For a record collector and burgeoning Soul-head, the faintest whiff of a Temptations or Supremes LP or 45 is enough to set the pulse racing. So imagine returning home one day to discover a battered, black leather box with an original Wigan Casino 'Big Un From Wigan' sticker sprawled across the side taking up residence on my desk.
What lied beneath the lid was a veritable treasure chest of all things Soul. Cardboard sleeve after cardboard sleeve, each enscribed with the artists names and song titles in blue biro; 'The Chiffons - One Fine Day', 'Dobie Gray - Out On The Floor', 'The Velvelettes - These Things Will Keep Me Loving You' and so on. The labels of Chess Records, Capitol, abc and of course Tamla Motown all jump out at me as I flick through an almost neverending procession of 7 inch vinyl. All the major players are there too; Stevie Wonder, R. Dean Taylor, The Isley Brothers, Al Wilson, Jimmy Ruffin, The O'Jays. And the smell! That smell that emanates from every record box and gatefold sleeve in the world hits me square in the face. That nostalgic, musty 'stuck in a garage or loft for decades' cardboard scent is almost as brilliant as the records themselves.
God Bless forgetful neighbours eh? If it wasn't for them I wouldn't have been able to immerse myself in the Soulful sounds of Detroit, Philadelphia and Chicago these past few days and choose a select few to put on the Jukebox this week.
Keep The Faith!
R. Dean Taylor - There's A Ghost In My House
White Canadians aren't the type you'd usually associate with Motown, however, Toronto born R. Dean Taylor bucked that trend in 1963 when he met with two thirds of Holy Trinity Holland/Dozier/Holland, Motown's top producing and songwriting team, i.e. the Soul equivalents of Lennon and McCartney. Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier signed Taylor to the label immediately.
However, with the plethora of legendary acts already attached to Motown, Taylor's skills as a recording artists weren't at the forefront of anyone's plans. Two years later he would release 'Let's Go Somewhere' to minimal fanfare and the following year, along came this little ditty. Again, no fanfare and little promotion of the single to go with it. However, four years later, across the Atlantic, 'There's A Ghost In My House' was receiving a new lease of life on English dancefloors and on the English and European charts. Now a staple of every All Nighter, it was given a Post-Punk revival by The Fall in 1988 on The Frenz Experiment.
Al Wilson - The Snake
A slithering slice of Northern Soul if ever there was one. One look at just some of the 483 comments on this video show you just how irreplaceable this song is on the Soul circuit. Countless seals of approval from dancers and Soul club revellers across the country make it known that as far as Northern Soul anthems go, this one takes some beating. As soon as the drums rumble and the trumpets sing, you're hooked, and Al hasn't even chimed in yet. When he does though, forget about it. You can prop the bar up as hard as you like or try and sink as far as you can into a sofa, you're ending up on the dancefloor when this sucker takes hold. The snake in question is a deceitful gentleman who enjoys playing women for fools, as can be heard in the lyrics, "Oh shut up silly woman/said the reptile with a grin/ you knew full well I was a snake/before you brought me in". Rumours that this song is the favourite of Andy Gray and Richard Keys are as of yet unfounded.
Gloria Jones - Tainted Love
Hate to sound cliched, but the original and the best. Sorry Soft Cell and erm, Marilyn Manson, but your efforts don't come close to Gloria's 1965 stomper. Three words: What A Voice! It's almost impossible to believe that this was only a B Side when it was released (the A Side was 'My Bad Boy's Coming Home'). Stranger still is the fact that it took almost a decade for the track to gain any mainstream attention. God Bless DJ Richard Searling who stumbled across a copy on a trip to America in 1973. Armed with a new secret weapon, he unleashed 'Tainted Love' and more specifically, Gloria's voice onto dancers at Bolton's Va Va's and then Wigan Casino. Given it's newfound popularity, Jones re-recorded and re-released the song in 1976, when, yet again, it failed to chart. Yet Marilyn Manson got a top 5 single out of it. Words fail me.
P.S. Really not sure what that video is about either.
Dobie Gray - Out On The Floor
Out of sight! Ok, so 'The In Crowd' and 'Drift Away' may have been Dobie's biggest hits, but neither filled a dancefloor quite like this. Ranked number 10 in the Northern Soul Top 500 and rightfully so, 'Out On The Floor' embodies the spirit of every 70's Soul Club across the UK. The lyrics are almost a walkthrough of a night down The Twisted Wheel or The Golden Torch, "Out on the floor each night/ I'm really moving/ The band is wailin' right/I feel like groovin'". Not so much catchy as it is contagious, hitting your arms, hips, legs and feet one after another. Irresistible.
