Search - Keith Barrow :: Keith Barrow

Keith's pre-Disco/Soul years.....Gospel!

William Blackshear | West Orange, NJ USA | 03/28/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Another example of how thorough and knowledgeable the Japanese music reissue companies have been. No question Keith was a talent....gone too soon. Which old-school music aficionados are not familiar with Keith's 1977 club and radio classic "You Know You Want To Be Loved (Just Like This)", on the "Physical Attraction" album? The record was played to it's own legend in dance clubs around the world. The 12" single version is required "role-call" in an old-school DJ's record collection! As with many soul & r+b performers who made it "big", whose music roots and background sprung from the church, so did Keith's. Prior to Keith's two, latter 70s secular albums, which have always been sought after by soul/dance record collectors, to the extent the Japanese reissue companies initially reissued both on cd and vinyl by the early 90s in Japan, there was this, his first album release. The two secular albums, "Keith Barrow" (which is currently availible on cd worldwide), and "Physical Attraction" (which requires deeper digging), both contain some great music, with the Philly touch! "Teach Me (The Ways Of Love)", "Didn't You Know You'd have to Cry Sometime", "Physical Attraction", amongst others, is some very good music. Perhaps, not as much in the U.S., but in England and Japan his music was highly sought after, to the extent that the Japanese even reissued this album, originally released on the Jewel label, the gospel lp "Oh, Freedom". It's a gospel record. Keith's rawer, non-commercially polished, gospel began roots, come through here. The album does have it's rich moments, and I've played my album more than once. The original album is a collectible album (many, many Keith Barrow fans, who loved him and his music, sought/seek), sells for more than the price of the cd. Old-school original gospel albums are sometimes even harder to locate than their secular counterparts, and are also impacted by the rules of supply/demand pricing. Keith's body of work was excellent, he was a talent! Record collectors who collect Keith Barrow, collected all three albums. Japanese reissuers made all three availible."