| VA: - The Twisted Wheel - The Northern Soul Story Vol. 1 2LP Music On Vinyl presents the first installment in this delightful series of 4 Northern Soul compilations. The Northern Soul phenomenon was one of the biggest musical movements of the '70s in the UK. At its height, thousands of party people would descend on the clubs and venues of the scene every weekend for all-night parties, driven by high octane Soul music from the previous decade up to the present day. The 4 volumes of this series trace the history of the scene via 4 of the greatest clubs on the circuit (The Twisted Wheel, Golden Torch, Blackpool Mecca and Wigan Casino). These LP's represent the most definitive, best researched survey of Northern Soul 45's ever released, but nearly impossible (or affordable) to collect separately. This volume features rare dancefloor fillers from the likes of Lou Johnson, James Carr, Lee Dorsey, James & Bobby Purify, Al Green and many others. |
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Music On Vinyl Records 2010 | LP | 29.00 € |
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| VA: - Westbound - Detroit Northern Soul Second only to Motown in terms of releases and hits in 60s and 70s Detroit, Westbound and its sister label Eastbound hit on a successful formula of cutting rhythm tracks at Willie Mitchell’s studios in Memphis, while adding strings and backing vocals in Detroit. This was mainly employed on the Detroit Emeralds and Denise LaSalle; other hit acts like Funkadelic and the Fantastic Four were recorded in Detroit as were the many smaller acts. With Motown’s acquisition and decommissioning of the Golden World stable of labels in 1967 and the demise of indies like Thelma and MAH’s, there was a lot of talent in the city with few recording outlets. It was in fact one of the old school Detroit soul producers, Mike Hanks, who persuaded record distributor Armen Boladian to try his hand with a new label. For some years I had been toying with the idea of using some of the odd Westbound tracks like the ones by Emanuel Laskey and Jimmy Scott on a Detroit Legends CD. Digging deeper though, it transpired that there were a lot of very good dance tracks, known and unknown, that would warrant a CD to themselves. Having periodically given the Joe Matthews and Eddie Hill tracks featured here a spin on the ole DAT machine and having seen them listed in the Westbound discography, I’m afraid I took them rather for granted as staple Detroit soul releases. In researching this CD further it transpired that the tracks had probably never made it to vinyl, though there is a possibility Joe Matthews’ may have been on a test pressing or demo that has never turned up. That gives this release more importance because these are very good tracks from important local artists, that virtually nobody will have previously heard; as are others featured here. Though Funkadelic were one of the company’s biggest acts, their and their followers’ brand of off-the-wall soul/funk aren’t really cut out for this compilation, with the notable exception of their fine version of the old Golden World classic ‘Can’t Shake It Loose’. Denise LaSalle was a big success but pretty much did her own thing, with her Crajon Productions which came out on other labels - only her own recordings came out Westbound. The Eastbound subsidiary was originally jazz-based and surprisingly two of the best 70s soul tracks I’ve heard recently are provided by ex-Lou Donaldson sidemen Melvin Sparks and Caesar Frazier. The most influential act, vis-a-vis this compilation, was the Detroit Emeralds who had a string of hits and also brought talent to the label and produced and wrote for others. We only have one of their tracks on here as they are covered well on our Westbound CDs and their lilting mid-tempo sound did not particularly fit into that Northern soul ethos. Their protégé Damon Shawn came up with the first version of ‘Feel The Need In Me’ and the one that got the UK DJ plays. His other track on here, also written by the Emeralds’ lead singer Abe Tilmon Jr, ‘Love Love Love’ (not the Bobby Hebb track) is a splendid number with a big orchestral production that should have done much better. There is a different take on the Detroit Emeralds’ ‘I Can’t See Myself Doing Without You’ by the very unknown Bob & Harold, another case of a discography entry without a disc! Similarly the Magictones reading of ‘Till You Decide To Come Home’ is tougher than the Emeralds’ hit version. Best of all however is a master tape of Abe and Denise LaSalle on an unknown groovy duet called ‘Ain’t That Lovin’’. It would surely have launched a new career for the two 70s soul superstars given the chance. We purposely tried to avoid tracks from the still-in-catalogue Westbound CD “The Westbound Sound Of Detroit” CDSEWD 065, which was all vocal groups, but we have picked the best five tracks on there and still managed to find nine new group performances, including a good unissued Magictones and two fabulous slow burners from the New Holidays and the Houston Outlaws. The former’s ‘Maybe So, Maybe No’ has been revived recently by Nu Soul act Mayer Hawthorne; but as Dobie would say ……… the original’s still the greatest. By Ady Croasdell (ACE RECORDS) |
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Ace Records 2010 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Wigan Casino - The Northern Soul Story Vol. 4 2LP Music On Vinyl presents the final installment in this delightful series of 4 Northern Soul compilations. The Northern Soul phenomenon was one of the biggest musical movements of the '70s in the UK. At its height, thousands of party people would descend on the clubs and venues of the scene every weekend for all-night parties, driven by high octane Soul music from the previous decade up to the present day. The 4 volumes of this series trace the history of the scene via 4 of the greatest clubs on the circuit (The Twisted Wheel in Manchester, The Golden Torch in Tunstall, Blackpool Mecca and Wigan Casino). These LP's represent the most definitive, best researched survey of Northern Soul 45's ever released, but nearly impossible (or affordable) to collect separately. This volume features music from Wigan Casino, which was active between 1973 and 1981, and was voted 'The Best Disco In The World' by Billboard in 1978 ahead of the infamous Studio 54. DJ Russ Winstanley ruled the decks from the opening songs until the final '3 before 8', spinning bangers such as The Jades' 'I'm Where It's At', Otis Blackwell's 'It's All Over Me' and the beautiful 'Time Will Pass You By' by Tobi Legend. |
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Music On Vinyl Records 2010 | LP | 29.00 € |
