Funky16Corners

The Show Stoppers – Heartbreaker

By Larry, October 21, 2012 1:37 pm

The Show Stoppers

~~Listen/Download The Show Stoppers – Heartbreaker~~

Greetings all

Welcome to another week here at the Funky16Corners.

The tune I bring you today is from a lesser know chapter in one of the great Philadelphia soul groups of the 60s.

The Show Stoppers are best known for their epic ‘Ain’t Nothing But a House Party’, initially released in Philly on the Showtime label.

That tune is widely regarded as a killer, but most people – even soul fans – would be hard pressed to name another tune from that group’s catalog, which is unfortunate because there’s a lot of great stuff there.

Formed in the mid-60s by Alec and Laddie Burke – younger brothers of King Solomon himself – along with Earl Smith and Timmy Smith (also brothers) the Show Stoppers went on to record a trio of 45s for Showtime.

They hit the outer reaches of the Hot 100 in May of 1967 with ‘Ain’t Nothing But a House Party’, though the song was a huge hit in Philadelphia.

The Show Stoppers material would eventuallybe picked up and reissued in the US by Heritage records who took ‘Ain’t Nothing But A House Party’ back into the charts in 1968.

Almost a full year after their initial success, thanks to the group being picked up by Beacon Records in the UK, ‘Ain’t Nothing But a House Party’ (already gaining steam in UK soul clubs) entered the UK Top 40.

All of the groups US material – including the outstanding ‘What Can a Man Do’ and ‘How Can Your Heart Forget Me’ – went on to be issued in the UK on Beacon.

The Show Stoppers proved to be so popular in the UK that Beacon had them record more material (an additional seven tracks) that was only ever issued in that country.

The song I bring you today was released in the UK in June of 1968 with the funky US track ‘Shake Your Mini’ on the flipside.

‘Heartbreaker’ – written by Del Shahr (aka Carl Fisher of the Vibrations) is a storming slice of Northern Soul that once heard immediately brings up the question, ‘Why wasn’t this song released in the US?”.

The tune is a fast moving dancer with enough of a pop edge to get played on the radio as well.

‘Ain’t Nothing But a Houe Party’ became a Northern Soul standard, eventually re-entering the UK Top 40 (issued this time on MGM) in January of 1971.

Despite several excellent singles, the Show Stoppers would break up a year later.

I hope you dig the track, and I’ll see you all on Wednesday.

Keep the faith

Larry

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