The O’Jays made their first chart appearance with ‘Lonely Drifter’ in 1963, but reached their greatest level of success once Gamble & Huff, a team of producers and songwriters, signed them to their Philadelphia International label in 1972. With Gamble & Huff, the O’Jays emerged at the forefront of Philadelphia Soul with ‘Back Stabbers’ (1972) and topped the following year with ‘Love Train’. Recorded in December 1973 at the O’Jays’ commercial peak, the live format gave the group chance to stretch, length-wise, beyond the time allotted to them in the studio. So you get an eight-minute ‘Back Stabbers,’ a six-minute ‘Love Train’, a ten-minute ‘Sunshine’ and a long cruise through ‘When The World’s At Peace’.
