Resouled

In the week that saw Rubber Soul return to top the lp charts amazingly and reviewed on the other blog going back to the era where we first had the Beatles on cd, something else got bought then but as forward looking as we saw ourselves those were on cd.

Michelle Antoinette Wallen MBE was born  on 27 April 1969 but is better known professionally as Mica Paris is a British singer, presenter, and actress and as a fan of soul music it wasn't before I got to hear just what her voice had to offer.

Her debut album, So Good, was released in 1988, spawning the singles "My One Temptation" and "Where Is the Love" which like anything by a new artist then was bought on cd as I felt at the the time much of my vinyl would go and didn't wish to start new sub collections in it.

You might say in 2026 so much for that!

 She has since gone on to release seven further albums

Contribution came out in 1990 and again that was bought on cd although the original cd suffered from "cd rot" and ended up being replaced.

This album extended her soul and gospel influences to bring in hip-hop and house music and featured the track "Contribution" (No. 33), "South of the River" (No. 50) and "If I Love U 2 Nite", (No.43) written by Prince and recorded at his Paisley Park studios.

In the UK this was a long 65 minute 14 track album even on vinyl while North American versions  made do with just 11 tracks outside of special limited import versions of the lp and the cd in a "long box".

Phillysoul and especially the Philadelphia International Records label was a massive thing with me from the early 70's onwards but while I had this compilation on cd, that cd as good as it is saw light in lp form in 1973.

The record was issued here a year later in 1974 and so gain two most desirable tracks, I'll Always Love My Mama (Part 1) and (Win, Place or Show) She's A Winner, both UK singles hits that year making this version more complete in addition to the original 12.

I was able to get a copy locally quite cheaply in mint condition.

Unlike in 1988 when I felt vinyl was on its way out and even being prepared to jettison chunks of it for shiny cds we're selectively adding titles that we enjoyed back then in that format. 

Reintroducing Angela Bofill and Bill Withers

From time to time I feature the odd bit about recordings I like or have recently bought  on here as they are what I relax to.
One female artist who made waves in the late 70's and 80's was Angela Bofill born to Cuban and Puerto Rican parents and educated in New York came to the attention of Dave Grusin, a well know writer of scores for films who'd set up a record label GRP.

 This resulted in a string of albums being issued until her retirement from the music industry in 2006 of which this release captures here first two which are in the then in vogue Soul/Jazz "Fusion" style that lays lush arrangements on to more jazz styled vocalization from 1978 and 1979 respectively that garnered a number of hit R&B charts singles.
People such as the Crusaders and Earth Wind & Fire  were amongst the artists I had a lot of respect for during this period which operate with a similar style so I was interested in revisiting these albums freshly mastered for Super Audio cd (also playable in regular cd) by the enterprising British company Dutton Vocalian this month.
An example of talent lies in her composition Children Of The World Unite where she not only wrote the song but produced the arrangement that equals that of many more famous female vocalists with rich instrumentation.
This two on one sacd in just stereo is a great find for fans of female jazz/soul music. 

 In 2016 the specialty label Mobile Fidelity the all time compilation Bill Withers' Greatest Hits which itself was partly expanded in the 1980's by CBS/Columbia  hence the awkward "Featuring..." tag line in the title.
Featuring the original recordings of Ain't No Sunshine, Just The Two of Us and Soul Shadows its a timeless short selection of some of the finest soul music of the seventies and in this remaster for Super audio cd (also playable in regular) he very much sounds as if he is in your room so well mastered this disc is over it's regular edition.
I didn't get around to buying this immediately upon release but was able to pick up a mint used copy to remedy that.
     

Early 70's favourites

There's a post planned for next Friday which will be published even though by the time you see it I'll be on a train making my way back here.
Recently I had a couple of new discs arrive here - so new they've only been out for a week from announcement - and train comes into it for one act's title.
The Hues Corporation come into it as they were on Soul Train, the black music tv show a lot during the mid 70's during the soul and 'disco' explosion of the summer of 1974 when what was played and danced to in underground clubs broke out to clubs and as I remember vividly even the children's dances in seaside resorts.

