- Michael McCalpin (RIP) -- baritone vocals (1963-77)

- George Wesley Peterbark Jr. (RIP) -- tenor vocals

  (1963-77)

- George Spann -- tenor vocals (1963-77)

- Maurice Washington (RIP) -- bass vocals (1963-77)

- Tony Washington (aka Toni Washington) (RIP) -- 

  lead vocals (1963-77)

- The Flamingos (George Spann)

- The Orioles (George Spann)

- The Superiors

Genre: soul

Rating: 4 stars ****

Title:  The Dynamic Superiors

Company: Motown

Catalog: M6-822S1
Year: 1974

Country/State: Washington, D.C.

Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+

Comments: --

Available: 1

GEMM catalog ID: 5611

Price: $50.00

Michael McCalpin, George Wesley Peterbark Jr., George Spann and brothers Maurice and Toni Washington grew up in the same Washington, D.C. housing project.  The five went to school together, singing on street corners and playing in various talent contests along the way.  By the time they were in high school they'd formed The Superiors and were lying about their ages in order to play D.C. niteclubs.

Signed by the Sue label, they made their recording debut with an instantly obscure 1969 single:

- 'Heavenly Angel' b/w 'I'd rather Die' (Sue catalog number 12)

Two years later they got their big break when they were discovered Motown executive Ewart Abner at a 1972 dj convention in Atlanta and signed to the label.  It apparently took Motown management awhile to figure out how to deal with the group, eventually teaming them with the writing and production team of Nikolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson.  To Motown's credit the label made no attempt to hide lead singer Tony Washington's openly gay lifestyle - a fact underscored by one quick look at "The Dynamic Superiors" cover art.  Not that it mattered ...  Washington may have worn false eye lashes, rouge, lipstick, and occasionally performed in drag, but he had a killer voice.  On tracks like 'Shoe Shine Shine' and 'Star of My Life' he was more than capable of hitting high notes a-la Russell Tompkins Jr..  At the other end of the spectrum Washington's falsetto was nicely offset by tenors Peterbark Jr and Spann. With Ashford and Simpson bringing their top-shelf material to the recording sessions (they were responsible for nine of the ten songs with the one exception being penned by Valerie's brother Raymond Simpson of future Village People fame), this was simply one of the best old school vocal group LPs I've ever heard.   With the exception of the overly sensitive 'Cry When You Want To' virtually every one of these songs would have made a dandy single and was worth hearing.  With so many standout tracks highlights were hard to pick up, but included 'Leave It Alone', the blazing 'Don't Send Nobody Else' and 'I Got Awat'.  Elsewhere Motown tapped the album for a pair of singles:

- 1974's 'Shoe Shine Shine' b/w 'Release Me' (Motown catalog number M 1324F) # 6 pop; # 16 R&B

- 1975's 'Leave It Alone' b/w 'One-Nighter' (Motown catalog number M 1342F) # 102 pop; # 13 R&B

One of my favorite Washington, D.C. soul group albums ...

"The Dynamic Superiors" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Shoe Shoe Shine   (Nicholas Ashford - Valerie Simpson) - 3:45

2.) Soon   (Nicholas Ashford - Valerie Simpson) - 3:44

3.) Leave It Alone   (Nicholas Ashford - Valerie Simpson) - 3:40

4.) Don't Send Nobody Else   (Nicholas Ashford - Valerie Simpson) - 3:39

5.) Romeo   (Nicholas Ashford - Valerie Simpson) - 3:45

(side 2)
1.) Star of My Life   (Nicholas Ashford - Valerie Simpson) - 3:44

2.) Cry When You Want To   (Nicholas Ashford - Valerie Simpson) - 4:17

3.) I Got Away   (Raymond Simpson) - 2:18

4,) One-Nighter   (Nicholas Ashford - Valerie Simpson) - 4:00

5.) Release Me   (Nicbolas Ashford - Valerie Simpson) - 3:29

In the mid-1990s George Spann joined The Orioles, followed by a stint with The Flamingos.  Apparently the last remaining original member of The Dynamic Superiors, in 2006 Spann reactivated the nameplate, recruiting former late inning Flamingos Earnest Gilbert, James Faison, and Larry Jordan for club work.