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| VA: - You Baby: Words And Music by P.F. Sloan And Steve Barri Together with his writing partner Steve Barri, Phil (P.F.) Sloan effectively invented the concept of the self-contained singer-songwriter (as documented on “Here’s Where I Belong” CDWIKD 277). Sloan & Barri’s songbook was widely plundered for cover versions throughout the 60s and beyond. It’s this side of their work that makes up “You Baby”, the latest in Ace’s songwriters series. Sloan & Barri’s partnership was forged by producer Lou Adler in 1963, though the guys had each already released a number of sides as performers for a variety of labels, with somewhat limited success. Playing off each other’s strengths, they instantly formed a great working relationship, with Sloan as the more experienced musician and Barri as the studio head. From their surf’n’turf beginnings through era-defining folk rock and beyond, “You Baby” maps out a brilliant and fascinating career path packed with pop standards. While their best-known early numbers are hedonistic fun-in-the-sun anthems such as ‘Tell ’Em I’m Surfin’’ and ‘Summer Means Fun’, their remit was wide enough to encompass girl group influences in ‘You Say Pretty Words’ by Ramona King and the latin-tinged sounds of Betty Everett’s ‘Someday Soon’. Meanwhile, they also had to contend with a furious release schedule of their own, recording under a wide variety of guises including the Fantastic Baggys and Philip & Stephan, not to mention their in-demand status as session guys, appearing as musicians or singing backups on many of the tracks compiled here. Sloan had always been the more performance-oriented of the two and when folk rock hit it clearly affected his modus operandi more than Barri’s. The solo Sloan writing credit on hits such as ‘The Sins Of A Family’, ‘Let Me Be’, ‘Take Me For What I’m Worth’ and, of course, ‘Eve Of Destruction’ put a certain amount of strain on the duo. Nevertheless, the years 1965 and 1966 were their most commercially successful. Joyous, euphoric pop still poured out of them. Perfect pop gems such as ‘Can I Get To Know You Better’, ‘You Baby’, ‘Where Were You When I Needed You’ and ‘I Found A Girl’ were all major successes and are all featured here. Inevitably, it couldn’t last. The artistic and commercial pressure they were under – not to mention their increasingly divergent musical paths – forced a premature split. Steve Barri stepped in as replacement for the departing Lou Adler as staff producer at Dunhill, while Sloan’s burgeoning career as a singer-songwriter dissipated, though has recently undergone something of a renaissance. This marvellous collection of classics and rarities should seal Sloan & Barri’s reputation as key chroniclers of their time. By Harvey Williams (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2010 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| Vicki Anderson - Wide Awake In A Dream On more than one occasion James Brown said that Vicki Anderson was the most talented of the several fine female vocalists he recruited into his revue over the years, which probably didn’t go down too well with Bea Ford, Yvonne Fair, Anna King, Marva Whitney, Lyn Collins or Martha High. Reciprocally positive about James Brown’s outstanding achievements and the benefit of his patronage, Vicki has never been quite so complimentary about the man himself. On joining Brown’s revue in 1965 she opted for the warmer companionship of his longtime musical foil Bobby Byrd, whom she went on to marry – a truly united relationship (which they later dubbed Byrd’s Nest) unto Bobby’s death in 2007. Over the last 20 years Vicki has received accolades for the funky stuff she recorded in the 70s. She did indeed front some striking funk anthems, even if they were generally recorded outside her natural vocal comfort zone and she didn’t get to perform them on stage at the time. This 23-tracker, on the other hand, finds Vicki displaying her gospel roots with her 60s soul dress on. The earliest two tracks, recorded in her home state of Texas in 1964, were produced by Walter Whisenhunt and reputedly first released on his local Whiz label. (If you’ve ever seen a copy you must be a keen-eyed hunter.) The 45 resurfaced on US Fontana after Vicki joined Brown’s revue. Two 1968 tracks were recorded by Bobby & Vicki in NYC for ABC during a breakaway from the revue. All other tracks, a couple of them previously unissued, were recorded under the James Brown Productions umbrella, although whether JB had much to do with some of them is debatable. Band members Bud Hobgood and Dave Matthews often fulfilled those duties while the boss was otherwise engaged. Although I’ve had most of these recordings on 45s since nineteen hundred and don’t ask, re-listening to them again in one hit on CD has been something of a revelation. They’re not all wonderful. For instance, duetting on an inappropriate upbeat orchestration of ‘Let It Be Me’ both Vicki and JB lose the plot, which I’m sure was his fault, not hers. Overall, though, it’s a real ear-opener. Particularly the slower, more romantic songs where Vicki is as soulful as you need to know and illustrates that if she’d been signed by, say, Atlantic Records, she might now be a household name. James Brown never got around to releasing an album by Vicki Anderson. Ace Records have finally done her proud. By Cliff White (ACE Records) |
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Ace Records 2010 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| Bettye Lavette - Do Your Duty |
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Sundazed Music 2009 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| Gladys Knight & The Pips - The Very Best Of |
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Sony Music 2009 | CD | 15.00 € |
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| King Curtis - Get Ready originally released 1970 |
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Wounded Bird Records 2009 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| Luther Ingram - Let's Steal Away To The Hideaway / Do You Love Somebody t’s been a real pleasure to have been the architect of Kent’s four volume Luther Ingram reissue programme. Luther has always been one of my favourites, and it’s a shame that he has seldom received the kind of accolades from the mainstream that his talents as both a singer and a songwriter deserve. His recorded legacy may be relatively small compared to that some some of his peers, but almost all of it is first rate and none of it is less than very good. We’ve now reached the final instalment in the our reissue of Luther’s Ko Ko catalogue, his final two albums for the label on one CD. The songs were recorded between 1974 and 1976 and both albums were released in the eye of Hurricane Disco. Happily they make little concession to what was occupying soul’s mainstream and instead give southern soul fans more than 75 minutes worth of what we like best. There are treats galore here, from mighty 45s like ‘Let’s Steal Away To The Hideaway’ and ‘Get To Me’ to cherised modern soul movers such as ‘Do You Think There’s A Chance’ and ‘Trying To Find My Love’. There’s also a bonus in the shape of the second version of ‘I’ll Love You Until The End’, which we had to omit from our previous Luther 2 on 1 through lack of space. Luther Ingram is in the very best voice of his career, and the sympathetic backing of the Muscle Shoals rhythm section frames that great singing and quality songs – many of which are being reissued here for the first time. Even though disco was slowly exerting a stranglehold on southern soul as a chart force, Luther managed to hit with all the singles that were selected from these albums – surely the ultimate testament to their excellence. It’s hard for me to pick a highlight from this set but if pushed I’d choose the title track from the “Do You Love Somebody” album – a midtempo classic that embodies every positive element of the sophisticated side of southern soul, and one that features one of the most sincere and impassioned of all of Luther’s many great vocal performances. The music Luther Ingram left behind identifies him as one of the best and most important soul men of his time. These recordings – beautifully remastered from optimum sound sources - will sound as good decades from now as they did when they were first released more than 30 years ago. By Tony Rounce (ACE RECORDS) |
