UPDATED AUGUST 2021: "Phyllis sat right in my class.  I can still see the pigtails."  In a 2016 interview with The Second Disc, Thom Bell shared his earliest memories of the late Phyllis Hyman (1949-1995).  The songwriter-arranger-conductor-producer would cross paths numerous times over the years with his childhood friend: first via Phyllis' hit recordings of his "Betcha By Golly Wow" and "Loving You - Losing You," and later, his own productions and songs for her.  "She was a lonely individual," observed Thom, "which in turn enhanced the lonely vibes of a melody - if there was loneliness involved.  She took on the sound of Nancy Wilson."  Indeed, Phyllis built upon Wilson's elegant style with a depth of emotion; underneath the statuesque singer's cool and even imposing veneer, there was a passionate heart and tremendous complexity.  When collaborating with her, Bell channeled all aspects of her sound and persona - from the icy mystique of "Magic Mona" to the vulnerability and longing of "Old Friend."  In front of the microphone, Hyman shed her insecurities to command the listener's attention.  Now, both of those songs - and 111 others - are being collected on the late vocalist's first ever box set.

Cherry Red and SoulMusic Records' 9-CD collection Old Friend: The Deluxe Collection 1976-1998 brings together all of Phyllis Hyman's studio albums as originally released on the Buddah, Arista, and Philadelphia International labels plus select bonus tracks.  It's very much in the mold of SoulMusic's recent boxes for Dionne Warwick, Evelyn "Champagne" King, and Deniece Williams, with expanded editions of numerous albums albeit reconfigured from past SoulMusic reissues and those of other labels.  This release additionally follows the label's 2017 anthology of Hyman's Buddah and Arista recordings.  The singer's versatility is showcased throughout the set as she collaborated with such distinguished company as Thom Bell, Norman Connors, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, Skip Scarborough, and Barry Manilow.

Nine albums are included in Old Friend.  Below, you'll find adapted versions of Cherry Red's descriptions for each of these, but we've added background information and notes to each title.

CD 1: Phyllis Hyman (Buddah) marked Phyllis' official album debut and includes the U.S. R&B/dance charted single, "Loving You, Losing You," co-penned by Philly soul maestro Thom Bell who also co-wrote
"Betcha By Golly Wow," which Phyllis recorded with jazz drummer Norman Connors in 1976 along with a duet with Michael Henderson ("We Both Need Each Other"), resulting in her first exposure to a wider audience. Also on this expanded edition, both sides of Phyllis' 1976 single for Desert Moon Records.  [SoulMusic expanded this album in 2013 with four bonus tracks.  The John Davis-produced outtake "You're the One" has been retained while the other three cuts have been dropped as all feature on CD 2 of this collection.  In their place are three more collaborations with Norman Connors: "Betcha by Golly Wow," "We Both Need Each Other," and "Just Imagine," all from his 1976 album You Are My Starship.]

CD 2: Somewhere in My Lifetime (Arista) marked Phyllis' addition to the Arista Records roster when Buddah Records was acquired by the Clive Davis-helmed label. The title cut was freshly co-produced by Barry Manilow and Ron Dante [was a lush ballad with the dynamics one expects of a recording with the Manilow imprimatur], and six tracks were included from Phyllis' second Buddah LP Sing a Song which only gained release outside the U.S. in 1978.  This expanded edition features bonus tracks from Sing A Song and a guest appearance with saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, "As You Are," as well as 12" single versions of "Kiss You All Over" and "So Strange." [SoulMusic reissued Somewhere in My Lifetime in 2013 with five bonus cuts.  Three songs which Clive Davis dropped when he transformed Sing a Song into Somewhere in My Lifetime have been retained, as have the aforementioned 12-inch mixes.  This edition adds a sixth bonus: Pharoah Sanders' 1978 track "As You Are."  It was produced and co-written by Norman Connors, and features Phyllis' vocals.]