As it was the fantastic 70's, that wasn't all, these recording were issued in Quadraphonic 'surround' sound on SQ record and Q8 tape for tape players like Dad's in car one and this disc comprises of their second album Rockin' Soul that contained their smash hit Rock The Boat the title track of which was released in  November 74 as a 45 and Love Corporation, the 1975 follow up that apart from having the title track issued on 45, also contained tracks such as Follow The Spirit that reminds one of the O'Jay's.
The first album contained Freedom For The Stallion written by Allen Toussiant issued in 1973 which I associate more with Edward Bear who covered it in Canada,to  which I have ordered the regular cd in mini lp form. That album had the original version of Rock The Boat that was reworked for the 45 and featured on their second album.
Some artists start out as session musicians, some move to it from being in groups and in Rick Derringer's case he was a McCoy who had a big hit with Hang On Sloopy and a part of the group the Strangeloves who performed I Want Candy but by the early 70's was doing session work for Edgar Winter Group, Todd Rundgren and Steely Dan amongst others.
This lead on the back of that to be given a chance to do solo recording for Columbia.

All American boy was his first successful rock offering from 1973 that had Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo  written by him originally for Johnny Winter and included on their album and it's 1975 follow up Spring Fever whose lead off single was a reworking of Hang On Sloopy is included as like the other these are 2 on 1 re-issues.
Rick managed to get some great session folk playing on these albums  a number associated with to become Eagle Joe Walsh formally of James Gang, who in style this was a slightly more poppier version of which sold well and which I had the 8 track of as a kid.
The chance to get this on Super Audio cd as fan of early 70's rock was too much to miss especially as it too has the stereo and original Quadraphonic mixes we loved back then on the  sacd layer.
For £11.99 each with two albums in stereo and Quad on them they're a bargain.

The Main Ingredient

This week I'm doing an old school post rather like the last bunch were but as was always the case on Daytime Office Girl Crisis around one of other core topics, music and my collection.
Soul music is something I like being very much brought up on that from the nineteen sixties and  seventies and this group from New York were one I've always been partial  to.

As a overall compilation that one on the UK's Kent soul label is a s good as gets for sound quality but when I get deep into something I really mine catalogues especially when they are of such high quality.

This set of two albums originally issued  in 1970 and 1972 respectively was re-issued in two-fer form in 2010 by Superbird, a division of Cherry Red records in the UK featuring the hit single "Everybody Plays The Fool".

Expansion Records who tackle more specialist soul reissues in the UK, released their 1975 and 1976 albums Rolling Down A Mountainside which was ten 10 R&B hit 45 in 1974 and Music Maximus albums on a two-fer

A number of soul albums on RCA's catalogue were issued in the nineteen seventies in discrete four channel (Quadraphonic) tape and CD4 records.
in 2016 the enterprising UK company Vocalion, were able to license both the stereo and quad mixes of the 1974 Euphrates River for a super audio cd (playable on regular  cd equipment in stereo only) which includes their version of Summer Breeze covered also the Isley Bros. The album reached #8 on the R&B chart.

This regular 2 on 1 cd presents the 1975 album Shame on the World with the 1981 album I only have eyes for you with its minor hit Evening Of Love which was their last album for RCA Records.

The heart speaks in whispers

After a gap from her 2010 album, The Sea, Ms Bailey-Rae returns with her new album  released February 12 in which she explores feelings and emotions with a real sense of groove such as the ballad Do You Ever Think Of Me? or Night which closes the album.

 
In the song Have You Ever Been To The Moon  she speaks of budding romance using space travel imagery. While originally some of the tracks were recorded at Capitol, Hollywood  she recorded more with Los Angeles's jazz, soul and fusion musicians much of which clearly rubbed of in he sessions judging by the arrangements. 

