The Three Degrees were one of the most successful groups to emerge from the Philadelphia soul scene in the seventies. Their American success was limited to their Philly sound period but they continued to have success in Europe, particularly Britain, for a few years after that. Their music is a wonderful mix of ballads and up-tempo material but may generally be described as easy-listening disco music.

This collection focuses on the early part of their career, their Philly sound period. Among the hits included here are TSOP (their only American number one hit) and When will I see you again (their only British number one hit). Other great songs including Dirty old man, Year of decision and Take good care of yourself, the last two of which charted high in the UK.

After they switched labels to Ariola, their British hits included Golden lady, Jump the gun, Giving up giving in, Woman in love, The runner and My simple heart. You must look elsewhere if you want those tracks.

As a collection of their Philly sound music (the only part of their career that most Americans are interested in), this is brilliant.

I have this CD and it's wonderful. My only complaint is that the Record Companies keep releasing many alternate versions of my favorite song "Maybe"
The version I would like to see on CD is from the album "Maybe" 5:37 Roulette (SR-42050) or the "45" "Maybe" 5:37 Roulette (19924) bw "You're The One" which ever information is helpful.

This venerable, talented trio has never been fully captured on CD. This one is your best bet.

The problem? These girls had two career phases, utterly irreconcilable to most of their fans. Phase one is The Three Degrees most of us know and love: the Philly International years. They were to this label what The Superemes were to Motown, but their monster hits "When Will I See You Again" (1973), "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)," (1974) and their grace notes on Tom Moulton's brilliant 1977 remix of "Love Is The Message" did not commercially sustain.

Still, every album they cut on this label is worthwhile. Even minor R&B hits like "Take Good Care Of Yourself" (1975) still send a chill up the spine with their corny but wistful power.

When the hits dried up, the girls teamed up with Giorgio Moroder, the Italo-German wunderkind who made Donna Summer. Most fans of the 3D's early years HATE these records. I like one of them.

The earlier records are better music overall, but the first album cut they with Giorgio ("New Dimensions," 1978) has a thrilling side-one suite. Think of "Givin Up/Givin In," "Lookin' For Love," and "Falling in Love Again" as the Three Degrees five years later...no longer spring chickens, angry with the downside of the love they used to coo about, but not quite through with it.

Side two is notable for "The Runner," a big disco hit in early 1979. Too bad the second album they cut with Moroder, "3D" (1980) is mostly junk, in the same Eurodisco vein.

An ideal compilation would include most of "New Dimensions," plus one or two sweet singles these girls cut before they hit big, including their 1970 remake of The Chantals' ballad "Maybe."

Alas, soul sisters rarely get their due...

The Three Degrees were originally a Sixties Girl Group out of Philadelphia, discovered by producer/songwriter Richard Brrett, who also had Little Anthony & the Imperals, the Chantels, and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers in his stable. However, all of the songs on "The Best of the Three Degrees: When Will I See You Again" are taken from the Seventies, when the group was signed to Philadelphia International Records and their albums were being produced by Gamble & Huff. At that point the Three Degrees consisted of Valerie Holiday, Sheila Ferguson, and the only remaining original member Fayette Pickney and the R&B Girl Group was now doing lush disco songs starting with their first hit for their new label, "Dirty Ol' Man." Then they got to sing with MFSB on "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" the new theme song for television's "Soul Train," which went #1 on the Pop Charts in 1974. That same summer the Three Degrees hit the charts with their mega-hit, "When Will I See You Again," which made it to #2 and became their signature song (and therefore the title for this hits collection). The group's other charting songs were "Love is the Message," "I Didn't Know" and "Take Good Care of Yourself," but they were minor efforts compared to "When Will I See You Again." But when the disco bubble popped the Three Degrees went another evolution, changing members and doing a lot of performing and recording in the U.K., where they had always enjoyed more popularity (they played at Prince Charles's 30th birthday party and were invited to his wedding). I was trying to track down the group's Girl Group songs, so this album was not what I was looking for, but in terms of the disco sound these songs have a certain touch of elegance (I wanted to say the Three Degrees have a smoother sound than a lot of their disco contemporaries, but that don't sound classy enough). As is often the case with groups like this, the hits are not necessarily the best of the lot and I would declare a preference for "Can't You See What You're Doing to Me," "I Live Being a Woman," "A Woman Needs a Good Man," and "A Year of Decision" as being the songs worth discovering amongst these 20 tracks.

Here is one of the best groups that are in the league with The Emotions. Sheila Ferguson, Valerie Holiday, and Fayette Pickney had some of the tightest harmonies, only second to the harmonies of the Hutchinson sisters of The Emotions. I love all of the songs, but, my favorite song has to be "Love Is The Message", that fused them with the other Philly powerhouse, MFSB (the group that is responsible for the "Soul Train" theme song, TSOP [The Sound Of Philadelphia}, in which The Three Degrees colaborated on, as well).