CD 3: You Know How to Love Me (Arista) teamed Phyllis with James Mtume and Reggie Lucas, hitmakers for Stephanie Mills; the result was Phyllis' biggest R&B/dance hit with the now-classic title track.  This expanded edition includes the Thom Bell-produced "Magic Mona" [from the soundtrack to the Lorimar film The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, the full soundtrack of which was reissued on CD by Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music]; three tracks on which Phyllis guested with jazz pianist McCoy Tyner; and "In A Sentimental Mood" from the Duke Ellington Broadway musical Sophisticated Ladies, in which Phyllis starred and was nominated for a Tony Award.  [Funky Town Grooves revisited this title in 2015 with seven bonus tracks including titles associated with Can't We Fall in Love Again and Goddess of Love.  From the FTG version, this disc keeps the single edits of "You Know How to Love Me" and "Under Your Spell" and moves the other tracks to their appropriate albums.]

CD 4: 1981's Can't We Fall in Love Again (Arista) featured Phyllis' highest-charting R&B hit, the Norman Connors-produced title duet with Michael Henderson. Connors also helmed Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen's silky "The Love Too Good to Last" (also recorded by The Pointer Sisters) while Chuck Jackson contributed productions, too.  This expanded edition features six bonus tracks.  [SoulMusic reissued Can't We Fall in Love Again back in 2008.  From that release, "Sleep on It," "If You Ever Change Your Mind," and Bacharach and Hal David's "In Between the Heartaches" have been retained.  Single edits of "You Sure Look Good to Me" and "Can't We Fall in Love Again" as well as the disco mix of "Tonight You and Me" have been added.  The 2008 edition's remaining tracks have been moved to the albums to which they're better-suited.]

CD 5: Goddess of Love was Phyllis' final LP for Arista with production from Narada Michael Walden (the R&B/dance hit "Riding the Tiger") and Thom Bell, with a bonus track from the Bell sessions, "I'm Not Asking You to Stay," added to this expanded edition.  [The dance mix and single edit of "Riding the Tiger," both included on SoulMusic's 2013 reissue, are also here.  The instrumental single version of "Riding the Tiger" from that reissue has been dropped, and is not featured on this box set.]

CD 6: Living All Alone marks Phyllis' 1986 pacting with Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records' label and resulted in immediate success with two Top 20 R&B hits, the title track and the Thom Bell/Linda Creed perennial "Old Friend," which remained a staple of Phyllis' live shows.  This expanded edition features guest appearances with Barry Manilow ["Black and Blue" from Manilow's 1987 album Swing Street, also featuring Tom Scott on saxophone] and Grover Washington Jr. ["Sacred Kind of Love" in its full-length version from Washington's 1989 Time Out of Mind LP; a single edit was also released on 45 RPM and CD].  Edsel's 2005 reissue of Living All Alone added "Run Jesse Run," featuring Phyllis, Lou Rawls, Rev. James Cleveland, The James Cleveland Choir, and Leon Huff.  The 1988 political anthem for Rev. Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign was released in four versions - short and long instrumental and vocal versions - but none of them are included on the upcoming box.  Neither is the extended version of "Screaming at the Moon;" the Extended, Instrumental, Percussapella and edited versions of "Ain't You Had Enough Love;" or the edit of "Old Friend."]

CD 7: 1991's Prime of My Life (PIR) brought Phyllis her first R&B chart-topping single, "Don't Wanna Change the World" (with the rare non-rap version included on this expanded edition) and included notable tracks "Living in Confusion" and "Meet Me on the Moon."  The additional bonus track, "Hottest Love Around," was only previously available on a CD single [and on the Japanese CD release of the album.  However, the Radio Edits of "I Found Love," "When You Get Right Down to It," and "Living in Confusion," and the Extended Rap Version of "Don't Wanna Change the World" from various singles are not included.]

CD 8: I Refuse to Be Lonely (PIR), with primary production by Nick Martinelli (who had worked on Phyllis' 1991 CD) was released after her passing in June 1995 and features five tracks co-written by Phyllis including the title track and standout "It's Not About You (It's About Me)".  [This album is not expanded in the box set.  A Radio Edit of "I'm Truly Yours," about a minute-and-a-half shorter than the album version, was released on CD and cassette.]

