A fantastic debut by
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
that wasn't meant to be. Most of these songs, including
"If You Don't Know Me By Now,"
were originally written for the
Dells
, but the deal fell through.
Harold Melvin
got the opportunity because his ex-drummer
Teddy Pendergrass
had a voice similar to
lead singer
Marvin Junior
. The way
Pendergrass
tore into these songs, nobody remotely suspected that these love dramas were written for anybody but
Teddy
. He sounds like he's about to lose it when he sings "I Miss You" as he pleads with his ex-love about how he has changed. The poignant "If You Don't Know Me By Now" sold a million for
the Blue Notes
and did even better years later for
Simply Red
. "Be For Real" is one of the finest recorded pieces in R&B history; it's not a song, it's a pleader where a guy admonishes his woman for looking down on people. They dusted off "Let Me Into Your World" for
; this one was not written for
the Dells
, as
Gamble & Huff
had recorded it a few years earlier with the
O'Jays
for Neptune Records. A hard-hitting package that established
as a force to be reckoned with. ~ Andrew Hamilton