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Ace Records 2009 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Carnival Northern Soul n the early 60s, through the auspices of Choker Campbell, Joe Evans spent seven months living in one of Berry Gordy’s old houses in Detroit. He was playing with the Funk Brothers on recording dates, performing concerts in local auditoriums and touring the country with the first Motown Revue. This experience showed him how successful black music could become and he took the Hitsville set-up as a blueprint for his own Carnival label. Undoubtedly Joe learnt a lot from his Detroit stay and this CD captures most of his Motown moments. The Manhattans were his “children” whom he nurtured from their inception. When they left Carnival for what they thought was a bigger company (but was merely a revival of the old Deluxe label) it tore the heart out of his dream and his company. Joe Evans’ recent autobiography recalls the tragedy of George “Smitty” Smith’s death from a brain haematoma in 1970; it also reveals that it is Joe playing the flute on the group’s ‘There Goes A Fool’, featured here. It is the lesser acts that get the most tracks on this CD. Newark schoolteacher Phil Terrell only ever recorded three singles and all were on Carnival. ‘Love Has Passed Me By’ was a huge record for me at the 100 Club in the mid-80s and his other two contributions ‘I’ll Erase You (From My Heart)’ and ‘I’m Just A Young Boy’ are so good they will surely have their day soon. The Pretenders also get a trio of tracks and they start with a storming version of the Manhattans’ biggest 60s hit ‘I Wanna Be (Your Everything)’ before morphing into a classic 70s “modern soul” group with ‘I Call It Love’ (also ex-Manhattans) and the Kent exclusive, previously unreleased (until 1995) shuffler ‘A Broken Heart Cries’. Phil Terrell was brought to the label by Manhattan Winfred “Blue” Lovett who also attracted Norma Jenkins and the Lovettes to the stable. The Lovettes regularly backed the Manhattans and other artists and could veer from the shimmering and seductive stomping sound of ‘Little Miss Soul’ to the plaintive and pretty ‘I Need A Guy’. Blue was a heck of a song writer, the most “on the fours” influenced of all the Carnival composers and he delivered a catchy, soulful ‘Me, Myself And I’ for Norma Jenkins that really should have launched her career. More motor city links are revealed on the Pets ‘I Say Yeah’, written by Joe along with the pre-Golden World label Parliaments. They later turned the music world around with their Cosmic funk. Southerner Little Royal later showed his funky side but in 1967 he was all Stax grit and grits, not unlike New Jersey brother Kenneth Ruffin whose ‘Cry, Cry, Cry’ a year later also had that brass-laden Memphis groove. Jimmy Jules was the epitome of the itinerant musician who started out in Louisiana but took in New York, Denver, LA and Colorado Springs, among many other places that offered his cookin’ band some live music action. His self-penned ‘Don’t Let Yourself Go’ was either recorded in NJ or NO or both, depending on whose story you plump for. The main thing is, it’s a fine slab of soul. The small (two releases) Chadwick label is represented by both its great 1966 dancers from the Metrics with ‘Wishes’ and the Topics with ‘Hey Girl (Where Are You Going)’, while Florida’s Turner Brothers turn up with a song by George Kerr’s oppo Gerald Harris whose ‘My Love Is Yours Tonight’ is a really great record. Joe Evans remembers being approached by Ace Records in the 90s with a view to re-releasing his catalogue onto CD. He asked director Trevor Churchill whether he was the same guy who used to write to him in the 60s for record release information, and was answered in the affirmative. Knowing Joe as I do now, I’m pretty sure that would have clinched the deal, and deservedly so. By Ady Croasdell (ACE RECORDS) |
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Ace Records 2009 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - GWP - NYC - TLC VOL. 2 For a company who only put out nine R&B singles on its own logos, GWP sure had some soul. Originally a production set-up that placed recordings on major labels, they had a fruitful history before the initial 1969 GWP release, but at least half the story is about the recordings that didn’t come out. The Devonnes, the Shaladons, the Modettes, Bobby Penn and Milton Bennett were acts who cut some very worthy music for the company that never saw the light of day. Others like Benny Gordon and Larry Banks & Jaibi had top quality material left over from their singles sessions that will be welcomed by soul fans of all persuasions. The dance tracks featured here are particularly good. The earliest is probably Lilly Fields pacey and pure Northern ‘Changes’, a Detroit Pied Piper recording from a New York/New Jersey artist. Sadly, most of the paperwork was destroyed just prior to Ace’s purchase of these tracks, so the history is speculative, but the recordings were made at Detroit’s United Sound and the rhythm track is indicative of the Funk Brothers featuring Joe Hunter on piano. Bobby Penn is virtually unknown; there was one 45 by an artist of that name on Uptight Records in 1968, which could well be the chap. His version of the Larry Banks/Joan Bates song ‘Without Your Love’ is probably the best of the several versions. Banks and Bates combined vocally to great effect on the self-written ‘My Life Is No Better’, a Dynamics number, even out-performing the creators. We just released this previously unissued RCA recording as the flip of the latest 100 Club anniversary 45 and already demand for this track is massive. The latter period GWP provided some fabulous singles and tracks like ‘Detour’ by the Persians. ‘Stop’ and ‘Never Gonna Let Him Know’ by Debbie Taylor would ironically be more revered over here if they hadn’t been so abundant, due to good Stateside sales. The Hesitations’ ‘Go Away’, however, was found on an unreleased multi-track tape and its release two years ago as a 100 Club anniversary 45 has already created demand for this sublime slice of mid-tempo soul