tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56875525848970535342024-03-14T03:45:54.911-07:00Tim Brown TalksTim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563252017174723152noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687552584897053534.post-74438928165660888312014-01-03T05:21:00.000-08:002014-01-03T05:21:28.813-08:00Everything's Gonna Be Alright<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Manifesto</i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600;"> December</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600;">, 2013</span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>2033</o:Words>
<o:Characters>11592</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Martix Design</o:Company>
<o:Lines>96</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>23</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>14235</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>10.1316</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">As another Northern Soul film threatens to peek at us over the popcorn
stands and attempts to explain, via a narrative, what it was all about to the
man-in-the-street of today, we will doubtless be due another blinding flash of
the media spotlight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact it’s
just happened ….<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Whether by coincidence with the above, or design, the BBC’s ‘Culture
Show’ decided to ‘do’ Northern Soul via economics presenter Paul Mason (who I
believe hails from Leigh).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
aware of this back in June when a young lady researcher telephonically picked
my brains regarding the potentiality of the Culture Show featuring our beloved
subject.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given that virtually
every televisual treatment has gone the same way – ‘Ooh, they stay up all night
y’know… and take drugs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By crikey,
they can’t half dance as well!’ and that both the Wigan play and the film ‘Soul
Boy’ had very similar storylines (or rather non-storylines) I was anxious to
point them in another direction; not easy to do when much is reliant on
Granada’s 1977 exposé regarding footage from the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some ways the Northern Soul scene
doesn’t have the originality it often claims (or at least is thrust upon
it).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t the first scene by
any means where devotees stayed up all night (trad jazz fans were doing that in
the fifties), and modern jazz fans were no strangers to amphetamines either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of dance cultures saw their
aficionados dancing like dervishes and America’s doo-wop collectors knew all
about high prices for old records before Northern Soul had really got
going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it <b>was </b></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">the first meaningful youth culture built around
music from another time and place (Belgium’s ‘popcorn’ scene could also rival
that claim, but it was never anywhere near the size of the Northern scene);<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>music that had largely failed in its
country of origin, music that it in its originations and its availability put
it beyond the control of the UK record companies and British radio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That the kids couldn’t be told what to
do and that the makers of the music had no conception that a latterday demand
existed is to my mind the essential facet of the Northern Soul enigma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In promoting music, often of real
quality, that had been left, covered in dust of the ghettos, there is a sense
of some worth and pride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first
the Culture Show looked like it might go there (as I suggested they should) but
no, we ended up in ‘hands, knees, and boomps-a-daisy, everyone do the Northern
Soul’ territory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what was the
nonsense about Northern Soul borrowing its moves from the Kung Fu epidemic of
the early seventies?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think a few
thousand Torchites and Wheelites might have something to say about that!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Not too much to reflect upon in August’s Manifesto although I almost
choked on my volauvent when Sean Chapman compared L.J. Reynolds stentorious
vocals on ‘What’s A Matter Baby’ to Steve Marriott!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather like comparing Pele to Shaun Goater (well they’re
both black I suppose).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s next
codman?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suzi Quatro and Aretha
Franklin? Nice to see at least that Grimsby Town’s remaining fan raves over
Gene Chandler’s ‘In My Body’s House’ (Checker).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually I should make reference to Keith Rylatt’s Blues and
Soul pages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s worth mentioning
that the Solitaires, who Keith mentions via some of their last Old Town
recording, pushed on into the early soul sound in 1964 with ‘Fool That I Am’
and MGM Records. ‘Fool’ really is an outstanding example of the hybrid between
soul and duo-wop that was typical of the time, even slightly past its apogee
really.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The song is, surprisingly,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>courtesy of Neil Diamond, and Chris Towns, who knew a thing
or two about Uptown Soul, arranges and conducts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The line-up of one of those giants of fifties R&B was
subject to considerable change and on this, their final disc, I’m not too sure
who the impassioned lead actually is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That he sings with considerable soul is beyond debate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just at the moment the demand flame for
early soul (as opposed to a more vigorous R&B sound very popular on the
continent) is perhaps a little dimmed, which is a great shame, but if ya liked
Stafford you’ll like this one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In the Shop Around section of the last Manifesto, Keith quite rightly
raves of the new History of Soul CD series issued at remarkably low prices
recently, but fails to mention that these are the price they are, courtesy of
the current UK laws on public domain which take the tracks to no later than
1962.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not so much the history of
soul then, as the history of the genesis of soul, despite absolute
thoroughness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Courtesy of such
paupers as Cliff Richard and Paul McCartney there is every chance that this
door to democratic copyright (we are talking 50 years for goodness sake) will
be closed soon via a change in the rules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I contemplate the depth and accuracy of the History of Soul series
then I can only consider that the consumer, the fan, the black music lover, is
the loser.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We might never see complete
accumulations of the output of, say, Donald Height or Jimmy Lewis in one place
due to the sheer difficulty and<b>/</b></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">or cost set against demand, and I can honestly question what good
purpose that circumstance actually serves?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly not the purposes of the dwindling band of folks
that really care about it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Talk of compact discs takes me onto that subject.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few years ago I was one of the people
behind the retrieval of various masters from Don Davis’ Groovesville<b>/</b></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">United Sound<b>/</b></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Solid Hitbound setup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That this should include the almost immortal Darrell Banks
was to my absolute and total delight – after all, was there EVER a better
double-sider than ‘Open The Door To Your Heart’ coupled with ‘Our Love (Is in
The Pocket)’?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And don’t forget –
that was his FIRST record!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don, or
rather his brother Will, was adamant that Don’s productions were not licensed
out to other labels in perpetuity so Goldmine’s double CD ‘Darrell Banks – The
Lost Soul’ covered tracks that saw the light of day on Revilot, Atco, Cotillion
and Volt in the manner that would be such a problem with the above-mentioned
Donald Height.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was therefore
delighted nay, proud, to offer what I considered to be the complete output of a
genuine ‘great’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine my
surprise then to see a new Ace/Kent Darrell Banks compilation hit the shelves
recently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Entitled ‘I’m The One
Who Loves You’, the CD manages to unearth four new demo tracks on this great
artist as well as featuring all of his other Stax/Volt recordings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As ever, attention to detail is the key
here and I have to confess that even I had never realised that the Volt singles
had slightly different mixes to the same tracks on the ‘Here To Stay’
album.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are four genuinely
unissued cuts (with others listed but not found), which aren’t fantastic but
it’s so good to hear Bank’s voice on ‘new’ material once more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That these are ‘mere’ demos matters
hardly at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amongst the
‘listed’ is ‘Please Let Me In’ (which Johnnie Taylor had a then-unissued go at
of course, with some success) – the mouth waters, even foams, but there is no
evidence that Banks’ actually made a version.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As usual annotator Tony Rounce does a wonderful job in
explaining the tracks by virtue of dated studio sessions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only two complaints on that count then,
the first is that the untraced <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Recipe For Love’ is very likely to be the song that <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Davis recorded on L.V. Johnson and which
Goldmine retrieved from the tapes by him. Secondly, that Mr Rounce manages to
keep Goldmine unmentioned throughout the whole 14 pages!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, the point is that Don Davis’
opinion or no, Tony Rounce’s omissions or not – this Darrell Banks compilation
is one of the best things to happen in 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Keeping the connectivity going here we can stay with previously-unissued
material on a limited edition 45 from Soul Tribe Records of Canada in the shape
of Wallie Hoskins and Rosemary McCoy’s ‘Switch Around’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Around ten years or so ago this
persistent sixties dancer on a Beltone acetate saw considerable action from Rob
Thomas and Andy Rix when they briefly threatened to become the new Ginger and
Eddie as a deejaying duo (these partnerships are something of a rarity on the
Northern Scene, Ginger and Eddie’s was broken at St Ives when Eddie spun ‘Car
Wash’ only to be sat on for two hours by Ginger until he agreed to retire!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway Rob and Andy saw quite a few
bookings in London at the dawn of the current millennium (was it Scenesville? perhaps
the Dome as well), the point being that ‘Switch Around’ became genuinely
popular, particularly in the south east.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I was deejaying I used a cut of it too and found that it was one of
those useful ‘newies’ that didn’t necessarily clear a dance floor straight away
(the Mayfield Singers and Joe Jama were two others like this at the time).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recently the afore-mentioned Ginger has
been playing it as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The days
are long gone when a one-off acetate could rise to genuine, all-round
popularity via weekly gigs at Wigan or Stafford, and the most popular new spins
(as opposed to oldies) are always the ones at least a few deejays have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With an intro not unlike Jessie
Johnson’s ‘Left Out’, which in turn borrows from Eddie and Ernie’s ‘Outcast’,
‘Switch Around’ is at the one and the same time familiar-but-not-familiar and
it was overdue a degree of availability to vinyl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I usually finish my articles here in Manifesto with a few original 45s
and I’m not going to change that now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ian Levine has been rather resurgent of late with a new personal theme tune
of ‘Soon Everything’s Gonna Be Alright’ (Third Time Around – get it?) and some
kind of podcast, whatever they are (actually I know, but I’m happier having
less to do with computers rather than more).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knowing Ian well, I can honestly say that when he’s into
something I know of few people who can be more single-minded, and over the last
couple of years he’s applied that mindset to record collecting once more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even allowing for the fact that
the bespectacled one has a different yardstick to blue-eyed Northern than I
have, I must concede that he has turned up some very interesting tunes, at
least one of which was a current cover-up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also interesting is Levine’s ability to look at some records
which have been around (but are perhaps nonetheless uncommon) with fresh eyes
and ears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this category we must
place the CAMOTIONS with ‘Sonny’ on La-Ro-Ke – known to the scene since the
late seventies for the flipside ‘Motown’, from which Simon Soussan got the idea
for ‘Uptown Festival’ by Shalamar and which segués together, in sixties style,
various songs from Berry Gordy’s empire courtesy of Clarence Lawton and Bert
Keyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Flip it over and ‘Sonny’ is
a tremendous piece of midtempo harmony recalling groups like the Elgins and
Monitors which mixed male and female leads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could do with this female lead having perhaps a stronger
voice but the whole mix is decidedly pleasing, a case of the whole being much
stronger than the parts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As for
the mantra ‘oh well it’s around, it isn’t very rare’ then check the various internet
sales sites, or compilations of such, and a different picture emerges despite
the current low price. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Given the essential rarity and obscurity of much of our music it never
fails to surprise me how many times certain songs or even backing tracks were
used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And how did UK pop groups
get to hear things like ‘You Don’t Know Where Your Interest Lies’ or ‘You Got
Me Where You Want Me’ years before the scene found them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose, as far as the United States
is concerned, studios and labels were so ubiquitous that an attempt at a hit
single wasn’t such a big financial risk, whereas a UK act had to head to London
with it’s formal studios and unionized musician’s rates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This, and the regional nature of the US
(only one national newspaper I can think of outside of specialists), account
for a vast difference between the US record industry and that of any other
country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So it was that in Los
Angeles three different labels went with one song, one backing track, three
different vocalists and one outcome – uber-obscurity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The song, with its track, was twice known as ‘Crazy, Crazy’
so perhaps that is our best point of reference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On this title we have both male and female versions by TOMMY
MARKS and LITTLE JEANETTE respectively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It would seem that Zel and The Green Lights labels are related with
exactly the same dull, black, label and silver/grey typeface although the two
releases are separated by exactly two years – April ‛66 in the case of Little
Jeanette, the same month in 1968 for Tommy Marks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Musically, the track has a skipping 80 mph beat with brass
injections that screams ‘Northern’ i.e., reaching out to Motown but not quite
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither singer is
particularly outstanding rather than competent. In fact it appears that Marks
is singing <b>over </b></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">the Little Jeanette
track and that she is still in there from two years before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same flip ‘Please Come Back Again’
is employed but Marks genuinely goes solo on this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus far, ‘Crazy, Crazy’ had been an
A-side but then, in mid-1969, it crops up once more, as a B-side and with a
different title ‘Joey’, (although it’s the same song).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one is on the Boss label
(unconnected to others of that name) and ironically, given the song’s
relegation to flipside status, is the strongest of the three from singer JO JO
PETITE. The A-side is ‘You Make Me Come Alive’ and although a little messy, in
itself could set a few Northern hearts a-flutter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not one of the above trio will set you back less than a
couple of hundred pounds today, but illustrate perfectly the world of diverse
vinyl waiting for ordinary British folks to stumble across over 40 years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">AND DOUBLE FINALLY… although I write this whilst green leaves are still
on the trees, let me wish all of you a very Merry Christmas with the thought
that a not unuseful Christmas present may well be advertised in this very
edition of Manifesto. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">‘Til Next Time’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">For rarites, reissues, auctions, Northern, Funk, Deep and… price guides, go to:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk/">www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -5.4pt;">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
Tim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563252017174723152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687552584897053534.post-75053596704210434032013-05-23T03:45:00.001-07:002013-05-23T03:45:36.251-07:00Back In The Groove<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Manifesto</i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600;"> May</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600;">, 2013</span></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>39</o:Words>
<o:Characters>225</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Martix Design</o:Company>
<o:Lines>1</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>276</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>10.1316</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good to see Manifesto back
in the groove again, back to full colour once more, and in a paper quality
which won’t curl up as it was prone to before! As ever one or two things to
comment on from previous editions, and I’ll try not to make one or two big boys
cry – honest…</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
October/November issue is rather too long ago to take in detail, but I really
must put forward the alternate viewpoint on Ian Stebbing’s review of Manships
‘Guide For USA Rare Soul 45’s (6<sup>th</sup> Edition)’.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now,
as a person who has also produced price guides to Northern Soul my opinions
might be regarded as biased, or as Mandy Rice-Davies once famously said, ‘he
would say that wouldn’t he?’ However, there has to be an alternative to the
above writer’s lack of criticism, which quite honestly bordered on the
sycophantic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Placing aside for the
moment the rampant disregard for any possible registered trademark that is
commercial exploitation via the cover then what do the pages inside contain?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well at first the glossy,
photographic-quality paper appears impressive – until we pick the volume up, in
which case the book takes on the garb of Dark Matter so heavy is it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there aren’t actually any
photographs to justify this inconvenient truth!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Already after a couple of months this un-needed extra weight
is tearing the pages from the spine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Common sense on the scale of building a bridge from Liverpool to Ireland
when there is a perfectly good ferry service I would have said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As an indication of a large number of
soul singles the book is useful, but by his own admission John Manship claims a
database of 200,000 records, so what is the reality of a mere fraction of that
number priced up and offered in a paper format? Well my age-old reservations
about the Deep, Funk, and Sweet Soul titles remain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These inclusions smack of pressing a button on a database
rather than looking into the subject matter with fondness so incomplete are
they.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not as if it isn’t
possible quite easily to find out exactly what the total output of a Willie
Johnson or a Mighty Hannibal is and price it accordingly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want to that is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Presumably some would say that
‘something is better than nothing’ and it’s a good point, though obviously not
one I concur with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Northern
and Modern aspects of the book are more worrying in that quite a number of
titles are missing entirely, again one is tempted to point to a reliance on a
computer rather than any collector’s investigation and this must be the truth,
although it beggars belief that the author wouldn’t look at other price guides
(which he plainly didn’t).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As for
prices – well some are up on my view of them, others down on that same
circumstance, although at the more expensive end they often appear startlingly
out of touch – the C.O.D.’s ‘She’s Fire’ and Kell Osborne’s ‘Law Against A
Heartbreaker’ for instance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then
again, if you ain’t ever had ‘em for sale and the computer button is your lord
and master, what can you do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
there you have it – the view from across the trenches as-it-were, but beware
the price because the construction of this tome is such that if regular
reference is your aim you’re going to need repeat copies.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not
that much to argue with in March’s Manifesto excepting Sean Chapman’s inability
to spell ‘Brighouse’!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was no