 
Just for once I managed to borrow a MiniDisc recorder to copy this to joining her previous titles for posterity's sake even though these days they're going onto micro sd cards for my Fiio X3 player.

 
Recommended.

Errol Brown

As a long time lover of soul music I was saddened yesterday to hear of the death at the age of  Errol Brown, the lead singer of the British group, Hot Chocolate  who first recorded for RAK Records in 1970 with Herman's Hermits of all people!

Such hits as Emma, You Sexy Thing, Everyone's a Winner and It started With a Kiss were staples of mine growing up, showing how British soul talent could equal that of the United States and be different.
R.I.P Errol.

You are in my system

Well, after last weeks shocking revelations regarding his recently remastered cds,  I decided to pick up this compilation originally issued in 1989 that takes in his work from 1978 to 1988 covering much of the period of his music I liked at the time.
Best of all it only set me back a penny!
Apart from his solo work, this does cover one song from his work with that side project of Duran Duran during 1985, Some Like It Hot as performed by Powerstation.
As sound goes it's a pretty decent compilation and in 1990 a follow up volume was issued giving you a nice rounded view into this British soul performer.
Also coming soon is Shaking The Tree, the 1989 Peter Gabriel compilation featuring such smashing songs as Biko, Salisbury Hill, Shock The Monkey and Sledgehammer.

Whisper in your ear!

This entry is having to be prepared in Notepad(tm) as throughout today my internet has been flipping itself off just at the moment when you've typed a well thought out comment and hit 'submit'.  Most frustrating.
Frustrating also is when HMRC decides to apply VAT on a item posted in the European Union  which realy isn't ment to happen however I feel they often make up the 'rules' as they go along.
Anyway to business and matters soulful.
In 2002 apart from the Shalamar reissues I once talked about Sanctuary who own the UK rights to the SOLAR back catalogue decided to start a complete Whispers reissue campaign which got me interested as someone who did like this soul groups music having bought both the 1994 30th Anniversary set and 1999's And The Beat Goes On 2 cd compilation albums.
For reasons that I honestly can't remember, this 8 cd series laid incomplete in my collection as I think I'd started at the end(!) probably because my original cd of 1987's Just Gets Better In Time had gone all sticky in the way many cds made by Nimbus in the UK during that period were prone to and I was thinking more about getting a  replacement.
In time I did get "The Whispers" famed for the smash hit And The Beat Goes On as well as My Girl coupled with 1987's seasonal album Happy Holidays and Imagination from 1981 with its smash It's A Love Thing coupled with This Kind Of Loving from the same year that suffered from the same fate as other albums on SOLAR at this period little promotion as the distribution deal was changing. A few years later I found the second disc in the series Bingo-The Janus Years which as the name suggests covered all the material recorded for Janus Records  a division of Chess featuring the Bingo album and a favourite song  by them of mine Mother For My Children from 1974 but that was it.
Recently I've finally get around to completing it aided by something I didn't have back then - Amazon - although quite a number of these discs are discontinued with single cds versions still available new from Unidisc of Canada.
The Whispers story on album begins around 1969/70 and the Soul clock label so I picked up 'Planets Of Life the Soul Clock recordings' because apart from that album you do get the other non album 45's which set the scene for the moved to Janus from 1972 through 1974. A word of warning the Canadian cd doesn't have the title track and the German is poorly copied from a lp with lots of filtering to hide crackles etc.
From Janus they moved in 1975 to Soul Train a label created by the people behind the legendary Soul Train black music tv show releasing One For The Money (also a 45) and Open Up Your Love from 1975 and 1976 respectively.
1979 saw the release of the acclaimed Headlights abum a favourite of mine a with it's singles (Olivia) Lost and Turned Out and the 'quiet storm' Lets Go All The Way which in this series is coupled Whisper In Your Ear featuring the single Can't Do Without Your Love. These were the first albums they issued on the SOLAR imprint.
Finally we get to 1981's Love Is where You Find It featuring In The Raw as well as Emergency, one of the first albums to have a uptempo dancing and slow romancing side configurations which for this series is coupled with 1983's Love Is Love released during a period of very rapid change in R&B  music as electro and rap was making its way into the mainstream.

