the drummer - not sure if it was Larry James, or Earl Young.
(side
2) Side two started with another ballad - 'Stop To Start' Selected as the group's third single, this was another one that sounded a bit like a Delfonics performance.
- 1973's 'Stop To Start' b/w 'Where Have You Been' (ATCO catalog number 45-6949)
2.) Welcome To the Club (Norman Harris - Al Felder) - 5:05 rating; **** stars Sporting a modest disco-tinged flavor, even with an extended album mix, 'Welcome To the Club' was a surprisingly enjoyable track. Nice stutter-step chorus ... 3.) Spell (Ted Mills) - 4:18 rating; **** stars Tapped as the lead-off single, 'Spell' was a track with more than a touch of Thom Bell influences in the grooves. Showcasing their silky smooth multi-part harmony vocals and a cool electric sitar arrangement, this was one of the album's overlooked classics.
- 1973's 'Spell' b/w 'Guess Who' (ATCO catalog number 45-6910)
4.) Answer To My Prayer (Norman Harris - Al Felder) - 3:10 rating; **** stars With a breezy, almost tropical feel, 'Answer To My Prayer' was the album's most beguiling performance. Naturally it was also the album's shortest track and the one you wish they'd recorded in an extended album format. 5.) Tear It Down (Ted Mills - Al Felder) - 5:27 rating; **** stars I'll readily admit that initially 'Tear It Down' did nothing for me. It struck me as being fragile and shrill and kind of a disappointing way to end the album. So, in dismissing the song I somehow managed to overlook the fact it had a killer hook ... One of Mills most effective performances !!!
© Scott R. Blackerby December, 2024
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Genre: soul Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Thirteen Blue Magic Lane Company: ATCO Catalog:
SD 36-120 Country/State: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: cut out notch on edge Available: SOLD Catalog ID: SOLD 2339 Price: SOLD $15.00 |
Recorded in
Philadelphia International's Sigma Studios with the cream of that
"Thirteen
Blue Magic Lane" track listing: 1.) The Loneliest House On the Block (Norman Harris - Al Fender) - 5:07 rating: **** stars Showcasing Ted Mill's wonderful falsetto, the title track was a classic '70s soul ballad that should have left classes full of English majors in tears. If you were going to pick an album that captured that magical mid-'70s Philly sound, this one would clearly be in contention. 2.) Chasing Rainbows (Ted Mills) - 4:11 rating: **** stars One of the best things they ever did - Mills managed to write a song that was simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting. And if anyone ever doubted what a talented singer Mills was, check out the note he starts holding around the 2:50 mark. ATCO tapped it as the leadoff single:
- 1975's 'Chasing Rainbows' b/w 'You Won't Have to Tell Me Goodbye' (ATCO catalog number 45-7031)
3.) Born On Halloween (Norman Harris - Al Felder - Tanya Jones) - 3:17 rating: **** stars C'mon, tell me this one didn't capture you from the opening howls and madcap laughter... 'Born On Halloween' was another wonderful Blue Magic ballad. Great melody giving Mills and company a chance to show off their moves. Ah, the magic and mysteries of love. 4.) Haunted (By Your Love) (Ron Tyson - Al Felder - Bruce Hawes) - 3:03 rating: ** stars The first song without Mills on lead vocals ... Always wondered if the female vocal was Margie Joseph. 5.) I Like You (Ted Mills) - 3:14 rating: *** stars Accompanied by some of those cheesy '70s synthesizer washes that I'm a sucker for, 'I Like You' was a smooth, breezy tune with a touch of Caribbean influence in the mix. Relaxing, if not one of the album's creative highlights.
(side
2) Ah, Blue Magic's theme song ... Alost a proto-disco tune, though the Blue Magic crew was largely invisible on this one, though it was one off the finest things ever recorded by MFSB. 2.) We're On the Right Track (Norman Harris - Al Felder) - 5:45 rating: *** stars Yeah, it was kind of a mindless dance tune, but Mills had such a smooth and easy going voice it was hard not to be charmed. The tune was also released as a promotional 12" dance single:
- 1975's 'We're On the Right Track' b/w 'We're On the Right Track' (ATCO catalog number DSKO-61)
3.) Stop and Get A Hold of Yourself (Pat Cooper - Ron Kersey) - 5:18 rating: *** stars Hum, not sure the opening supper club lounge act vibe did much for me, though it was interesting to hear the lead vocals being shared across the group. The up-tempo second part of the song was far better, complete with voice box guitar solo that would have made Joe Walsh proud. 4.) What's Come Over Me (Ted Mills) - 4:46 rating: *** stars The hyper romantic ballad 'What's Come Over Me' had previously appeared as the title track on their 1974 debut album. The remake was a collaboration with singer Margie Joseph, though Joseph basically owned the remake.
© Scott R. Blackerby December, 2024
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Musically the album was
heavily geared towards conventional soul group ballads with a few up-tempo
tracks thrown in as a change of pace. Built around Mill's likable
falsetto, these guys didn't have the most distinctive style you've ever
heard, which made them completely dependent on Harris and others for their
sound and direction. As you'd expected, when paired with quality
material such as the ballads 'Sideshow'
and 'Answer To My Prayer'
the performances were striking. The good news was that Harris and
company had saved up enough quality tunes so that song-for-song their debut
was seldom less than enjoyable. The main problem here was that having
so many ballads packed onto the album meant they quickly began to suffer
from a sounds-the-same feeling. The group's heavy dependence on big,
old-school ballads didn't leave a lot of room for growth which meant their
"formula" would quickly run its course. Still, there was no
denying when provided with quality material like 'Sideshow' and 'Just Don't Want To Be Lonely'
they were a dynamite outfit. Propelled
byfour singles the album sold well (# 45 pop; # 4 R&B), but today it's
largely overlooked by everyone except hardcore collectors.
label's
production and studio musicians, if you were going to pick an album that
encapsulated that unique mid-'70s Philly sound, 1975's "Thirteen
Blue Magic Lane" would be in the running. At least on the
surface this appeared to be a concept album with several of the songs having
Halloween-related themes, but the overall plotline (if there was one), was
lost to my ears. Musically the ballad heavy set wasn't a major change
in direction for group. With Ted Mill's handling most of the lead
vocals, these guys were one of the best ballad groups out there, but it came
with a price. Tracks like 'The Loneliest House
On the Block' and 'Chasing
Rainbows' were
excellent, but ultimately the heavy reliance on ballads gave the album
kind of a sounds-the-same flavor with the occasional up-tempo numbers
('Magic of the Blue' and 'We're
On the Right Track'), moving the group a little too close to the disco line
for their own good.