mere typo as he repeats it ad infinitum – clearly the boy has been taking
spelling lessons from Brighouse supremo Ginger Taylor. And, at a more serious
level a note to Soul Sam that Mr Percolater (‘I Can’t Get Enough’ on Wax-Well)
was actually a rather wonderful singer by the name of Perk Badger (or Pearstine
Badger) long beloved of Japanese Deep Soul collectors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also rather good for Northern fans on
the same label by the same artist is ‘Burning Up For Your Love’.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In
the ‘trendy end’ of the last Manifesto Pete Haigh gives us his run-down on his
top 30 releases from 2012.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
much harder to do in rare soul land of course because these days the true point
at which an old record actually discovered is often up for debate with quite a
number of ‘new’ things having been around for a few years or even longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On compact disc things are much easier
of course, and whilst I am not about to muse and cogitate over last year then
Ace/Kent’s retrospective of the Spinners ‘Truly Yours’ would probably take top
honours with at least 4 <b>outstanding</b> never-heard-before cuts on it, all of which should be
top of current playlists, but aren’t due to an over-riding, obsessional, ‘look
what I’ve got’ mentality which often promotes sheer rarity above
commonsense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As an example of this
factor a few people have ‘discovered’ Little John on Gogate recently, oblivious
to the fact that, a) it is an atrocious piece of nonsense from a guy that can’t
sing and b) was played out, even bootlegged, 25 years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get to ‘We’re Gonna Be More Than
Friends’ on the Spinners CD. Say I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Turning
to the current year I did think initially that, even this early in the annus
(that’s annus Sean and Ginger), Kent’s ‘Pied Piper Presents’ would be release
of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s impressive, that
much is for certain, but after a week of constant listening in the car, the
flaws started to emerge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us,
however, look on the bright side first, and bright is indeed the word – no less
than a dozen tracks out of the 24 are previously unissued in any shape or form,
with standout tracks from The Cavaliers, Freddy Butler, Willie Kendrick and
Nancy Wilcox, even a bustin’, stomper of an instrumental ‘He’ll Be Leaving
You’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other versions of tracks we
know already are included of which Lorraine Chandler’s original, faster take
of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘I Can’t Hold On’ amazed at
first, then irritated later, as I realized the issued take (on RCA) was
superior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rose Batiste’s ‘This
Heart Is Lonely’ improves on ‘I Miss My Baby’ issued (by her or not, it isn’t quite
clear) on Revilot with added handclaps. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How this ended up at Pied Piper is anyone’s guess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>September Jones’ ‘Stuttering Sam’ and
‘Chink A Chank Baby’ both utilize existing backing tracks to ‘Set My Heart At
Ease’ and ‘Candle In The Window’ but are ultimately ruined by banal lyrics
whilst previously released goodies abound, even if the Sandpiper’s ‘Lonely Too
Long’ will be lonely forever to these ears!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ady Croasdell’s booklet is worth the price of the
compilation in its own right – an important work (and that’s not too strong a
word) which places most of these recordings in a factual, even historical,
context – much of it for the first-ever time.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I
flatter myself that I’m one of the few who offer up an accurate critique of
Ace/Kent material for the simple reason that, because I buy their releases, I
say what I like and I’m not in their pocket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By and large however, they do a fantastic job worthy of high
praise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such praise came from my
Canadian sparring partner Martin Koppel recently when he nominated the Ace CD
‘Dan Penn – The Fame Recordings’ as his CD of the year (thus far, one
presumes).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few years ago Penn
performed (with Spooner Oldham) a version of his song ‘I’m Your Puppet’ on
television (Jools Holland’s show I think) and I realized that he was a much
better vocalist than his recording career provided evidence for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m pleased to say that the soulful Dan
Penn is on show in this compilation of previously unreleased material that
presumably were song demos at the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even though we can clearly see Penn to be as white as the driven snow,
his versions of ‘Keep On Talking’, ‘Slippin Around With You’ and ‘Power of
Love’ are totally as credible as those issued by soul men of some credence and
credibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His version of Ben
Atkins’ ‘Come On Over’ is very similar to the Youngstown release, although in
this instance both vocalists are blue-eyed of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And although readings of ‘Northern’ records are interesting
enough, a ballad is usually the ultimate litmus of vocal prowess, Dan Penn does
a fine job here as well on southern classics like ‘Feed The Flame’ and ‘Take A
Good Look’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Truly convincing white
soulsters are scarce but I can honestly say that we have one here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Outside
of Ace/Kent the Rojac/Tayster material has surfaced via a rather mysterious
source (on a revived ‘Rojac’ label) which admits that the longer term
whereabouts of owner Jack Taylor is not known after his 1980’s sojourn into the
club business (Harlem World Club).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How this fell into anyone’s ownership is debatable therefore and as the
material on ‘The Rojac Story’ is all of an issued nature the mastertapes have
presumably not been located.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
perhaps unfortunate that a U.S. source has claimed this material because the
compilation falls fairly uneasily on two discs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of these goes down a funk route, or funk-ish at least,
the other down a soul route of varying eras and tempos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often the ages of the product sits ill
as ease with each other and the Northern Soul is scattered around without
contiguity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The label scans show
the reissue of Lillie Bryant’s ‘Meet Me Halfway’ presumably without the
knowledge that it was such a thing, and why the 635 label isn’t included I’ve
no idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand I’ve
never seen the disco/funk 80’s Rojec label before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sleevenotes aren’t too bad but don’t tell us much we
didn’t know already (I already knew the Master Four were the International
GTOS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A number of great records
are missing from the selection and whilst not being wonderful, probably the
rarest one ‘Love Has Taken Wings’ by the Master Four is not included.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interestingly the Rojac discography
lists a Master Four disc I’ve never heard of so I wonder if anyone out there
owns ‘The Mojo Man’ please get in touch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is quite clear that these labels were worthy of at least 3, if not 4
CDs even, to represent the good stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A mere 44 tracks from over one hundred represents a poor return and a
lost opportunity methinks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not
all American reissues operate at a level somewhat below that of the Old World,
a notable exception being Numero Uno Records out of Chicago who continue to
plunder the most obscure corners of black music not only with aplomb, but with
a policy of commercial viability that frequently has this compiler scratching
his head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both these circumstances
apply to a little box set of 45s culled from the miniscule Boddie Recording
Studio in Cleveland, Ohio which operated from 1965 to 1983.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As far as I know nothing particularly
famous came out of there, and it isn’t the time and place to record their story
here, suffice it to say that it seems to be firmly rooted in the black
community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The box set has 6
previously unissued sides, all uncertain or unclear origins, with even the
artists un-named.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of interest to
the scene is a reasonable, rather basic, take on ‘Selfish One’ (female) and two
good midtempo seventies dancers which are most likely the ‘other’ Montclairs,
or sometimes Monclairs, on Sunburst and Comet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These two sides are ‘Never Let You Go’ and ‘Let The Children
Play’ – nothing earthshattering but the fact that someone has put them out on
vinyl is perhaps a testament to the current diverse times old soul finds itself
in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just time for a few more
bits of dusty old vinyl then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
few years ago I formed a kind of vague impression that if the Northen R&B
thing wasn’t necessarily over, then it was in a definite regression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In terms of ‘main rooms’ then this was
true, there hasn’t been a Charles Sheffield or a ‘Catch That Teardrop’ for some
time but that was to ignore a little subculture digging out tunes away from the
mainstream of the Northern Soul scene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In amongst the above subculture are a plethora of great discs with a
good deal of soul in their grooves (and some weary antiques to be fair) which
I’m currently finding more appealing than some of the obscure disco on some of
the modern scenes (yes there is more than one or two of those).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the best is a rare one in the
shape of MARRY CLAYTON ‘I’ve Got My Eyes On You’ on the Los Angeles label
Teldisc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quite clearly you don’t
have to be Sherlock Holmes to deduce that this is Merry Clayton on a Richard
Berry song.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one time this
obscure 45 was touted for the flipside ‘The Doorbell Rings’ but the difference
between the two sides does rather illustrate the way in which the new breed of
R&B has progressed with ‘Doorbell’ coming over as a dated clichē very much
of the pre-‘Heatwave’ era (‘Heatwave’ is arguably the most important record in
pop history).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Flip the record over
and ‘I’ve Got My Eyes On You’ is an insistent mover without much pop sentiment
and with a raunchy gospelesque approach embellished by a croaking saxophone
break that any fan of the black voice could surely not resist?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although she was the original recorder
of ‘The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)’ on Capitol, Clayton’s career was
largely in the pop/rock side of things, as a result her powerful vocalising is
rarely appreciated in our circles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The rare and obscure ‘I’ve Got My Eyes On You’ won’t change that
circumstance, but will remain as yet another piece of vinyl worthy of remembrance
by collectors and dancers.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
term ‘crossover’ first came to Britain’s rare soul scene in the mid to late
eighties. At that time modern
records were rarely played if over ten years old and with Stafford firmly in
the grip of sixties (including older sixties sounds than had ever been
previously contemplated), a swathe of music from the very late sixties (say
’68) to the mid-seventies was being ignored. Embracing a variety of tempos with soul always at the
forefront, ‘crossover’ was born, and it’s twin peaks rapidly became Parker’s
and the Canal Tavern, Thorne, climaxing together (sorry!) at Alex Lowe’s
weekenders. One of the real
highlights of that first swathe of record titles was FREDDIE TERRELL’S ‘You Had
It Made’ which emerged from Atlanta, Georgia to appear on the mainstream
Capitol label circa 1971. Terrell,
who was primarily an instrumentalist, drafted in one Eddie Maxey to perform the
caustic vocals on this one – Terrell had no shortage of available singing
talent after working with the likes of Lee Moses and Herman Hitson (who
co-wrote ‘You Had It Made’). Upon
re-listening to the song I’m left to reflect that it has some of a ‘steppers’
tempo with a gritty edge to it – but wait! How can I have missed ‘Why Not Me? on the flipside? It’s actually even better than ‘Had It
Made’ coming in as a fantastic midtempo track layered with brass and more of
those fiery vocals. A quite
astounding double-sider therefore that no serious collection of obscure soul
music should be without.</span></div>
</div>
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>30</o:Words>
<o:Characters>172</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Martix Design</o:Company>
<o:Lines>1</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>211</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>10.1316</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">‘Til
Next Time’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Tim
Brown<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Auctions,
soundbites, books, reissues, sixties, seventies, funk, free price guide – it’s
all online now at <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="http://www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk/">www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk</a></span><!--EndFragment-->
<br />
<!--EndFragment-->Tim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563252017174723152noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687552584897053534.post-67821158202607080922013-04-05T04:06:00.000-07:002013-04-05T04:06:16.083-07:00Let's Talk About Soul<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>1951</o:Words>
<o:Characters>11125</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Martix Design</o:Company>
<o:Lines>92</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>22</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>13662</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>10.1316</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Manifesto</i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600;">April, 2013</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>1913</o:Words>
<o:Characters>10908</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Martix Design</o:Company>
<o:Lines>90</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>21</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>13395</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>10.1316</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Summertime and the living is easy… not around these parts unfortunately
with at least two floods! Now as I
write this article cloaked in stygian darkness and as rusty-brown leaves swirl
around the windows, I am forced to contemplate the long hard winter. Still, the Vibrations are on the way at
the end of it all. With that
pleasant thought in mind – let’s talk about soul…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The BBC gave me a call recently upon the sad news that Frank Wilson had
shed his mortal coil – as the only known owner of an original copy of his
famous record it seems that I’m entwined in the legend that is the story of ‘Do
I Love You’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was asked if I ever
played the original 45, to which I replied that with various reissues of the
said track I hardly needed to do that – and what is more I’m ever-so-slightly
bored with the record anyway!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Incidentally is ‘Do I Love You’ the <b>only </b></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">case of a credible Northern Soul 45 being
permissible for a deejay to play on the reissue?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good job really because I’m not behind the decks at the
moment and the other copy is in ‘Humberside’ (according to some sources).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the many years that I’ve been a record dealer I’ve seen a number of
people enter the fray and fail to make it as an ongoing concern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the late eighties we had Labeat
Records – a short-lived enterprise out of the East Midlands but one which managed
to shape the future auctioning of Northern Soul records (a now regular
circumstance).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few years later
one Pete Lowrie of Carlisle made something of a splash courtesy of scouring
Detroit – but it didn’t last.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both
of the above, and others, had the lifespan of an antechinus but another has
just retired after 30 years or so of purveying rare vinyl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Based in Wolverhampton, Richard Domar
was a controversial figure once voted (in a manner) ‘worst record dealer’ by a
soul website!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nonetheless Richard
offered many interesting singles in his time – my copy of Ray Agee on Soultown
came from him and I ‘discovered’ ‘Love’s Stormy Weather’ on his shelves filed
as a poor cover of ‘Soul Man’ (the other side).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also found ‘the box’ of Boss Four’s ‘Walkin By’ on Rim,
tho’ had long since sold out of copies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It might also be noted that he produced 7 issues of a fanzine ‘The Owl’s
Effort’ in the late eighties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
make interesting reading, coming from an era that is dismissed by many as
‘doldrums’ but which was actually very vibrant in many ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Domar was the victim of his own kind of
brusque honesty as a telephone voice, but I got on well with him and wish him
well in his record-less future. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the search for CD-only tracks, recent months see Ace/Kent dominate
this particular scenario – but not before comment on a release of their’s with
no previously unissued tracks at all in the shape of ‘King Northern Soul Volume
3’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The release takes advantage of
the ever-widening spectrum of Northern Soul to produce a 24 track compilation
which even the label itself (Kent) had doubted could occur after the first duo
of volumes over 11 years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
result will surely shock the vast majority for whom Northern Soul means ‘Do I
Love You’ or ‘Get It Baby’ or, well, records like them that have traditionally
defined the genre. One instrumental huge in 1975 (not ‛76 please Ady) in the
shape of ‘Thunder’ (curiously depicted by the reissue) is about the only
memory-jerker, to which we can add the fabulous Stafford spin ‘House of Broken
Hearts’ by Hal Hardy and a bit of current demand for Charles Spurling’s<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘That’s My Zone (He’s Pickin’ On).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest, and fine mid to uptempo soul
they frequently are, stretch any definition of Northern Soul almost to breaking
point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unusually for Kent (and Ady
Croasdell) the sleevenotes are weak and error-strewn making for a very
frustrating CD compilation overall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I reviewed one of the first King Northern Soul albums at the time as
‘starting like the Champions League and ending like the Carling Cup’ – well the
latter is now the Capitol One Cup, and 7-5 and 5-4 results apart is still not
the most enthralling of football competitions; using that same old analogy I
could perhaps say that at best this CD is the first two rounds of the old League
Cup before the big boys come in.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Elsewhere amongst the Ace/Kent compilations the southern states offer up
at least one track off George Jackson’s ‘Let The Best Man Win’ CD subtitled
‘The Fame Recordings Volume 2’, in the shape of the outrageous pounder ‘It’s
Not Safe To Mess On Me’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
tempted to say one or two other tracks from this comp would cause a stir if
they were on tiny, obscure labels – and ‘It’s Not Safe’ would probably be worth
a small fortune.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘We’re The Soul
Girls!’ visits the output of Jeanne and the Darlings plus the Charmels from
Volt Records.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first of these
two girl groups offer the fantastic gospelesque midpacer ‘Changes’ which has
seen release on CD before in the nineties, ‘I’m In Love With You’is possibly <b>too
</b></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">mellow for Northern Soulers
but is a rather wonderful just-below-midpacer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Charmels have no less than 7 unreleased-at-the-time
tracks on this CD and both ‘Baby Hurry’ and ‘Oo-oh A-a-ah’ would not disappoint
fans of Memphis stompers such as ‘Keep My Woman Home’ or ‘Changes’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seventies fans could do a lot worse
than Darrow Fletcher ‘Crossover Records – 1975-79 L.A. Soul Sessions’ (Kent)
even if nothing actually touches the released 45 ‘This Time (I’ll Be The
Fool)’, tho even that one is the previously unreleased ‘album’ cut on the
CD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of our heroes now plough
undistinguished furrows – in the case of Darrow Fletcher he is now a painter
and decorator – so all credit to Kent for putting him in the spotlight after
all these years. Not all is Kent on small shiny disc however, and Outta Sight’s
compilation ‘Crossover To Modern Soul’ sees Deniece Chandlers ‘I’m Not Like The
Others’ see the light of day for the first time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a version, probably the original, of the Little
Jimmy Gandy song on Roulette that had crossover popularity at one time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chandler was to metamorphose into
Deniece Williams of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also
of note is the launching of Point of Views’ ‘I’m Superman’ (Instant) as a
seventies in-demander which seems to be very rare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Available at the moment is a double CD of Mary Wells’ 20<sup>th</sup>
Century Fox (Soul Music Records) material which includes her two albums for the
label, one of which, ‘Love Songs To The Beatles’ is quite awful, not due to the
songs (which are classics of the pop genre) but the quasi-M.O.R. manner in
which they are produced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are
4 tracks on the CD which didn’t make it to vinyl back in the day (mid-sixties)
‘I’m Learnin’ is up there with other Mary Wells post-Motown dancers on not only
20<sup>th</sup> Century but Atco and Reprise too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually these tracks came out previously on CD in 1996 on
John Abbey’s Ichiban imprint but that release is very difficult to find now….
