By B-town (207.8.188.200) on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 11:21 am:

The Stylistics are excellent in concert. They still put on a great show today, although we do miss Russell. Anyone have an update on Russell Thompkins, Jr. He is to the Sylistics what Levi Stubbs is to the Four Tops.

Favorite Songs:

1.Ebony Eyes
2.Country Living
3.Payback is a Dog
4. Every single cut on Rock n Roll Baby
5. Every single cut on The Stylistics (The album that contains You are Everything from 1972)

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 11:55 am:

I hear their new lead singer is very good. Russell is supposed to have released a solo CD or is working on one (Bobby Eli - help!).

"Ebony Eyes" was the b-side of "You Are Everything" and a great tune. Their debut AVCO album is a classic from beginning to end.

Favorite of them all - "Stop,Look, Listen To Your Heart".

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By STUBASS (205.188.209.109) on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 11:59 am:

VERY CLASSY GROUP!!!...THATS ABOUT ALL I CAN SAY!!!...STUBASS

By R&B (138.238.41.118) on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 12:09 pm:

I AGREE STU,VERY CLASSY,ALWAYS REMINDS ME OF A SUPPERCLUB SETTING WHEN IN CONCERT.

By Handsome (170.118.157.134) on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 01:03 pm:

Hi.

My favorites are :

Payback is Dog, People Make the world go 'Round, Stop, Look, & Listen, Children of the Night, Mine All Mine, Hurry Up This Way Again,

By medusa9e2003 (66.73.8.0) on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 02:39 pm:

..and don't 4get their recording :
Hurry Up This Way Again
Stone N Love with U
And I'll See You No More

It's 2 bad that the good groups get split up.
N fact, I was listening 2 some oldies Music, (including Motown). I could almost feel the vibration of the Guitar players digits (fingers) plucking on those strings. Those Guys played from the heart & soul through their fingers. Sorry 2 say, but nowadays, all they have 2 do is move a few buttons, or use the ProTools (on computer) & whatever else that makes a moise, they can even make their own background and make a band. Not CREATE a Band... and it' all without feeling. Anyone with an ear 4 good music, can tell the difference and that's Y I still have my turntable 4 my 45's. I still can hear & feel the real human voices coming from my speakers, and not a machine imitating...I prefer the Originators, NOT the Imitators...can U feel me SoulfulDetroiters???

By Scratcher (65.238.172.248) on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 02:47 pm:

The Stylistics are performing "Children of the Night"--one of their most popular album cuts--in their live shows to standing ovations. When I use to see them with Russell in the '80s and early '90s I never saw them do it.

By Soul Sister (65.43.150.250) on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 03:14 pm:

Kev-Go; Stop, Look, Listen To Your Heart was my favorite too, The Manhattans valet & I had a whole coreographed routine worked out to it that we thought the Stylists should have thought of, I have to laugh... we sure has big fun with that while killing time!
S.S.

By Kdubya (206.126.224.7) on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 06:06 pm:

The guys are fabulous and their singer Eban Brown is fantastic. He is a clone of Russell. I have seen them twice in the last 2 years and each time their tear up the stage. They get the biggest ovation for "Hurry Up This Way Again". They work a crowd to death. They would give my boys(unohoo) a run for their money. They are that good. They step to that song, my friends......

By DELL (12.14.39.66) on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 06:13 pm:

SAW THE STYLISTICS IN APRIL 2003, FANTASTIC, YOU CAN SEE THEM, THE DELPHONICS, CUBA GOODING, THE DRAMATICS, MAJOR HARRIS, HAROLD MELVIN'S BLUE NOTES FEATURING SHARON PAIGE, ON A NEW DVD NAMED 70'S SOUL JAM, VOLUMES 1-3 EACH VOLUME IS 12.99, GOOD BUY, YOU CAN'T GO WRONG.

By Eli (151.197.40.240) on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 08:58 pm:

On June 18th the Stylistics will be appearing at the new Kimmel Center and yours truly was asked to play the gig for authenticity sake.
It will be a similar type of gig as the PBS show and Jerry Blavat is producing it.

By alofton (65.37.31.143) on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 09:58 pm:

Russell Thompkins CD is out..check it out on
http://www.forevermoremusic.com/newreleases.htm

AL LOFTON

By 1Wicked (24.126.64.120) on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 10:14 pm:

There really weren't any bad Stylistics songs !! "You're As Right As Rain", "Rock & Roll Baby" (released when my nephew was born), and "Stone In Love (With You) are a few of my favorites though.

By Caleb (171.75.81.34) on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 10:16 pm:

Bobby,are you going to do the gig?

