So Sexy 70s

Sylvia - Pillow Talk

Of all the great sexy hit soul records of the 1970s, probably today's selection and Donna Summers' disco debut "Love to Love You Baby" were the two most orgiastic. Sylvia Robinson (nee Vanderpool) was half of the R&B duet Mickey & Sylvia in the '50s ("Love Is Strange") and by 1973 had spent five years at the helm of All Platinum records, which she owned with her husband Joe. All Plantinum's low-fi East Coast sound brought them hits by the Moments and Linda Jones, and Sylvia herself scored a #1 R&B hit with "Pillow Talk." The song has a nice galloping groove, but the bedroom strings and Sylvia's come-ons and cooing were pretty heavy stuff for 1973!

Sylvia would continue to have hits on All Platinum for herself and others, and would start the '80s as one of the first rap label owners with Sugar Hill Records. A recent Vanity Fair article covered that part of her story and is worth seeking out.