Gladys Knight & The Pips — ImaginationI / Feel A Song / 2nd Anniversary / One & Only (2026)

 Four post-Motown gems from Gladys Knight & The Pips – presented here in a single set! First up is Imagination, a pivotal album for Gladys Knight and group – as the record features their super-huge hit "The Midnight Train To Georgia", a landmark track that not only had a catchy pop hook, but which spoke volumes about African-American migration in the postwar years. The track's one of those you've heard a million times, but it's got a strength that still holds up tremendously. Part of this is due to great production work by Tony Camillo – who handled arrangements and studio work on about half the tracks – and part is due to Jim Weatherly, who wrote the song, and about half the others on the album. The whole album's great – one of the best Buddah Records moments for the group – and titles include "I've Got To Use My Imagination", "Window Raising Granny", "Where Peaceful Waters Flow", "Once In A Lifetime Thing", "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me", and "Storms Of Trouble Times". Next is I Feel A Song – rock-solid Buddah work from Gladys Knight & The Pips – still pretty righteous on the vocal tip, but often a bit fuller and more polished than before! Knight shows a great talent for a mature ballad here – no big hits, but that's part of the charm of the set – as there's a personal, intimate quality to the tunes that also comes from the less-familiar nature of the lyrics. A few more tunes get a bit uptempo – to be expected when Tony Camillo's helping with production and arrangements – and the album features the great sample cut "Don't Burn Down The Bridge", plus the tracks "I Feel A Song", "Seconds", "Love Finds Its Own Way", "Better Go Your Way", "The Goings Up & The Comings Down", "Tenderness Is His Way", and "The Need To Be". Next is 2nd Anniversary, a record that celebrates the second anniversary of Gladys Knight & The Pips on Buddah Records – and an album that really shows the new level of depth the group were able to hit at the label! A key factor on the album is work by Eugene McDaniels – who produced the record, and wrote a good number of tracks too – really pushing Gladys and the group into righteous territory they wouldn't have touched a few years before – a deeper groove that really matches some of their best soundtrack material of the mid 70s! Gladys really stretches out wonderfully with her leads – and the Pips provide just the right sort of warm backdrop to hold things together. Titles include "Street Brother", "At Every End There's A Beginning", "Summer Sun", "Feel Like Making Love", and "Money". Last is One Only, the last Buddah Records album from Gladys Knight & The Pips – and a set that's a great summation of all the new territory the group hit with the label! The album's a mix of the mellower ballads that made Gladys one of the biggest female soul singers of the 70s, and some of the upbeat groovers that turned out to be a really great fit for the group's style – a mode that's not really disco, but which offers a strong mix of strings and rhythms. Tony Camillo and Van McCoy both bring some good production elements to the record – and titles include "Sorry Doesn't Always Make It Right", "Come Back & Finish What You Started", "It's A Better Than Good Time", "Saved By The Grace Of Your Love", "Butterfly", and "The One & Only".