And, just for good measure, here's a bit of Stevie that I found in the box;
Keep on Keepin' on,
Baia
X
What lied beneath the lid was a veritable treasure chest of all things Soul. Cardboard sleeve after cardboard sleeve, each enscribed with the artists names and song titles in blue biro; 'The Chiffons - One Fine Day', 'Dobie Gray - Out On The Floor', 'The Velvelettes - These Things Will Keep Me Loving You' and so on. The labels of Chess Records, Capitol, abc and of course Tamla Motown all jump out at me as I flick through an almost neverending procession of 7 inch vinyl. All the major players are there too; Stevie Wonder, R. Dean Taylor, The Isley Brothers, Al Wilson, Jimmy Ruffin, The O'Jays. And the smell! That smell that emanates from every record box and gatefold sleeve in the world hits me square in the face. That nostalgic, musty 'stuck in a garage or loft for decades' cardboard scent is almost as brilliant as the records themselves.
God Bless forgetful neighbours eh? If it wasn't for them I wouldn't have been able to immerse myself in the Soulful sounds of Detroit, Philadelphia and Chicago these past few days and choose a select few to put on the Jukebox this week.
Keep The Faith!
R. Dean Taylor - There's A Ghost In My House
White Canadians aren't the type you'd usually associate with Motown, however, Toronto born R. Dean Taylor bucked that trend in 1963 when he met with two thirds of Holy Trinity Holland/Dozier/Holland, Motown's top producing and songwriting team, i.e. the Soul equivalents of Lennon and McCartney. Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier signed Taylor to the label immediately.
However, with the plethora of legendary acts already attached to Motown, Taylor's skills as a recording artists weren't at the forefront of anyone's plans. Two years later he would release 'Let's Go Somewhere' to minimal fanfare and the following year, along came this little ditty. Again, no fanfare and little promotion of the single to go with it. However, four years later, across the Atlantic, 'There's A Ghost In My House' was receiving a new lease of life on English dancefloors and on the English and European charts. Now a staple of every All Nighter, it was given a Post-Punk revival by The Fall in 1988 on The Frenz Experiment.
Al Wilson - The Snake
A slithering slice of Northern Soul if ever there was one. One look at just some of the 483 comments on this video show you just how irreplaceable this song is on the Soul circuit. Countless seals of approval from dancers and Soul club revellers across the country make it known that as far as Northern Soul anthems go, this one takes some beating. As soon as the drums rumble and the trumpets sing, you're hooked, and Al hasn't even chimed in yet. When he does though, forget about it. You can prop the bar up as hard as you like or try and sink as far as you can into a sofa, you're ending up on the dancefloor when this sucker takes hold. The snake in question is a deceitful gentleman who enjoys playing women for fools, as can be heard in the lyrics, "Oh shut up silly woman/said the reptile with a grin/ you knew full well I was a snake/before you brought me in". Rumours that this song is the favourite of Andy Gray and Richard Keys are as of yet unfounded.
Gloria Jones - Tainted Love
Hate to sound cliched, but the original and the best. Sorry Soft Cell and erm, Marilyn Manson, but your efforts don't come close to Gloria's 1965 stomper. Three words: What A Voice! It's almost impossible to believe that this was only a B Side when it was released (the A Side was 'My Bad Boy's Coming Home'). Stranger still is the fact that it took almost a decade for the track to gain any mainstream attention. God Bless DJ Richard Searling who stumbled across a copy on a trip to America in 1973. Armed with a new secret weapon, he unleashed 'Tainted Love' and more specifically, Gloria's voice onto dancers at Bolton's Va Va's and then Wigan Casino. Given it's newfound popularity, Jones re-recorded and re-released the song in 1976, when, yet again, it failed to chart. Yet Marilyn Manson got a top 5 single out of it. Words fail me.
P.S. Really not sure what that video is about either.
Dobie Gray - Out On The Floor
Out of sight! Ok, so 'The In Crowd' and 'Drift Away' may have been Dobie's biggest hits, but neither filled a dancefloor quite like this. Ranked number 10 in the Northern Soul Top 500 and rightfully so, 'Out On The Floor' embodies the spirit of every 70's Soul Club across the UK. The lyrics are almost a walkthrough of a night down The Twisted Wheel or The Golden Torch, "Out on the floor each night/ I'm really moving/ The band is wailin' right/I feel like groovin'". Not so much catchy as it is contagious, hitting your arms, hips, legs and feet one after another. Irresistible.
And, just for good measure, here's a bit of Stevie that I found in the box;
Keep on Keepin' on,
Baia
X
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