Tommy McGee
Positive-Negative
Written-By – Tommy McGee 3:02
A2 It's You
Written-By – Tommy McGee 6:18
A3 We Ought To Be Together
Written-By – Tommy McGee 2:45
A4 To Make You Happy
Written-By – Palmer James 3:10
B1 Guilty
Written-By – Robert Williams 5:15
B2 Take Me Home
Written-By – Tommy McGee 4:33
B3 Make Sure
Written-By – Tommy McGee 2:15
B4 Takes A Little Time
Written-By – Tommy McGee 3:05
Label: MTMG Records – U-60421
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1976
Genre: R&B Soul
Style: Seventies Soul, Funk
Released in 1976, Positive-Negative is the debut and only solo studio album by soul singer Tommy McGee. It is considered a rare "private press" masterpiece of mid-70s underground soul and funk.
A blend of smooth Memphis-style soul, funk, and tender ballads featuring elements like guitar wah, seductive bass lines, congas, and celeste.
The album draws heavy inspiration from the Howard Grimes school of soul drumming and the guitar style of Teenie Hodges.
Unlike many independent records of the era, it features the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra, which adds a polished, cinematic backdrop to McGee’s falsetto and vibrato.
Only 500 copies of the album were originally pressed on McGee’s own MTMG Records imprint. Distribution was localized, stretching primarily across western Michigan and Chicago’s South Side.
The album received significant renewed critical interest after being reissued by the Chicago-based label Numero Group in 2016 and featured in the career retrospective I'm A Stranger (2020).