Tymes, The – The Sound Of The Wonderful Tymes - Used LP

VG+/VG+ (nice)

Original 1963 MONO

When east coast black artists were crossing over but weren't coming out of jazz vocals, they were often called beach soul, although calling out this genre might not have appeared until later in the 1960s when beach soul had mostly been replaced with other tags...and of course one of those tags that grew to be so popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s was Philly soul.  Since this band was from Philly, it's easy to see them as a bridge from beach soul to Philly soul, and as the titles on this album reveal, from the pop crooner and (and doo wop) traditions to the pop soul of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the years and decades that followed.  And of course, all of this--beach soul, pop soul, Motown, Philly soul, girl group...--had a huge influence on the more dreamy side of pop music of the past 60 years.  These 1963 recordings are far from the gritty and funky soul that I dig, but it worked for The Tymes, brought them from the dimly lit chitlin circuit to the bright lights of crossover fame.  -- winch

Artist Biography by Ron Wynn.  The Tymes began as the Latineers in 1956. This Philadelphia ensemble's founding members were Donald Banks, Albert Berry, Norman Burnett, and George Hilliard. After a four-year apprenticeship on the city's club circuit, they changed their name to the Tymes in 1960 and added lead singer George Williams. They were signed by Cameo-Parkway in 1963 following a successful appearance at a talent show sponsored by Philly radio station WDAS. The group scored its biggest hit with its debut single, "So Much in Love," a Williams composition rearranged by Roy Stragis and producer Billy Jackson. It topped the Billboard Hot 100. Their first LP, So Much in Love, contained both the title cut and follow-up hit, a cover of Johnny Mathis' "Wonderful, Wonderful." Those two songs were both crossover smashes as well as R&B winners, with "So Much in Love" topping the pop charts. But after a third hit, "Somewhere," the next year, the group faded. The Tymes tried issuing albums on their own label, Winchester, but had to fold it after two releases. They signed with MGM, but were dropped after two flops. They enjoyed a brief comeback on Columbia in 1968 with another remake; this time they covered "People" from the musical Funny Girl. But CBS also dropped them in 1969. They spent three years retooling their sound, while Hilliard departed. Their longtime producer, Billy Jackson, financed some sessions at Gamble & Huff's Sigma Sound studios in an attempt to get them on the Philadelphia International roster. Gamble & Huff passed on the unfinished demos, but RCA signed them. They scored three more hits from 1974-1976, the biggest being "It's Cool" in 1976, which reached number three on the R&B charts and number 18 pop. Various aggregations using the name remained active on the oldies/cabaret circuit in the '80s and '90s.