The Futures: "Past, Present, And The Futures"

Success never really happened for Philly-based group the Futures, though it deserved to.  That lack of success, and thus distribution, is a major contributing factor as to why their records are so difficult to find nowadays.  What I dig about the Futures is that they are somewhat atypical of the Philly sound that so many of their contemporaries embraced.  Why this is the case is a bit of a mystery, as the musicians and arrangers responsible for their sound are the same people that worked magic on the Futures’ more popular peers…behind-the-scenes masterminds like Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, Roland Chambers, Bobby Eli, etc.  I think what stands out immediately for the listener is that the arrangements here are more minimal than the average Philly International session.  While songs like “Party Time Man” and “Sunshine And You” might fit neatly into the famed label’s output of string-laden disco hits, tracks like “Ain’t Got Time Fa Nothing” and “Come To Me (When Your Love Is Down)” have a timeless, unhurried feel to them that foregoes the heavily orchestrated backings for a striking emphasis on the vocal group’s sterling harmonies.  “Ain’t Got Time…,” in fact, has a rare-groove vibe that still sounds light years beyond the era in which it was recorded, the sort of thing that current sampling beat-heads love.  Throughout the LP, the Futures’ vocals are highlighted in such a way as to make them the main focus for the listener, a sonic pleasure that seems to become more rewarding with each repeated spin.  The name of the group itself appears to be rather prescient, as with the hindsight of modern musical perspective, we are able to see that these cats had a vision that exceeded the expectations of their own time and space.