Both commercially and artistically, switching from
Motown
to
Buddah
in the mid-'70s proved to be a very wise move for
Gladys Knight & the Pips
.
Imagination
and
Claudine
were gem-laden smashes, and their winning streak continued with their third
date
I Feel a Song
. The dramatic "I Feel a Song (In My Heart)" and an unlikely remake of
Barbra Streisand
's "The Way We Were" became major hits, as did the soaring ballad "Love Finds Its Own Way."
Knight
's monologue on "The Way We Were" is most ironic -- reflecting on the nostalgia that seems to be human nature, she noted that 1974 would someday become "the good old days." And when disco era-nostalgia took hold in the '90s, post-baby boomers seemed to be expressing a belief that the '70s were a simpler, less stressful time. Equally appealing are the gritty numbers "Better You Go Your Way" (written by
Bill Withers
) and "Don't Burn Down the Bridge." If one notices that "Seconds" sounds like something
Dionne Warwick
would have done early in her career, it's no coincidence --
Burt Bacharach
(who also co-wrote many of
Warwick's
early hits) co-wrote the song. Thanks to
Capitol
-
EMI
's R&B-oriented reissue label
The Right Stuff
,
was finally heard on CD in 1997. [A remastered CD version of the album was released with bonus tracks in 2015.] ~ Alex Henderson