The Second Time Around

And it is in more ways than one!

The soul music group Shalamar formed in 1976 from three dancers who appeared on the US black music show Soul Train were a passion of mine in the late 70's, early 80's being one of the acts that were the link between the seventies Soul (think Ojays' and solo Smokey Robinson) and the Funk that became prevailed as the main genre of black music in the 80's.

Sufficient I feel to say I bought the 45's usually as imports cos they were cheaper and many of their albums that were very satisfying in themselves having ballads as well as uptempo stompers you can dance to.

Of the albums of these that held and still hold great interest for me they are Big Fun issued fall 1979, Three For Love issued January 1981, Friends Early summer '82 and The Look issued May of 1983 and the last album by the classic original line of Jody Watley, Howard Hewitt and Jeffrey Daniels.

Jeffery pioneered the 'Moonwalk' first shown on BBC UK tv's Top Of The Pops in 1982 and was begged by Michael Jackson no less for the secret of them moves!
The records remain in my collection but like many acts it took a while before anything outside of a compilation got issued in the cd era.

 
That takes us back to the title of this post because in so far as the UK was concerned for a brief point Friends and The Look were issued around 1983/4 when the label was being handled by Warner (WEA) as straight cd issues - no bonus tracks - but had been out of print for a long while. These issues commend a very high price on the collectors market.

In 1996 Sequel Records part of the big re-issue group Castle Copyrights issued all four of these albums on cd, with Big Fun and Three For Love being issued for the very first time with bonus tracks.

It wasn't long however before this set of re-issues themselves were deleted and following the formation of Sanctuary Records from Castle Copyrights and the issuing of new compilations including the nice various artists Soul Classic Soul and Solar Classic Disco two cd sets in late 1999, attention again was placed on revitalizing the Shalamar catalogue.

In 2002 the entire Shalamar album catalogue was re-issued from 1977's Uptown Festival to 1990's Wake Up with new liner notes featuring interviews with Jeffery and Howard and lots of chart related facts.
It was and is a great idea but this set of issues have some flaws for the serious fan.

The first thing is like many contemporary albums an attempt was made to make everything sound loud so the quiet ballad You Can Count On Me has the same average level as a track like Dead Giveaway on the 2002 The Look cd which it never did on vinyl.

 
They also seem to attempted to remove any hiss and pops from the original tapes - I'm not sure these tapes are the actual 'master tapes' so much as copies of - and this has left the high notes sounding brittle and liking any sense of space around instruments or vocals.

 
You can hear a filter on the high notes on the intro of You Can Count On Me being lifted electronically on the louder passages which is distracting.

 
On the 2 albums on one cd issue of Big Fun and Three for Love I was taken aback to see they had shortened several tracks for 12 seconds or sometimes longer compared with the 1996 cd and original vinyl albums and used much shorter edits of Right In The Socket and Full Of Fire with the first song losing over two minutes!

 
To give you an idea how this impacts on it if you took the two albums minus any bonus tracks, the 1996 issues would run for 80:56 minutes and the 2002 a mere 74:50
Nowhere in the notes of the 2002 cd does it mention this just proudly informing you of the bonus of The Second Time Around (edit) which was the 45 version (the lp version runs for 7:06) which how they got it all onto one cd!!! In so far as the first two albums go there are more bonus tracks - the edited singles versions - on the 1996 versions too.

Now my original 1996 Three For Love cd got lost in a move several years back and so I ordered up a complete set of the four 1996 cds used and was taken aback by the differences.
Now for The Second Time Around, I'm reunited with the cds that sound really like the vinyl albums I love.
Deja vu!

