The Summits - Window Shopping - Soul Direction Origins
B/W - Phillips - People Clap Your Hands - LISTEN
The Summits.
Supporters of the Soul Direction label and the general soul collecting movement will be more than aware of the DC band The Summits. The track featured “Window Shopping” was part of a almost lost master tape and only released in digital format.
The bus displayed the name of the last northbound stop, in this case, Summit Hill. The Summits seemed a fitting name for the group. The group soon fell under the tutelage of Joe Tate, who maintained a stable of musicians, among them national recording artists the Fuzz, the Choice Four, and the Blendells. The Summits’ “I Can’t Get Over Losing You” would appear on Tate’s Dontee label in 1970, but limited distribution and radio play didn’t give the group much fame or fortune. The Summits would not get a second recording until Tate’s other recordings and business deals were completed, and it wasn’t until Tate paired the Summits Joe Phillips that things began to take shape. Phillips would write half a dozen songs for the Summits, four of which were released as singles on Stan Bethel’s D.C. International label. The track “Window Shopping” was part of the groups recordings with DC International and did not see the light until Numero released a EP of the groups best songs. After discussions, Soul-Direction Records secured the only 7” vinyl release of this group soul gem.
Band Members:
Andre Sanders
Juan Hawkins
Willie “Sherman” Flannagan
Alvin “Lumberjack” Middleton
Sidney Smith replaced Andre Sanders in 1971
Phillips.
The group covered massive ground on their six-track EP, touching on everything from feel-good disco to funky fusion, to modern soul, and back again, recovered from countless tapes “People Clap Your Hands” is one of the Six tracks they laid down that day and here at Soul Direction we believe the best one so with pleasure we bring it to you for the first time on vinyl.
Phillips were a bit of a mystery by all accounts. Just Another Day was nothing more than a single tape on a shelf with hundreds of other tapes, decomposing under the weight of time and neglect, but for Numero’s intervention. A track tape from talented producer R. Hosea Williams and narrowly escaping obscurity, including from William’s himself. There is a strong argument that Joe Phillips is behind the mysterious group, given they used Joe’s last name, but not that we can establish 100%.
Phillips was a funky soul band playing around D.C. in the late ’70s, and one way or another they ended up in R.G.B. studios.
