''Save the Children'' is an album by the American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

group the Intruders, released in 1973. The album peaked at No. 133 on the ''Billboard'' Top LPs & Tape chart.

Production

''Save the Children'' was produced by

Gamble & Huff Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production team credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as ...

. It was the first album to credit the

Philadelphia International Records Philadelphia International Records (PIR) was an American record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1971 by songwriting and production duo Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff along with their longtime collaborator Thom Bell. I ...

house band,

MFSB MFSB, officially standing for "Mother Father Sister Brother", was a pool of more than 30 studio musicians based at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom Bel ...

. "

I'll Always Love My Mama "I'll Always Love My Mama" is a 1973 single by the Philly soul group The Intruders. Released from their album ''Save the Children'', the single is a song commonly played on Mother's Day. Written by Gamble & Huff and co-written by McFadden & Whit ...

", like many Intruders' songs, includes a mid-song interruption where the group members engage in a loose rap related to the song's theme. "

Mother and Child Reunion "Mother and Child Reunion" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the lead single from his second studio album, ''Paul Simon'' (1972), released on Columbia Records. Background It was at the time one of the few songs by a ...

" is a cover of the

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

song.

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

stated that "the cream is the spirited, tear-inducing 'I'll Always Love My Mama', the best mama song ever." ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' deemed the album "a deeply eccentric take on Philly soul." ''

The Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'' wrote that the album "qualifies as one of the few consistently satisfying albums to come from the Philly factory," arguing that "disco begins here: the fleet guitar-and-horn stroke that ignites 'Mama' points the way to a new, non-rock dance groove."

Track listing

References

{{Authority control 1973 albums The Intruders (band) albums Albums produced by Kenneth Gamble Albums produced by Leon Huff