A Cellarful of Motown

On August 30th 2010 the forth instalment of UK Motown's 2 cd set series "A Cellar of Motown" was issued.
This series is notable for the issuing of recordings by artist deemed at Motown's infamous listening panel as not being good enough to be issued with an instant hit written all over them or versions not issued at the time.
Some of these have surfaced in the past as noisy 'test pressings' played from vinyl but the series uses the original tapes left in the vaults and so sounds that much better.

The Sea

No! We're not going to the seaside although that would be rather fun but it's the name of Corinne Bailey Rae's new album issued in the UK on Virgin today.It's been a good while in the making from S/T which sold four million copies world-wide and picked up several awards through the untimely death in 2008 of her partner. Many of the songs such as the opener 'Are You Here' are built on insistent bass riffs and another 'The Blackest Lily' is driven by heavy bass and rock guitar solo a reflection of her past involvement in rock.Stylistically many of these songs are slow reflective pieces with some uptempo numbers added to avoid the drift toward the maudlin.'I Would call It Beauty' is a gorgeous slow piece.
Of the ballads 'The Sea' a piece inspired by the downing of her Grandfather, has lush beatlesque qualitys and closes the album on a high. My copy was the digipak but really it's more a mini lp style gatefold sleeve minus a inner sleeve.
I'd grade it three and a half out of five which may sound low but this album is heads and shoulders above much of what R&B divas come up with lyrically and stylistically and is a slow grower.

Motown 50 - The Essentials

This entry is the result of Lucy's comments in the Motown 50 thread.
Where to begin? I think we'll start on Various Artists compilations that give you a rounded look at the Label and its Artists.
Tamla Motown Gold UPC 04400 163012 5
This three disc compilation of hits from the first ten years at Motown came out in 2001 with a tracklisting skewed very much toward the UK market where different tracks had been hits at different times to that of the US.
With excellent notes by Paul Nixon, a Northern Soul manic, this set takes on the journey from Barratt Strong's Money through Rare Earth's 1969 white rock version of Get Ready through the Miracles, Four Tops, Supremes, Temptations and whole lot more.
Many of the tracks on this set are stereo being taken from the albums rather than the mono 45's but as an introduction to Motown this sure is hard to beat and - hey! - offers decent sound too.

Motown Chartbusters. a set of 12 CD's replicating the classic UK Chartbusters albums with the UK hits on them as what was a hit in the UK wasn't necessarily even issued as a 45 by Motown USA.
I'd suggest starting at Volume 4 (1970) and working your way to Vol 12 (1981) as that will supplement the Tamla Motown Gold set nicely.
This adds solo Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder Jackson 5 and a galaxy of others including the Fours Seasons The Night to your collection.
These are all budget price so no worries about your bank balance although again most of these are stereo.
As good as these compilations are you soon want single artists compilations so I'm listing a few (!) although you may need to use Amazon Marketplace or Ebay to get them because they're out of print.

Four Tops Gold UPC 0602498327722.
Nice all stereo selection on 2 CD's of all their hits including collaboration with the Supremes.
1998's Ultimate Collection is mainly mono and is best replaced by the Four Tops 50th anniversary cd set for mono singles masters.

The Best Of The Temptations UPC 7 3145305242 0
Two CD set covering all the temptations hits from My Girl through Treat Her Like A Lady.
Very well mastered this set present the early hits (the whole of disc 1) in the original mono mixes that were issued for the 45's and which differed from the LP stereo re-mixes most of which were re-issued on 2on1 Cd's in 2000.

David Ruffin The Essential Collection UPC 6 0121597302 0
Oh but is is containing a great cross section of his recordings from My Whole World Ended from the moment he left the Temptations 1969 to 1976's Everything's Coming Up Love.

Eddie Kendricks The Essential Collection UPC 7 3145446262 4
A just under 80 minutes worth of yet another ex Temptation taking in the classic Keep On Truckin' to The Skelton In Your Closet which is from his so-called Philly albums that aren't on CD. They were actually recorded at Sigma studios!

