Over to The Beverly Theatre in Beverly Hills, by way of London for a concert featuring Gladys Knight & The Pips, recorded in 1983 by the venerable BBC and broadcast over their Midnight Concert Series over Radio 1.
This has to be one of the fastest paced concerts I’ve heard in a long time. Hit after hit – number after number, with little or no let up. To sustain that kind of energy for over an hour is clearly awe inspiring and gives you some clue as to just how legendary these artists have become over the years.
In 1983, Gladys Knight and the Pips scored again with the hit “Save the Overtime (For Me)”. The song, under the artistic direction of Leon Sylvers III (known for collaborating on Shalamar hits), was done in a soulful boogie style. The single was released from their LP “Visions” and reached number 66 on the Hot 100, but was more successful on the R&B where it hit number one for a single week in mid 1983. The single was the first time the group hit number one on the R&B chart since 1974. The video accompanying the song became among the earliest R&B videos to incorporate elements of hip hop culture. The album also included the R&B hit “You’re Number One (In My Book)”.
We forget sometimes, artists who have made indelible impressions on music and culture – on society in general. And how much of their influence is still felt among listeners and the audience without even realizing it. The Soul genre has been looked at, sampled, observed and borrowed from so much these past few decades it’s become assimilated into our musical heritage. So it’s nice to be able to hear it from the movers and shakers themselves – hear how it was done. There’s still a lot to learn from.
So – some musical history this weekend from Gladys Knight & The Pips – rippin’ it up in 1983.
