NORTHERN SOUL & OLDIES REVIEWS

Scroll down for reviews of the following

After Hours 3 – wsm – more Northern soul from the masters of Atlantic, Loma, Reprise, & Warner Bros 1965-1974

Best of Soul Time - Epic (double CD) 508669 2 - Various Artists

After Hours 3 – wsm 5046764952 – more Northern soul from the masters of Atlantic, Loma, Reprise, & Warner Bros 1965-1974

As always there are some tracks on here that you will eulogise over and be thankful for and others you wonder why.  Nonetheless Richard Searling compilations always hit the spot in terms of what is going down at the moment, and there is barely a track that hasn’t been played at discerning venues over recent times, plus some ‘oldies’ that may be due for a bit of a revival.

 

Straight into it with a kickin stomper by Carl hall, and the kind of track that you like to see coming to prominence.  Then a run of ‘oldies’ that will be recognised save for maybe the fact that Last Minute Miracle is more closely associated with the Shirelles.

 

Darlene Love is an obscurity which I don’t personall care for.  Cajun Hart has been burning up the dancefloors and is a welcome addition.  Delilah Keenebruew is thought to be an ex Crystal and this to me is far superior to the Darlene Love track, all the ingredients of a classic mid 60’s gutsy soul sound.

 

Slippin around by Jimmy Hughes is interesting for what it is and how it was done, growing on me, but you automatically compare it to the classic Art Freeman version.  The latest track, 1974, I used to place, played it out and haven’t played it for ages, but playing it again it sounded fresh once more, to the extent that I played it ‘out’ only last week. Cliff Nobles is well known and deservedly so, a great track.  Plus 4 Starts off like Bok to Back and then turns into something equally awful.

 

Track of the album is the wonderful Archie Bell and the Drells discovery A thousand Wonders, thought actually to be the TSU Toronados. Great tempo, great vocals and punchy horns. Superb.

 

A few more oldis follow, Mary Wells sounds dated, Soul Brothers Six probably one of the most popular sounds over the last 5 or 6 years.  Three degrees is forgettable.

 

Life is very different now, was very different then when unleashed at the Highland Room, though somewhat bizarrely was huge at the Casino. The Teen Turbans is a twee girly thing.  The in demand James Barnett - Keep On Talking is probably my second favourite on the album, punchy Muscle Shoals horns, prominent piano, fantastic chorus and soulful lead – is that all!

 

Roy Redmond is a messy Southern style stomper.  The Voice Box - I Want It Back is good to, very fast, catchy bits but a nice vibe.  Soul and then some with  The Big Guys - Hang My Head And Cry and very typical of whats going down right now.  Willie Tee is another welcome addition as he seldom does a bad track.  Al Perkins - Nothing Is Impossible completes my top 3 from this compilation, groovy tempo, great vocal.

 

Barbara Lynn’s You’re Losing Me is simply terrific, unmistaken soulful vocals over that easy rhythm and guitar.  The Dynells - Call On Me, another great tune reminds me of the Albrighton allnighters.  The Mystic Moods - Astral Trip…hmm why, historical reference I suppose but that’s all.  The Innocent Bystanders is typical frantic detroit and equally forgettable as the previous track.  Closing with the lush instrumental, which is better but still does little for me, that’s Valerie & Bobby Capers - West 4th Street.

 

Track Listings

1. Carl Hall - Mean It Baby
2. The Pointer Sisters - Send Him Back
3. The Drifters - You Got To Pay Your Dues
4. Linda Jones - A Last Minute Miracle
5. Tony & Tyrone - Please Operator
6. Darlene Love - Too Late To Say You’re Sorry
7. Cajun Hart - Got To Find A Way
8. Delilah Keenebruew - Bright Lights
9. Jimmy Hughes - Slippin’ Around With You
10. Sister Sledge - Love Don’t You Go Through No Changes On Me
11. Cliff Nobles - My Love Is Getting Stronger
12. Plus 4 - Happiest Girl In The World
13. Archie Bell & The Drells - A Thousand Wonders
14. Mary Wells - Can’t You See (You’re Losing Me)
15. Soul Brothers Six - I’ll Be Loving You