dance music. The rest of the GWP and GWP’s Grapevine releases are also high quality. Debbie Taylor and the Persians recorded exquisite ballads in ‘How Long Can This Last’ and ‘Here It Comes’. The Hesitations then funked-up Aretha’s ‘Good To Me’, as did Little Rose Little on her Pazant Bros-backed recording of Otis’ ‘Tennessee Waltz’. Both of these only ever came out on GWP’s two compilation LPs, a year after the 45s had ceased. More beautiful balladry comes from the Devonnes with another Banks/Bates creation, ‘I Don’t Care What He’s Done’, and a real grower from the terminally obscure Modettes with ‘I Won’t Be Such A Fool’, which is my current top play. Southern soul fanciers will be pleased that Benny Gordon has three previously unreleased songs, including a 1967 update on Saint Maxine’s ‘All In My Mind’ and the rhythmically complex ‘Never Give Up On Love’. He also presented a version of his Estill recording ‘So Much In Love’ by the vocal group the Exceptions, who really excelled on this fine song. (The recording does not suffer the terrible sound distortion as Benny’s 45 of the song.) There’s a Northern soul standard from Alice Clark with the George Kerr-produced and wonderfully titled ‘You Hit Me (Where It Hurt Me)’, a Larry Banks demo of the Cavaliers’ RCA 45 ‘I Really Love You’ and mo’ George Kerr from Plus 4’s lead singer telling us how she’s ‘The Happiest Girl In The World’ and really sounding like she is. The finale is certainly grand, a master tape of Dave Godin’s “greatest soul record ever”, ‘You Got Me’ by Jaibi that is the Kapp 45 version but with extra added girl backing vocals. Now that’s something every self-respecting soul freak’s just gotta have. by ADY CROASDELL (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2009 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Honey & Wine - Another Gerry Goffin & Carole King song colle As a kid Goffin developed a taste for Broadway musicals and began creating songs in his head. With a vague ambition to one day write a musical of his own, he enrolled at college to study chemistry. It was there that he met 17-year-old Carole, a keen amateur rock’n’roll songwriter in search of a lyricist. They hit it off right away, penned a few songs together and dropped out of college to get married. In 1960 they joined Carole’s pal Neil Sedaka as staff songwriters at Aldon Music, a fledgling publishing house headed by Al Nevins and Don Kirshner. Within a couple of years they were the most successful songwriters in the country. We like our original versions at Ace and a few are included here. Bobby Vee recorded ‘Go Away Little Girl’ before Steve Lawrence got his mitts on the song for example, while the Rising Sons (Ry Cooder’s early band) cut ‘Take A Giant Step’ before the Monkees did and stylish jazz diva Nancy Wilson’s reading of ‘No Easy Way Down’ was taped before Carole’s own version was released. If you’ve ever wondered how many Goffin and King compositions the Monkees recorded, the short answer is 18, the most successful of which was ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’, the couple’s restless ode to life in suburbia, included here. (The long answer is contained in the booklet.) While not all of Goffin’s lyrics are autobiographical, it is tempting to assume that ‘So Goes Love’, heard here by the Turtles, documents the breakdown of his and Carole’s personal relationship. Thankfully, they continued writing together after their divorce. As with our earlier volume, this set includes familiar hits (the Monkees, Maxine Brown’s ‘Oh No Not My Baby’, the Drifters’ ‘Up On The Roof’, Gene McDaniels’ ‘Point Of No Return’, etc), overlooked gems (Chuck Jackson’s ‘I Need You’, Jan & Dean’s ‘The Best Friend I Ever Had’, Freddie Scott’s ‘Brand New World’, ‘I Happen To Love You’ by the Myddle Class, to name just four) and some new to CD rarities (‘Stage Door’ by Peter James, ‘They’re Jealous Of Me’ by Connie Stevens, ‘The Boy I Used To Know’ by Andrea Carroll, Jody Miller’s very non-PC ‘He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)’ and Carolyn Daye’s ‘A Long Way To Be Happy’). BY MICK PATRICK (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2009 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Honky Tonk - Charlie Gillett's Radio Picks had just passed my thirtieth birthday when I got my own radio show in March 1972, being set loose to play pretty much whatever I wanted, Sunday lunchtime on the BBC’s local FM station, Radio London. Just 45 minutes at first, it was fairly soon extended to an hour and then to two hours, broadcast every week until 31 December 1978. For a while, all I wanted to do was play every great record with rock’n’roll in its blood, many of them rarely, if ever, heard on British radio, and most of them emanating from the southern states of America. In those days, pop music in the UK was played on medium wave stations and this show on FM radio might easily have remained a well-kept secret if it had not been championed by John Collis, radio correspondent for London’s weekly listings magazine Time Out. When John heard the rumour of the show he called up a week or so ahead of the first programme to ask what I was planning to do; it soon became clear that he needed some kind of identity for each programme in order to be able to justify mentioning it on a regular basis. So I began with a programme of records made in New Orleans and Louisiana, and returned to that region several times, as well as moving west to Texas and even further out to California, north to Memphis and Chicago, and often grouping records with particular themes. I can no longer remember how I ran across every track included here, but probably as many as half of them were tips of one kind or another, while many of the others had been unearthed during the previous five-year period when I was working on a history of popular music, called The Sound Of The City, which traced the emergence and evolution of rock’n’roll out of independently-recorded R&B and country music in the late 1940s and early 50s. As the grapevine spread, listeners started to get in touch to tell me about records I seemed unaware of, not only obscure originals from the 1940s and 50s, but current artists too. I had a pretty frosty attitude towards a lot of current British pop, even though much of it was made by people my own age and with similar tastes. I never did play T Rex, Roxy Music, Wizzard or Slade but was thrilled to make room for JJ Cale, Jesse Winchester and Delbert McClinton. No coincidence, most of them were from the American South too. Among the regular listeners were many people who knew far more than I did, some of them dedicated to finding every possible piece of information about the records they liked best – dates and locations of when and where they were recorded, names of any and all sessions musicians and which little label released the record first. Such people can be notoriously possessive of what they have discovered, but I was lucky to be befriended by Bill Millar, John Anderson, Ray Topping, Errol Dixon, Rob Finnis and others, who between them managed to make up for my woeful ignorance and gave me a much better education than I ever had in school or university. As far as I was concerned, Honky Tonk was a shared forum and bulletin board for the music we all revered. One of the greatest surprises was that the programme drew an audience of real live musicians in London, who liked this kind of music themselves, and some of them began to submit their demo tapes. By Charlie Gillett (ACE RECORDS) |