Marvin Gaye The Best Of (Anthology series) Catalogue 315 530 0529 2
Although this two CD set from 1995 is out of print, it sounds marvellous and like the Temptations set also gives you Marvin's early singles in the original mono with excellent sound.
There are those who'd suggest all his albums many of which are available in great sounding 2 on 1 Cd sets from 2001. If you have to economize get Moods of Marvin Gaye/In The Groove and What's Going On.

Mary Wells Compact Command Performances (aka 22Greatest Hits) Motown UPC 0510-99058-2 9
Okay you'll have dig deep and buy used for this well out of print gem from 1986 but it gives you all the Mary Wells at Motown you need in terrific sound.

The Best Of Diana Ross and the Supremes UPC 7 3145305112 6
Another gem of the 1995 Anthology series, this has all the Supremes you need and the early singles featured are the original mono versions from Buttered Popcorn to Someday We'll Be Together via You Can't Hurry Love. Expertly mastered by Bill Inglot it's a must.
Supremes individual albums are a mixed bag but More Hits By (with Stop! In The name Of Love) and Where Did Our Love Go although currently out of print on CD are worth getting.

Diana Ross:
I haven't heard one CD compilation of her solo work I'm entirely happy with for sound quality and if you have a turntable I'd suggest the UK Greatest Hits and Greatest Hits 2 LP's.
If you must get a CD either All The Great Love Songs or the 1986 Anthology are the best of the bunch -Anthology being a double gets the nod for content and has most of the UK hits on it.

Jimmy Ruffin Greatest Motown Hits UPC 7 3145300572 2
This mainly stereo set from 1989 was mastered at Abbey Road London, England of all places and is a enjoyable 20 track helping of Jimmy's many UK hits

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles Gold UPC
0602498327814
A budget re-issue of the 1995 Best of (anthology series), this one keeps most of the singles in the original mono and sounds great. The best introduction to the Miracles I can think of. The "Tears Of Clown" here is the US mono single- the UK stereo is on Motown Chartbusters and the Make It Happen CD

Smokey Robinson The Ultimate Collection UPC 7 314530775 2 2
A nice single disc of Smoke's solo output from 1973 through 1987, taking in Quiet Storm, Being With You, I Am I Am and Just To See Her. This does have single edits where appropriate, terrific liner notes and was one of better discs of this 1997/8 series.

Gladys Knight & The Pips Anthology UPC 7 314530872 3
There is a more recent (1995) version of this anthology (The Best Of Gladys Knight and the Pips) that has been re-issued at budget price as Gladys Knight and the Pips GOLD, but I prefer the track list of this version which dates back to 1986 from Letterbox Of Tears to Between Her Hello And My Goodbye via Friendship Train. All versions are stereo throughout - the mono's are on the Ultimate Collection in just about acceptable mastered sound.

The Commodores The Best Of Catalogue no 31453-0358-2
Although out of print this two CD set from 1995 (part of the Anthology series) isn't hard to find and contains many otherwise very hard to find album tracks by the group on CD (such as the songs the album "13").
Mastered by Bill Inglot it's worth the effort of tracking down as it sounds so much better than the 2001 US Anthology CD.
The Very Best of ( UPC 7 3145305472 1 ) an 20 track single CD also from 1995 remains available in Europe and also has top notch sound quality
Jackson Five Gold UPC 0602498801529
Just a lovely sounding Jackson Five two CD compilation with all the hits and best album tracks on it that is a much better buy than "The Ultimate Jackson Five" of 1998 although the 1995 Soulsation! 4 cd set is great too.

The Best Of Michael Jackson UPC 7 314530480 2
Another disc in the 1995 Anthology series that sounds terrific giving an amazing insight into his true ability at Motown from Got To Be There to Farewell My Summer Love.

Martha Reeve and the Vandellas Live Wire" The Singles 1962 -1972 Catalogue no 34763 6313 2
The 2 CD set issued in 1994 in the Anthology series is invaluable for offering us the original mono singles - the A and B sides - in chronological order mastered expertly by Bill Inglot. Everything you need is in there, Nowhere To Run, Jimmy Mack, Dancing In The Street and Honey Chile with top notch liner notes.