So here’s your chance. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Onto vinyl and another interesting previously unissued cut that has its
45 is ‘Psychedelic Soul Part 3’ issued by Outta Sight on a Thomas
lookalike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some ways it is
rather more of a curiosity with improvising in less-than-serious style over the
backing track, makes a refreshing change although my mum doesn’t like it much
(she goes for Part 1 having been subjected to it so much in the middle
seventies – quite true!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had an
order recently from a dyed-in-the-wool Northern fan for a clutch of JAMES BROWN
singles, it was bound to happen really with at least a part of the current
scene going rather funky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amongst
them was ‘Sexy,Sexy,Sexy’ on Polydor – a track that caused me to remember more
from the middle seventies and the Barker boys from Todmorden who put me onto
the above when the Mecca/Cleethorpes had started to play Black Nasty, East
Coast Connection etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that time
the disc in question was not rare enough to be played but I loved its
remorseless rhythm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it shares
more or less the same backing track as the great ‘Money Won’t Change You’
(King) from 1966 as well. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Far away from the hit status that James Brown enjoyed we move on to
L.A.’s Flodavieur label and a 1964 release from the grammatically challenged
INCONQUERABLES.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This label first
came to the notice of the UK’s rare soul aficionados via The Antellects ‘Love
Slave’ in the nineties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often held
up as the 8<sup>th</sup> wonder of the world, I always thought it to be
somewhat dull and actually I prefer ‘For Your Love’ by the Inconquerables which
is the release before it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
thing that could be said in favour of the Antellects is that it sounds rather
ahead of its time by a couple of years at least, whilst the Inconquerables is
firmly of a 1964 vintage that saw doo-wop elements firmly incorporated into the
new wave of soul music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In actual
fact these doo-wop influences impart a warmth to the record that Dell’s
recordings on Argo and Vee Jay at, or before, this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coming in at around 70mph ‘For Your
Love’ has enough about it to encourage any dancefloor but I particularly
appreciate the record when the lead singer injects urgency and passion into his
pleas as the song reaches the finishing line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who are into impassioned doo-wop ballads reaching out
for the soul era really shouldn’t miss the flip ‘Wait For Me’ which in essence
is a Deep Soul record with doo-wop overtones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Incidentally, as if reputedly issued on yellow vinyl in
addition to the more usual black. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few issues ago, I reviewed the Kent Contours CD which included the
infamous track ‘Do The See Saw’ – a previously unissued cut which escaped
Motown’s vaults to emerge as the backing track to Tom & Jerrio’s
‘Boo-Ga-Loo’ (ABC) which was a big hit in 1965, resulting in a successful
lawsuit from Gordy’s company. Well, I can now inform Ace/Kent that ‘Boo-Ga-Loo’
wasn’t the only occasion on which the track was used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Word has it that Andre Williams was allegedly responsible
for returning to Chicago with certain ‘prizes’ from the Motown studio (hence
‘Boo-Ga-Loo’) and the band track to ‘Do The See Saw’ also ended up on the tiny
Soulville label (nothing to do with Philly’s label of the same name) and
MAURICE JACKSON’S ‘ It’s To (Sic) Late Baby’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jackson was eventually to join the Independents but
additionally had a few obscure solo releases on labels such as Plum and Parral
with ‘Lucky Fellow’ on Candle Light achieving quite a demand amongst crossover
fans and the old rare groove crowd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In all fairness ‘It’s To Late Baby’ is more of interest for the
circumstances surrounding it than the quality on offer but it is another piece
of the gradually emerging jigsaw of our music.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Far from the two obscure Los Angeles and Chicago circumstances above is
London, England and the Island logo (which actually started in 1959 in Jamaica
hence the name).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Proving that even
our own nation has not yielded up all of its sixties treasures is LLANS
THELWELL and ‘Lonely Night’ (Island 262).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Actually it isn’t Thelwell that we fixate upon here but a very
accomplished West Indian singer by the unlikely name of Busty Brown (don’t
Google it, you will only get in deep waters!), if you look around you will find
a number of excellently sung reggae/ska numbers putting him up there with the
best of the genre such as Jackie Opel or Phillip and James.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thelwell reveals his true personata on
the reverse side in the shape of ‘Choo Choo Ska’ which is a decent example of
that kind of thing I suppose. Much more heavyweight is ‘Lonely Night’ which
hits a somewhat between midtempo and a ballad over which Brown delivers in a
style not unlike America’s Little Buster (for a convenient comparison).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>True, there is the cavernous slightly
‘tinny’ sound of a West Indian band (Thelwell and his Celestials) but I think
that this only adds to the charm of a great soul record sitting at the very top
of those from such a background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>From 1966 this has to be a tough one to find and as it isn’t in the only
UK price guide to Northern Soul, I would have to place it at least at a £100.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, a last minute addendum due to an interesting new CD from Kent
‘Kent 30, Best Of Kent Northern’ (isn’t that missing “the”?). Basically Adey
Croasdell celebrates the 30<sup>th</sup> anniversary of Kent Records with a
selection of 30 tracks representing the afore-mentioned lifespan of the famous
label. There are quite a few alternate takes and mixes of tracks like ‘The
Magic Touch’, ‘You Only Live Twice’ and ‘I’m Shooting High’ plus three totally
new-to-CD things of which the Marva Holiday is rather horrible, the Gary &
Gary cut using the backing track from ‘Baby Without You’ rather interesting
(but white) and Alexander Patton’s ‘(True Love Is) In The Heart’ totally
fantastic. Of course I raved over the Alexander Patton in Manifesto some time
ago only to have brother Croasdell inform me that it wasn’t up to scratch for a
variety of bizarre reasons, now it seems it’s the primo piece on the
compilation starring as the very first track! And I’ll bet good money that it
ends up as a 45 too. Strange. Almost as good as the overall compilations is the
22-page booklet inside telling the story of Kent Records. In fact the whole Ace/Kent
story would make an interesting book in its own right – yet another great
suggestion from myself to the North London record company. Perhaps I should
start charging a consultancy fee!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Til Next Time</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tim Brown</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For jaw-dropping auctions, lip-smiling bargains and
plenty,plenty Northern Soul, Modern, Deep, Funk, soul packs, books, reissues go
to</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk/">www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk</a></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Tim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563252017174723152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687552584897053534.post-50329215029972304172012-12-21T04:46:00.002-08:002012-12-21T04:54:40.618-08:00Soul on-line!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>1408</o:Words>
<o:Characters>8031</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Martix Design</o:Company>
<o:Lines>66</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>16</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>9862</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>10.1316</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Manifesto</i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600;">December, 2012</span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ooo.. I’m all disembodied!
Perhaps not literally but I write now so far away from the last
available issue of Manifesto that I feel almost unconnected. I’ll do what I can, I’ll make a few
points, but I feel as if my pen is losing all vitriol. Is that really the case? Let’s see….</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, I can observe a few things in my already-dust-covered June
Manifesto.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably the most
interesting for me is Rob Moss’ item on Ed Wolfrum and his observations, as a
studio engineer, on Detroit recordings of the sixties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don Davis used to use United Sound
studios quite a lot back in those days and at Goldmine, we hit a deal with Don
to release material he owned, a lot of stuff came from there – a situation
Goldmine financed in terms of retrieving material from old masters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact stuff keeps emerging rather
mysteriously from what would appear to be that source and I’ll say no more,
suffice it to say that we obviously weren’t offered all the tracks mastered at
the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also rather
disappointing, nay astounding to learn that Wolfrum has a ‘library’ of
unreleased material which Rob claims ‘will probably never gain a release’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hands up those that think that to be an
acceptable situation!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If this is
true then Wofrum is doing no-one a favour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And whilst legal situations may be murky who is really going
to complain or be precious about it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If anything the producers of said music probably have legal entitlement
anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll always remember Davis
stating that he did not sell Solid Hitbound productions to Ric Tic or Golden
World either outright or in perpetuity, and certainly not to Berry Gordy! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On to Soul Sam in June’s Manifesto and those rather horrible scans in
brown paper – a column which brought about a rather classic circumstance via
the Jesse Slaughter review (‘I Had A Dream’ on Les-Stan).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For sure a great disc and one which had
a small following in the eighties, perhaps more importantly it is a Florida
recording/label co-written and produced by the great Paul Kelly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A look in our price guide sees the disc
rated at £30 and at £20 in the pie region of our sceptered isle, an area that
also produces a price guide to rare soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, our on-line price guide now sees this as a £250 touch for the
simple reason that I’ve recently sold it at such a price.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look around the world – Ebay, Pop Sike,
Gemm, whatever you like – the Jesse Slaughter disc is not available at
all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The classic circumstance
referred to above is that of an age-old price remaining constant while no-one
thought about it and that of a revived sixties spin (in the absence of ‘new’
sixties discoveries) revealing a total dearth of copies i.e., ‘I Had A Dream’
is really rather rare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, by the
way, it is also really rather good. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Talk of Florida soul leads me onto another tremendous slab of sixties finally
starting to make a name for itself after being known for a couple of decades at
least.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t swear that I
haven’t reviewed REATHA REESE’S fabulous ‘Only Lies’ (Dot) before in Manifesto
but it’s too big a job to check to be honest and I can’t swear it’s from
Florida either, although the latter is a good bet, if not, then Nashville,
certainly not Hollywood, California (the home of Dot Records).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course Dot leased material in from
all over the place, but the clue here is Clarence Reid and Bob Riley on
songwriting credits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Florida
stalwart Reid had releases on Nashville’s Dial label and his songs for that
logo went under Tree Publishing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ditto the Reatha Reese – so it’s either/or as far as I’m concerned. So
what about the music?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, this
is a simply superb piece of uptempo soul with an infectious rolling rhythm
pounding along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reese can sing –
witness the wailing fadeout, a ballad flipside usually confirms this aspect and
‘Things I Should Have Done’ emphasizes that this artist should have had more
than the solitary release I know of (although I’ve a sneaky feeling she’s
someone else if you know what I mean). </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Curtis Futch Jnr… ever heard of him?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well actually you have in the shape of Kurt Harris of
‘Emperor Of My Baby’s Heart’ fame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not only was the man Kurt Harris but his later releases reveal him to be
KURTIS SCOTT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Originally from
Georgia, Scott (aka Harris, Futch) moved to New York in 1952 and was to feature
in elements of the black music of the Big Apple for the next four decades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the ‘soul’ era most of his releases
seem to be in association with famed all-rounder Robert Banks (of ‘Mighty Good
Ways’).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Labels include Cherokee,
Apache and Marky Ho (a soul version of ‘Moon River’).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He first came to the attention of the Northern Soul Scene
via a track leased out to Don Robey’s Sureshot label in Texas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not heard in a dancehall for many a
year is ‘No, No, Baby’ a vocal to an equally forgotten instrumental by the Soft
Summer Soul Strings on Columbia, ‘I’m Doing My Thing’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Handily, my copy is date-stamped ‘July
30 1966’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A decent disc if a bit
too ‘bouncy’ for today it is however, not the focus of my current attentions
and we move into the seventies, 1975 to be exact, for that particular
aspect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The waxing in question is
‘Build, Build, Build’ (Happening) and, once more, Robert Banks is at the
helm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather different from
anything else I’ve heard from Scott, this is a strong seventies dancer with a
great arrangement that really does ‘Build, Build, Build’ the combination of strings,
chorus and lyrics screams ‘minor league in a good way, mail immediately to
Britain’. It features parts one and two as consecutive takes of the song rather
than vocal/instrumental.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a
rare one too! We recently obtained £1200 for a copy in our on-line auction. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Somewhere in the dim and distant past of soul literature I bemoaned the
fact that what I call ‘staxified’-styled uptempo records didn’t have much of a
place on the Northern Scene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well,
‘don’t wish too hard for what you want or you might just get it’ is my mantra
here; of course Stax records have always had a place on the scene if not a
vertebral role as does Motown, but recent spins by the likes of Clarence Murray
or Don Varner lead me to believe that messier-but-soulful stompers are being
accepted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two such items are in
front of me now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gradually
creeping up in price is CARL HOLMES AND THE COMMANDERS ‘Soul Dance No 3’
(Blackjack), quite rightly so because this is firmly in Wilson Pickett
territory taking absolutely no prisoners with its pounding beat and caustic
vocal delivery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact I would
like to know just who the singer is – other Carl Holmes 45s don’t sound like
this gritty unknown, the Blackjack release credits Pervis Herder, but he was
principally an organist with a light voice at best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cliff Nobles could do the searing vocals as we know and I
wouldn’t be at all surprised if it were him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blackjack (Carl Holmes later fronted the Sherlock Holmes
Investigation) was a Philadelphia label but it’s ‘down home’ to Atlanta and
William Bell’s Peachtree label for GORGEOUS GEORGE and ‘Get Up Off It’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amazingly George’s real name was
Theodopholus<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Odell George, a
former valet for Hank Ballard, George cut quite a figure on the southern
chitlin’ circuit as an M.C.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Periodically
George would enter the studio, for instance he had a 1965 one-off Stax release
‘Biggest Fool In Town’, and his seventies releases for Homark Records are
valued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The feeling is that
Gorgeous George should have gone in to the recording studio more than he did
and ‘Get Up Off It’ proves that weighing in with several punchy bouts of
uptempo southern soul and a running piano not unlike a Little Richard record,
all punctuated with typically healthy southern horns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You won’t find this one in a hurry that’s for certain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like one or two other Peachtree
releases this one is very rare and long in-demand in Japan for the Deep Soul
flipside ‘It’s Not A Hurting Thing’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just realised that I have a rare early dancer by this guy as well on
Neptune ‘Now I Believe In Miracles’ plus he was Georgie Boy on SSS
International and Birmingham George on Marsi. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just to confirm that all is not what it would seem with Northern Soul
collecting, I got asked for ‘Sax On The Track’ by Mike and Ike (Arctic) the
other day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is of course a
rather splendid and surprisingly raunchy instrumental on the famous Philly
label.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stroking my chin over the
price, my potential customer (a noted deejay) admitted that he had never seen a
blue-lettered original and that all copies he had seen were the <i>black</i>-lettered reissue/bootleg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Went to my own collection and sure
enough my own copy was less than pristine indicating that few if any, other
copies had come my way. £60 in our current paper price guide but now £100
on-line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hate to admit it but
the internet does have its advantages. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will finish with a killer CD track from the recent Kent compilation
‘Hall Of Fame’. Consisting of 24
tracks, no less than 21 are previously unissued featuring names familiar to the
UK like James Barnett and June Conquest.
Ralph ‘Soul’ Jackson does a reasonable version of Jimmy Hughes’ ‘You
Really Know How To Hurt A Guy’ as does the unidentified Jackie on ‘Almost
Persuaded’. Clarence Carter
answers Etta James’ ‘Tell Mama’ with the great ‘Tell Daddy’ (but why, oh why,
Mr Rounce do we get O.B. McClinton?).
Northern Soulers however, will swoon (or should do) over BOBBY MOORE and
‘Baby Come Back’. Possibly a tad
too sprightly for the dance floors of today, somehow, somewhere, this
effervescent mover reminds me of some very rare Northern in-demander which I
just can’t put my finger on.
