Blue Magic (Remastered & Expanded) (Import) (CD)

• Category:  Music  »  R&B  »  Pop R&B
• Format: CD   Learn more about the CD format using Tower WIKI.
• Release Date: October 31, 2005
• Label: Warner Special Marketing (UK)
• UPC: 081227642822
• WAPI (Tower ID): 106394982
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• Tower.com Sales Rank: #71498 in Music (See Top 100 Music Bestsellers)
• #3495 in R&B (See Top 100 R&B Bestsellers)
• #441 in Pop R&B (See Top 100 Pop R&B Bestsellers)

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In a perfect world, all of Blue Magic's '70s LPs would have been reissued on CD in the late '80s or '90s. But that didn't happen; when the 21st century arrived, most of the Philadelphia vocal group's '70s albums were out of print. However, various best-of packages were available on CD. The most comprehensive is The Best of Blue Magic: Soulful Spell, a superb 20-song collection that Rhino assembled in 1996. Less generous is Magic of the Blue: Greatest Hits; originally released on vinyl by Omni in 1986 and subsequently reissued on CD, Magic of the Blue: Greatest Hits only contains 12 songs. Most of the essential gems that are on Greatest Hits are also on Soulful Spell, and that includes "Sideshow," "Three Ring Circus," and "Stop to Start," as well as "Look Me Up," "Spell," and "What's Come Over Me" (the original 1974 version, not the 1975 duet with Margie Joseph). Both collections are gem-laden and both paint a highly attractive picture of Blue Magic's '70s heyday; when the quintet was at their creative peak from 1974-1976 (the period that Greatest Hits focuses on), Blue Magic was Philly soul heaven. Anyone who treasures Philly vocal heavyweights like the Stylistics, the Moments, and the Delfonics owes it to himself/herself to hear Blue Magic as well. So if you're exploring Blue Magic's legacy for the first time, what is the best starting point? Although everything on Magic of the Blue: Greatest Hits is first-rate, Soulful Spell would be a better choice. Again, it is more generous -- and unlike Greatest Hits, Soulful Spell boasts informative liner notes by writer A. Scott Galloway. Greatest Hits certainly isn't a bad CD to have in your collection, but it isn't ideal -- and all things considered, Soulful Spell would be the best choice if you're making your first Blue Magic purchase. ~ Alex Henderson

In the '70s, Philadelphia's most famous soul empire was Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records, home of the O'Jays, the Intruders, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the Three Degrees, and Billy Paul. But the Thom Bell/Linda Creed school of Philly soul was also huge thanks to heavyweights like the Stylistics and the Delfonics. When Blue Magic hit big in 1974, their smooth, polished sound owed a lot to the Bell/Creed school; this incredibly promising debut album finds the Philly vocal group wearing their Stylistics/Delfonics/Moments heritage like a badge of honor. But the LP also demonstrates that Blue Magic was a fine group in their own right. The single that put Blue Magic on the map was "Sideshow," a hit ballad that is as clever as it is melancholy. "Sideshow" describes a circus, but not an ordinary circus -- a circus in which all of the attractions are noteworthy because of their terrible luck when it comes to romantic relationships. The tune is simply brilliant; like so many great blues and country gems, "Sideshow" finds a very witty way to talk about romantic disappointments. But even though "Sideshow" is one of Philly soul's all-time classics, it isn't the only song that makes this LP worth owning. The rest of the album is also superb, and that includes the snappy "Look Me Up," as well as dreamy, gossamer ballads like "Spell" and "What's Come Over Me" (which Blue Magic revisited on a 1975 remake that features singer Margie Joseph). All of the albums that Blue Magic recorded in the '70s are worth hearing, but this 1974 debut is arguably the finest and most essential of the bunch. ~ Alex Henderson

Blue Magic's sublime sophomore effort manages to retain the delicate beauty of their debut while summoning a more confident, robust approach to group harmony. The Magic of the Blue is above all a celebration of the human voice in all its myriad forms of expression. Whether transcending contrived ballads like "Three-Ring Circus" (a bland rewrite of the earlier hit "Sideshow") or soaring on the strength of up-tempo dance tunes like the excellent title cut, Blue Magic's harmonies are impeccable, showcased by arrangers Norman Harris, Bobby Eli, and Vince Montana in a series of elegant, richly detailed contexts as unique to Philadelphia as the Liberty Bell. ~ Jason Ankeny

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