Kim Weston Greatest Hits & Rare Classics UPC 7 3145545132 0
Exactly what it says on the cover from Helpless right through to her collaborations with Marvin Gaye with a few rarities throw in.
Kim Weston The Motown Anthology UPC 6 0249831605 4
Expertly compiled to avoid any duplication with the versions on Greatest Hits this adds a whole chunk off otherwise missing from the catalogue recordings by Kim including some stereo re-mixes never previously issued on CD and many recently unearthed tracks from the legendary Motown vaults.

The Velvelettes The Best Of UPC 7 3145444672 3
The Americans got The Very Best in 1999 which was believe or not the first album ever issued by the group and that's what this UK CD is based on and some more in shape of unreleased recordings. This set contains Needle In A Haystack, He Was Really Saying Something, A Bird In The Hand and the UK 1972 hit These Things Keep Me From Loving You plus their versions of The Boy From Crosstown and Love Is Good which don't appear elsewhere. In my opinion this budget price disc is the better buy.

The Marvelettes Essential Collection UPC 73145548592 9
"Spring in the air, filled with love...". Aww that can only be the unforgettable When You're Young and In Love which is present on this disc together with Please Mr Postman as covered by the Beatles on Beatlemania and 'Second Album' and The Boy From Crosstown. There are about five previously unreleased tracks on this album including Because I Love Him (and it doesn't tell this) so even Motown fans who think they have everything need this one.

The Contours Essential Collection UPC 7 3145442592 6
Who? I hear you ask. Well these guys were responsible for the original of Do You Love Me as covered by The Dave Clark 5 and Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, Baby Hit And Run and that great observation number, First I Like At The Purse. Mine's gold plated by the way - only joking there folks!

Connoisseurs Corner The bit for the more adventurous.

Chris Clark The Motown Collection: UPC 6 0249819564 2
If I said white soul singers of the 60's you'd say Dusty Springfield but this one is great, was on Motown but largely forgotten outside of Northern Soul circles.
This comprises of both her long out of print albums "Sounds Soul" and "CC Rides Again" plus a whole second disc of unreleased material. Sounds Soul has her Northern Soul smash From Head to Toe and cover of Got To Get You Into Your Life.

Chuck Jackson The Motown Anthology UPC 6 0249832931 3
Chuck was one of those people who ought to have been bigger than he was and his recordings have been long out of print. This set rectifies it at a stroke by including his "Chuck Jackson Arrives!", "Goin' Back To Chuck Jackson" and "Tears Drops Keep Falling From My Heart" albums plus some rare and unreleased stuff.

Brenda Holloway The Motown Anthology UPC 6 0249807658 3
This comprises of two of her long out of print Lp's and a disc full of singles, rarities and unreleased tracks. The albums are "Every Little Bit Hurts" and "Hurtin' And Crying" that features You've Made Me So Very Happy and You Can Cry On My Shoulder. Some of the material on disc two comes from the UK only compilation of 1968 entitled The Artistry Of Brenda Holloway

Tamla-Motown Big Hits and Hard to Find ClassicsThis series of discs were originally issued in the early days of CD in the States but are out of print but in 2000 Motown UK re-introduced a similar series that captures some of the big hits plus some tracks that seldom make the mainstream compilations by artists who if they had albums out at all have been out of print for decades.

Vol 1 UPC 7 3145442782 1
This one has track by the Originals (Baby I'm For Real), Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers (Does Your Mama Know About Me), Rare Earth (Get Ready), The Elgins (Heaven Must of Sent You) and the Detroit Spinners.

Vol 2 UPC 7 3145442732 6
On here is Velvelettes, Tammi Terrell (Lone, Lonely Girl Am I), the Isley Bros, The Undisputed Truth (Smiling Faces Sometimes), Charlene (I've Never Been To Me), more Rare Earth, Shorty Long (Function At The Junction/Hear Comes The Judge) and Tom Clays magnificent What The World Needs Now Is Love/Abraham Martin and John, the sentiments of which we sure could use today.