Apparently dating from a 1971 session ‘Baby Come Back’ sounds at least
four years older than that year and incorporates great saxophone work from
Moore (who rarely actually sang on his recordings). Bouncy, trouncy, fun, fun, fun. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Our website now includes loads of lovely soundbites
for the delectation, delight and desire of potential customers. To feast on this banquet of Northern
Soul go to </span>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk/">www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk</a></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Tim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563252017174723152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687552584897053534.post-18218907615508902712012-10-23T02:23:00.001-07:002012-10-23T02:23:36.929-07:00R&B Time<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Manifesto</i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">October, 2012</span><br />
<br />
Well I’m off to Alaska, so no time to gnaw bones of contention with other Manifesto contributors merely time to select a few subjects bearing no reference to previous issues of the magazine. Let me see...<br />
<br />
Over the last dozen years or so, some R&B styled record or other has tended to dominate the playlists, particularly good examples are ‘It’s Your Voodoo Working’ and ‘Catch That Teardrop’. These records didn’t particularly herald the Northern scene being taken over by John Lee Hooker soundalikes but did provide an added dimension that was clearly welcomed even by most ultra-conservative oldies-lovers. Some, (including one contributor to Manifesto) railed against these records, others (like myself) thought them to be a worthwhile inclusion provided that they didn’t herald the end of traditional ‘Northern’. But of course this so-called ‘R&B’ side of the scene is also well established in its own territory and across nations, even continents, as well. The accusation from the Wigan-styled Northern camp is that these records amount to Rock and Roll and on occasion this is true, some times there is a thin line between R&B and Rock and Roll due to the way that popular music evolved, but very often there is an essential blackness in the vocal delivery that a true soul lover (as opposed to someone who just wants to dance) will quickly recognise. All of which takes me to the latest Kent compilation ‘New Breed R&B Volume 2’ in which Brother Croasdell (the well-known spelling error) shows himself to be quite adept at providing a selection of early black movers. I use the word ‘quite’ advisedly because a couple of Deep Soul records appear to have crept in – I don’t know how they are dancing to things at the 100 Club these days but I’m sure a slow waltz isn’t in it! There’s lots of great stuff amongst the 24 tracks, all culled from the King/Federal/Deluxe archives (with just one from the King-distributed Hollywood) familiar names such as Little Willie John, Freddy King and the ‘5’ Royales mix with worthy lesser lights such as Dolph Prince, Mel Williams and Willie Wright. Of the few that were new to me I particularly liked the Doo-wop-influenced ‘Let’s Have A Good Time’ by the Hi Tones and I agree with Ady that Hal Hardy’s ‘Love Man’ is one brilliant record whatever the interpretation of its musical style. Just one minor point otherwise then – the cover picture is rather strange, appearing more like Canning Town than Toddling Town I would say!<br />
<br />
The above mention of Hollywood Records, or at least the one started by Don Pierce (Disney started a label with the same name in 1989) which was distributed by Starday–King reminded me of a ‘new’ title on the label which we get asked for. The disc in question is ‘Shoe Shine’ by THE PRESIDENTS offered up in two parts or, in actual fact, a vocal/instrumental. Not the Van McCoy sweet soul group on Sussex, the Presidents in question seem to slightly pre-date the above group on Deluxe and Plum labels as does the Hollywood 45. Produced by Bob Riley out of Nashville one Phil Slaughter would appear to have been a leading light in the band, and a band they were, rather than a harmony group. There is a Phillip Slaughter in gospel music so if it’s him or not I wouldn’t know – it wouldn’t surprise me. The Presidents we are concerned with delivered a number of styles even down to the reggae-ish ‘Lovers Psalm’ (Deluxe). ‘Shoe Shine’ is absolutely manic uptempo soul with a funky, funky, twist. Pt 2 is instrumental, and possibly even more manic with a saxophone taking up where ‘The Trip’ left off. I would like to see people attempting to dance to this one, then again they manage ‘Ton of Dynamite’ and ‘So Is The Sun’ well enough! Nice to see the music moving off in yet another direction. Actually the above 45 led me into giving their Plum recording a play in many years and what a pleasant surprise ‘Love Pain’ is – probably more of a candidate for the dance floor than ‘Shoe Shine’ to be honest. A lazy melody floats over a mellow-but-happening rhythm track that could really garner quite a following. It’s not Northern as such, not Modern either, I suppose Crossover would be the nearest category. Definitions, descriptions, categories – they matter not really, it’s just a good piece of soul music.<br />
<br />
A chance to show a nice picture sleeve should not be passed up now that Manifesto lives and breathes in glorious technicolour. And who better than PIC AND BILL when it comes to describing some sassy soul music to go with the visuals? Charles Pickens and Billy Mills were the real names of the duo hailing from North Carolina, but selected by Major Bill Smith for his Charay label in 1965, indeed 1967 saw a run of their 45s on the UK Page One logo but not the great Northern Soul mover ‘Talk About Love’ which also saw a release in Spain on the Belter label with picture sleeve (see scan). The latter seems to be a 70s release to be honest but it’s a nice item nonetheless. I first came across the track when Ginger Taylor obtained the Fiery Spartans on Charay around 1978 – and it’s the same record (actually the first release of it). This was the era for soul duos – Sam and Dave of course, but also Eddie and Ernie, James and Bobby Purify, the Soul Twins and more. The genre didn’t really last beyond the sixties as the trademark gospelesque approach was diluted by seventies sophistication. Pic and Bill hit a higher tempo on occasions other than ‘Talk About Love’ but only one of these tracks totally hits the Northern Soul nerve in the shape of the ultra-rare ‘What Does It Take’ a stomping stormer right out of the old school (and not the Jr. Walker song either) which actually has quite a thin rhythm track but is pulled along by a ferocious vocal attack from this great pairing. A release on Charay 60 that is often listed as their first (it isn’t) but is an easy mistake to make due to the fact that Charay managed to have no less than seven releases by Pic and Bill on that label and number. Through various deals the Pic and Bill Charay material has made it to album at least four times in the UK, Japan, USA and Spain even after the duo’s original album on Le Cam (another Bill Smith label) ’30 Minutes of Soul’. To the best of my knowledge none of the albums included ‘What Does It Take’, nor have I ever had a 45 copy of it in my hands (considering that I had both the Frank Wilson’s at one time that’s quite a claim). If you have a copy let me know…I would be VERY interested.<br />
<br />
Talk of rarities takes me to another very scarce item which many of you will not ever have viewed (unless you follow our monthly auction) in the shape of the orange issue copy on RCA of JUDY FREEMAN’S ‘Hold On’. I genuinely thought this may be a one-off in my collection until we obtained a second copy fairly recently. We got £800 for it but honestly I thought it to be something of a bargain, after all the demo goes for £250–£300. Until a couple of years ago I had never even seen it although I knew one was listed in the late 70s (I thought it was the one I had). It meant that I had seen, or had in my collection more or less every RCA on a release copy, even a few years ago I would have said that one or two releases at least failed to go beyond the promo stage. And there is the definition of Northern Soul to consider also; Judy Freeman, for instance, had another RCA release (actually her first) in the shape of ‘All We Need Is A Miracle’ it’s a decent midtempo cut that might be described as Crossover and also saw a later release on RCA with a version by Detroit’s Dee Edwards in a similar style. Probable as a Jobete song it exists somewhere in the Motown catalogue too. The point is that I’ve yet to see an issue copy of that one as well. I wonder who she was? According to the internet, she is still alive (in her 70s) and living in Compton, Los Angeles, although she was born in New York. Producer of both RCA releases Ron Budrik was also a deejay who produced a whack of non-descript pop around LA in the late 60s/early 70s whilst arranger Dave Blumberg went on to much greater things (commercially at least; he arranged ‘I Will Survive’). All things considered they produced 4 good-to-great sides on Judy Freeman and Blackrock. Warren Sams wrote ‘Hold On’ and he too operated on the west coast soul scene of the 70’s through California Rock Choir, Water and Power, Christine Adams even Sylvester I believe. He produced the Jackson Sisters material that ended up on the rare Tiger Lily album (a tax loss label for Morris Levy). So many connections – in fact I do wonder if the California Rock Choir (whose Cyclone 45 is quite in-demand) are anything to do with Blackrock? Questions always questions?<br />
<br />
We will finish with an artist who is well-known in the shape of BYRON LEE – a true originator of Jamaican Music who even appeared in the first James Bond movie ‘Dr No’. Rather less well-known is Lee’s brief flirtation with soul music which seems to coincide with Lee’s mid-sixties time as a general promoter in the USA (he brought many famous acts to Jamaica). One wonders if the peculiarity whereby certain failed soul tunes were covered by Jamaicans for Jamaican consumption – for instance ‘Wide Awake In A Dream’ by Jerry Jackson covered by the Blues Busters as Phillip James (they were in fact Lloyd Campbell and Phillip James) – is anything to do with Byron Lee. Maybe that’s too simplistic but the fact remains that a number of peculiar non-hit soul records were covered. On the Soul label Byron Lee and the Dragonaires covered Ben E. King’s ‘The Record’, Lee wasn’t ever a singer and on this one Ken Lazarus does vocal duty. There is no concession to any kind of Ska music, this is a pure note-for-note copy of Ben E. King’s version or perhaps H.B.Barnum’s weaker take on it for Capitol. Given that Lee was the Jamaican agent for Atlantic Ben E. King is more likely. ‘The Record’ also came on BRA records (had to get that one off my chest) where another Byron Lee and the Dragonaires release saw the Blues Busters release demoted as second billing to Byron Lee on ‘How Sweet It Is’ coupled with ‘I Had A Dream’ which is something of a West Indian classic soul coupling. The excellent Trojan anthology of the Blues Busters from 2005 makes no mention BRA so goodness knows what was really going on. I claim no particular knowledge of Jamaican soul, but I do know that there is probably much more of it than people generally realise.<br />
<br />
For R&B movers, Northern Soul stompers, Modern groovers, Deep crooners, Motown marvels, Funk fever on 45 or CD go to <a href="http://www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk/">www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk </a>Tim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563252017174723152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687552584897053534.post-75087405971486019262012-05-08T02:31:00.000-07:002012-05-08T02:32:13.480-07:00YouTube Generation<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Manifesto</i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">April, 2012</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #553322; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #553322; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Computers eh? Wonderful and horrible at one and the same time. As a businessman, I would be foolish to
dismiss any aspect of them but at the same time I find them slightly
irritating, if not invasive. I
refuse to do emails from home because I don’t want the pressure of having to
switch the damned machine on …. And as for Facebook, well I just don’t have the
time. They have changed the world
however, (as we all know I’m sure) and introduced some very interesting, rather
mind-bending concepts. Let us look
a little further…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #553322; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #553322; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #553322; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Around a year ago a colleague informed me
that ‘virtually all soul records are on YouTube’. Turns out that the statement is something of an
exaggeration, but basically correct.
I can often view the label on a screen and do other things that seem to
me to infringe copyright given that YouTube has a worldwide audience of
millions. That said, the message
in the music is being spread far and wide, jetting over the heads of the likes
of Cliff Richards and Feargal Sharkey who seek to imprison the music for
eternity (to their gain). After
all if a plumber installs a toilet you wouldn’t expect to pay him 10 pence a
flush for 75 years would you? The
music industry is one heck of a cartel, and one which very quickly holds out
its hand – mechanical copyright, copyright, performers rights, etc, etc. It isn’t fair and it isn’t right. By all means protect new music but
extending copyright back beyond say 10 years, is ridiculous as if show business
is somehow sacred. To return to my
point however, the internet seems to skate over much of the above, the latest
caveat being that reproduction is fair and proper for review purposes – it
should be, but does that include the dealer who puts his auction up there for
commercial benefit? I know of one
who does and hides behind ‘fair use for review’!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In terms of breaking new records YouTube could
be invaluable of course, no more ‘one man and his dog spins’ at some small
all-nighter, because some YouTube records have many thousands of views. Or
would the scene turn into the ultimate armchair experience? And it goes on. Recently in the USA a company by the
name of Hephaestus books printed no less than 160,000(!) titles culled gratis
from Wikipedia – their argument being that the internet virtually makes
copyright redundant because in appearing free on a screen it is available
anyway (and Wikipedia has no cited authors). Could Manifesto give away a free CD of all records reviewed
in every issue claiming ‘fair use for review’? Personally I don’t actually see why not – if the magazine
were a website then no-one would argue.
Get my point? Clearly a
very big genie is out of a very big bottle and the music business had better
wake up to it fast – long term royalty protection is intervention and
manipulation at a now-unhealthy level.
Get over it – or should the music industry adopt the motto of ‘this thing of ours’ which has long
belonged to an even cosier setup?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In the last issue of Manifesto I made
comment on Ace/Kent’s recent acquisition of Pied Piper material and was kindly
sent some review material by collector Andy Killick that is/was a little older
but is nonetheless new to these pages.
Of the trio of tracks sent up to me the CAVALIERS is possibly not a Pied
Piper jobbie but probably the best one in the shape of ‘Without Someone To Tell
Me’. One Cavaliers disc on RCA is
partly a GWP Production so possibly the above is from the same source, even so
no Cavaliers tracks have so far emerged from that source. Only Adey knows. I can’t say that ‘Without Someone To
Tell Me’ crunches past ‘Hold To My Baby’ but it has many of the same
ingredients and as such would rate as exceptional in this day and age. Next up is NANCY WILCOX and the quite
well-known ‘Gamblers Blues’.
Wilcox had the one issued side on RCA and this was a joint GWP/Pied
Piper production which saw action over both sides (‘Coming On Strong’ and ‘My
Baby’). Like most RCA sixties soul
releases, the black stock issue is much the rarer. ‘Gamblers Blues’ takes up a typical tambourine-driven crisp
Pied Piper stance with siren wails from the girl chorus making for a perfect
Northern Soul production. I’ve
taken Adey to task too many times for an inability to spread the faith; I’m not
driven by petulance but it is a fact that a forty-odd year old scene really
does need records of this calibre.
Finally we have WILLIE KENDRICK and his version of the Metros ‘Time
Changes Things’ which takes the tempo up a notch or two and the song is better
for it – certainly the dancers will think so. Unlike much Pied Piper material tambourines are eschewed,
their addition would have made this one even better. As it is, to put one over on the Metros is quite an
achievement and this track does exactly that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">If I were to do a Northern Soul top ten then
the APOLLAS ‘Mr Creator’ would certainly be in it. I’ve raved over it for 38 years and assiduously collected
all the group’s other records in the following decades. I knew the lead singer was Leola Jiles
and I picked up her two solo 45s as well (on Warners and A&M). Obviously I thought I knew quite a lot
about the Apollas. WRONG. The
recent Kent CD on the group, ‘Absolutely Right!’, brought me right down to
earth with a very pleasant bang.
We know by now that no-one can touch Ace/Kent when it comes to single
artist compilation projects.
Recent releases on artists as diverse as Eddie Holland, Arthur Conley,
Jackie Day and O.C. Tolbert amply prove this. The Apollas release is particularly good, brought to life by
Leola Jiles’ own album of colour photographs. Their story involves other recorded artists such as Dorothy
Ramsey (Melodynamic) and Blondell Breed (Acta) who were amongst a number of
changes to the group – they were the Apollos on Galaxy, the Lovejoys on Tiger
and Red Bird, The group toured with the Monkees and extensively in South East
Asia, Japan, even New Zealand. The
girls sang back-up vocals on a number of Frankie Laine records and lead Leola
Jiles came within a hair’s-breadth of replacing Jean Terrell in the
Supremes. The Love Salvation on
Bell is also The Apollas. Amazing, simply amazing; all credit to Kent for this
particular story and a number of others.
As for the impassioned ending to ‘Mr Creator’ – Help me, aw Help Me’ –
well turns out Leola Jiles just followed her soul when the moment came along
and improvised. If I believed in a
god, I would ask him to bless her.