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Ace Records 2009 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Laurie Records Story Vol. 3 When I think “girl group label”, visions of Philles, Red Bird and Dimension do the locomotion in my head. But I’ve always thought of Laurie as the home of Bronx deities Dion and the Belmonts. (I grew up there – let me assure you, we built shrines.) Sure, Laurie had the Chiffons, but otherwise, what else? Plenty else, as this femmecentric third volume of the Laurie Records Story vividly illustrates. It turns out that several of the genre’s most revered figures made under-the-radar contributions to the imprint’s oeuvre. Ace compiler (and girl group ace) Mick Patrick has rounded up 24 compelling arguments for Laurie’s girl group bona-fides. Barely resembling Tommy James’ garage-y remake, the original ‘Hanky Panky’ by the Summits name-checks its producers, the Tokens. The song’s co-writer, Brill Building Queen Ellie Greenwich, moonlights as Les Girls with session cohort Mikie Harris. The duo sang countless backups for many years (they’re on Blondie’s 1976 debut LP) and it’s nice to hear them front and centre on ‘I Still Love You’. Another studio stalwart, Jean Thomas, is known to have masqueraded as the Powder Puffs, Rag Dolls and Beach Girls. Here, she’s the Cheese Cakes on the bouncy ‘Heading For A Heartbreak’. Noms de plumes abound. Brenda Lee Jones (Jean of Dean & Jean) channels Motown and Marie Antoinette (supposedly the notorious Alice Wonder Land) perches atop the wall of sound. Van McCoy fashioned ‘Shy Guy’ for the Charmers, but scoring with an Essex soundalike was easier said than done. The genre-defining voice of Mary Aiese, our beloved Reparata, is heard at the very beginning and end of her glorious recording career. There is no shortage of unsung heroines, either. Occasional Angel Bernadette Carroll emotes the bizarre ‘Circus Girl’ and young drama queen Dawn lays on the angst with a trowel borrowed from the Shangri-Las. But of all the unknowns we know, perhaps Beverly Warren was most unjustly denied success with Goffin-King’s majestic ‘Let Me Get Close To You’, backed by the Cookies. A brilliant vocalist, Bev still performs in the New York area. As valedictorians of Laurie’s girl group class, the Chiffons make four late-60s appearances. Their hit-making heyday behind them, the Bronx quartet settled for artistic triumph on the thumping ‘Stop, Look And Listen’ and the brooding ‘If I Knew Then (What I Know Now)’. Years earlier, the Chiffons’ first visit to the studio had yielded the era’s most successful girl group song (‘He’s So Fine’), but their magnum opus came in 1969. ‘Love Me Like You’re Gonna Lose Me’, produced and written by Irwin Levine and latter-day Brill Building princess Toni Wine, is simply a masterpiece. With a shimmering arrangement by the formidable John Abbott and shared, soulful leads by Judy Craig and Sylvia Peterson, this song deserved to be a mega-hit. So here’s an opportunity to enjoy some undiscovered classics, many making their CD debut. Not one of the songs herein managed to trouble the Billboard charts. It only sounds like a greatest hits collection. By Dennis Garvey (ACE RECORDS) |
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Ace Records 2009 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Soul Of Money Records Vol. 3 After John Dolphin was shot dead in 1958, his wife Ruth continued to run the business through to the mid 70s. She was very business savvy and knew how to pick the right people and delegate properly. Al Scott, Arthur Wright, Hank Jacobs, Don Julian and Rudy Ray Moore made sure that if it was a Money release it was going to be good. This final volume of the Money soul story begins with Bettye Swann, the artist whose success was the rock on which this musical history was built. I’m not sure if the Northern soul public, or even the modern soul division, realise how good these tracks are. Virtually all self-penned, Bettye’s tracks manage to combine true emotion with the dance beats and hip sounds of the day. ‘Don’t Take My Mind’ and ‘The Heartache Is Gone’ both sound stunning while the LP version of ‘I Will Not Cry’ is totally different to the flip that sold a million copies on the back of ‘Make Me Yours’; it is far superior. Undoubtedly Bettye’s success in selling so well has led to some rare soul fans bypassing her 45s for scarcer sounds. I have done it myself, only to be extra pleased when I turn up overlooked gems like these. Other Money, Ten Star, Utopia and Call Me releases on this volume include Bobby Angelle’s three tracks: a super-rare mid 60s dancer; an uptempo take on a great Jimmy Reed number and a churchified southern soul wailer á là James Brown. There’s a stomper and a beautiful ballad from the Larks, and an attempt to cash in on the beat boom by passing themselves off as a bunch of Limeys that fooled nobody apart from me. Other regular label Money contributors include M&M & The Peanuts with a vocal group ballad and a pretty mid-tempo ditty for all you lovers out there, while Hank Jacobs either fronting, or as just part of the TKOs, gives us two, possibly three, organ-led soul/jazz/funk groovers. Money’s proliferation of great 60s soul sides has meant that its modern soul profile has never been particularly high, despite the excellence of those later releases: Delilah Moore, Pat Livingston and Eddie Horan being particular highlights. The unissued masters are also of very high quality, an example being the Choice Of Colors’ terrific 1971 recording, inexplicably left to gather dust on the shelves. Other highlights include singer-songwriter Eric Williams’ one shot at stardom and an attempt at being Sam & Dave from Tommy & Eddie. (Earlier in the year they were known as Buster & Eddie of ‘Can’t Be Still’ Northern soul fame.) Both of those singles are scarce and collectable, as is the Question Marks track featured. The Mysteries are a made up “unknown” group name, thereby adding some whodunit action to the story. There are half a dozen catalogue numbers with no record allocated to them; perhaps they will turn out to be the missing releases and the Mysteries will be solved. If you’ve got those missing numbers languishing in your collection, don’t forget to tell us. Ady Croasdell 2009 (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2009 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Sweet Soul Music - 1970 1-CD DigiPac with 76-page booklet. 