- Taka Boom -- vocals (1976-79)

- Tyrone Berkeley -- vocals (1973-79)

- Billy Rae Calvin -- vocals (1970-74)

- Tyrone Douglas -- vocals (1973-76)

- Brenda Joyce Evans -- vocals (1971-73)

- Joe Harris -- vocals (1970-79)

- Hershel Kennedy -- vocals (1978)

- Virginia McDonald -- vocals (1973-76)

- Calvin Stevens -- vocals (1975-79)

- The Barons (Tyrone Douglas)

- Taka Boom (solo efforts)

- The Delicates (Billy Rae Calvin and Brenda Joyce)

- The Eighth Day (Tyrone Douglas and Virginia McDonald)

- Little Joe and the Moroccos (Joe Harris)

- The Magictones (Tyrone Douglas and Calvin Stevens)

- The Monticellos (Joe Harris)

- The Peppermints (Tyrone Douglas)

- The Preps (Joe Harris)

Genre: soul

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  Higher Than High

Company: Gordy

Catalog: G6-972S1

Year: 1975

Country/State: US

Grade (cover/record): VG / VG

Comments: minor ring, edge and corner wear

Available: SOLD

GEMM Catalog ID: SOLD

Price: SOLD

Had this outfit been signed to any label other than Motown's Gordy subsidiary, they would have been megastars.  Unfortunately, in spite of occasional brushes with popular success, they were overshadowed by the company's bigger and better known acts.

For four years and three studio albums, The Undisputed Truth featured the talents of Billy Rae Calvin, Brenda Joyce-nee-Evans, and Joe Harris.  That all changed with the release of 1975s "Higher Than High".  Firing Calvin and Joyce-Evans, band mentor/producer Norman Whitfield kept Joe Harris, replacing the other two with Tyrone Berkeley, Tyrone Douglas, Virginia McDonald, and Calvin Stevens.   Douglas and McDonald had both been in The Eighth Day.  Douglas and Stephens had also been members of the Magictones, a rather faceless Detroit cover band.  The new line-ups experience was more than enough for Whitfield's goal of creating a self-contained band. 

With Whitfield producing and writing most of the material, the new line up debuted with 1975's "Higher Than High". Musically it was pretty clear where Whitfield's current inspiration was coming from.  Showcasing tracks such as 'I'm In the Red Zone', 'Boogie Bump Boogie' (always loved the Atari game sound effects) and the hysterical 'Poontang' (with the classic lyric "I use to hate it till I ate it"), Whitfield should have just co-credited Sly and the Family Stone and George Clinton and the Parliament/Funkadelic family as co-writers.  While there wasn't anything wrong with the group's new direction, it did provide the set with a somewhat schizophrenic sound - particularly when you heard one of Harris' isolated old school performances like 'Life Ain't So Easy'.  Elsewhere, released as a single 'Help Yourself' b/w 'What's Going On' (Gordy catalog number G 7134F) managed to climb into the top-100 pop charts.  The group also got heavily into stage props, including kiss-styled makeup and some of the wildest white afro wigs you've ever seen. As for sales, the set peaked at # 173.

And courtesy of YouTube here are a pair of Soul Train performances':

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oTfppDQxL4

'Ma'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fTkxNAALug&feature=related

'Boogie Bump Boogie'

"Higher than High" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Higher Than High   (Norman Whitfield) - 
2.) Poontange   (Norman Whitfield) - 
3.) Life Ain't So Easy (Norman Whitfield) - 
4.) Boogie Bump Boogie   (Norman Whitfield - John McGhee) - 
5.) Help Yourself   (Norman Whitfield) - 

(side 2)
1.) I'm In the Red Zone   (Norman Whitfield) -
2.) Overload   (Norman Whitfield - John McGhee - Joe Harris) - 
3.) I Saw You When You Met Her   (Norman Whitfield) - 
4.) Ma   (Norman Whitfield) - 

Genre: soul

Rating: 3 stars ***

Title:  Cosmic Truth

Company: Gordy

Catalog: G6-970S1

Year: 1975

Country/State: 

Grade (cover/record): VG / VG

Comments: gatefold sleeve

Available: SOLD

GEMM catalog ID: SOLD

Price: SOLD

1975's "Cosmic Truth" found Whitfield reinforcing his efforts to blend psych and soul influences into a commercial hybrid.  Responsible for virtually all of the material, the collection found the group all but abandoning their earlier soul-influenced moves.  In there place tracks like 'UFOs' (talk about a Bootsy Collins clone), 'Got To Get My Hands On Some Lovin' ' and 'Lil' Red Riding Hood' served to underscore Whitfield's continuing affection for George Clinton/Funkadelic/Parliament material.  This time around the influences were so clear that Whitfield was lucky he didn't get slapped with a plagiarism suit.   Though it sounded out of place compared to the rest of the set the leadoff dance track 'Earthquake Shake' was a refreshing brush with old school and with it's wall of sound drums was guaranteed to quickly destroy inferior stereo speakers.  The group also turned in a nice cover of Neil Young's 'Down By the River'.   Best of the lot - their psych-soul cover of Whitfield's '(I Know) I'm Losing You'.  Full of Whitfield's trademarked quirky production effects (including lots of fuzz guitar), the results were way over the top, but in a charming and goofy kind of way that made for one of the group's stronger sets.

Gordy tapped the album for three singles:

- 1974's 'Little Red Ridin' Hood' b/w 'Big John Is My Name' (Gordy catalog number G 7140F)

- 1975's 'UFO's' b/w 'Got To Get My Hands On Some Lovin'' (Gordy catalog number G 7143F)

- 1975's 'Spaced Out' b/w '' (Gordy catalog number G 7145F)

"Cosmic Truth" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Earthquake Shake   (Norman Whitfield - Joe Harris) - 

2.) Down By the River   (Neil Young) - 

3.) UFO's   (Norman Whitfield) - 

4.) Lil' Red Riding Hood   (Norman Whitfield) - 

5.) Squeeze Me, Tease Me   (Norman Whitfield) - 

(side 2)
1.) Spaced Out   (Norman Whitfield) - 

2.) Got To Get My Hands On Some Lovin'   (Norman Whitfield) - 

3.) 1990   (Norman Whitfield) - 

4.) (I Know) I'm Losing You   (Norman Whitfield - Eddie Holland - Cornelius Grant) -