CD 9: Forever with You (PIR, 1998) consists of a collection of previously-unreleased recordings that Phyllis had recorded for Philadelphia International Records, including four she co-wrote, notably "The Strength of a Woman," as well as a memorable version of "Hurry Up This Way Again," a 1980 R&B hit for The Stylistics.  [Note that "Come Right or Not at All" has appeared in a couple of different edits on earlier pressings; this disc utilizes the 4:35 version, not the 5:17 one.]  Forever with You has not been expanded for this presentation.]

Old Friend: The Deluxe Collection 1976-1998 adds up to a compelling if incomplete survey of Phyllis Hyman's rich musical legacy.  The late albums in particular are still worthy of reevaluation should relevant bonus material become available for licensing.  In the meantime, collectors should hold onto the 2003 odds and ends set In Between the Heartaches which includes five Sony-controlled tracks not reprised on this box (the extended mix of "Soon Come Again," an alternative version of "Don't Tell Me, Tell Her," "Be One," Pharoah Sanders' "Everything I Have Is Good" and Jon Lucien's "Spring's Arrival").  Sanders' "Love Is Here" from his 1978 LP Love Will Find a Way also does not appear on this collection.  On the sleeve for Somewhere in My Lifetime, it's noted that the two Sanders tracks weren't included due to "time limitations" as the disc runs over 74 minutes without them.

SoulMusic Records founder David Nathan has curated Old Friend with Glenda Gracia, manager of The Phyllis Hyman Estate.  The deluxe 40-page booklet certainly adds to one's appreciation of the late artist.  Gracia provides an introductory essay which addresses Phyllis' struggles with mental illness in frank and revealing fashion.  Journalist Janine Coveney provides another appreciation of the woman and her music, going album-by-album through the discs on this set.  SoulMusic's Michael Lewis and David Nathan round out the booklet with two more remembrances.  All of the essays touch on the authors' personal experiences with Hyman, underscoring the impact she had on them during her too-short lifetime.  Various candid photos are also featured as well as picture sleeve and label images.  (Nathan also notes with candor that some of the requested bonus tracks were not available due to licensing restrictions.)  Nick Robbins has remastered the audio with customary respect for the material, although most of the discs aren't major improvements over past reissues.   Roger Williams has designed the artwork in SoulMusic's usual style.

In life and in music, Phyllis Hyman defied easy categorization.  Though she took her own life on June 30, 1995 at just 45 years of age, she left behind one of soul's most enduring and wide-ranging discographies. Old Friend spellbindingly presents every side of this once-in-a-lifetime talent: effervescent dancers, touching ballads, brassy showstoppers, New Jack Swing workouts, yearning love songs, and melodies that happily blurred the lines of jazz, pop, soul, disco, and R&B.  All were valid expressions of a multifaceted vocalist.  As Linda Creed wrote in "Old Friend,"

A million times or more I thought about you
The years, the tears, the laughter, things we used to do
Are memories that warm me like a sunny day
You touched my life in such a special way.

Thanks, Phyllis.

Phyllis Hyman, Old Friend: The Deluxe Collection 1976-1988 (Cherry Red/SoulMusic SMCR5200BX, 2021) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Cherry Red)

