Jays

Ship Ahoy is a rhythm and blues album by Philadelphia soul group The O'Jays, released on November 10, 1973 on Philadelphia International Records. The album was a critical and commercial success, reaching #1 on Billboard's "Black Albums" chart and #11 on the "Pop Albums" chart and launching two hit singles, "For the Love of Money" and "Put Your Hands Together." Conceived as a theme album built around the title track, Ship Ahoy includes socially relevant tracks and love songs under a cover that is itself notable for its serious subject matter. The album, which achieved platinum certification in 1992 for over 1 million copies sold, has been reissued multiple times, including in a 2003 edition with a bonus track. Ship Ahoy was the highest selling R&B album on the Billboard Year-End chart for 1974.

Ship Ahoy is a rhythm and blues album by Philadelphia soul group The O'Jays, released on November 10, 1973 on Philadelphia International Records. The album was a critical and commercial success, reaching #1 on Billboard's "Black Albums" chart and #11 on the "Pop Albums" chart and launching two hit singles, "For the Love of Money" and "Put Your Hands Together." Conceived as a theme album built around the title track, Ship Ahoy includes socially relevant tracks and love songs under a cover that is itself notable for its serious subject matter. The album, which achieved platinum certification in 1992 for over 1 million copies sold, has been reissued multiple times, including in a 2003 edition with a bonus track. Ship Ahoy was the highest selling R&B album on the Billboard Year-End chart for 1974.

The Jay-Jays' only album basically combined their four first singles with five other tracks, though it somehow missed one side of one of the 45's, "Waauw!" It's uneven, heavily British Invasion-influenced rock, divided between originals and covers. The early Kinks in particular come in for heavy tribute; the group trying their hand at the early Kinks' numbers "Bald Headed Woman" and "So Mystifying," as well as basing their arrangement of Slim Harpo's "Got Love if You Want It" on the Kinks' cover. The Kinks' tunes are done rather lamely, and the group did better with some originals in a more confident, slightly garage-ish, sub-Anglo style, like "I Keep Tryin'," and the bound-to-be-misinterpreted "To-day I'm Gay."

The album cover deceptively depicts five O'Jays when actually only four members Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, William Powell and Bobby Massey sing on these tracks; Bill Isle, the fifth member, quit in the late '60s, and the cover was shot in the mid-'60s, when the group recorded for Imperial Records. George Kerr produced most of these tracks, with some productions from the Poindexter brothers; the recordings were originally released on Bell Records. "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow," a gorgeous ballad, became their highest chart entry to date. The follow-up, "Look Over Your Shoulder," nearly duplicated its predecessor's success; both were indicators of good things to come.

"Family Reunion" is a 1975 album by American R&B group The O'Jays. The album was released in late 1975 on the Philadelphia International Records label. Recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, Family Reunion includes the enduring classic "I Love Music" and "Livin' for the Weekend", both of which topped the R&B singles chart, and placed at #5 and #20 respectively on the pop chart. The ballad "Stairway to Heaven", originally issued as the B-side to "Livin' for the Weekend" and unrelated to the Led Zeppelin song of the same name, has also gone on to become a staple of quiet storm radio programming. While the title track did not chart, it still garnered airplay, as the lyrics (as well as the album artwork) focused on the importance of the family structure especially at gatherings. "Family Reunion" became the group's 3rd consecutive R&B chart-topping album, and its #7 peak on the pop chart was their highest placing on this chart at the time (1978's So Full of Love would peak one place higher). "Family Reunion" was awarded a Platinum Album for RIAA Certification of over one million copies sold.

"Heartbreaker" is an album by The O'Jays, released in 1993. The album continues the legendary R&B group's legacy of smooth vocals and engaging storytelling, blending elements of soul, funk, and contemporary R&B. Featuring tracks that emphasize themes of love and heartbreak, the album includes standout songs like the title track "Heartbreaker" and "When the World’s at Peace." The O'Jays are known for their rich harmonies and tight arrangements, and this album showcases their ability to adapt to the evolving music landscape while retaining their signature sound.

The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1958. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with "Lonely Drifter" in 1963, but reached their greatest level of success once Gamble & Huff, a team of producers and songwriters, signed them to their Philadelphia International label in 1972. With Gamble & Huff, the O'Jays (now a trio after the departure of Isles and Massey) emerged at the forefront of Philadelphia soul with "Back Stabbers" (1972), and topped the Billboard Hot 100 the following year with what some consider to be the first disco hit song, "Love Train." Numerous other hits followed through the 1970s and into the 1980s and 1990s, and The O'Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 and in 2013 they were inducted into National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame.

This album was released while the Moody Blues were on hiatus, trying to decide whether they had things to contribute musically individually versus as a group. The album was recorded in the mid-70s, and it sounds like mid-70s soft rock. The music sounds very very much like the Moody Blues, though not quite, since the talents of Mike Pinder, Ray Thomas and Graeme Edge are missing. So while there is no mistaking that this album is by members of the Moodies, it's still not quite the same.