Vol 3 UPC 7 3145442802 6
This one Has Tammi Terrell 's Come On And See Me, Some more Contours, Elgins, Edwin Starr, Brenda Holloway, Detroit Spinners and Kim Weston tracks. The star of this set is Eddie Holland in Leaving Here, Just Ain't Enough Love and Candy To Me.

Vol 4 UPC 7 3145447072 8
This one has a few tracks that weren't located in time for the initial batch of three but is no rushed add on as the tracklisting is stellar.
Terry Johnston - What'cha Gonna Do
Eddie Holland - Jamie
Paul Peterson - A little Bit For Sandy
Lollipops - Cheatin' Is Tellin' On You
The Monitors - Crying In The Night
Marv Johnston - I Miss You Baby (How I Miss You)
Rick Robin and Him - 'Cos You know Me
Barbara Randolph - I Got A Feeling
Terry Johnston - Suzie
The Lewis Sisters - You Need Me
Fantastic Four - Can't Stop Looking For My baby
Marvin Gaye - Sweeter As The Days Go By
Marvelettes - Now Is The Time For Love
The Elgins - It's Been A Long Long Time
Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers - It's Growing
Barbara McNair - Steal Away Tonight
San Remo Strings - Hungry For Love
Chuck Jackson - I Like everything About You
The Hit Pack - Never Say No To Your baby
Chris Clark - Day By Day Or Never

The Definitive Drifters

Some sounds it has to be said do take me back in time not least for much of that time I was glued pretty much to the radio listening to 'oldies' shows and then there  are some acts I recall as both oldies at the time but contemporary too and the Drifters are one. 

Let's say I've always been a fan of Ben E King's singing  and of such songs as Save The Last Dance For Me, Up On The Roof, Under The Boardwalk which was covered by both the Stones and the Undertones and Saturday Night At The Movies to the point of borrowing various hit compilations.
Equally for me I have childhood memories that included new songs recorded for the UK market such as Kissin' In The Back Row  Of The Movies, Like Sister and Brother, There Goes My First Love and You're Than a Number In My Little Red Book still very much the same sound but with more a poppy production that I loved to bits as new songs.
That was why I bought this 2 cd compilation because it's two thirds the classic late fifties and sixties classics very well mastered and a third those UK seventies 45's all one one album in chronological order too.

Corrine Bailey Rae says "Put Your Records On"

I've had this cd for a fair while since its release in  February following the lead off single Like A Star came out in special four track edition last October which ignited a lot of interest in the musical press and caught my ears as someone who unapologetically  prefers soul music coming from a more traditional direction rather than what sounds more like watered down hip-hop with harmonies on top we've been having since the nineties.
This Yorkshire singer has a most amazing voice.
What really did for it for me was the second single Put Your Records On released at the same time as the album itself that just that vibe right down which lead to the album peaking at #2 in the UK albums chart and amazingly #4 in the US.
Trouble Sleeping was released over here as a single in May.

Roberta Flack

 

Some artists you may follow but perhaps only get the odd single of, not least in my earlier days when the budget for records of any sort was far more limited as you worked through lists of albums you'd heard and wanted and new ones, trying to get a reasonable balance.

Soul music was always a love of mine, so from the early 1990's I always tried to build a collection although much was skewed towards Motown and Philadelphia International as much my 80's soul buys were the various acts on Solar such as Shalamar and Tabu with the S.O.S. band and the like.

Thus what some would consider classic Atlantic 60's and 70's artists such as Aretha Franklin, and the more singer songwriter sorts such as  Roberta flack were neglected.

Recently I picked up this rather good compilation from 1981 that covers her biggest hits such as Killing Me Softly With His Song and collaborations with Donny Hathaway such as Back Together Again from 1980 which I had on single. 

I'm pleased with it.