Genre: soul

Rating: 4 stars ****

Title:  Pure Pleasure

Company: Motown

Catalog: M6-841S1
Year: 1975

Country/State: Washington, D.C.

Grade (cover/record): VG / VG

Comments: minor ring and edge wear

Available: SOLD

GEMM catalog ID: 5612

Price: SOLD $20.00

1975's "Pure Pleasure" found The Dynamic Superiors continuing their collaboration with producers/writers Nicholas Ashford and Valerie Simpson.  Like the debut, Ashford and Simpson wrote nine of the ten songs which meant the group was 100% dependent on the quality of the material being brought to them.  In most cases that spells bad news for non-writing acts and the first couple of times I listened to this set I felt it was very good, but a shade below the debut.  Pulling it out for the first time in a couple of years I'll tell you I was just plain wrong and their sophomore album was every bit as good as the debut.  Side one was near perfect.  Four great songs with great arrangements, courtesy of Horace Ott, Al Gorgonia and William Eaton, and a series of great performances.

- With Toni Washington and George Spann sharing lead vocals 'Deception' was a great dance number (every bit as good as anything on the debut) that should have been a massive radio hit - always loved the snorts scattered across the track.

- With a easy going, lilting hook 'Pleasure' would've made another great single.

- Clearly inspired by Toni Washington's alternative lifestyle 'Nobody's Gonna Change Me' had an anguished delivery, fantastic vocal chorus, and a driving beat.  Wonder how many folks bought the single not realizing that it was a statement for gay rights.   There was also a great bass segment in the middle of the song.

- The first couple of times I heard 'Feeling Mellow' it didn't do much for me. The song was okay, but Toni Washington's piercing falsetto made it hard for me to recognize what a great song it really was.  One of the prettiest ballads Ashford and Simpson ever wrote and one of the few songs that actually benefited from a clarinet solo ...

Side two wasn't quite as good.

- Ashford and Simpson don't write many turkeys, but one like the mindless disco crappola 'Face the Music' was bound to occasionally sneak in.  No matter how much Washington kicked into overdrive, this one simply couldn't be salvaged.

- Kicked along by a nice poppin' bass line 'Hit and Run Lovers' sported a nice groove that would have sounded great on top-40 radio.

- Penned by Valerie Simpson's brother Raymond, 'A Better Way' was the only outside selection on the album.  The result was a pretty, but ultimately forgettable ballad. 

- Kind of a MOR effort, but the chorus salvages 'Don't Give Up On Me Baby' from complete oblivion.

- The only explanation I could come up with for the lame, dirge-tempoed cover of 'Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing' was that Ashford and Simpson must have run out of new material and needed to round out the running time.  Stick with the Tammi Terrell/Marvin Gaye original.

Still any album batting 66% (six out of nine selections) was doing darned good.  In fact the only negative thing I can say is that the album sported one of the year's ugliest covers (it made my list of bad album art).  Motown also tapped the album for a pair of singles:

- 1975's 'Nobody's Gonna Change Me' b/w 'I Got Away' (Motown catalog number M 1359F)

- 1975's 'Deception' b/w 'One-Nighter' (Motown catalog number M 1365F)

"Pure Pleasure" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Deception   (Nicholas Ashford - Valerie Simpson) - 4:49

2.) Pleasure   (Nicholas Ashford - Valerie Simpson) - 3:19

3.) Nobody's Gonna Change Me   (Nicholas Ashford - Valerie Simpson) - 5:30

4.) Feeling Mellow   (Nicholas Ashford - Valerie Simpson) - 4:13

(side 2)
1.) Face the Music   (Nicholas Ashford - Valerie Simpson) - 3:09

2.) Hit and Run Lovers   (Nicholas Ashford - Valerie Simpson) - 4:06

3.) A Better Way   (Bobby Gene Hall - Raymond Simpson) - 3:38

4.) Don't Give Up On Me Baby   (Nicholas Ashford - Valerie Simpson) - 3:03

5.) Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing   (Nicholas Ashford - Valerie Simpson) - 4:13