CD 1: Phyllis Hyman (Buddah LP BDS 5681, 1977) plus bonus tracks

1. LOVING YOU, LOSING YOU
2. NO ONE CAN LOVE YOU MORE
3. ONE THING ON MY MIND
4. I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU
5. DELIVER THE LOVE
6. WAS YESTERDAY SUCH A LONG TIME AGO
7. THE NIGHT BIRD GETS THE LOVE
8. BEAUTIFUL MAN OF MINE
9. CHILDREN OF THE WORLD
10. BABY (I'M GONNA LOVE YOU) (Desert Moon single DMS-6402, 1976)
11. DO ME (Desert Moon single DMS-6402, 1976)
12. YOU'RE THE ONE (first released on You Know How to Love Me: Expanded Edition, Arista/BMG Heritage CD 07822 10606-02, 2002)
13. WE BOTH NEED EACH OTHER - Norman Connors feat. Phyllis Hyman & Michael Henderson (from You Are My Starship, Buddah LP BDS 5655, 1976)
14. BETCHA BY GOLLY WOW - Norman Connors feat. Phyllis Hyman (from You Are My Starship, Buddah LP BDS 5655, 1976)
15. JUST IMAGINE... - Norman Connors feat. Phyllis Hyman (from You Are My Starship, Buddah LP BDS 5655, 1976)

CD 2: Somewhere in My Lifetime (Arista LP AB 4202, 1978) plus bonus tracks

1. KISS YOU ALL OVER
2. SOMEWHERE IN MY LIFETIME
3. LOOKIN' FOR A LOVIN'
4. THE ANSWER IS YOU
5. SO STRANGE
6. GONNA MAKE CHANGES
7. LIVING INSIDE YOUR LOVE
8. BE CAREFUL (HOW YOU TREAT MY LOVE)
9. SOON COME AGAIN
10. HERE'S THAT RAINY DAY
11. SO STRANGE (12″ VERSION) (Arista 12-inch single SP-42, 1978)
12. KISS YOU ALL OVER (12″ VERSION) (Arista 12-inch single SP-42, 1978)
13. SWEET MUSIC (from Sing a Song, Buddah LP BDLP 4058, 1978)
14. LOVE IS FREE (from Sing a Song, Buddah LP BDLP 4058, 1978)
15. SING A SONG (from Sing a Song, Buddah LP BDLP 4058, 1978)
16. AS YOU ARE - Pharoah Sanders feat. Phyllis Hyman (from Love Will Find a Way, Arista LP AB-4161, 1978)

CD 3: You Know How to Love Me (Arista LP AL-9509, 1979) plus bonus tracks

1. YOU KNOW HOW TO LOVE ME
2. SOME WAY
3. UNDER YOUR SPELL
4. THIS FEELING MUST BE LOVE
5. BUT I LOVE YOU
6. HEAVENLY
7. HOLD ON
8. GIVE A LITTLE MORE
9. COMPLETE ME
10. YOU KNOW HOW TO LOVE ME (SINGLE EDIT) (Arista single AS 0463, 1979)
11. UNDER YOUR SPELL (SINGLE EDIT) (Arista single AS 0495, 1980)
12. MAGIC MONA (from The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Lorimar LP SZ 36303, 1979)
13. I'LL BE AROUND - McCoy Tyner (feat. Phyllis Hyman) (from Looking Out, Columbia FC 38053, 1982)
14. LOVE SURROUNDS US EVERYWHERE - McCoy Tyner (feat. Phyllis Hyman) (from Looking Out, Columbia FC 38053, 1982)
15. IN SEARCH OF MY HEART - McCoy Tyner (feat. Phyllis Hyman) (from Looking Out, Columbia FC 38053, 1982)
16. IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD (from Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies: Original Broadway Cast Recording, RCA Red Seal LP CBL2-4053, 1981)

CD 4: Can't We Fall in Love Again (Arista LP AL 9544, 1981) plus bonus tracks

1. YOU SURE LOOK GOOD TO ME
2. DON'T TELL ME, TELL HER
3. I AIN'T ASKING
4. CAN'T WE FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - Phyllis Hyman & Michael Henderson
5. THE LOVE TOO GOOD TO LAST
6. TONIGHT YOU AND ME
7. THE SUNSHINE IN MY LIFE
8. JUST ANOTHER FACE IN THE CROWD
9. CAN'T WE FALL IN LOVE AGAIN (SINGLE VERSION) - Phyllis Hyman & Michael Henderson (Arista single AS 0606, 1981)
10. YOU SURE LOOK GOOD TO ME (SINGLE VERSION) (Arista single AS 0656, 1981)
11. TONIGHT YOU AND ME (DISCO VERSION) (Arista U.K. single ARIST 12 444, 1981)
12. SLEEP ON IT (from In Between the Heartaches: The Soul of a Diva, Expansion CD EXCL 6, 2003)
13. IF YOU EVER CHANGE YOUR MIND (from In Between the Heartaches: The Soul of a Diva, Expansion CD EXCL 6, 2003)
14. IN BETWEEN THE HEARTACHES (from In Between the Heartaches: The Soul of a Diva, Expansion CD EXCL 6, 2003)