16. The Three Degrees - Contact
17. Life - Tell Me Why
18. The Teen Turbans - We Need To Be Loved
19. James Barnett - Keep On Talking
20. Roy Redmond - Ain’t That Terrible
21. The Voice Box - I Want It Back (Your Love)
22. The Big Guys - Hang My Head And Cry
23. Willie Tee - I Want Somebody (To Show Me The Way)
24. Al Perkins - Nothing Is Impossible
25. Barbara Lynn - You’re Losing Me
26. The Dynells - Call On Me
27. The Mystic Moods - Astral Trip
28. The Innocent Bystanders - Frantic Escape
29. Valerie & Bobby Capers - West 4th Street

 

Best of Soul Time - Epic (double CD) 508669 2 - Various Artists

From 1997 to 1999 Sony released 3 compilations, Volumes 1,2 and 3 of Soul Time featuring selections of 'Northern Soul Classics' from their archives of Columbia, Epic and Date. This new selection contains the 'best' of those releases - a kind of Best of Best of - plus a handful of new additions, in a double CD format.

Very briefly and without in depth analysis and largely based on my own recollection the original Volume 1 contained a good selection of 'oldies', volume two continued in that vein but started to move into more 'modern' territory, and volume 3, I felt, kind of lost it's way a little.

For the most part most of the ones I didn't particularly care for have been left out but one or two pop tunes remain. However concentrating on those that were not featured earlier we have:-

Don't leave me baby - Brown, Maxine - An LP track by Maxine Brown that is absolutely awesome, haunting, deep and oh so soulful. Midtempo and not frantic at all which suits me down to the ground, yet it has all the ingredients evoking pictures of an allnighter at 5 O'clock in the morning. My heads in Modern Soul right now but this kind of track still makes it worthwhile to venture into the Northern Rooms.

Let your heart and soul be free - Tangeers - An Okeh side in addition to what I say below, this has been one of the biggest sounds I would say over the past few years. Evocative dance floor filler which sounds like it should in this remastered (presumably) format.

Gone but not forgotten - Robinson, Johnny - Another Okeh side from 1968 and a great tune to.

Little bit of something - Little Richard - Good to see this one featured ahead of poor Dog and Discuss it.

Baby don't waste my time - Knight, Gladys & The Pips - another great big sound of a few years back and featured on Expansions first Soul Togetherness album. Crossed over to be big in both Northern and Modern Rooms.

And you know it - Tower Of Power - A relative unknown from the wonderful Tower of Power

Breakaway - Linda Lloyd - This has all the right ingredients I suppose, old skool, Wiganesque all nighter sound and a very big sound but truly awful, or at least not for me!

The other tracks featured for the first time in this series are all pretty well known and all come from the Okeh stable - I think I would be right in saying that all of these were released in about 1976 on the Best of Okeh sets or Best of Major Lance, with the exception of the Billy Butler tracks (though the vocal of Right Track was released on single)

Matador - Major Lance Following from my comments on the Tangeers, I've nothing against remastering but sometimes on old recordings they can sound too fresh and clinical, and you hear things that were not so upfront previously. Now whilst the lyrics justify the castanets on this song I don't recall them as being anything like so irritating as they do here.