24 tracks, playing time: 85:39) -- Here comes the eagerly anticipated sequel to our first five volumes of 'Sweet Soul Music,' as well as the highly acclaimed, award-winning R&B series 'Blowin' The Fuse.' This is ehe sound that influences musicians who weren't even born when it came out, like Amy Winehouse and Joss Stone! All the greatest and most influential soul hits of the 1960s, including some surprisingly hard-to-find selections! Every song is the original version. The ultimate soul collection spread across ten individual CDs! The soul-searing soundtrack to the 1960s! Massive, beautifully illustrated booklets with detailed notes, incredible vintage photos, and ephemera. -- Over the course of ten spectacular years, R&B morphed into soul music with a side order of funk, and became the soundtrack to a social revolution. The riveting story of that incredible decade is told in full for the first time on Bear Family's 'Sweet Soul Music' series. Some record companies have compiled anthologies from their own vaults, but Bear Family has gone the extra mile... and then some, licensing classic recordings from virtually every record label at the epicenter of '60s soul to compile the greatest hits with the finest sound quality. -- The second five volumes, available now, cover the years 1966-1970. Though gospel remained the bedrock of soul music, the sound was transforming fast, thanks to Motown, Stax, the regional innovations of Chicago, New Orleans, and Muscle Shoals, and the funk revolution, led by James Brown and Sly & The Family Stone. The civil rights and antiwar movements were now rolling full speed ahead, and the messages at the heart of the music were often as powerful and invigorating as the grooves themselves. The second half of this incredible story is just as fascinating as the first. Bill Dahl's track-by-track commentary provides extensive biographical info on every artist on every disc. -- The prelude to this series, 'Blowin' The Fuse,' definitively covered the history of R&B from 1945- 1960, garnering awards and general acclaim. The first five volumes of 'Sweet Soul Music' earned the same enthusiastic response. Now here come the other five jam-packed volumes of 'Sweet Soul Music,' compiled with love by Dave 'Daddy Cool' Booth. -- Hits' Too many to mention! Consult the track listing! |
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Bear Family 2009 | CD | 22.00 € |
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| VA: - The 100 Club Anniversary Singles 6T's 1979-2009 was 26 and needed to hear more of that inspiring, original 60s club soul music that was a recent revelation. There were no dances to go to, so my new mate Randy and I thought we’d give it a go ourselves. Thirty years on, we’ve tragically lost Randy and a few others along the way, but we’re still opening the club doors for the fans of that same great music, as we have for a generation now. The first Kent LP we issued featured the very essence of that 6Ts Rhythm ‘N’ Soul Society who can be seen whooping it up on the LP cover, our resident DJ Ian Clarke, an inspiration to so many, designed most of the first 50 sleeves and Randy himself told me which tracks to go with, if I was ever in any doubt. The label and club were always inextricably linked and when I had the bright idea of a free record, instead of a poxy cloth patch, it was Ace who copped the plea. First up - Mary Love, Etta James and the Ikettes: simple and very effective. It was the essence of R&S. Two years later, though, the penny dropped. I realised we were sitting on some dance floor dynamite with all those unissued 60s soul tracks begging to be allowed into collections where as singles they would be revered. In September 1986 Melba Moore’s ‘Magic Touch’ was issued on the second Kent 6Ts Anniversary Single and with those internationally recognised, dramatic opening piano bars, the legend began. Perhaps I’m guilty of a little self-delusion here, but I believe this series of 25 singles is up there with the best original US 60s soul series on any UK label and the standard on this CD demonstrates just that. The “big”, tracks are all here: the San Franciscan TKOs, Chuck’s ‘Loneliness’, the Magicians historical vocal to ‘Double Cookin’’, Lorraine Chandler and Gigi with her charming Charmaines. But those are the ones we regularly hear played out in clubs across the Northern Soul galaxy. It’s the ones who I believe have yet to have their day that excite me, particularly now that I’ve had time to reassess their charms. Take Johnnie Taylor’s growling and grooving on ‘Please Let Me In’; it won’t outdo J J Barnes’ original Ric Tic version, but listen to those opening clean, crisp guitar licks and dig those Staxy horns as they drive the song. Here’s another one for you - the Devonnes singing Larry Banks and Jaibi’s ‘Doin’ “The Gittin’ Up”’. Two lovers with superb writing and singing talents, who could turn a lightweight dance number into a work of art. Not destined to become a dancefloor staple, but a stunning record nonetheless, is ‘Can’t Say No’ by the M-Ms and the Peanuts. Get your fine selves down to Ladbrokes and put a tenner on Mill Evans ‘Ain’t You Glad’ being the next £100 anniversary 45. Butch has picked up an original acetate and is playing it and all of a sudden its quality is appreciated. Then there’s the sheer class of Sharon Scott’s Detroit-inspired masterpiece ‘(Putting My Heart Under) Lock And Key’, Peggy Woods’ underrated Modern mid-60s mover ‘Love Is Gonna Get You’ and owzabout Wally Cox’s Golden State Recorder -produced soulful reading of his Wand stomper ‘This Man Wants You’. The notes are substantial; I ramble on about a subject which, after all, is very close to my heart and now I finally know the truth about one of the greatest soul records ever from Ms Carla Thomas, I share it; not even sparing the boss’s blushes. Strike me down if I ain’t gorn and revealed the 30th anniversary single before the dance ‘as ‘appened. But you don’t know what the flip is yet (any more than me), do yer? ‘Arboro ‘Orace (ACE RECORDS) NB: due to contractual problems we have had to drop the Moments aka The Fabulous Impact single, but you can still read all about it in the booklet. |
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Ace Records 2009 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Wild Thing - The Songs Of Chip Taylor Chip Taylor is the subject of the latest addition to our songwriter-based series. He can boast two career songs – ‘Wild Thing’ and ‘Angel Of The Morning’ – both of which have been recorded countless times and are considered to be among the greatest of their decade. Chip’s collaborations with Ted Daryll, Al Gorgoni, Jerry Ragovoy, Wes Farrell and Billy Vera are no less revered. When Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield and Peggy Lee record your songs, you know you’re doing something right. The Troggs open our show with ‘Wild Thing’. The song is indelibly associated with Reg Presley and his cohorts, but Chip was commissioned to write it for the Wild Ones. He doesn’t care for the original, “They took the power of the song and diminished it,” but loves the Troggs’ recording, “A right funky record. You couldn’t beat that. It was like my demo, except they played it with an electric guitar.” (Find the Wild Ones’ version on our recent collection “You Heard It Here First” CDCHD 1204.) To many the most significant recipient of Chip’s compositions is Evie Sands. “She had this honey voice that was one of a kind. How could you ever not love that, every minute, working with her, rehearsing with her, producing her.” Given half a chance we’d have filled this CD with her tracks, but had to narrow the choice to just two – the feisty ‘Run Home To Your Mama’ and her stunning original of ‘I Can’t Let Go’. Three others represent her by proxy: ‘Picture Me Gone’ (in a splendiferous version by Madeline Bell), ‘Angel Of The Morning’ (Merrilee Rush’s hit rendition) and ‘Any Way That You Want Me’ (Evie’s breakthrough song, heard here in a recording by Tina Mason from three years earlier). All but three of our selection were recorded between 1964 and 1968. Closing the proceedings are three of Chip’s most important 1970s compositions: ‘Son Of A Rotten Gambler’ by the Hollies, ‘Blackbird (Hold Your Head High)’ by black country singer Stoney Edwards and Chip’s own recording of the autobiographical ‘(I Want) The Real Thing’. Chip can also be heard as Kathy McCord’s uncredited singing partner. Other highlights include Lorraine Ellison’s ultra-soulful ‘Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)’, the delicious ‘Make Me Belong To You’ by Barbara Lewis, the original demo of ‘Storybook Children’, sung by its co-writer Billy Vera with Nona Hendryx, and Walter Jackson’s version of the oft-recorded ‘Welcome Home’, one of Chip’s favourites. The booklet includes a 7,000-word essay, much of it in Chip’s own words. He comes across as not only one of the greatest songwriters in the business, but also one of the nicest guys. If this compilation sparks an interest in his more recent activities, his book Songs From A Dutch Tour, which comes with a disc of new songs, might be the place to begin. To hear some of the tracks he cut as teenage rocker Wes Voight in the late 50s, check out the Ace CD “King of Rock’n’Roll” CDCHD 975. As we go to press we hear that Chip has been ill. We hope that “Wild Thing” will serve as a get well soon card and help speed the recovery of one of the greatest singer-songwriters of the past 50 years. BY MICK PATRICK (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2009 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| Wilson Pickett - Don't Knock My Love This 1971 album was Wilson's last for Atlantic, and was really his last great record, as the title cut scored his final #1 hit on the R&B charts. But for some reason this baby has NEVER come out on CD, so this new exclusive marks both a long-awaited CD debut and the addition of another legend to our 'Collectors' Choice Music' label roster! This is hard-driving soul as only Pickett could pound out; includes 'Covering the Same Old Ground; Don't Knock My Love Pt. 1; Fire and Water; Hot Love; Mama Told Me Not to Come; Not Enough Love to Satisfy; Pledging My Love; Woman Let Me Be Down Home; You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover', and '(Your Love Has Brought Me) A Mighty Long Way'. Gene Sculatti supplies the notes |
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Collectors Choice Music 2009 | CD | 13.00 € |
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| Brooks O'Dell - I'm Your Man - The Anthology 1963-1972 26 tracks |
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Ace Records 2008 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| Garland Green - The Very Best Of 24 tracks from Chicago's Master Soul Singer's Illustrious career |
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Ace Records 2008 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| GOOFIN' RECORDSIN LAHJAKORTTI - HELPPO JA VAIVATON LAHJA ! lahjakortin saat haluamallesi summalle. minimi 10;- maksimi summaa ei ole. Lisätietoja ? Soita 09-7733113 tai meilaa info@goofinrecords.fi Lahjakortti on voimassa vuoden ostopäivästä eteenpäin. |
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lahjakortti 2008 | CD | 30.00 € |
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| Isley Brothers - Showdown album from 1978 |
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Icon Classic Records 2008 | CD | 15.00 € |
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| Johnny Johnson & The Bandwagon - Breakin' Down The Walls Of Heartache 1968-1975 Best Of All the best 45s and album cuts from one of the USA's most successful soul exports. The first ever Johnny Johnson & The Bandwagon CD release. |
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Ace Records 2008 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| Judy Clay & Veda Brown - The Stax Solo Recordings |
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Ace Records 2008 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| LABELOGRAPHY - The Major U.K. Record Labels - Jan Pettersson A First Pressing Identification Guide for CBS, Columbia, Decca, Fontana by Jan Pettersson 592 pages, format 169x239 mm HMV, Parlophone and Pye Singles, EPs and LPs 1953-1975 |
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Premium Publishing 2008 | Kirjat | 48.00 € |
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| Linda Lewis - Fathoms Deep A Lost 1970's Soul Classic !! |
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Collector's Choice Music 2008 | CD | 12.00 € |
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| Linda Lewis - Lark Progressive early 1970s Soul from the on-time back-up singer for David Bowie and Cat Stevens |
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Collector's Choice Music 2008 | CD | 12.00 € |
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| Luther Ingram - I Don't Want To Be Right The A's and B's of Luther's remaining Ko Ko singles. Unbeatable 60s/70s Memphis Soul from one of the genre's greatest-ever vocalists. |
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Ace Records 2008 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| Millie Jackson - Soul For The Dancefloor 22 tracks |
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Ace Records 2008 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| Ty Karim - The Complete Ty Karim - Los Angeles' Soul Goddess Sensational Nortnern Soul Dance tracks, big beat ballads and sophisticated 70s soul from this LA diva, whose raw emotive vocal delivery imbued everything with her own distintive touch. |
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Ace Records 2008 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| VA: - Blame It On The Dogg - The Swamp Dogg Anthology The Swamp Dogg Anthology 1968-1978 |
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Ace Records 2008 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - In The Naked City |
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Ace Records 2008 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| VA: - J & S Harlem Soul Zell Sanders' nest of labels brought Harlem and Bronx talent to the local black New York soul scene. |
