 • The Washington DC-based DYNAMIC SUPERIORS had already experienced a good measure of popularity as Motown recording artists thanks to their first three albums - Dynamic Superiors and Pure Pleasure (both released in 1975, produced by Nick Ashford & Valerie Simpson and reissued as a two-on-one CD by SoulMusic Records in 2010 - SMCR 25003) - and the 1976 LP, You Name It (reissued in 2012 - SMCR 5051).
• Released in 1977, GIVE & TAKE benefited from the production skills of Brian Holland of the famous Holland-Dozier-Holland team who co-wrote three of the album’s eight tracks as well as being the composer with his renowned partners of the Martha & The Vandellas’ classic, “Nowhere To Run,” given a new lease of life by the Dynamic Superiors on the LP.
• Running at over nine minutes long, the group’s remake of “Nowhere To Run” was received a positive reaction from dance clubs on both sides of the Atlantic. Aware of the pre-release buzz on the track, Motown’s U.K. office decided to rename the album after the cut which was also released as a single in the U.S.
• Other highlights included a soulful version of Stevie Wonder’s “All In Love Is Fair,” showcasing the vocal skills of pioneering openly gay lead singer Tony Washington and the group’s tight harmonies; and the uptempo dance-flavoured tracks, “You’re What I Need” and “All You Can Do With Love.”
• Motown fans will be happy to see GIVE & TAKE (the group’s final album for the label) making its worldwide CD debut. With notes by longtime UK-based Motown authority Sharon Davis, this expanded edition includes the ‘A’ and ‘B’ sides of “Nowhere To Run” and the single edit of “You’re What I Need.”
About the Writer
David Nathan is the founder and CEO of SoulMusic.com and began his writing career in 1965; beginning in 1967, he was a regular contributor to Blues & Soul magazine in London before relocating to the U.S. in 1975 where he served as U.S. editor for the publication for several decades and began being known as 'The British Ambassador Of Soul.' From 1988 to 2004, he wrote prolifically for Billboard, has penned bios, produced and written liner notes for box sets and reissue CDs for over a thousand projects. He returned to London in 2009 where he has helped create SoulMusic.com Records as a leading reissue label.
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