Category Archives: Soul
BILLY PAUL-LATELY.
BILLY PAUL-LATELY. Having founded Philadelphia International Records in 1971, Gamble and Huff made Billy Paul one of the first signings to their new label. Gamble and Huff had know Billy since 1967, when he was working on his debut album Feelin’ Good At the Cadillac Club. Billy’s debut album needed some work to complete it, …
SKYY-SKYY LINE.
SKYY-SKYY LINE. By the time Skyy released their fourth album for Salsoul Records, Skyy Line, which was recently rereleased by BBR Records, Salsoul, and indeed music, had changed dramatically. Between 1975 and 1979, Salsoul Records had established a reputation as disco’s premier label. Salsoul Records gained a reputation as an innovative and influential label, who …
ARETHA FRANKLIN-I NEVER LOVED A MAN THE WAY I LOVED YOU.
ARETHA FRANKLIN-I NEVER LOVED A MAN THE WAY I LOVED YOU. Recently, I’ve come to the conclusion that the most overused word in the English language is the word “classic.” Nowadays, something can’t just be good, it must be a classic. It doesn’t matter if someone is talking about a book, cuisine, technology, a architecture …
ROBERTA FLACK-FIRST TAKE.
ROBERTA FLACK-FIRST TAKE. Mention Roberta Flack’s name, and most people automatically think of two songs, The First Time I Saw Your Face and Killing Me Softly. The story of First Take is one where if fate hadn’t intervened, might have resulted in the album forever remaining a hidden gem. Having been released in 1969, First …
JOHN MORALES PRESENTS THE M&M MIXES VOLUME 3 INSTRUMENTALS.
JOHN MORALES PRESENTS THE M&M MIXES VOLUME 3 INSTRUMENTALS. Compilations of John Morales’ remixes are a bit like London buses, you wait ages for one, then two come along at once. After releasing the critically acclaimed and commercially successful The M&M Mixes Volume 2 in March 2011, John Morales spent the next years working not just …
MILLIE JACKSON-THE MOODS OF MILLIE JACKSON.
MILLIE JACKSON-THE MOODS OF MILLIE JACKSON. When it comes to female soul singers, It’s no exaggeration to say that Millie Jackson was one of the most talented and charismatic female vocalists of the seventies and eighties. Millie Jackson was born in Thomson, Georgia, but when her mother died, she moved to Newark, New Jersey with …
DISCO RECHARGE: GRAND TOUR ON SUCH A WINTER’S DAY AND SOUTHERN EXPOSURE HEADIN’ SOUTH-SPECIAL EDITION.
DISCO RECHARGE: GRAND TOUR ON SUCH A WINTER’S DAY AND SOUTHERN EXPOSURE HEADIN’ SOUTH-SPECIAL EDITION. Back in 1976, in Toronto, Canada, a musical partnership that resuled in some of the most innovative music of the disco era was formed. This partnership was made up of Willi Morrison, who was born in Scotland, but moved to …
GIORGIO MORODER-ON THE GROOVE TRAIN VOLUME 2 1974-1985.
GIORGIO MORODER-ON THE GROOVE TRAIN VOLUME 2 1974-1985. One of the founding fathers of Euro Disco was the Italian born producer Giorgio Moroder. His career started back in 1966, when he released several singles as Giorgio. It wasn’t until 1969 when Giorgio Moroder first enjoyed commercial success. His 1969 single Looky, Looky, which was released …
OVERDOSE OF THE HOLY GHOST-COMPILED BY DAVID HILL.
OVERDOSE OF THE HOLY GHOST-COMPILED BY DAVID HILL Sometimes, compilations can be anodyne affairs, with record labels and compilers scared to release compilations of innovative, leftfield music. This results in labels playing it safe and releasing compilations that although not innovative, will pay the bills. Thankfully, there are some labels out their willing to release …
WILD ONE-THE CAMEO-PARKWAY STORY.
WILD ONE-THE CAMEO-PARKWAY STORY. Way before Philly Soul provided the soundtrack to much of the seventies, many of the architects of Philly Soul cut their musical teeth at Cameo Parkway Records. This included songwriters and producers Gamble and Huff, vibes virtuoso, songwriter and producer Vince Montana Jr. and many members of Philadelphia International Records’ legendary …
GARY CRISS-RIO DE JANEIRO.
GARY CRISS-RIO DE JANEIRO. Recently when I was reviewing a new Salsoul Records compilation, The Salsoul Records Story, which was recently released by Gold Legion, I was pleased to discover that the compilers had included Gary Criss’ Rio De Janeiro. This was the title-track to the only album Gary Criss released on Salsoul Records. Rio …
DISCO RECHARGE-THP ORCHESTRA-EARLY RISER AND TOO HOT FOR LOVE.
DISCO RECHARGE-THP ORCHESTRA-EARLY RISER AND TOO HOT FOR LOVE. One of the phenomenons of the disco era was the disco orchestra. Following the success of The Salsoul Orchestra, other record companies decided they too, wanted their own disco orchestra. Soon, disco orchestras were springing up throughout America. It seemed no American city was immune from …
GINA CAREY-MY SUNSHINE.
GINA CAREY-MY SUNSHINE. Back on 31st January 2013, Gina Carey released the ninth album of her career. This was Gina Carey…The Songbird. To coincide with Gina Carey…The Songbird’s release, Hey Mr was released was the lead single. Now two months later, Gina Carey releases the second single from Gina Carey…The Songbird My Sunshine. My Sunshine …
THE T.K. RECORDS STORY VOLUME 1.
THE T.K. RECORDS STORY VOLUME 1. Throughout his life, Henry Stone has been immersed in music. Indeed, ever since he was discharged from the US army in 1947, Henry Stone’s life has revolved around music. His career started in sales and distribution, at Modern and Jewel Records in 1948. After that, he moved to Miami, …
BACKBEATS-METROPOLIS STOMP TIME-NORTHERN SOUL FROM THE BIG CITY.
BACKBEATS-METROPOLIS STOMP TIME-NORTHERN SOUL FROM THE BIG CITY. When it comes to compiling a Northern Soul compilation, Harmless Records couldn’t have selected a better compiler than Kev Roberts for their latest Backbeats’ compilation Metropolis Stomp Time. After all, Kev Roberts life has been Northern Soul since Northern Soul’s heyday. Kev Roberts started off as a …
BACKBEATS-DETROIT GOLD-70S SOUL GROOVES FROM MOTOR CITY.
BACKBEATS-DETROIT GOLD-70S SOUL GROOVES FROM MOTOR CITY. After becoming embroiled in a dispute with Motown Records during 1967, the songwriting and production team of Lamont Dozier and brothers Eddie and Brian Brian Holland left the label in 1968. Motown sued Holland, Dozier, Holland, who countersued Motown. Like all litigation, things were getting messy and expensive. …
BACKBEATS-LAY BACK AND CHILL-MORE SUPERIOR AND SENSUOUS SOUL
BACKBEATS-LAY BACK AND CHILL-MORE SUPERIOR AND SENSUOUS SOUL. It was back in 2010 that Harmless Records released the first of the Backbeats’ series. Since then, Backbeats had grown to become the world’s most popular budget series. Now there are forty-two compilations in the series,plus ten artists specific compilations. They’ve come a long way. However, several …
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