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How High

by The Salsoul Orchestra

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1.
How High 06:13
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2.
Have A Good Time 04:48
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3.
My Number's Up 07:56
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4.
I'll Keep You Warm 07:27
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5.
Resorts International 05:58
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6.
Stop And Think 06:14
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about

Disco orchestras were synonymous with the Seventies. The earliest and most examples of them came from Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra and M.F.S.B who both had chart topping hits and a slew of albums and singles with varying degrees of success on both the pop and disco charts. Later in the decade, acts like John Davis and the Monster Orchestra and the Rice and Beans Orchestra wouldn’t trouble the pop charts so much but would be massive in the clubs. The Salsoul Orchestra surfaced smack dab in the middle of the 1970’s and their first album, “Magic Journey” spent a whopping 46 weeks on the charts. With a string of memorable, string drenched funky hits like “Tangerine”, “You’re Just The Right Size”, “Dance A Little Bit Closer” with cuchi-cuchi Latin diva Charo, they were the cream of the crop of some of the best musicians around. But by the time 1979 arrived the disco landscape had changed and both of the albums the Salsoul Orchestra released that year –the terrific “Street Sense”, and “How High” – failed to chart. It pains me to say that “How High” is not their best album. The title tune is not memorable and is much more laidback than a title tune should be, and actually would be more at home on a mellow Sunday morning after party than in a club. “Have A Good Time” is up next and it’s “disco is here to stay” lyric fails to acknowledge that in the USA at least, disco was on it’s sad way out. It’s also a pretty bland song that doesn’t do much for me. “My Numbers Up” is better because it’s such a happy tune and full of relentless beats per minute drumming, great backing and joyous vocals…and of course the strings fill it with a happy vibe – one of the best tracks on the album. “I’ll Keep You Warm” is schmaltzy disco but it is pretty cool and features that same bass technique heard on Bunny Sigler’s “By The Way You Dance” that came out the same year. Next is my favourite track, “Resorts International”, an over the top glitzy affair that shows the Orchestra still had it in them to make great music…camp fun, fast paced, great! “Stop and Think” is a ballad that is pleasant but you would think by the year it came out would have sounded dated. The bonus tracks include the Larry Levan mix of “How High” which is marginally better than the original, a ballad “Nothing Can Change This Love” that doesn’t do much for me, and finishes with the excellent instrumental version of “Catch Me On The Rebound”, which still retains some of Loleatta Holloway’s screams and is an awesome bonus track on here. Artwork wise, it’s rather appealing in a cheesy kind of way, but pretty disco. The liner notes are informative to a point, though I suppose there is only so much you can say about an album that wasn’t really a success. So in summing up, for me it is a good album, but not great, but worth it for “Resorts International”, “Catch Me On The Rebound” and “My Numbers Up”.

credits

released November 1, 1978

Credits

Art Direction – Paul Perlow
Art Direction [Graphic Direction] – Lloyd Gelassen
Backing Vocals – Barbara Ingram, Bunny Sigler, Carla Benson, Evette Benton, Ron Tyson
Bass – Jimmy Williams, Raymond Earl, Ron Baker
Congas – Charles Williams (10), Larry Washington
Drums – Earl Young, Keith Benson, Scotty Miller
Executive-Producer – Joe Cayre, Ken Cayre, Stan Cayre
Guitar – Bobby Eli, George Bell, Kim Miller, Norman Harris, T.J. Tindall*
Keyboards – Cotton Kent*, Dennis Richardson, Luthor Randolph
Mastered By – Jose Rodriguez*
Photography By – Len Kaltman
Strings, Horns – Artie Williams, Don Renaldo And His Strings And Horns*, Eric Huff, Harold Watkins, Johnny Onderlinde, Larry Davis, Reubin Henderson*

Notes
Recorded & Mixed at Sigma Sound Studios, Blank Tape Studios, Trident Sound
Mastered at Sterling Sound, Inc.
℗ & © 1978 Salsoul Records Corporation
Printed in U.S.A.
Barcode and Other Identifiers

Matrix / Runout (Side A Label): SA 8528 A
Matrix / Runout (Side B Label): SA 8528 B

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The Salsoul Orchestra New York, New York

The Salsoul Orchestra was the backing band of session musicians for many acts on the New York City label Salsoul Records and, under its own name, recorded several hit singles and albums between 1975 and 1982.

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