Oh and I nearly forgot ‘See The Silver Moon; an almost-great previously
unreleased stomper also to be found on the new CD.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Another very noteworthy compilation comes from
the Hip-O-Select label in the shape of THE MARVELETTES ‘Forever More’ deemed by
the label itself to be the ‘complete Motown albums’. Well it certainly lives up to the description featuring, as
it does, not only all their four albums but two of them in mono as well as
stereo. Not only do we get that
but 24 tracks of previously unissued material and 13 tracks of various origin
not included on album (previous compilations, singles etc). If you were under the impression that
the best previously-unreleased Motown had all been uncovered then this slew of
Marvelettes material proves that quite a bit of the Berry Gordy iceberg is
still submerged. For Northern feet
(and ears) then ‘There Is No Tomorrow (Only Tears and Sorrow)’ is the kind of
tambourine-fuelled stormer that would have torn the Torch or Wigan apart. Missing only a caustic saxophone break
this could be filed in the same part of a deejay box as ‘Baby Hit And Run’ or
‘One Way Out’. A more midtempo
‘Breakthru (I’ve Got My Freedom)’ will also find its fair share of
admirers. I’ve got to say tho’
that I find the early material from ’63 and ’64 a little too dated for my taste
these days. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In terms of previously unissued sixties
material on vinyl, little today will equal the UNITED FOUR ‘Honey Please Stay’
on Outta Sight. Presented in the
format of the Harthon label this is a group harmony song over the same backing
track as Eddie Holman’s ‘Where I’m Not Wanted’ which originally turned up via
Rob Thomas in 2003. Using a
different approach to the Goldmine years (i.e. Johnny Styles rather than Weldon
MacDougall) various new masters, or indeed original master, have been utilized
and have breathed new life into the famed Harthon catalogue – a situation seen
to even better effect on the ‘Groovin’ At The Go-Go’ compilation also
newly-released by Outta Sight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Sadly there is much to report concerning
the soul scythe of the Grim Reaper recently. Etta James, Dobbie Gray, Jimmy Castor, Walter Gaines of the
Originals, Howard Tate, Lee ‘Shot’ Williams have all passed away recently and
all added much to what is termed ‘Northern Soul’, in their time (‘Seven Day
Fool’, ‘Out On The Floor’, ‘Suspicion’ just for starters). Tellingly all of them were in their
seventies. One other was JIMMY
NORMAN who died of lung disease in New York on November 8th of last year, and
if we have a slightly softer spot for those soul artists who never really made
it big in the charts then perhaps that is a fair reflection on a nation which
virtually invented the concept of rare soul. Although James Norman Scott was born in Nashville (August 12th
1937), he cut his musical teeth in Los Angeles and made his recording debut on
Mun-Rab Records. Actually his
story is a quite amazing one with rather sobering final chapters. The early sixties saw Jimmy Norman hop
around a variety of labels from whence came Stafford-era interest in records
such as ‘Talkin’ Bout The Times’ and ‘You Crack Me Up’ (both on Polo). Norman even had a minor US hit in 1962
on Little Star with ‘I Don’t Love You No More’. But Jimmy Norman was also a songwriter and in 1964 he moved
to New York to better pursue his writing career. This brings us neatly onto a point in time where Norman was
commissioned to write lyrics to a Kai Winding instrumental ‘Time Is On My
Side’. Irma Thomas was to take the
song on brilliantly and famously the Rolling Stones were to plunder it to
greater effect. Although Jimmy
Norman received co-writing royalties for many years in the nineties, his name
was removed from the credits with the publishing company citing ‘clerical
error’ in the first place. I’m
sure Mick and friends put that one right (like, yeah). The next name to crop up in the Jimmy
Norman story is Jimi Hendrix by virtue of Norman’s release on Samar records in
1966, courtesy of Johnny Brantley’s Vidalia Productions. Both of Norman’s Samar releases saw
Hendrix play on them (an oft-stated ‘recollection’ of the New York soul scene
of the middle sixties). To this
writer the claim to Hendrix’s session work is rather too ubiquitous but would
seem to be very correct in this situation due to a failed b-side ‘That Little
Old Groovemaker’ on the first of the two releases, which Hendrix himself
re-hashed as ‘Groovemaker’. This
first Samar release is much harder to find than the follow-up ‘Can You Blame
Me’ (No. 35 on the Billboard R&B chart) although the flip of ‘Can You’ in
the shape of ‘This I Beg Of You’ is one of Jimmy Norman’s finest – an emotional
beat ballad of real quality. Samar
Records folded shortly after this leaving Norman to move on to the major
Mercury label. Two fantastic sides
for the UK crowd here in the shape of the storming ‘Family Tree’, co-written
with Otis Blackwell, and the less-torrid but equally excellent ‘I’m Leaving
(This Old Town)’ which saw some Stafford action. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">By 1968, Norman was brushing shoulders with
another famous name, Bob Marley, when the Jamaican came to New York looking for
fame and fortune and was signed to Johnny Nash’s Jad label resulting in Marley
recording some Norman/Pyfrom songs (Al Pyfrom was Jimmy’s co-writing partner at
the time). Norman even spent six
months in Kingston, Jamaica working with Marley before a move to Lloyd Price’s
Turntable imprint, for whom he produced the Coasters eventually becoming a
regular replacement for various group members whilst pursuing a solo career
(also as Joe Norman on Rosco) through the seventies. He was lead vocalist for Harlem River Drive and his two
Buddah 45s from 74/75 are well worth picking up. Like many artists Jimmy Norman made little provision for old
age and ill health with the result that the singer faced eviction around the
turn of the last century.
Ultimately this circumstance forced a performing and recording revival,
not only that but one housekeeping session revealed ancient Bob Marley jam session
tapes which subsequently raised over $26,000 for Norman, together with old
notebooks containing lost compositions.
He was to use some of these compositions in a 2004 comeback album
‘Little Pieces’ (Wallflower).
Norman himself summed up his career thus – ‘periodically I get chump
change, nothing big. A lotta
people having been making money off it.
Not me’. Whether Jimmy
Norman was the architect of his own demise or a victim of the ‘dog eat dog’ music
game is for others to decide but, whatever the truth, his life was, yet again,
much more convoluted and varied than those dancers to ‘Family Tree’ would ever
suppose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt;">Finally a farewell to ‘In The Basement’ magazine in
its paper format after 65 issues.
A very good innings and another nail in the coffin of properly
researched, orderly, concise information – particularly in the arena of soul
music which is fast becoming a very poor cousin to the blues in terms of the
written word.</span>
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
‘Til next time</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Tim Brown</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 16px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Go to <span style="color: #fe6618;"><a href="http://www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk/">www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk</a> </span>for the world’s finest selection of online Northern Soul, Motown, Modern, Deep and Blues on original 45 plus reissues and CDs.</div>
</div>Tim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563252017174723152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687552584897053534.post-5599822265719724482012-03-11T01:10:00.001-08:002012-03-11T01:13:18.077-08:00All In The Run Of A Day<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Manifesto</i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">February, 2012</span><br />
<div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #553322; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another year is upon us - who knows just what it will bring to rare soul? Some aspects I would put hard cash on though..... the upfront crowd will continue to gripe about the popularity of oldies events, some totally unexpected track will grab the dance floors at those same oldies nights, the same ol’, same ol’, will rule the roost, modern soul will remain a nebulous concept and legal reissues will continue to proliferate. That’s sorted that out then! Onwards with 2012, but not before a brief glimpse back at December’s Manifesto.....</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Soul Sam’s selection of 45’s to review sent me scuttling for the shelves once more in order to listen with ‘fresh’ ears to some records I’ve had knocking around for a long time. Such discs as the Banks Bro’s on Consolidated and One Hundred Years on VIP are certainly many, many, miles away from ‘Stick By Me Baby’ and will largely serve to alienate followers of the Salvadors and other tried and tested oldies whilst causing adrenaline to course through the veins of a chosen few. There is of course almost a complete absence of genuinely new sixties discoveries. Certainly on vinyl! Andy Dyson brought me one recently, covered up of course with one of the back issues from his ‘Woman’s Own’ collection. My reaction was to pull out a copy of ‘Blowing My Mind To Pieces’ to remind him how far the search for new discoveries had meandered away from the golden path it was supposed to be. It was bound to happen of course -1966 can only be plundered so much and as long ago as 1976 the Mecca famously pronounced, rather prematurely I might add, that the best sixties records had all been found. Fortunately for the ‘traditional’ sound of Northern Soul tracks do keep on coming from those old, dusty, master tapes. Ace/Kent are foremost in this field and, after my pronouncement that ‘Rare, Collectable and Soulful Volume 3’ wouldn’t ever happen via Sony, Kent found a way around it all by doing a deal directly with Pied Piper Productions. I’ve heard brief snippets of some of the latest batch of tunes from this source and they are pretty impressive without offering the sense that ‘Since I Found My Baby’ (for instance) was any kind of mistake as a single at the time. One track had the same backing track as Mikki Farrow’s ‘Set My Heart At Ease’ (Karate) I do seem to remember. As I’m not on Adey’s Christmas card list I can’t add any more details I’m afraid, but doubtless the Kent man will get these known to over fifty people in the course of his machinations, so perhaps all will be revealed in time.</div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
I must pay tribute to John Smith’s article on James Thompson of the Voicemasters/Hypnotics in December’s Manifesto. This was the kind of detailed insight into an obscure situation that soul music doesn’t have enough of. By comparison with the blues for instance, soul music is somewhat under-valued and unresearched. One school of thought could, with reasonable argument, state that the scene revolves around records people can dance to all night and that it is basically as simple as that, but there is certainly room for those who want to know about our music as a subject. And as with most subjects there is a real satisfaction in validating this field of endeavour with knowledge. It isn’t an either/or situation, the exploration of soul runs parallel to a good night out, nonetheless many might be surprised at how little some of the ‘top’ deejays know about the records they spin. Okay, let’s move out of the pulpit onto some records.</div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
The name of BARRY WHITE is not one normally associated with the more obscure corners of soul music. I suppose that he was one of the seventies’ biggest stars, although his rumbling vocals were rarely taken too seriously by connoisseurs. Like many superstars he had a career before he was famous and it is fairly well known that he styled himself as Lee Barry, also Gene West, on a couple of sixties 45’s. He can be found producing quite a few releases from the decade as well, for instance ‘This Thing Called Love’ by Johnny Wyatt (he co-wrote it as well). As Barry White he recorded for Bob Keene’s Bronco label too with ‘All In The Run Of A Day’ being just four releases after Wyatt’s classic. This song has minor Northern interest but another, much earlier, Barry White release has recently found itself placed under the demand microscope in the shape and form of ‘Tracy (All I Have Is You)’ on Faro 613. It is almost a cliché now amongst lesser-known sixties sounds to say they were played at Stafford (albeit briefly in many instances) but yes, it happened with ‘Tracy’ too. To be honest I didn’t think that we would hear much from this particular release again but the still-very-active R&B faction has embraced the Ray Charles-styled groove of this track. White finds himself backed by the Atlantics who were a Chicano band out of El Monte, California; indeed they recorded for Rampart, a sister label to Faro located in Los Angeles. As stated above we can make references to ‘What’d I Say’ and ‘Hit The Road Jack’ on this one but just as Charles himself was moving towards ‘I Don’t Need No Doctor’ so was ‘Tracy’. Fortunately White hardly utilises the rather uncool (with apologies to the many Tracys out there) song title at all and I think the record dates from ’63 or ’64. The song was written by the Chick Carlton who has one or two in-demanders of his own.</div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Another major artist with only tenuous connections to the rare soul scene, or indeed any soul scene, is the famed bluesman B.B.KING and what would arrear to be a UK-only 45 release ‘Found What I Need’. From his album ‘Guess Who’ this single finds King keeping his guitar work to a minimum which might please some (count me in) over a 1972 pounder which sounds rather earlier with an intro not unlike Jesse Johnson’s ‘Left Out’. That isn’t to say that ‘Lucille’ (King’s famed guitar) doesn’t make her presence known throughout the track but mostly in a supplemental form rather than as a musical diatribe - no, it’s the powerhouse rhythm that is most apparent here and which leans the release towards Northern Soul. Every now and then a left-field track hits the scene with great success (labelmate ‘If I Could Only Be Sure’ was one such) and this could happen with ‘Found What I Need’ due to the essential marriage of blues tension and soul vibrancy within its grooves. </div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Two big names kick us off then, but what about PANDELLA KELLY? Currently a very hot crossover tune is her version of ‘Stand In For Love’ on Horoscope. The song of course was originally performed on Imperial by the O’Jays back in 1965 and whereas their version is a killer ballad, Pandella ups the tempo just a little to take the song into mid tempo territory. The connection with the O’Jays is rather obvious due to the fact that group members Bobby Massey and Walter Williams produce the Kelly 45. This would be around 1970 when Massey was about to leave the group to produce records (a bit of a mistake methinks) but they did a fine job with Kelly adding a rather strained extra dimension to the song. At the time the Horoscope label would have been connected to Saru Records out of Cleveland and ‘Stand In For Love’ was the first release gathering little or no commercial success. Things were about to change on the next Horoscope release (102) when the Ponderosa Twins Plus One hit with a version of ‘You Send Me’, which was picked up for national distribution by New Jersey’s All Platinum Records. The label was deftly converted to Astroscope Records and carried on from there. In a completion of the circle (of sorts) the O’Jays had a release on Astroscope at a later point. Pandella Kelly was left behind however, and to my knowledge wasn’t to reappear on vinyl. Whilst hit status eluded many a black artist the output of one solitary single seems like a meagre return on the evidence of ‘Stand In For Love’.</div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
My all-time drama series on television, by some distance, is ‘The Sopranos’ soul music occasionally rears its head in the series and the character Hesh is obviously modelled on Morris Levy who came to buy out George Goldner’s 50% share of Roulette Records in 1957. One episode throws out the nugget that the Chi-lites were originally on the same label as Tommy James (i.e. Roulette) however Tony Soprano (the lead character) corrects the purveyor of this ‘knowledge’ by saying that it isn’t true, the Chi-lites were on Brunswick. Perfectly accurate of course! What Tony wouldn’t know is that in the sixties, prior to ‘Oh Girl’, ‘Have You Seen Her’ etc, the Chi-lites were just another quality soul outfit trying hard to make it with a handful of releases on a small number of labels (Blue Rock, O’Retta, Revue). Most valued of these is ‘She’s Mine’ on Blue Rock with its crunching, tambourine-strewn, rhythm but I always go for an even earlier incarnation in the shape of MARSHALL AND THE CHI-LITE’S ‘Love Bandit’ on Daran. Not to be confused with the Keanya Collins/Patti Hamilton song this is a let-it-all-hang-out 1964 stormer that in actual fact sounds a year or two later than it is. Perhaps it was that fact that prompted UK Beacon to pick the track up in 1969, the group had just started to hit with Brunswick so perhaps Beacon were just cashing in.... or was it the embryonic Northern Soul scene that persuaded Beacon that an archetypal sixties dancer would be good catalogue? Whatever the truth, a Beacon copy would probably retail at a ton today. The true original is on Daran out of Chicago and the label was owned by Marshall Thompson’s cousin, James Shelton. Marshall Thompson was the group’s baritone and de facto leader who survives to this day (the only Chi-lite to do so) and who eventually went into business with Michael Jackson’s father and Mar-rance Records. The Daran 45 is still a comparatively cheap purchase and you will do well for your money because not only do you get the swinging, stomping ‘Love Bandit’ but also ‘Pretty Girl’ on the flip which takes a more mellow harmony approach to great effect. Back in ’77 when Ginger revived the Burnley Cat’s Whiskers all-dayers he thought it a good idea to book the Chi-lites for the first one. By this time the group were well-known seventies hitsters but not thought of as in any way Northern Soul and the crowds stayed away in their droves. If only we had known ‘She’s Mine’,’I’m So Jealous’, ‘Love Bandit’ etc back then! </div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
