Search - Brenda & Tabulations :: Right on the Tip of My Tongue

Rough n ready

Curmudgeon | West Australia | 09/19/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ok, "Right on the tip of my tongue" is one of my all-time favourite pop-soul songs, so I was longing to get this album when I discovered the tracks were newly remastered and mixed by none other than the legendary Tom Moulton. And "Right..." sounds absolutely fantastic in full stereo! Apart from Brenda's gorgeous version of "Don't Make Me Over" there's nothing else here that rivals the title track, but the music is nothing less than energetic and soulful, if often very rough in performance. Worth buying as a good document of earnest yet fun soul music."

Tough Competition

Curmudgeon | 08/02/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When the apex of the female lead with male group members burst onto the scene in the Sixties, led by Gladys Knight & The Pips and Ruby & The Romantics, naturally others would be inspired to try their hand. Many failed, but Brenda & The Tabulations gave them a pretty good run for their money, scoring 17 R&B hits between 1967 and 1977, 12 of which also made the Billboard Hot 100 Pop charts.



Originating in Philadelphia the group initially consisted of Brenda Payton, Eddie Jackson, Maurice Coates, and Jerry Jones, and in 1967 they had their first hit with Dry Your Eyes b/w The Wash for the small Dionn label. In the spring the A-side peaked at # 8 R&B/# 20 Hot 100.



Before the year was out they would have four more hits: Who's Loving You (# 19 R&B/# 66 Top 100) b/w Stay Together Young Lovers (# 44 R&B/# 66 Top 100); Just Once In A Lifetime (# 41 R&B/# 97 Hot 100 b/w Hey Boy); and When You're Gone (# 27 R&B/# 58 Hot 100, also with Hey Boy as the flipside). Their final Dionn hits were To The One I Love (# 45 R&B in 1968 b/w Baby You're So Right) and That's The Price You Have To Pay (# 43 R&B in 1969 b/w I Wish I Hadn't Done What I Did).



This CD picks up their hits after moving over to the Top & Bottom label and adding Bernard Murphy to the group, beginning with 1969's The Touch Of You (# 12 R&B/# 50 Hot 100 b/w Stop Sneaking Around). The following year the group downsized to Brenda, Deborah Martin, and Pat Mercer, scoring with And My Heart Sang (Tra La La) - # 12 R&B/# 64 Hot 100 b/w Lies Lies Lies - and a re-make of the 1963 Dionne Warwick hit Don't Make Me Over which peaked at # 15 R&B and # 77 Hot 100 with You've Changed as its flipside.



1971/72 saw four more hits: A Child No One Wanted [# 42 R&B/# 120 Hot 100 "bubble under" b/w Scuse Uz Y'All]; Right On The Tip Of My Tongue [# 10 R&B/# 23 Hot 100 b/w Always & Forever]; A Part Of Me [# 14 R&B/# 94 Hot 100 b/w Where There's A Will (There's A Way)]; and their last hit with Top & Bottom, Why Didn't I Think Of That [# 34 R&B/# 107 Hot 100 "bubble under" early in 1972 b/w A Love You an Depend On]. The last two are, unfortunately, missing from this set.



Also unavailable is their one hit with Epic in 1973, One Girl Too Late b/w Magic Of Your Love (# 48 R&B), and their two with the Chocolate City label - 1976's Home To Myself b/w Leave Me Alone (# 61 R&B) and (I'm A) Superstar b/w Take It Or Leave It (# 31 R&B in 1977).



A vastly underrated group, this CD (and the one titled Dry Your Eyes) are worthwhile additions to any collection of Sixties music. Sadly, Brenda Payton passed away on June 14, 1992."

Rescued from obscurity

Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 06/03/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Thanks to the revived Jamie/Guyden outfit for bringing this material to market. Up to now, this stuff has only been available on some questionably legitimate foreign pieces in fairly horrible sound quality. While not achieving the recognition of better-known 60s R&B female groups, or making it to the top 10 pop, these girls managed to hit the top-100 pop charts 11 times. This piece covers the material they did for the Top and Bottom label late in the 60s and early 70s. The sound quality is excellent overall with all tracks in true stereo save one (Always and Forever) - having been newly mixed from the original masters for this project. Makes a great complement to the other B & T compilation (Dry Your Eyes) from Jamie/Guyden."