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Ace Records 2008 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| VA: - Jerry Ragovoy Story - Time Is On My Side 1953-2003 A Celebration of the musical genius of this superb R&B / Soul all-rounder. Includes the original versions of many hall of fame classics |
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Ace Records 2008 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Take Me To The River - A Southern Soul Story 1961-1977 3CD selection of 75 songs that tell the story of the golden era of Southern Soul 1961-1977 with full notes and lavish illustrations in a 72 page booklet |
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Ace Records 2008 | CD-Box | 48.00 € |
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| Dells - Dells Sing Dionne Warwicke's Greatest Hits 11 tracks from 1972 |
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Dusty Groove 2007 | CD | 15.00 € |
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| Dyke & The Blazers - We Got More Soul 2CD 2CD = 33 tracks |
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Ace Records 2007 | CD | 25.00 € |
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| James Brown - Mr Dynamite 125 min |
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Soul Brother 2007 | DVD | 7.00 € |
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| Oscar Toney Jr. - Loving You Too Long The Contempo Sessions. 12 tracks |
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Shout 2007 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| Sandra Phillips & Bette Williams - Swamp Dogg's Southern Soul Girls 21 tracks |
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Ace Records 2007 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| VA: - Can't Be Satisfied - The xl and Sounds Of Memphis Story 22 tracks |
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Ace Records 2007 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| VA: - Larry Banks' Soul Family Album It sounds dramatic to say that this CD was Dave Godin’s last musical request, but then Dave wasn’t afraid of drama and was prepared to do almost anything to promote his beloved causes. So: Dave Godin’s last words to me before he left this mortal coil were "Make sure that Larry Banks tribute CD gets done". Many UK soul fans knew Dave’s work from his championing of the early days of Northern Soul. He loved the concept, the fanaticism and passion and its independence from a music business which he thought cynical and more in love with the pound than the music. Later soul fans were able to share his ultimate passion through the Deep Soul tracks that adorned the four CD volumes of "Dave Godin’s Deep Soul Treasures". Dave often said that these were his proudest achievements. If we look at the front cover of the very first volume (he didn’t really expect it to sell enough to warrant a follow up), we see the first of the selected artists names was Larry Banks. That was a conscious decision to give pride of place to the work of Larry and his two wives, Bessie and Jaibi, who also shine out from that momentous CD cover. Their music was a constant and rewarding chapter in Dave’s musical enlightenment. He quickly realised that Larry was more of a behind the scenes’ musician than a performer and so took a great interest and pleasure in the songs and productions that Larry was involved with throughout his life. That led to the discovery of such accomplished and often inspired acts as Kenny Carter, the Dynamics and the Geminis. Kent and Dave had a mutually beneficial relationship and it was nice that we could repay Dave’s faith in us by uncovering more of his heroes’ music in the form of unreleased master tapes. At roughly the same time that Dave’s Soul Treasures, vol 1 came out we issued Rare Collectible And Soulful Vols 1 & 2. These featured unreleased RCA masters including great finished productions of Larry’s songs on Kenny Carter, the Cavaliers and the Metros. There were others that we saved for this project, notably the Kenny Carter and the Cavaliers ballads and the Geminis fast and funky dance numbers. Getting even closer to the source, we made contact with GWP Productions, for whom Larry had been the main soul A&R man in the 60s. Though some of his work ended up at RCA there were also terrific independent productions on the Devonnes and an unknown male group called the Shaladons. Even better for Dave was the discovery of extra Jaibi tracks including her original demo of You Got Me, which, with a superior tape copy of Go Now and Kenny Carter’s original unreleased take on Lights Out meant this CD met Dave’s highest standards. Not being limited to Deep Soul meant that I could unleash Northern Soul dancers like Milton Bennett (Larry’s Go Now co-composer)’s What’s One More Lie, the Dynamics’ My Life Is No Better, the Devonnes’ Doin’ The Getting Up and the Shaladons superior take on the Hesitations’ We Can Do It. Larry’s own vocals often matched up to those of his pupils and his Select 45 Will You Wait was a recording Dave had championed since the 60s. His quirky Spring single is absolutely captivating in this setting, whereas when I originally picked it up I just thought it was good but unclassifiable soul. Bessie Banks’ moving tribute to Dave at his funeral showed that here was more than the usual critic and musicians relationship. Dave had become a regular correspondent with several members of the Banks family and their contributions to this CD have been invaluable, taking us back to that most creative period of the 1960s, when sublime soul music was being created. Even though it’s taken forty years to access and appreciate some of it ; it’s been well worth the wait. Ady Croasdell (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2007 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - The Soul of Spring Vol. 2 24 tracks from 1968-1975 |
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Ace Records 2007 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Zell's Girls 28 tracks collection of rare girlgroup, R&B, doowop and soul sides from Zell's, Baton and Dice recordings 1955-1970 |
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Ace Records 2007 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| Carolyn Franklin - Sister Soul 22 tracks |
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Ace Records 2006 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| Oscar Toney Jr. - Guilty A Southern Soul renaissance |
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Shout Records 2006 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| Peggy Scott - She's Got It All 12 tracks |
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Shout Records 2006 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| Rosetta Hightower - Rosetta Hightower album from 1971 now on CD with couple singles from 1968 as bonus |
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RPM 2006 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| Smokey Wilson - Round Like An Apple 17 tracks. The Big Town Recordings 1977-1978 |
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Ace Records 2006 | CD | 17.00 € |