I’ve gone on record before as highly rating the output of Clarence Murray. His two cheapies on SSS International ‘Don’t Talk Like That’ and ‘Baby You Got It’ are amongst my favourite Northern Soul records whilst his Deep Soul output is equally as strong. So it is with a happy heart that I can report that his third solo 45 for SSS International is also now finding a little favour. The song is ‘Let’s Get On With It’ and it hits much more of a typical Stax/Atlantic groove than his two recognised Northern oldies. I won’t make excuses for turning slightly away from a Motownesque rhythm because ‘Let’s Get On With It’ has got soul to spare. I’ve long hoped that the southern approach to uptempo soul could find a bit more room on the scene; often they are tunes that once were considered “messy” but almost always they have soul in profound abundance. Perhaps a little change is actually in the air with people pointing to the flipside of Don Varner’s ‘Tearstained Face’ in the form of ‘Mojo Mama’ and James Carr’s ‘Losing Game’ now a recognised floor filler. Murray’s “latest” offering deserves to be right up there – the way he pushes the record on with a plethora of screams and encouragement stand just outside the church, not knocking on the door of the penthouse or staring up at a disco glitterball. Very highly recommended.</div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Go to www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk for the world’s finest selection of online Northern Soul, Motown, Modern, Deep and Blues on original 45 plus reissues and CD.</div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
‘Til next time</div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Tim Brown</div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #553422; font: 14.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Go to <span style="color: #fe6618;"><a href="http://www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk/">www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk</a> </span>for the world’s finest selection of online Northern Soul, Motown, Modern, Deep and Blues on original 45 plus reissues and CDs.</div>Tim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563252017174723152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687552584897053534.post-39153152774563811302012-01-05T06:16:00.000-08:002012-03-11T01:11:58.144-08:00Right On!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Manifesto</i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">December, 2011</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #553322; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we enter the final month of a year which on a global scale has seen financial turmoil, I’m bound to report that record sales seem busier than for some time, perhaps it’s like the world of football where money bears little relation to the world outside and what stays within goes around and around. Whatever the truth your money seems safe in vinyl…<br /><br />A couple of minor points from previous ‘Tim Brown Talks’ cleared up by friends. Neil Rushton informs me that Canada’s stranger-than-strange Right On! Label was a Bill Downs project (ex–manager of the Ad Libs and Jellybeans amongst others) with the approval of Dave Godin (who denied all knowledge of it to me). It still seems a strange set of releases – rich in irony, tainted with plagiarism, almost mocking the Soul Beatnik in fact. In October’s Manifesto I mentioned the demise of the Coaster’s Carl Gardner and speculated that he might be the ‘Crazy Baby’ singer. I should have taken a look at the single which is in fact almost totally a Billy Guy effort. He wrote and produced the record as well as singing it – without the other Coasters! Thanks to Beatin Rhythm’s Derek Howe for pointing that one out.<br /><br />Staying with Octobers’s Manifesto and Simon White speculates on that odd Chris Jackson Soul City release of ‘I’ll Never Forget You’ with its different flipside to the US Jamie release. Godin told me that Chris and Marke Jackson were different artists, a circumstance supported by ‘Forever I’ll Stay With You’ on the UK issue, but of course ‘I’ll Never Forget You’ is identical. Clearly Godin got around any licensing difficulty by claiming ‘Forget’ to be a re-recording, not wishing to over-egg the situation a different flipside lent a little credibility and they used a different vocalist for it. I think we can safely say that Marke Jackson and Chris Jackson (possibly Chris Bartley too) were the same person (excepting that Soul City flipside). Keep the faith, right on now. <br /><br />George Best in a soul magazine eh? Well I never! It has long been urban myth that the United star attended the Twisted Wheel, possibly in its two locations he did do this, but I don’t think the emergent, secret, ‘new’ Northern Soul allnighter scene was ever for him. I’ve got a few Bestie stories of my own but I’m reminded here of an early attempt by my father to convert me from the Reds to Burnley back in season ’66/’67 by taking me to Man United’s visit to Turf Moor. It could hardly have back-fired more, for when the Manchester men ran out – George, Bobby Charlton, Law, Stiles, they seemed like gods – Andy Lockhead or whoever else was in the Burnley team that day (even Willie Morgan) were rather faceless mortals. I was smitten. Shame the dream was later purloined by a few inbred Americans with dodgy facial hair. Burnley meanwhile, remains a ‘proper’ football club. As Eammon Dunphy once indicated in his book about United, it’s ‘A Strange Kind of Glory’. Strange indeed!<br /><br />Keith Rylatt’s October article about looking for records in Pennsylvania also tweaked the nostalgia button. Pittsburgh in particular, one of the USA’s most characterful cities in many ways and one with a strong musical tradition not often recognised outside of the States. Records were frequently local hits there that didn’t make it anywhere else and someone like blue-eyed soulster Chuck Corby is a hero in the city whilst remaining almost unknown elsewhere (a common occurrence in the US in truth). I’ve travelled extensively around the US and it often strikes me now that many cities look very much the same as each other – one or two places buck the trend, San Francisco for instance, Pittsburgh is another. Hardly glamorous, it has a depth and texture that comes from industrial roots and suburbs such as Millvale and Carnegie are a real throwback to small town America of the 50s and 60s (or at least they were when I was last there 8 years ago). Keith left a few places unmentioned and as a professional dealer I aren’t about to make it easy but you can buy a huge load of 45s and albums in Pittsburgh for $3 million if you have the money – beware tho’, Martin Koppel and myself have been all the way through them. <br /><br />I have to take issue with Soul Sam’s assertion in October’s Manifesto that Keb Darge ‘discovered’ all (surely I misunderstand this) the funky tracks played at the moment. I don’t want to be picky but when these things appear in print they are in danger of becoming the truth – I owned Joseph Webster for 15 years before it started getting Butch spins for instance and I’m sure the likes of John Anderson would take exception to Keb Darge being touted in such a way as well. I will say that around 8 or 9 years ago Keb started offering large sums for certain uptempo disco-ey 45s in my collection that had been failed mini-spins in the 80s, but that does not amount to ‘discovering’ them. True, he took on this type of record, as did Butch, but I’m bound to say that James ‘pain in the butt’ Trouble also managed to shift the axis a little as well. I know exactly what Sam meant in the tone and tenor of his article but Keb Darge was an innovator rather than a discoverer and it is incorrect to think of him as the latter. <br /><br />Onto compact discs and an American label called Light In The Attic have put out a Mowest compilation entitled ‘Motown’s Mowest Story 1971-1973’. The release fails to capture the heartbeat of the label as far as UK soul fans are concerned and what could have been a really neat item falls between a number of stools. Mowest ran from August 1971 to March 1973. It was a time when Motown became rather experimental with its artists; for instance Motown itself had Bobby Darin and Irene ‘Granny’ Ryan releases in the same period. Perhaps Mowest did not go as broad-spectrum as the M.O.R. crooner and the Beverley Hillbillies star but artists such as Lesley Gore, Mike Campbell and the Repairs do not constitute any kind of soul music either. Light In The Attic’s release almost falls into the label trap by including the likes of Lodi and Suzee Ikeda. Of course 16 tracks can hardly be representative of almost 50 singles and a number of albums – so, given that situation, why not go for the best of the soul?<br /><br />There is a nod to the UK market and it’s a nod which also embraces a certain peculiarity whereby one or two key tracks (to us) came out in Britain only. Not only these key tracks but many others saw a release on UK Mowest which continued for over two years beyond the American imprint and with a large number of artists not known to the label over the Atlantic. The eventual UK success of FRANKIE VALLI’S ‘The Night’ is recognised on the CD but not the fact that it was a reissued Mowest release (3024) spun initially by the scene as a not-available rarity on Mowest 3002. The sleevenotes also hint at a US promo release for ‘The Night’ on Mowest 5025, a situation quite well known but never in actual fact any kind of reality. Over in Holland the track was actually released on Rare Earth. Russ Winstanley also championed another Valli Mowest UK-only release in the shape of ‘Thank You’ (3034). I’m in a bit of a dilemma with Frankie Valli in that he definitely does not sound black, yet on a number of records (‘You’re Ready Now’, ‘I’m Gonna Change’ etc etc) he has touched the very zeitgeist of the Northern Soul scene, whilst pointing heavily towards soul music. I was always mystified by ‘The Night’ as it never sounded much like soul at all to these ears but I can recognise that its dark, broody, overtones and humming bassline make it one hell of a record whatever the genre.<br /><br />THE SISTERS LOVE also endured the UK-only Mowest syndrome with ‘I’m Learning To Trust My Man’ (3009) which is not on the Light In The Attic release (although two worthy tracks by the group are included). For sure this is one of the label’s greatest moments, if not the best, and it is a sad reflection on the scene that the track is rarely played now (aw c’mon, ‘When We Get There’?). If the Sisters Love ever stood for let-it-all-hang-out, testifying, gospel-soul then this is the epitome of the syndrome as exemplified by Vermetta Royster’s searing single-note wail near the very end. What a track; and if I may be permitted, yet another moment of unadulterated nostalgia. I need only close my eyes when listening to ‘Learning To Trust My Man’ to be transported back to March 1975 and a cavernous hall in Wigan, I’m breathing fetid Casino air, sweating for England and loving every second of it. <br /><br />THELMA HOUSTON’S original version of ‘I Ain’t Going Nowhere’ is on the ‘Mowest Story’ and, once more, is a UK-only oddity. What is more the track is album only – and although Houston’s eponymous Mowest album garnered a US release ‘I Ain’t Going Nowhere’ was for British consumption only (as was the excellent crossover number ‘Nothing Left To Give’). Overall this is a superb album and I’m bound to say that although Thelma Houston has had a decent career, she has not been the soul superstar she should have been, i.e. up there with Aretha, Gladys, et al. Her Mowest album amply provides evidence of this. Regarding ‘I Ain’t Going Nowhere’ the track was first played, by Thelma Houston, at the Highland Room to be soon overtaken by Jr. Walker’s version which was also played as a brand new release. It has been nice in recent years to see a little renewed attention focused on Thelma’s version although her album is now hard-to-find.<br /><br />Another track which finds this compilation looking to the UK is ODYSSEY’S ‘Battened Ships’ from their self-titled Mowest album. For some time now this cut has been popular with the seventies faction of the modern scene. The group are nothing to do with the late 70s hitmakers but were a light rock, four-man outfit. I’m forced to say that I don’t love this track, I hate it! It may have the right rhythm and some correct production values but the group sound like they look on the can – very white. Together with tripe like that John Valenti thing there is a certain amount of evidence that the modern scene too can be immune to the essential blackness of soul if other circumstances fall together. The Commodores, The Nu Page, G.C. Cameron and Syreeta (I’m no fan of her vocal style) are worthy acts included on ‘Motown’s Mowest Story’ but often on multiple occasions, while Devastating Affair, Blinky and Bobby Taylor are left out altogether. Art and Honey’s great ‘Let’s Make Love Now’ was pulled from Mowest 5048 to appear on Motown but has never been on CD to my knowledge so that one might have been nice too. We await the real soul of Mowest Records therefore.<br /><br />'Til Next Time<br /><br />Tim Brown<br /><br />Now in its 6<sup>th</sup> amazing month visit our website for the big deals in Northern, Modern, Motown, Funk, reisssues, CDs and Paraguayan tram postcards. <a href="http://www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk/" style="color: #ff6600; text-decoration: none;">www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk</a></span></div>Tim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563252017174723152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687552584897053534.post-76317871325864580842011-12-12T23:50:00.000-08:002011-12-12T23:57:20.056-08:00Turning Back The Hands Of Time<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Manifesto</i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">October, 2011</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
It’s 9 am on a Saturday morning and I’m making my regular visit to Hebden Bridge Co-op before the locals breathe all over the crusty loaves. The in-house music system plays ‘September In The Rain’ causing conjecture amongst staff filling shelves as to who it is. Predictably they can offer no more than Amy Winehouse (yawn) – cue blank expressions upon being informed that it was Dinah Washington. “Y’ Know, ‘Teach Me Tonight’, ‘What A Difference A Day Makes’ ”. I might as well have been talking to next door’s cat! Think yourself lucky, very lucky, that you chose to explore a musical genre because most folks simply have no idea….<br />
<br />
Turning back the hands of time I would like to pick up on a few points from September’s Manifesto. Something of a senior moment from Simon White, when he explains that Lorraine Chandler’s ‘I Can’t Change’ came out on Black Magic, it was of course ‘What Can I Do’ that backed that curious-but-actually-great cover of ‘Love You Baby’ that isn’t really Lorraine. Even Simon S didn’t want to challenge RCA, it seems, with ‘What Can I Do’ coming out on Giant before the major. Of interest (just) is the fact that myself and Martin Koppel now own the Black Magic label and have done for some time. With Eddie Parker’s ‘Love You Baby’ being generally accepted as the top oldie back in ’75, I’m really surprised no-one tried to track down label owner Jack Ashford at the time choosing instead to record covers (Ian Levine did it with the Exciters of course). They would have sold thousands and thousands I’m sure. Funny, you don’t hear it much these days which is a) a great pity because it is Northern Soul at its best and b) about a million times better than ‘When We Get There’. <br />
<br />
Keith Rylatt took a look at Jerry Butler’s Vee Jay years. Amazingly the Chicago maestro has never charted in the UK, even ‘Moody Woman’ didn’t do it, which is a real surprise. And in strictly Northern Soul terms he has never had a real biggie except for ‘Moody’ which entered allnighter infamy via the ‘Move On Up’, “it’s common but it’s great” Mr M’s syndrome. It is one of those Northern Soul quirks that his brother Billy is much more popular with UK rare soul fans. Jerry has a number of modern spins to his UK curriculum vitae and he did his own stab at ‘Right Track’ during the Mercury years, a cut which appeared on his retrospective double CD ‘Iceman’ in 1992. Of course he would be a more than welcome visitor to these shores but in strictly Northern terms he is a bit of a fringe character illustrating almost perfectly the essential perversity of the allnighter scene. <br />
<br />
It was interesting to see Soul Sam give us a brief history of his musical origins – and revealing too that even by the time that Northern Soul was emerging as such, Sam was in his late twenties hence his referring to his taste being the same as that of the ‘youths of the day’. Nor did I quite realise that Cleethorpes was actually Sam’s first allnighter gig, although I don’t particularly share his opinion that the Pier avoided ‘many but not all of the pop stompers’. The truth is that the venue missed the main years (’74 and ’78) when these kind of records were in ascendancy. For all that, Sam’s longevity as a rare soul deejay is remarkable especially when, for most of it, he has been on the cutting edge, which takes a lot more hard work than picking up the latest oldie that takes your fancy. <br />
<br />
Onto the music per se then, and you would normally look in vain at Garry Cape’s Soulscape label for Northern Soul. Whilst not doubting the overall quality of these releases going-to-a-go-go is not normally their thing and whilst neither the latest Charles Smith or George Soulé retrospectives throw up ‘Too Late’ or ‘We Were Made For Each Other’ both have tracks on them of interest to the more broad-minded 60s dancer. As always we head to the Deep South for Soulscape’s output and most of CHARLES SMITH’S recordings on ‘Ashes To Ashes’ are mournful ballads often with a slight country influence. I have to say however, that the beaty ‘Reach That Mountain’ fuses gospelesque sentiments with a pacy rhythm to great effect and I’ve been unable to stop using the repeat button on this track in my car. The added bonus is that it is a previously unissued record so entirely new to me. Possibly a little ‘downhome’ for some – I love it. The cover of the GEORGE SOULÉ (pronounced ‘Soolay’) CD would hardly pull the uninitiated soul fan towards it with the youthful white artist looking like a refugee from a Hank Williams twanging session: Of course Soulé has credentials a-plenty with Soul fans due the brilliant ‘Get Involved’ Fame 45 although we stay away from those sessions on this particular collection. Most noteworthy here is the first track the original version ‘Cross My Heart’ which had minor spins on the allnighter scene via Tamiko Jones on Metromedia but was recently found to exist on a Muscle Shoals Sound test press and thus exposed to the UK. It really is a much better effort than Tamiko’s and should have been a dancefloor monster – however, these things take years and there is time yet tho’ I get the feeling that there isn’t too much momentum behind it (shame quality like this is hard to find today). Other tracks on the CD include versions (Soulé co-wrote both) of ‘Catch Me, I’m Falling’ and ‘You Can’t Stop A Man In Love’ which are rather disappointing. I must admit Soulé was/is a bona-fide soul man despite his skin colour but I’m bound to say that on a large percentage of the 25 tracks he does sound white, ‘Cross My Heart’ is worth the price of the CD on its own however, and very highly recommended. <br />
<br />
Returning briefly to Soul Sam we were pleased to receive him at Anglo American recently whereupon a fan of R&B–based material was spinning some music. I was surprised to hear the ex-teacher refer to one or two of them as rock and roll, which they weren’t, and I personally see a big difference between that music and blues-based early soul. Slim Harpo and Marty Wilde were never any kind of bedmates! All of which means that Mr Barnfather will hardly appreciate a rather interesting 45 to come out of Germany recently. All across continental Europe R&B is as popular as it ever was (perhaps more so) so it is no surprise that Berlin’s Hip City Soul Club has put out a previously unissued Little Willie John acetate as an anniversary 45. Although club owner Marcus Forrest has gone to considerable lengths to legally license the track, the record is still entitled as before by LITTLE WILLIE ‘J’ in order to undermine any controversy. That vocal style is totally recognisable however and an absolute pleasure to welcome (unlike Sam’s Betty Boo cover-up sorry mate!). Not a million miles removed from ‘Fever’ (which is hardly a surprise). I would guess the track to be from ’61 or ’62 placing it firmly in John’s King/Federal era. Oh, and by the way, it is called ‘The Pressure’, don’t expect to find it too easily, Hip City 45s tend to vanish. <br />
<br />
Until Simon White pointed it out I must confess to having missed the passing of GENE McDANIELS in July this year. McDaniels followed the tradition of some Big City soul artists in not sounding particularly black much of the time – Jerry Jackson was another example of this syndrome. ‘Walk With A Winner’ finds much of its soulfulness through lyrical sentiment and dramatic production rather than gritty anguish for instance. In some ways I’m not surprised that Frankie Vaughan thought he could take a McDaniels song like ‘Tower of Strength’ and go with it in the UK. Many of McDaniels’ records found a UK release but a later release than ‘Winner’ in the shape of ‘Hang On’ remained confined to US shores and takes an approach more akin to uptempo Northern Soul than the famed beat ballad. Yet again, you would have to know that the artist was black to place it any differently than any number of beaty pop artists on the allnighter scene, but Northern it is and given the amount of fans for the Nomads, Chapter Five, Bobby Paris and many more then ‘Hang On’ stands up. And I like it, as I do ‘Walk With A Winner’. Rest in peace Gene McDaniels.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
'Til Next Time</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Tim Brown</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt;">Now in its 5<sup>th</sup> amazing month visit our
website for the big deals in Northern, Modern, Motown, Funk, reisssues, CDs and
Paraguayan tram postcards.</span> <a href="http://www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk/">www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk</a></div>
Tim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563252017174723152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687552584897053534.post-11526715953437832302011-10-13T07:20:00.000-07:002011-10-13T07:28:39.972-07:00September 2011<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Manifesto</i></b> September, 2011</span><br />
<br />
The all-colour Manifesto really came into its own in July with those vintage Billboard ads courtesy of Rob Moss, I took a look at their archive myself – a veritable treasure trove of the times. <br />
<br />
Soul wasn’t thought as any better or long-lived than any other musical format but I wonder how cherished the likes of Ray Conniff or Ferrante and Teicher are today?.....<br />
<br />
Keith Rylatt’s item on the Contours made me contemplate how, after 20 years or so of retrospective compact discs, there are still people who collect either vinyl or cd, but not both because the big recent news on that particular group was the recent Kent compact disc ‘Dance With The Contours’. The release features no less than 24 previously unreleased tracks from the ’63/’64 period and the booklet clears up the ever-changing Contours line-up. To be honest most of the material has an ephemeral quality about it and although I like a gritty male vocalist as much as the next soul fan, I find the bellowing manner of lead Billy Gordon to be somewhat grating after a while. One track however, pulls in another strand of soul that Keith has touched upon before in the shape of ‘Do The SeeSaw’. This is the record, unreleased at the time (late 1963), for which producer Andre Williams removed the backing track, only to emerge almost two years later behind Tom and Jerrio as ‘Boo-Ga-Loo’ (ABC) with some success, resulting in a successful legal action for Berry Gordy. It has sufficient vim and verve as to appeal to Northern Soulers (just about the only track on the disc to do that). Keith covered Tom and Jerrio in an earlier Manifesto a few years ago but clearly Paul Winley was not deterred by the legal situation issuing the record again around ’66/’67, and if it’s not the same backing track it’s a very good copy of it, ‘Boo-Ga-Loo’ by THE BLAZERS (Winley). The vocal is either a Tom and Jerrio out-take (but mentions the ‘Cool Jerk’ which is a little late for them) or a faithful reproduction of their style (which wouldn’t be difficult). For sure, mention of “getting stoned” may have limited the record’s ongoing commercial prospects. <br />
<br />
As I’ve pointed out before my Outta Sight imprint reissued the Mayfield Singer’s ‘My Baby Changes Like The Weather’ recently, imagine my surprise then to find the song lurking on the B-side of a record I’ve owned for over 30 years! Back in the Thorne/Parkers days of the late 80s the fantastic ‘So Much Better’ by EMMETT GARNER JR. (Maxwell) got spins amongst the new wave of crossover sounds which added a wonderful dimension to the scene. It should be easy to pick up a copy at £25 today (until everyone wakes up to the quality). The flipside is ‘Check Out What You’ve Got’ and it’s the same song as ‘My Baby Changes etc’ done, again brilliantly, but in a slightlier messier and long-winded way. Garner was formerly in the Trends (ABC, Smash) before moving on to manage the Notations. As far as I can see, this is his only solo recording. <br />
<br />
Another so-called ‘cheapie’ to surprise, indeed astound me, recently was LENNY DEXTER’S ‘Let’s Do It Again’ on Tenacious. A record that has been knocking around my world for almost as long as I’ve been collecting, I filed it away in my mind as somewhat discoey to be honest. In truth, Dexter has a fantastic warm, rather southern approach to his singer which wouldn’t disappoint a Tommy Tate fan and the record doesn’t exactly shoop-shoop along on hi-hats either – lots of twists and turns in the production. Perhaps all of that isn’t astounding but a Canadian release on Quality really is. I mean, why? <br />
<br />
Back in the eighties just as crossover was emerging and ‘indy’ new releases were all the rage, an album emerged by one GENE TOWNSEL on the tiny Dobre label that people seemed to like but I didn’t rate too much. As so often seems to be the case, it turns out Townsel had an earlier career on at least two labels one of which, ‘Mr Boon Tang’, is actually rather good on the Ah-La-Vi label. Probably early seventies this blends in a certain sixties sensibility with a fairly mellow approach over a solid clip-clop beat. Even better is ‘Can’t Stop A Poor Man From Makin Love’ on the flipside, not as instant as ‘Mr Boon Tang’ this has all the qualities that would have made it a total ‘last hour’ classic at the Mecca à la the Vee Gees ‘Talkin’, Ron and Candy ‘Lovely Weekend’, Chuck Stephens ‘Let’s Get Nasty’ and many more. <br />
<br />
One of my favourite singers is the great BABY WASHINGTON and she needs little introduction on these pages, although Soul Sam might like to know that she was born in Bamberg (South Carolina that is). Best known for her 1963 opus ‘Leave Me Alone’ on Sue, a variety of other Washington sides have been tried on the Northern Soul scene from time to time. One of the select band of US soul artists to see UK-only release for at least one 45, in the shape of ‘Get A Hold Of Yourself’ on United Artists, I’m confident that Simon White must have spotlighted that one in the past. It’s from her Veep album ‘With You In Mind’; my copy claims to be on the Veep Gospel imprint and Washington’s delivery is so intense that I could see that particular ascription although the album is soul music all the way, if just a little orchestral. Better than ‘Get A Hold Of Yourself’ is her fantastic pacy recording of ‘I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good’ a gem of an album-only recording. The Casino more or less missed Baby Washington but I do remember either Richard or Russ (most likely the former) tipping her brilliant ‘I’m Good Enough For You’ (Cotillion), I’m bound to say that the scene in general has largely missed this one. Washington headed south to record this and the result is a fabulous brassy stomper, if you go for Betty Fikes ‘Prove It To Me’ – then you will love ‘I’m Good Enough For You’ which is even better. Why this wasn’t ever a monster is beyond me, sometimes even after these years the scene still mystifies. My final word on Baby is courtesy of her one and only 45 on Chess and a beat ballad of such incredible power in the shape of ‘Is It Worth It’. In fact I’d take the above two tracks as her best ever – quite a statement. Dusty covered her ‘Breakfast In Bed’ on Cotillion but pleasant enough as she is, the Hampstead lass couldn’t have gone anywhere near ‘Is It Worth It’ and a listen to the two versions of ‘Breakfast’ puts Dusty in her place to be honest. <br />
<br />
An issue or two ago Soul Sam mentioned the Tommy Bryant 45 on T-Neck that I’ve been raving over for a while now. His name (Bryant) crops up again on another seven with a little demand behind it these days on the tiny Marlborough, Massachusetts label Cobra. The track is ‘Something On My Mind’ by T&T, who are Tommy and Tijuana apparently, an Ashford and Simpson song found also as a Diana Ross album track. Sadly the male half of the pairing doesn’t appear vocally, leaving Tijuana to do a good job on a skipping jazzy rhythm which will definitely appeal to those who like the lighter end of the soul spectrum. The lady sings well again on a version of ‘Betcha By Golly Wow’ on the reverse. Although officially a city, Marlborough is home to only 36,000 people yet it had at least one record label, illustrating the diversity that the US can come up with. For all Britain’s musical input (which is enormous) and regionality (the Mersey Sound, Manchester, Sheffield etc) the fact remains that 98% of vinyl came out of London where the business of distribution was based. <br />
<br />
Soul Sam came up with a fantastic description of a type of soul music in July’s Manifesto referring to ‘80s bassline’, I don’t know whether it was inadvertent or if it is a term in use that I haven’t come across before but it really does sum a genre up. I know they are popular with some but it was never my cup of tea to be honest and when these records started cropping up it became the first sign that I should perhaps start looking backwards. Nor were all 80s records cut in such a style, many of the independent labels particularly southern ones served up records way different from those crunching drumbeats which often had an almost explosive, certainly intrusive, element to them. I probably own a couple of thousand records from the decade so I shouldn’t think of myself as a luddite too strongly. I remember thinking that L.J. Reynolds ‘Loving Man’ album in 1984 (Mercury) was pretty good despite the then-modern techniques, but a quick listen now reveals that time has relegated it from my affections, and I still say that Luther Vandross and Anita Baker have a lot to answer for in taking vocal mannerisms away from the church and through a jazz sequence that persists throughout ‘R&B’ today (in fact together with rap it is the basis of it). Actually some of the records that eschewed the crashing percussions and synthesizers and sang without the Vandross melisma retaining just a bassline, can be pretty good. Twelves in this region of my collection would include Jerry Warren ‘I Really Love You’ (Latosia) M.J. Wade ‘I’m Gonna Ball Baby’ (Helva) Jesse Mitchell ‘Time Is The Only Healer’ (JDM) Ford & Co ‘Be Who You Are’ (Lasso, actually 1991, wow!) and Roy Lee Johnson ‘All Night’ (Gold Thumb). Enjoyed going through those but who am I fooling? They are all over twenty years old. Modern eh? Here’s to 70s, and to 80s bassline, new definitions at last.<br />
<br />
'Til Next Time <br />
<br />
Tim Brown <br />
<br />
Free rare soul price guide, hot auctions, thousands of Northern, Modern, Funk titles. A huge selection of reissues, go to <a href="http://www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk/">www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk</a>Tim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563252017174723152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687552584897053534.post-62223707355162982342011-08-27T11:01:00.000-07:002011-08-27T11:01:46.950-07:00August 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="clear: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCoI22zgT0TmnXpVQCb5DpKioYbh-Im9pB2qC_3bmtPhp6ZpGumcuCYvW1X6pDocJy2pu-MDPeWcFFedBoVERkcjj5Kt4tkn3W2Jovu1NMU7gLIT5QLd_fkFdIQ1U9XXWvrTZwIJ8U_Bs/s1600/Chris+Bartley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCoI22zgT0TmnXpVQCb5DpKioYbh-Im9pB2qC_3bmtPhp6ZpGumcuCYvW1X6pDocJy2pu-MDPeWcFFedBoVERkcjj5Kt4tkn3W2Jovu1NMU7gLIT5QLd_fkFdIQ1U9XXWvrTZwIJ8U_Bs/s320/Chris+Bartley.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600;">Manifesto</span></span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600;"> column August, 2011</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: auto;"><div>New arrangements and deadlines at Manifesto mean that I have to make comment on previous editions from the one before last – and perhaps I’m losing my mojo because I can’t find much to carp about at all. One or two points worthy of deliberation cropped up in the June issue however…. </div><div style="text-align: auto;"><br />
Having published and distributed no less than seven books of various kinds, I could tell Keith Rylatt a thing or two about the book business. This isn’t the time or the place to deliver a sermon on turning the printed word into pounds, shillings and pence, but I do know that every year sees hundreds, if not thousands, of highly commendable specialist books printed (and presumably a number of poor ones as well). In almost every instance the author or publisher is, rightly or wrongly, bursting with pride at his or her achievement and can see little beyond the assumption that many people will want to own it (mostly, some books are so specialist that even the most blinkered writer could not assume good sales). The problem is that, as far as the book distribution trade is concerned, this situation has been seen countless times before and unless you are writing about wine, Katie Price or the Beatles then your book about soul or zoos or trams or ….whatever is just one of many markets they don’t really comprehend or want to. This leaves the specialist going directly to a market they know, or hope they know. Even then, in an internet age where many do not need paper or in a recession where money is tight, there are some potential customers who consider £20 or more for a book to be an unnecessary expense. That Detroit doesn’t really care about its own musical heritage doesn’t surprise me, in some ways the very essence of the UK rare soul scene was conceived amongst dusty, not-so-old 45s that had been rejected and left, unloved, on shelves and boxes. Perhaps that is the reason why Americans considered that ‘Groovesville USA’ should be re-written for their consumption – in short they don’t really get it and never have. <br />
<br />
Richard Searling’s ‘Top 50 of The 1980s’ came out of nowhere just idling away on page 6 in June’s Manifesto. Whilst not disagreeing that there are a half century of solid soul winners in the Hotspur’s choice, I was surprised to see a definite lack of rarer records and a fair dismissal of the 80s trend for so-called ‘indies’, the small label sevens that became rather a buoyant collector’s scene at one time providing an important dimension for the re-launch of the modern scene in the later part of the decade (together with crossover). My own personal choice would have turned to more southern-orientated records I’m sure and whilst there isn’t the space (or time to be honest) to go into a top 50 of my own now (perhaps later) I would have gone for Frankie Saunders ‘Blues Time in Birmingham’ (Sho Me), Sam Dees ‘After All’ (Pen Pad 12”), Carl Sims ‘Seventeen Days of Loving’ (Edge), Willie Johnson ‘What I’m Going To Do (Without Your Love)’ (Savannah Int), Otis Clay ‘The Only Way Is Up’ (Echo), David Sea ‘Angel’ (Hy-Tyde), Z.Z. Hill ‘Cheating In The Next Room’ (Malaco) and on and on and on. Viva la difference. <br />
<br />
I recently picked up a copy of Adam’s Apples ‘Don’t Take It Out On This World’ on Canadian Brunswick. A rare record on US label this must have sold to one man and his dog north of the border. A surprising number of Northern Soul items gained a Canadian release, many on labels such as Apex or Reo and an odd one or two are even different takes such as Helen Troy on Kapp or the reissue of R. Dean Taylor’s ‘Let’s Go Somewhere’ on Tamla Motown. Just like the UK, Canada had its own native soul recording too, perhaps not as profligate as this country (Detroit, for instance, is only a five hour drive from Toronto) and sometimes utilizing American artists in any case. Given that my long-time associate Martin Koppel has been permanently based in Canada for almost 40 years many releases have come our way – perhaps even more surprising are those that haven’t and I’ll start a little look at a few Canadian releases with one of these, and probably the most legendary of them all. <br />
<br />