CD 5: Goddess of Love (Arista LP AL 9619, 1983) plus bonus tracks

1. RIDING THE TIGER
2. GODDESS OF LOVE
3. WHY DID YOU TURN ME ON
4. YOUR MOVE, MY HEART
5. LET SOMEBODY LOVE YOU
6. FALLING STAR
7. WE SHOULD BE LOVERS
8. JUST ME AND YOU
9. JUST TWENTY FIVE MILES TO ANYWHERE
10. I'M NOT ASKING YOU TO STAY (from Can't We Fall in Love Again: Expanded Edition, Passion Music/SoulMusic CD SMDC03, 2008)
11. RIDING THE TIGER (DANCE VERSION) (Arista 12-inch single AD1-9041, 1983)
12. RIDING THE TIGER (SINGLE EDIT) (Arista single AS 1-9023, 1983)

CD 6: Living All Alone (Philadelphia International LP ST-53029, 1986) plus bonus tracks

1. LIVING ALL ALONE
2. FIRST TIME TOGETHER
3. IF YOU WANT ME
4. SLOW DANCIN'
5. OLD FRIEND
6. YOU JUST DON'T KNOW
7. AIN'T YOU HAD ENOUGH LOVE
8. SCREAMIN' AT THE MOON
9. WHAT YOU WON'T DO FOR LOVE
10. BLACK AND BLUE - Barry Manilow & Phyllis Hyman, featuring Tom Scott (from Swing Street, Arista LP AL 8527, 1987)
11. SACRED KIND OF LOVE - Grover Washington, Jr. featuring Phyllis Hyman (from Time Out of Mind, Columbia CD CK 45253, 1989)

CD 7: Prime of My Life (Philadelphia International/Zoo CD 72445-11006-2, 1991) plus bonus tracks

1. WHEN YOU GET RIGHT DOWN TO IT
2. I FOUND LOVE
3. DON'T WANNA CHANGE THE WORLD
4. PRIME OF MY LIFE
5. WHEN I GIVE MY LOVE (THIS TIME)
6. I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE
7. WALK AWAY
8. LIVING IN CONFUSION
9. MEET ME ON THE MOON
10. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO OUR LOVE
11. (THE) HOTTEST LOVE AROUND (from Prime of My Life, PIR/RCA Japan CD BVCP-184, 1991)
12. DON'T WANNA CHANGE THE WORLD (NO RAP VERSION) (from PIR/Zoo CD single ZP 17013, 1991)

CD 8: I Refuse to Be Lonely (Philadelphia International/Zoo CD 61422 31040-2, 1995)

1. I REFUSE TO BE LONELY
2. WAITING FOR THE LAST TEAR TO FALL
3. THIS TOO SHALL PASS
4. I'M TRULY YOURS
5. I'M CALLING YOU
6. BACK TO PARADISE
7. IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU (IT'S ABOUT ME)
8. IT TAKES TWO
9. WHY NOT ME
10. GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON TO STAY

CD 9: Forever with You (Philadelphia International CD 53878 30902-9, 1995)

1. FOREVER WITH YOU
2. FUNNY HOW LOVE GOES
3. COME RIGHT OR NOT AT ALL
4. THE STRENGTH OF A WOMAN
5. HURRY UP THIS WAY AGAIN
6. HOW LONG
7. SOMEONE TO LOVE
8. TELL ME WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DO
9. THE KIDS
10. SET A LITTLE TRAP
11. NO ONE BUT YOU
12. SOUVENIRS