 • Los Angeles-based family group The Sylvers -four of whom had performed as The Little Angels on shows with Johnny Mathis and Ray Charles - had already experienced a measure of chart success in the U.S. with three albums and four R&B singles for MGM/Pride Records between 1972-1974 when they signed with Capitol Records in 1975.
• The nine-member team consisted of Olympia, Leon, Charmaine, James, Edmund, Ricky, Angie, Pat and Foster teamed up with former Motown producer/songwriter Freddie Perren who had worked with The Jackson Five among others to work on their label debut SHOWCASE.
• The result was immediate success: the first single, the now-classic “Boogie Fever” reached No. 1 on the U.S. pop and R&B charts. The follow-up “Cotton Candy” became another Top 20 R&B hit and with four tracks written by Leon, SHOWCASE became a Top 60 pop and Top 30 R&B best-seller.
• The 1976 follow-up LP, Something Special spawned the hit single, “Hot Line”; in 1977, the group (now seven in number with the departure of Olympia and Charmaine) wrote and produced their third Capitol set, NEW HORIZONS with Leon (who would go on to have major success as a producer working with The Whispers, Shalamar and Lakeside among others) writing or co-writing most of the tracks including the Top 20 R&B hit, “Any Way You Want Me.”
• Both albums are making their worldwide CD debut with this release which includes liner notes by renowned US writer Rico Washington.
Track list::
SHOWCASE
1. Cotton Candy
2. The Roulette Wheel Of Love
3. Boogie Fever
4. Storybook Girl
5. Ain't No Good In Good-Bye
6. Free Style
7. I Can Be For Real
8. Clap Your Hands To The Music
9. Keep On Keepin' On (Doin' What You Do)
10. Ain't Nothin' But A Party
NEW HORIZONS
11. New Horizons
12. Dressed To Kill
13. Lovin' Me Back
14. The Party Maker
15. Take A Hand
16. Any Way You Want Me
17. Another Day To Love
18. You Bring The Sunshine (Back Into My Life)
19. Charisma
20. Star Free
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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