To say that Nat Turner Rebellion was Philadelphia's answer to Sly & The Family Stone would be taking the easy way out. But seeing as how I knew nothing of this band prior to this week, when I received the record in the mail, I'll stick with that assessment for the moment.
From the notes of the just released Vinyl Me, Please LP:
"The first ever full-length release from Nat Turner Rebellion---a Philly soul and R&B group that broke up before their first LP could be completed---Laugh To Keep From Crying compiles the group's sought after singles and a wealth of never-released material that has been sitting in vaults in PA since the early 70's. As a band on the forefront of the early 70's Philly soul explosion and the back end of the Black Power movement of the late 60's, they were tapped into being a part of the revolutionary soul music movement."
I am loving this release. Not everything feels as funky as Sly. There are moments of pop/R&B brilliance, that feel like lost Delfonics singles, which makes some sense, since members of The Delfonics are in the NTR. The bonus 7" that is included in the package has a terrific A side that once again evokes the funk and spirit of the Family Stone, while the B side plays like a great hit by The Spinners. What I am saying is, if you dig any of the bands I mentioned, you need to grab this release.
There isn't much on YouTube, and what is there has been been uploaded from scratchy 45s. But you will get the idea.
7 comments:
Yep! Good find Sal! It's like we were saying last night, artists and groups were out there doin' it and showing all the earmarks of talent. Shame a lot of them didn't make it or have hits, but they tried. And this is proof of that.
Definitely a Sly vibe which I will always applaud. It is available on Spotify.
great stuff.
"Laugh" starts out like it's going to be a "Papa Was A rolling Stone" vibe but then goes all Sly. "Never Too Late" has Philly all over it. Soulville indeed. Thanks!
holy cow, they are great. what a find...thanks!
I liked this a lot -- it's in my wheelhouse as far as 60s/70s soul music goes. Nice find!
Good piece, I like the tunes. Here's a great article and interview on the NTR from a Philly newspaper:
https://www.philly.com/entertainment/nat-turner-rebellion-drexel-university-mad-dragon-records-20190413.html
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