Paul Secular wrote:
> I love Agent Double o Soul and was chuffed when the Time Tunnel played
> it! But now it's been played every week for 2 months and I'm bleeding
> sick of it!!
Which is precisely the attitude on which the 'avoiding oldies' and
therefore the policy of playing rare and unheard records at Northern
nights comes from. What was the point of arguement here again?
> I disagree again! Actually I listened to the 2 vols. of Motown Northern
> Soul that they've got out on CD and was very unimpressed - 'I'll keep on
> holding on' and 'Suspicion' were very nice tracks - but most of it
> wasn't up to the standard of some of the bigger hits.
> Of course a lot of the hits also seem poppy-trashy-soul-less tripe too!
> But I think I'd take the double-comp of Motowns biggest hits over those
> 2 vols.......
Well, first off I'd hold out little hope for your coming around to
Motown if the Likes of 'Reconsider' didn't impress you at all. But that
said, what can a double-comp begin to tell you anyway? The Motown
organisation was one of the most prolific recording institutions in
history for a full decade during which it was producing music which
(stylistically, at least) would be considered Northern Soul, so how can
you begin to judge it on an hour or two of it's output? That's why
people will simply never agree with you that knowledge isn't important
in this area - compilations don't even begin to scratch the surface.
Obviously, you're absolutely right to make up your own mind about the
stuff you *have* heard, but to make blanket statements about the rest of
it is just silly (which is the vast majority of it, btw.- in my case as
well as yours, just so you don't think I'm being too condescending).
Also, by way of a Motown reccomendation, you may well like a couple of
the less rare Eddie Holland singles - I'm especially thinking of
'Leaving Here', although 'Candy To Me' is a particular favourite of
mine.
> I go down most months and it's my main window into the world of Northern
> soul I'll admit (though I've been two a couple of all-nighters - at the
> scala and the 100 club)
>
> It's mainly from this that I base my judgement though I suppose.
> And you reckon it's some of the best? (and rarest!)
I've got to say that I'd disagree on that one, at least on the times
I've been. I mean, it's pretty good but it's not a soul night and there
are plenty of better ones on offer in London - tonight at the River Bar
for example.
> Anyway - you know I was being idealist - I've been buying soul too......
> Northern soul comp (Sliced Tomatoes is a decent instrumental isn't it
> Ed?)
I find it repetitive and gimmicky, although others seem to like it.
Just Brothers recorded plenty of good stuff, though, and it's worth
buying the single for the nice mid-tempo flip side.
> Chess soul/blues comp.
Quite essential. If you can find an old copy of 'Sweeter Than The Day
Before', definately go for it - covers a lot of very good soul/R&B
crossover, which you seem to like.
> 3 or 4 soul 45s (re-issues no doubt!)
> Booker T LPs, Otis/Dobie Gray CDs etc. etc.
> okeh comps (just for a few
> tracks though)
Out of interest, which few tracks? As far as I know there's only one
Okeh comp out on vinyl (a couple more on CD) 'It's Okeh Up North', and
I'd say that at least 2/3 of that is absolutely unmissable.
Cheers,
Ed...
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Blush: Sounds from the Soul of the 60's
http://www.btwebworld.com/blushsoul
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