A House on Fire: The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Soul

Major Disappointment:
For me, this book is a major disappointment. The biggest gaping hole in the book is the fact that the author was not able to interview either Gamble or Huff. It also reads like a college textbook - dull writing style. This was hot R & B music of the 1970's and the writing should have reflected the excitement in the music.

I wish it could have gone on forever:
The book AND the era in music, that is. Being a huge fan of both pop music history and early-70s soul, I savored this read like a fine meal. My only complaint is that it had to end. So much detail, such loving care applied by the author...this is one great read. I'd give it six stars if I could. It's that good!

Didn't I blow your mind....this time!:
I thought I knew a lot about Philly Soul. This book turned on so many lights for me regarding Philly Soul. MFSB, Bell, Huff, Gamble and many others are covered in this book. I would like to sit down and talk to Thom Bell. Out of all the people in this book (and a lot are covered,) the music and genius of Thom Bell really blew my mind.

The rise and fall of Philadelphia International Records.:
Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's legendary Philadelphia International label was the most important and influential R & B imprint of the 1970s and this long-overdue chronicle of its rise, glory days and fall is indispensable for anyone who loves the music PIR released. Although the author was unable to interview either Gamble or Huff he does interview Thom Bell and other key players of the PIR camp. Thoroughly researched and a well-done job indeed. Whereas books on the Motown, Stax and Atlantic labels have been previously available this is (surprisingly)O the first-ever in depth one published about PIR and is much-welcome on all counts.

An Outstanding Book - Thoroughly Researched:
What impressed me most about Mr. Jackson's book is the research he did. I can't imagine a more meticulously detailed and thoroughly researched subject. This book should be required reading for potential writers, to learn how it should be done. Because this is not mainstream material - this book would never be a best seller since the subject matter is of interest only to a small segment of the reading public, Mr. Jackson probably could have taken a few shortcuts here and there; who would have known? But he obviously didn't. My interest lied with whether there was a connection between Cameo-Parkway, a label whose music I treasured as a teen (and still do) and Philadelphia International, all of whose music I was equally as impressed with. I wanted to see if there was any connection between the companies since they were both based in Philadelphia. I certainly found my answers and then some, thanks to this book. Highly recommended!