Pat Hervey is a white Canadian artist (still alive to this day) often likened to Brenda Lee but who occasionally veered towards black music (apparently she recorded a version of Mitty Collier’s ‘Pain’ that I’ve yet to hear). By the later 60s, she was signed to Stan Klees’ Red Leaf label (which has a Northern sound by the Charmaines on it). Nothing came of her time with the label and this Toronto artist moved to Vancouver in 1969. Before doing this, she did a moonlight session as part of a one-off girl group THE TIARAS with a release on Op-Art which sank out of sight immediately. That Hervey was signed to another label hardly helped matters, rather like Dennis Edwards on International Soulville I suppose. And that was that until my one-time apprentice Andy Dyson turned a copy of the Op-Art single up about 8 or 9 years ago, duly reporting to my office with said vinyl for sale. The record was entitled ‘Surprise’ and was coupled with ‘Foolish Girl’. To be honest on the day the tracks seemed a little lightweight and I refused the offer of the disc. I thought little more about it and didn’t realise that, months later, Butch’s ‘Belita Woods’ cover-up and ‘Surprise’ cover-up (by whom I can’t remember, probably the ‘Del Larks’ knowing him) were the coupling I was previously offered. Since that time brother Dyson came up 4 more copies – all from the same source and as it happened, a source known to Martin Koppel. No more copies have been located and the record’s Canadian origins will surely ensure that it will remain very rare indeed. <br />
<br />
The oddest episode in Canadian Soul must surely be the Right On! label. Utilising the exact artwork of Dave Godin’s UK label, the Canadian imprint appears to plagiarise its British counterpart; for instance there is a release by AC/DC Soulful Symphony (Godin was a well-known gay person) also one by the Ad Libs (‘The Boy From New York City’ was an all-time Godin favourite) but it isn’t the Ad Libs! <br />
<br />
Another Godin rave was Dolly Gilmore’s ‘Sweet Sweet Baby’ on the Orlando label Dove – and what do we have on Canadian Right On! But Ms Dolly Gilmore’s ‘Sweet Sweet Man’, like the Ad Libs with no apparent connection to the bona-fide original artist. Sammy Gaha’s ‘Thank You Thank You’ is perhaps the most famous record on the label reaching £300 or so in price although this is a French recording issued first on Gaha’s own promo and then in a picture sleeve on Barclay revealing Gaha to be just a little white. In addition there is a disco/funk record by Heem and a rumour that Rozaa and Wine’s ‘Disco Boogie Woman’ which did come out on Godin’s UK Right On! label came out on this Canadian imprint as well. If true, the last of these is most surprising because when I asked Godin, a few years before his 2004 death, about Canadian Right On! he claimed absolutely no knowledge of it at all. When one considers all of the above, it has to be one of the strangest circumstances I’ve ever encountered in music. And to round it all off, Chris Bartley’s ‘I See Your Name’, one of UK Right On’s better releases, was issued in Canada on the Extra label (probably promo only) again, not helped by a misprinted label stating him to be Christ Bartley, for this reason if no other it is a rare 45. <br />
<br />
Another rarity on Canadian label-only is from the southern soul artist Lotsa Poppa who cut rather a Solomon Burke figure in his heyday and was named by Sam Cooke and Dinah Washington (real name Julius High Jr, he recorded once as Little Julius on Diamond). His versions of ‘Tennessee Waltz’ and ‘She Ain’t Gonna Do Right’ recorded whilst touring Canada saw a limited promo run (like Sammy Gaha in France not on a named label) before occupying one side of a very rare picture sleeved E.P. on the Lotta Soul imprint. Possibly of more interest to Northern Soul fans is the other side which finds Montreal white soul band The Persuaders covering Bobby Bland’s ‘With These Hands’ in an acceptable manner but one which could never compete with the great man himself. <br />
<br />
Just like the UK, Canada had a tradition of West Indian immigrants from the mid-fifties onwards and ultimately a tiny handful of these were to record soul music. Prime amongst these must be The Mighty Pope. His unusual name actually came from a piece of land his father owned in Jamaica that was thought to be shaped like the Vatican! Pope’s actual name is Earle Heedram, at the age of 20 (1965) he emigrated to Toronto and soon found himself performing R&B/Soul as lead singer of the Shieks. Other vocalists in The Shieks included Jackie Opel and one Lynval ‘Eddie’ Spencer (yes, the ‘If This Is Love’ guy on Arc, certainly one of the greatest Canadian-only soul 45s). Pope’s next move was to replace transvestite singer Jackie Shane in Frank Motley’s band The Hitch-Hiker’s as lead vocalist. Two rare albums for the Paragon label in 1969 and 1970 provide a pleasing mix of covers and original numbers. A one-off release on the Heart label ‘Mr Fortune’ was the Hitch-Hikers swansong. Eventually The Mighty Pope became a solo artist signed to RCA Canada and an eponymously titled album in 1977. The year before saw Pope’s version of Jesse James’ ‘If You Want A Love Affair’ released and being not-too-dissimilar to the original is, not surprisingly, a UK in-demander. I suppose I would take Jesse James but only marginally as Pope does a fine job on vocals. <br />
<br />
The Canadian-only theme is one I will return to at some other point but I’ll leave with a brief oddity in the shape of ‘True Patron Of The Arts’ by The Queen City Show Band. In recent years this Ramsey Lewisish instrumental has seen a little demand, it was released on Pow! Records in the US and Page One Records in the UK where the band itself was credited as Patron Of The Arts. The Canadian version however, on Barry, is a vocal to the track – a bit blue-eyed for me but indicative of the kind of strange quirk that records can throw up all around the world.</div></div></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: left;">‘Til Next Time<o:p></o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: left;">For our FREE on-line rare soul price guide go to <a href="http://www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk/">www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk</a></div>Tim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563252017174723152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687552584897053534.post-80582163240209785982011-07-26T12:23:00.000-07:002011-07-29T01:47:44.949-07:00July 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="clear: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDzcE4k-albrGYKNjjD5UZhaCjSPD-qcK3_nmknJpd-xFPArm8ZSqHUFpyQfe4Doobsi8dKGFqyKVKe-G-3af7hTJ9xPuR-84T7LqK9poEo9D_ewpeW_Py-bC6AtVWu3MmrNUe722R-_o/s1600/img+802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDzcE4k-albrGYKNjjD5UZhaCjSPD-qcK3_nmknJpd-xFPArm8ZSqHUFpyQfe4Doobsi8dKGFqyKVKe-G-3af7hTJ9xPuR-84T7LqK9poEo9D_ewpeW_Py-bC6AtVWu3MmrNUe722R-_o/s320/img+802.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600;">Manifesto</span></span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ff6600;"> column July, 2011</span></span></span><br />
<br />
Like many minority hobbies, I like to think that we are all basically on the same side in pursuing our interests – perhaps a naïve stance given conflicting interests, holier-than-thou moral stances and all-round blackguarding but nonetheless I assume we all want soul music to get the recognition it deserves. I’ve never been shy in displaying my admiration for ‘In The Basement’ magazine and I was sorry to find out recently that it is to discontinue early next year. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;">‘In The Basement’ is published in Brighton by one David Cole, the orientation is towards Deep and Southern styles, indeed I can see that Northern Soul is frequently a mystery to its Editor. In the full scheme of things, ‘Northern’ rarely exists in its own right – a good example is the current edition of ‘Basement’ where a lengthy letter from singer Lamar Thomas bemoans British categorisation of black music genres – so essential background information or interviews often come from artists who are embraced only momentarily by UK factions. I’ve written magazines, newsletters, books and articles such as this one for many years now so I can tell that the amount of work going into each ‘Basement’ is very considerable. Editor Cole will maintain an internet presence but I can’t get excited about that I’m afraid – less of a hollow victory than a rock solid defeat. Books, magazines and other paper publications have a character and a convenience that the laptop or Kindle can never approach (and I say that as the first person ever to have a Northern Soul book available through the latter medium). There are advantages – printed news can never compete with the internet in terms of speed for instance but overall the demise of publications at the hands of cyberspace is not welcome at all. Perhaps more than any other vehicle ‘In The Basement’ keeps me up-to-date on the ever-increasing rate at which soul singers from the golden era shed their mortal coil. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Going back as far as January (the 3<sup>rd</sup>, to be accurate), we see that LARRY HANCOCK of S.O.U.L. and Truth died in his hometown of Cleveland. It may seem at first that Hancock was a name unknown to UK rare soul aficionados but he had a quite considerable contribution firstly as the falsetto lead singer on three releases by the Intertains on Uptown (actually one release came out with different flipsides) all of which are of interest to Northern Soulers and came out between 1965 and 1966. Around the same time Hancock co-wrote ‘Working On Your Case’ for the O’Jays with one-time group member Bobby Massey as one side of their only release on Minit Records. In ’71 he joined S.O.U.L., an acronym for Sounds Of Unity and Love with records such as ‘This Time Around’ and ‘The Joneses’ finding recent attention in the UK. After S.O.U.L. broke up, Hancock joined the three remaining members of the Imperial Wonders to form Truth whose ‘Coming Home’ on Devaki was in-demand a few years ago. They also recorded for Nickel Shoe and S.O.C. with the incredible ballad ‘Come Back Home’ being not only outstanding but at seven minutes, quite the longest 45 single I’ve ever come across! He later performed in one of the many versions of the Platters.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;">At the much-missed Blues Estafette in Utrecht, Holland, I was fortunate enough to see CLAY HAMMOND perform in November 2000. On February 4<sup>th</sup> this year, aged 74, Hammond died in Houston, Texas. It would be almost unfair to accuse Hammond of having a Sam Cooke-ish delivery because he started singing in the Mighty Clouds of Joy as long ago as 1956. His solo career started on Tag Records in 1959 and he recorded music up until 2003. Whilst never enjoying a so-called ‘classic’ on the Northern Soul scene, several of his recordings on Kent plus ‘Dance Little Girl’ (Duo Disc, Keymen) do fit the genre and have been played from time to time. Also fitting the type but seemingly ignored is 1964’s ‘We Gotta Get Married’ on Liberty, although Sam Cooke is an appropriate finger to point at this release, the 45 also reminds this writer of various Impressions midtempo discs of the time, whilst the wailing fade-out would perhaps be emotionally further than either of the above two legendary acts would have committed to vinyl then. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Away from the grim reaper we can turn our mind to current releases and, at the risk of being accused of favouritism, the Outta Sight label. The month of May saw us turning our attention to Curtis Mayfield-related Northern Soul with a compact disc full of suchlike entitled ‘Curtis Mayfield’s Windy City Winners’ with material from Mayfield, Curtom and Thomas labels plus three 45s. MARVIN SMITH’S ‘Who Will Do Your Running Now’ has not been reissued before, whilst owners of Sherry Gibbs ‘Crazy’ on T.N.T. might be surprised to find out that this is actually the FASCINATIONS – we are happy to offer the true identity of the unissued-at-the-time stormer backed with the evergreen ‘Girls Are Out To Get You’ – and finally a first ever release of the MAYFIELD SINGERS ‘My Baby Changes Like The Weather’. One interesting element came out of the whole project in that we would have liked (despite its over-exposure in many ways) to include ‘Move On Up’ but due to licensing difficulties, could not do so. It wasn’t that fact that was surprising so much as the fact that ‘Move On Up’ is a complete and utter US non-hit! In fact on the Curtom label I have only EVER found demo copies. As weird as this may sound, could it be that it didn’t actually ever get a commercial release and that ‘Move On Up’ is a UK-generated phenomenon? It may be so – let me know if you have a non-promo copy on Curtom. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Almost an avalanche of products on compact disc from Kent lately amongst which are some very interesting previously-unissued tracks. Since the Satintones compilation last year, Kent have been putting out Motown material on artists who haven’t warranted specific CD projects before and recently THE MONITORS and MARV JOHNSON have seen such projects. It says much for the sheer quantum of recordings in Motown’s vaults that Kent have been able to offer previously-unreleased tracks of some quality. Taking the Johnson release first, the disc covers the artist’s second stint at the label between 1964 and 1971 and the release (entitled ‘I’ll Pick A Rose For My Rose’ after his UK hit) finds a gem in ‘There Goes A Lonely Man’. We are informed that the track has been around on acetate for years but haven’t come across it before and I’m sure that it wouldn’t have been in such pristine sound quality. From ’64 and therefore able to feature the Temptations on backing vocals (after ‘My Girl’ they were too important for such day-to-day tasks) ‘There Goes A Lonely Man’ is a snappy midtempo dancer sounding two years ahead of its time. Three other ‘new’ tracks are included but don’t reach the altitude of ‘There Goes’. In listening to his ‘I’ll Pick A Rose’ album for the first time in many years (decades?) I’m surprised that ‘Sleep Little One’ and ‘So Glad You Chose Me’ weren’t more popular album-only spins on the scene. Incidentally, I’m sure I’ve seen (even owned) ‘Steep’ on a foreign Tamla Motown 45 in the past. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;">The Monitors have a similar UK appreciation slant to Marv Johnson so ‘Say You’ – The Motown Anthology 1963-1968 will be welcome here. No less than a dozen previously-unissued tracks make the release essential. Another take of ‘Crying In The Night’ will prick a few ears up, ‘My Love Grows Stronger’ could easily be played but ‘Show Me You Can Dance’ takes the N. Soul honours for me with its cavernous backbeat and an increasingly impassioned lead vocal from Richard Street which really carries the track. Hopefully this track can overcome the egos of those deejays who want to play only that which is exclusive rather than that which is ‘new’ (in retro terms).<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;">More Motown material crops up on a first–ever PATRICE HOLLOWAY compilation which combines the Capitol and Motown material of Brenda’s sister over 25 tracks. Of course Patrice is a Northern Soul legend for at least 4 of her Capitol sides (sadly no previously unissed from this particular source) but she is hardly regarded as a Motown artist despite one ultra-rare 45 for V.I.P. It is therefore surprising to see and hear 10 unissued masters from the Gordy Empire, I’m forced to relate, that from a pure soul perspective at least, they are mostly unsatisfying BUT there is one gem and I’m amazed to see that the sleevenotes completely overlook the fabulous ‘Love Walked Right In’. On a scene that has taken a turn for the uptempo in recent years, a just-above beat ballad atmospheric opus may not be right for turntable action however, we must put that aspect aside and hail a quite brilliant track. A few years ago (1990!) material from Marvin Gaye and Oma Heard (mis-credited as Oma Page) came to light including the incredible ‘Is It A Dream’ sounding light years distant from a 1964 recording, ‘Love Walked Right In’ shares the same moody, tensile atmosphere and I’d bet this is from the same session. Why the sleevenotes virtually ignore it is beyond me. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;">The last Kent release I’d like to mention goes some way away from Motown and heads for Florence, Alabama and no less than 48 tracks from Southern Soul songthrush CANDI STATON. Rather like Loleatta Holloway, Staton’s career can be divided into disco and pre-disco eras with true soul fans mostly going for the latter. Compiler Dean Rudland suggests that the tremendous previously unissued ‘One More Hurt’ from 1973 might have pre-empted Staton’s ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ dancefloor success and whilst that sentiment is somewhat naïve (or was merely filling paper) the fact remains that this is a foot-tapper of the highest order with those bittersweet vocals well in control and the Muscle Shoals production sweetened with strings making it a ‘must’ for certain modern rooms. I say ‘certain’ because there are at least four factions at work modern-wise and I don’t think ‘One More Hurt’ counts as a ‘flava’. If your particular brand of Northern or Modern doesn’t feature this track then it’s your loss I can assure you. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Just about space and time to squeeze in a couple of old 45s in then, and this month’s ‘surprise from my shelves’ sounds unlikely but is well worth paying attention to. Frank Guida’s S.P.Q.R. and Legrand stable keeps coming up with the odd thing (I can’t get my head around that rockin’ instrumental ‘Back Slop‘!) although many err towards the older sound! One might think that a disc entitled ‘Church Street Sally’ would be quirky to say the least, indeed it is, but in a take-no-prisoners stomping style that should become a total monster. The gritty, uncompromising singer is JIMMY MOORE who made a handful of singles around Norfolk, Virginia and, I would think, is un-connected to others of the same name such as the guy in Moses and Joshua Dillard. This has the saxophone, the breaks, the grits but what do I know when ex-chart singles such as ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ can pack dancefloors?<o:p></o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: left;">‘Til Next Time<o:p></o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 30.0pt; margin-right: 12.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: left;">For our FREE on-line rare soul price guide go to <a href="http://www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk/">www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk</a></div>Tim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563252017174723152noreply@blogger.com0