Get my hands on some lovin' - Artistics - Wonderful track from one of my favourite groups, these with the Spellbinders also featured on here is all great stuff, not a dud track between them
Right track (instrumental) - Butler, Billy

Boston monkey - Butler, Billy -
Two for the price of one - Williams, Larry & Johnny Watson
He who picks a rose - Carstairs
Come back - Williams, Ken
There are still tracks that despite previous issue still do it for me and I have entered some comments in the full track listing below:-

Track Listings
1. Matador - Major Lance
2. Abracadabra - Franklin, Erma - an excellent sound from the fairly recent past, again the slower tempo that gets me.
3. Chain reaction - Spellbinders - can do no wrong
4. Boston monkey - Butler, Billy
5. Keep on loving - Leavill, Otis - sadly recently departed , a voice as clear as crystal, and that Chicago sound, pure and wonderful
6. One in a million - Hughes, Rhetta
7. I don't wanna talk about it - Ames, Nancy - the start of a trio of 3 to forget!
8. Stranger in my arms - Randell, Lynne
9. Breakaway - Lloyd, Linda
10. Get my hands on some lovin' - Artistics -
11. If you were there - Wilson, Orbrey
12. I worship you baby - Glories - the start of a Torch section
13. I'm in a world of trouble - Sweet Things
14. We're in this thing together - Peaches & Herb
15. Walk like a man - Moore, Johnny
16. Angel baby - Carrow, George
17. Temptation is calling my name - David, Lee
18. Shy guy - Uptights
19. Tend to business - Rivingtons - a fine beat ballad and for some reason Craig David recently reminded me of this in lyric content but his was 25 years earlier!
20. There's a pain in my heart - Poppies
21. Help - Spellbinders - More stunning Spellbinders
22. Right track (instrumental) - Butler, Billy
23. I need you - Martin, Shane
24. You don't know where your interest lies - Valery, Dana - If I never hear this again it would be to soon. I have grown to hate this, never did much like it anyway, still a popular sound and I cannot fathom out why.
25. Eternally - Charmaines
26. You're messing up my mind - Herb Fame
27. I feel alright - Richards, Turley Frantic but likeable.
28. What a difference love makes - Lucien, Jon - fine bouncy singalong
29. Didn't say a word - Austin, Patti
30. Of hopes dreams and tombstones - Frazier, Jimmy - Popular sound pretty much across the board from Northern to the more seasoned R'n'B head.
31. Little bit of something - Little Richard
32. Get it from the bottom - Steelers - more good stuff from Chicago
33. Cause you're mine - Vibrations - frantic, fast and wonderful.
34. Soultime - Ellis, Shirley
35. Two for the price of one - Williams, Larry & Johnny Watson
36. He who picks a rose - Carstairs
37. Come back - Williams, Ken
38. Gone but not forgotten - Robinson, Johnny
39. Are we ready for love - Austin, Patti
40. Don't leave me baby - Brown, Maxine
41. Let your heart and soul be free - Tangeers
42. Hang up your hang ups - Lester, Bobby - Great track
43. Seven the loser - Lomax, Eric
44. More today than yesterday - Spiral Staircase - Terrible!
45. Can we share it - Sheppard, Rick - good sound
46. I'm just a kiss away - Miles, Buddy - into the 70's, great track, could easily be mistaken for Johnny Bristol which ain't surprising because he wrote it.
47. I just can't say goodbye - Philly Devotions - Another favourite of mine, great Philly sound and still deserves to be bigger
48. Lady in red - Dyson, Ronnie -bit fed up with this one know but was very big a few years ago
49. Fickle finger of fate - Purdie, Bernard
50. Counting on you baby - McNeil, Landy
51. Talkin' 'bout poor folks - Edwards, Lou - Been a while since I've played this and didn't really care too much for it but I enjoyed it immensely this time.
52. I'm not ready - Ujima - Unlike Ronnie Dyson I still find this a great record
53. Baby don't waste my time - Knight, Gladys & The Pips
54. And you know it - Tower Of Power
55. If you don't want my love - John, Robert
56. Pity my feet - Bernard, Kenny
57. Love on a mountain top - Knight, Robert - couple of big popular sounds to close, and unlike some I do not have a problem with this.
58. Breaking down the walls of heartache - Johnson, Johnny & Bandwagon

As can be seen there is a mixture of virtually everything here from all major venues, pure stompers, to classic soul, from old to modern (ish), some pop items! And there must be something here to please everyone and sufficient to justify a purchase, even if there will be items that you don't like.

Visitors: