Category Archives: Soul

CULT CLASSIC: LEON THOMAS-FULL CIRCLE.

Cult Classic-Leon Thomas-Full Circle. For Leon Thomas, Full Circle represented the end of an era. It was the last album Leon Thomas released on Flying Dutchman Productions, and marked the end of his “classic period.” It had started four years earlier in 1969, when Leon Thomas released his debut album Spirits Known and Unknown. Since …

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CULT CLASSIC: CRAIG PEYTON GROUP-PYRAMID LOVE.

Cult Classic: Craig Peyton Group-Pyramid Love. For Craig Peyton, the founder member of Band X, 1976 was the most important year of his nascent musical career. It was the year they released their debut album The Best Of Band X. However, The Best Of Band X a private pressing, wasn’t a commercial success and instead, this innovative, …

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MOVE ON UP: THE SONGS OF CURTIS MAYFIELD.

Move On Up: The Songs Of Curtis Mayfield. Label: Playback. Release Date ‘8th’ November 2019. After the demise of The Impressions in 1970 following the release of Check Out Your Mind, Curtis Mayfield embarked upon a solo career. It spanned three decades and commercial success and critical acclaim were constant companions for the Chicago-born soul …

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DAVE GODIN’S DEEP SOUL TREASURES VOLUME 5.

Dave Godin’s Deep Soul Treasures Volume 5. Label: Kent Soul. It’s hard to believe that it’s fifteen years since the passing of Dave Godin, one of the most influential and informative writers on soul music. He was passionate about soul music and wanted to convert agnostics and make believers of them. His passion was obvious …

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MUSIC FROM JARVIS COCKER’S SUNDAY SERVICE.

Music From Jarvis Cocker’s Sunday Service. Label: Ace Records. When it was announced in 2010, that former Pulp frontman, and songwriter-in-chief, Jarvis Cocker, was about to present a show on BBC 6 Music, his statement of intent was posted on the Corporation’s website: “It is my intention to fill these hours with as much dodgy …

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CULT CLASSIC: TIM MAIA-DISCO CLUB.

Cult Classic-Tim Maia-Disco Club. By 1978, Tim Maia had released nine albums since his 1970 eponymous debut, and although some of these album had been released to critical acclaim and were a commercial success, the charismatic Brazilian singer found himself financially embarrassed. Things had been going from bad to worse over the last few years …

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YESTERDAY HAS GONE-THE SONGS OF TEDDY RANDAZZO.

Yesterday Has Gone-The Songs Of Teddy Randazzo. Label: Ace Records. The name Teddy Randazzo means different things to different people.  To some, he’s the singer who had Billboard 100 hits with 1958s Little Serenade, 1960s The Way Of A Clown and Big Wide World in 1963. He featured in  rock revues alongside Chuck Berry and …

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SIDIKU BUARI-DISCO SOCCER.

Sidiku Buari-Disco Soccer. Label: BBE Africa. Release Date: ‘18th’ October 2019.  There are very few people who manage to forge a career in both sport and music, but Ghanian born Sidiku Buari managed to do just this. He was a silver medallist in the 400 metres at the 1963 All-Africa Games held in Dakar, Senegal. …

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CULT CLASSIC: SUE BARKER-SUE BARKER.

Cult Classic: Sue Barker-Sue Barker. Forty-two years ago, in 1977, Adelaide-based singer Sue Barker released what’s without doubt, one of the greatest soul-jazz albums in the history of Australian music. That album was Sue Barker, which was released on Marcus Herman’s label Crest International. The release of Sue Barker should’ve been the start of a …

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AMERICAN TUNES-SONGS BY PAUL SIMON.

American Tunes-Songs By Paul Simon. Label: Ace Records. Ace Record’s critically acclaimed and commercially successful Songwriter Series is one of their  longest-running compilation series. It’s featured songs by such luminaries as Burt Bacharach, Harry Nilsson, Dan Penn, Serge Gainsbourg and Tony Hatch. There’s also been compilations featuring the music of some of the greatest songwriting …

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SIMBAD PRESENTS COLLECTIONS VOLUME ONE 2003-2017

Simbad Presents Collections Volume One 2003-2017. Label: BBE Music. Release Date: ‘4th’ October 2019. Back in the late-nineties,  saxophonist Simbad  travelled to London for what he thought would be just one summer, before returning home. Little did he realise as he arrived in London, that three decades later that he would still call the city …

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THE DAISY AGE.

 The Daisy Age. Label: Ace Records. Release Date: ‘30th’ August 2019. When is a movement not a movement? When it’s the Daisy Age, which was  never really a movement. It’s been described more like an ethos or set of principles that for a short while, pervaded into hip hop, R&B and even pop. The ironic …

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TABANSI SAMPLER.

Tabansi Sampler. Label: BBE Africa. Release Date: ‘30th’ August 2019. Over the next two years, BBE Africa, an imprint of BBE Music, will release around sixty albums from the Tabansi Records vaults. This is part of their Tabansi Gold reissue series, which got underway recently, and is a reminder of what’s the most important, influential …

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LOS ANGELES SOUL VOLUME 2-KENT-MODERN’S BLACK MUSIC LEGACY 1963-197

Los Angeles Soul Volume 2-Kent-Modern’s Black Music Legacy 1963-1971. Label: Kent Soul. Release Date: ‘30th’ August 2019. Four-and-a-half years ago,  in February 2015, Kent Soul, an imprint of Ace Records, released Los Angeles Soul-Kent-Modern’s Black Music Legacy to plaudits and praise. Critics and music fans wondered if there would be a followup to this  lovingly …

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LIVE IT UP! BAYSWATER BEAT GIRLS 1964-1967.

Live It Up! Bayswater Beat Girls 1964-1967. Label: Ace Records. Release Date: ‘30th’ August 2019. It’s hard to believe that it was back in the nineties, when the Brit Girls genre was born, and record companies started releasing the first ever compilations. Little did anyone realise back then, that this new genre would thrive and over …

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NKONO TELES-PARTY BEATS.

Nkono Teles–Party Beats. BBE Africa.  During Tabansi Records’ long and illustrious history, few people made the same impact as Nkono Teles, who was born in  Cameroun, but grew up in Nigeria. That was where in 1952, Chief Tabansi founded the label he lent his name to, Tabansi Records. Three decades later, groundbreaking composer, engineer,  multi-instrumentalist …

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ZACH AND GEEBAH-FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY.

Zack and Geebah– For The Love Of Money. Label: BBE Africa. Tabansi Records was founded in Nigeria in 1950, and filled a void when major labels like Decca and then  Philips closed the doors on their Nigerian operations. Chief (Dr) G.A.D. Tabansi, who lent his name to what would become Nigeria’s most important label, recorded …

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BEN JAGGA-HOLD ON PRETTY WOMAN.

Ben Jagga-Hold On Pretty Woman. Label: BBE Africa. Nowadays, every third rate, regional bar band has delusions of becoming the next Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple or Black Sabbath, and spend their days dreaming of fame and fortune. Alas, these poor deluded fools shouldn’t give up their day job and should stick to pumping gas and parking cars because they usually …

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MELISSA MANCHESTER-1973-1976: HER EARLY YEARS AND BREAKTHROUGH.

Melissa Manchester-1973-1976: Her Early Years and Breakthrough. It was almost inevitable that Melissa Manchester would end up embarking upon a musical career. The Manchester family were a highly creative family, and music played an important part in everyday life. That was no surprise. Melissa’s father was a bassoonist in the New York Metropolitan Opera. She would …

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SPENCER WIGGINS-ONE OF SOUL MUSIC’S BEST KEPT SECRETS.

Spencer Wiggins-One Of Soul Music’s Best Kept Secrets. Although Spencer Wiggins is nowadays, widely recognised by critics as one of the finest exponents of deep soul, sadly, he’s still one of soul music’s best kept secrets. Spencer Wiggins at the peak of his powers, had the ability to breath life, meaning and emotion into the lyrics …

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