By Eli (151.197.60.215) on Tuesday, June 10, 2003 - 07:53 pm:

I was with Jerry "Geator with the Heater" Blavat today.
Jerry and I talked extensively about various things of musical historical significance after which we discussed the upcoming gig at the Kimmel Center next Wednesday June 18th whwere I wil conduct for the Stylistics and probably more ala The PBS gigs.
I am realy looking forward to it.

By mhc (172.141.204.236) on Tuesday, June 10, 2003 - 10:49 pm:

KevGo and SoulSister, I'm in total agreement with you: "Stop Look Listen" by The Stylistics is a BEAUTIFUL record. I practically go into a trance whenever I hear it..

By brown8644 (68.134.173.216) on Wednesday, June 11, 2003 - 12:21 am:

Eli, will it be video tape for DVD release
at some point.

By Eli (151.197.61.149) on Wednesday, June 11, 2003 - 11:39 am:

Brown, it is just a "one off" I do believe, but I will post if otherwise.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Wednesday, June 11, 2003 - 12:02 pm:

Hey Bobby!
Give my best to Jerry Blavat the next time you speak to him. I used to watch his TV show he had in the early 1990s (with his "Geator-Vision" interviews!).

MHC:
The Stylistics' "Stop Look & Listen" is one of those records that have been covered and remade but NO ONE could ever duplicate the beauty of the original. To me this was Russell & Co., Bell/Creed & MFSB at their best.

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By brown8644 (166.107.72.3) on Wednesday, June 11, 2003 - 12:02 pm:

Eli, any new developement on the acts your working
with right now, and are any of the MFSB members
in the studio with you these days.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Wednesday, June 11, 2003 - 12:25 pm:

Folks:
I just heard a thirty-second clip from Russell's new album & the song is marvelous! It even has a synthesizer emulating a "sitar" sound (I guess the producers had Bobby Eli in mind!). Check it out on Forevermore Records' website - the song is called "Jealousy" (www.forevermoremusic.com)
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By Caleb (171.75.84.19) on Wednesday, June 11, 2003 - 12:30 pm:

MHC,"Stop,Look,Listen"-you hit it right on the head.Beautiful!!

By WaltBaby (152.163.252.68) on Wednesday, June 11, 2003 - 02:22 pm:

"Jealousy" is a song originally from the overlooked "Track Of The Cat" album by Dionne Warwick which was recently rereleased on CD. I had actually planned to ask Bobby Eli To elaborate on the sessions from this Thom Bell produced masterpiece. My only problem with Russell's new cd is that after all that he has done, I just can't believe that he couldn't get the financial backing to do the type of production (real instruments, not synthesizers) that we (the public) are accustomed to. The cd while still very good would have been much stronger with real instruments.

By Eli (151.197.61.149) on Wednesday, June 11, 2003 - 04:12 pm:

The company Russel is with have limited finances and a full session would be out of the question.
There are people(such as myself) who can make a "synthesized" production sound close to the real thing. There are ways to do it if you know what you are doing.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Wednesday, June 11, 2003 - 04:42 pm:

Waltbaby:
I agree that the drum track on Russell's version of "Jealousy" sounded like it came from a beat-up Casio keyboard but I'm not surprised considering the label he is with. Forevermore Records (which was based in a suburb of my hometown, Rochester NY)also recorded Jay Proctor (of the Techniques)and one of those tracks wound up on Mercury's "Best Of" anthology. Thank God Mercury stuck the song at the end of the disc because the synths & drum machine killed the tune (Jerry Ross - the band's original producer - probably threw a fit when he heard the CD!).

Forevermore is a small label with even a smaller budget. They do much better reissuing the rock & roll records of Upstate NY bands than with the new material.

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By rell123 (205.188.209.109) on Sunday, June 15, 2003 - 02:07 am:

I was at the show when it was taping with Delphonics,Bluenotes etc. The Stylistics turned the show out!!!! Where can we getthese 3 CD's-Is it in most of the major chains-In Connecticut that's Strawberry Records,Circuit City and a couple more. What are the CD's entitled? Thanx.

By DELL (12.14.39.66) on Monday, June 16, 2003 - 02:46 pm:

THEY ARE DVD'S, NO CD ARE YET AVAILABLE, AND THEY ARE CALLED, 70's SOUL JAM VOLUMES 1-3, 13.95 EACH, TRY ANY MAJOR VIDEO CHAIN

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Monday, June 16, 2003 - 02:51 pm:

The 70s Soul Jams DVDs are in Tower Records & Virgin Megastore.
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By Mark (64.12.97.7) on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 11:50 pm:

Eli: Tell us about the show tonite. And check The Three Degrees forum for other questions

By LSTRONG (152.163.252.68) on Tuesday, July 08, 2003 - 09:45 am:

Hello any one out there have the album live in japan the stylistics? THANKS