Search - Jay & Techniques :: Best of

Forgotten favourites

I. Sutherland | 10/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"when i played these tracks on my radio program, i got the biggest audience response in years. more than 20 calls asking where to buy the album. when they talk about pop/soul music, this is up there with the very best. melba moore, ashford & simpson on backing vocals just adds to the quality. check out 'dancing mood'."

Formula pop - but still fun

Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 02/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jay and the Techniques had some moderate chart success with a string of catchy, if not sophisticated, tunes in the late 60s. While there were no musical breakthroughs or talent superiority here, some of the tunes from these guys from Allentown, PA left their mark in the pop of the era. Though technically an r'n'b group, their greatest successes were tunes that were mainstream pop and even borderline bubblegum-style. Along with their signature "Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" and three other pop-charted singles, this collection contains other singles and album cuts as well as a few tracks done in the mid-70s for other labels including their last chart appearance, "Number Onederful", a tune managing to scrape the bottom of the r'n'b charts in 1976. The tracks included present a mix of styles beyond their reconizable pop sound, including some Motown-sounding and dance tunes. With a generous 20 tracks, superior sound quality with all tracks in stereo except 14 and 15 and the fact that, although a Polygram product, there are tracks licensed from outside their Smash recordings all go to make this a very high quality piece. This is a far superior choice in every way over the other Jay and the Techniques compilation CD that has fewer tracks, much inferior sound quality and actually costs more. For Jay and the Techniques material, this is by far the best and only real choice."

Reach Inside My Soul

Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 09/19/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This "Best of" package by Jay & the Techniques is a blast of soulful energy from this Allentown, Pennsylvania band. Their signature song "Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" will always be their best-known track. The stereo from this 1995 package on Mercury/Polygram is excellent. Kenny Gamble & Jerry Ross' "Contact" as well as Marvin Gaye's "Hey Diddle Diddle" both sound decent 40 years later. "Keep the Ball Rollin'" went to #14 with a Temptations-like arrangement & Jay Proctor's sunny vocals. Dennis Lambert wrote the slow smoker "Don't Let It Go to Your Head" which cuts a classic soul groove from their second LP "Love, Lost & Found." If "Strawberry Shortcake" sounds quite like "Apples, Peaches," the same songwriter Maurice Irby wrote it. "Help Yourself (To All of My Lovin')" has an infectiously upbeat sound with a nice sax solo in the bridge, "I think of your kisses & I lose control; With lovin' like yours, I know I'll never grow old; So come on sweet baby, reach inside my soul." "The Singles Game" has a jazzy Philly soul sound. "Baby How Easy Your Heart Forgets Me" sounds like a cousin of The Temptations' "Ball of Confusion." "Change Your Mind" is a sweet timepiece from 1969 with Jay's vocals oozing urgency. By 1974, Jay & the Techniques were recording for the Event label and recorded a Barry White song "I Feel Love Coming On." The lads try on disco with "Number Onederful," which sounds like a visit to a different era. The CD concludes with a 1993 recording "Love's Just Not for Sales" with Jay's voice having the huskiness of a couple decades on the road. This Mercury collection is an excellent one for those who enjoy the sparkling grooves of Philly soul. Enjoy!"