Back Stabbers
Back Stabbers(1972) is the album that put both producing/songwriting team Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International label and journeyman trio the O'Jays on the map as major forces in '70s soul. Gamble/Huff's lushly funky tracks here proved the ideal backdrop for the group's shared lead vocals; singles like the acid "Back Stabbers" and "992 Arguments" gave free rein to a quality that would lead Wolfman Jack to describe the act as "dangerous." At the same time, "Love Train" offered a more utopian social vision, while ballads such as "Who Am I" and "Listen to the Clock on the Wall" pointed the way to the O'Jays's status as some of R&B;'s longest-running romantic figures. A key disc for lovers of the Philly sound.--Rickey Wright