Category Archives: Soul
MICHAEL KIWANUKA-HOME AGAIN.
MICHAEL KIWANUKA-HOME AGAIN. When a new artist is compared favorably to some of the biggest names in music, then generally, people start to take notice. However, for those of us somewhat long in the tooth, we wonder whether, this is just the marketing department of a record company trying just a bit too hard to …
JACKIE MOORE-I’M ON MY WAY.
JACKIE MOORE-I’M ON MY WAY. Although many people remember Jackie Moore for her million selling single Precious, Precious released in 1970 on Atlantic Records, there’s much more to her career than just one track. Jackie’s career started in 1968, with Dear John, released in 1968 on Shout Records. Two years later, in 1970, came Precious, …
ARCHIE BELL AND THE DRELLS-WHERE WILL YOU GO WHEN THE PARTY’S OVER?
ARCHIE BELL AND THE DRELLS-WHERE WILL YOU GO WHEN THE PARTY’S OVER? One of the many highlights on Tom Moulton’s recent Philadelphia Classics-The Tom Moulton Remixes was Tom’s remix of Archie Bell and The Drells’ Where Will You Go When the Party’s Over? Of the thirty-one remixes, that was one of my favorites. That set …
ARETHA FRANKLIN-GET IT RIGHT.
ARETHA FRANKLIN-GET IT RIGHT. By the early eighties, Aretha Franklin’s wasn’t enjoying the same success as earlier on in her career. It had been ten long years since one of her albums had been certified gold. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she hadn’t had a single enter the top forty since 1976s Sparkle and …
BILLY PAUL-EBONY WOMAN.
BILLY PAUL-EBONY WOMAN. Billy Paul played a hugely important role in the success of Philadelphia International Records. Not only was his 1972 album 360 Degrees of Billy Paul the first album released on the newly founded Philadelphia International Records, but his classic single Me and Mrs Jones gave the label their first number one single. …
BIG BOY BLOATER AND THE LIMITS-BIG BOY BLOATER AND THE LIMITS.
BIG BOY BLOATER AND THE LIMITS-BIG BOY BLOATER AND THE LIMITS. Recently I reviewed BBE Music’s forthcoming compilation Snowboy Presents New Vintage Volume 1 and although the compilation is crammed full of some great music, one track stood out from the rest, Big Boy Bloater and The Limits’ Big Fat Trap. From the moment I …
THE DELFONICS-LA LA MEANS I LOVE YOU.
THE DELFONICS-LA LA MEANS I LOVE YOU. When Stan Watson, manager of The Delfonics, and owner of Philly Groove Records, met novice producer Thom Bell in 1967, this would be the start of a relationship that saw The Delfonics not only pioneer the Philly Sound, but become one of the most successful soul groups of …
THE ISLEY BROTHERS-GO FOR YOUR GUNS.
THE ISLEY BROTHERS-GO FOR YOUR GUNS. Some time ago, I wrote about The Isley Brothers 1976’ album platinum certified album Harvest For the World, which was released during the hottest period of The Isley Brothers’ career. This hugely successful run of albums started with the release of 1973s 3 + 3 which was also certified …
THE FUTURES-THE GREETINGS OF PEACE.
THE FUTURES-THE GREETINGS OF PEACE. I thought that since the Philadelphia International Records-The 40th Anniversary Box Set was due out on 21st May 2012, that I’d revisit a few of the artists that’ll feature on the box set. This has included The Jacksons, first post-Motown album The Jacksons, which gave them the most successful album …
BOOKER T. AND THE MGs-McLEMORE AVENUE.
BOOKER T. AND THE MGs-McLEMORE AVENUE. Back in 1993, I was truly fortunate to see Booker T. and The MGs live. They were accompanying Neil Young on his European Tour. For someone who loves the music of Booker T. and The MGs, Stax and Neil Young, this was a concert I wasn’t going to miss. …
THE JACKSONS-THE JACKSONS.
THE JACKSONS-THE JACKSONS. After the release if their 1975 album Moving Violation, it was all change for The Jacksons. They’d left Motown, the record company they’d called home for seven years, since the release of their first album Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5 in 1969. That was the first of ten studio albums for …
ISAAC HAYES AND DIONNE WARWICK-A MAN AND A WOMAN.
ISAAC HAYES AND DIONNE WARWICK-A MAN AND A WOMAN. By 1977, much had changed for Isaac Hayes. Stax where he’d enjoyed the most successful period of his career, had been declared bankrupt. He’d then signed to ABC and while his first two albums 1973s Joy and 1975s Chocolate Chip had sold well, his next three …
SNOWBOY PRESENTS NEW VINTAGE VOLUME 1.
SNOWBOY PRESENTS NEW VINTAGE VOLUME 1. When those little shiny discs drop through the door, it’s a bit like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates, “you never know what you’re gonna get.” With Snowboy’s new compilation Snowboy Presents New Vintage Volume 1, this is the ultimate box of chocolates, with every one a sumptuous soft center, …
THE DYNAMIC SUPERIORS-GIVE AND TAKE.
THE DYNAMIC SUPERIORS-GIVE AND TAKE. Much had changed since The Dynamic Superiors had released their debut album Pure Pleasure in 1975. Ashford and Simpson, who’d wrote and produced their first two albums Pleasure and The Dynamic Superiors, had been replaced for their third album You Name It. Replacing them were various songwriters and producers, that …
JAMES BROWN-GRAVITY.
JAMES BROWN-GRAVITY. When James Brown released the single Living In America in December 1985, it had been nine years since he’d last had a hit single. The last time one of James Brown’s singles charted in the US Billboard 100, was 1976, when Body Heat reached number eighty-eight. Since then, although James Brown was still …
ASHFORD AND SIMPSON-SOLID.
ASHFORD AND SIMPSON-SOLID. Previously, I’ve written about two of Ashford and Simpson’s album 1982s Street Opera and 1983s High Rise. While both were commercially successful, the album that followed High Rise, would surpass both these albums and prove to be one of their most successful albums. This was 1984s Solid, which reached number twenty-nine in …
GINA CAREY-LOVE LETTERS TWO.
GINA CAREY-LOVE LETTERS TWO. Just three months after releasing her sixth solo album Love Letters, Gina Carey returns with another album Love Letters Two. This is a combination of old and new songs. There are four songs apiece from Gina’s two previous albums, 2011s Melodic and 2012s Love Letters. The three new songs, You, Being …
THE DUALERS-PRINCE BUSTER SHAKEDOWN.
THE DUALERS-PRINCE BUSTER SHAKEDOWN. One of the things I love about music, is it’s ability to transport you back in time, a bit like Dr. Who’s Tardis. This is what happened when I first played The Dualers third album Prince Buster Shakedown. Suddenly, I was transported back over thirty years to the late seventies, and …
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