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What Record Would You Use To Explain Or Exemplify Northern Soul


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There's loads but here's three oldies.

Invitations - Whats Wrong With Me Baby.

Simply oozes soul, great vocal and harmonies, pure class.

Fidels - Try A Little Harder .

Bobby Freeman - I'll Never Fall In Love Again. Proper Northern stomper.

Three "newies" as they were known.....

Mello Souls -We Can Make It

Diane Lewis - Ain't Got A Chance

Tommy Ridgely - My Loves Gets Stronger.

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  • 1 month later...
Guest Phoenix8049

Think you would be hard to ignore Jackie Lee - Oh My Darlin, now that is a perfect example..

Mal.c

It's the record that got me hooked on Northern Soul Mal.

Stu.

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Me too :hatsoff2:

Bobby Garrett - My Little Girl is up there too. It's got everything.

Thats always my 1st choice, it really does have everythin a great northern record should, and it always makes me smile when i hear it too!

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  • 1 month later...

Johnny Sayles I cant get enough {of your love One of my all time favorites the hairs on my head literally stand on end when i hear this what kind record can do that! It just goes to shows its sheer power.

The Inspirations No One Can Take Your Place Simply one of the best records ever just blows me away

Sam Nesbit , Black Mother Goose Discovered by Dave Godin absolute Classic

Edited by soul stu
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Having read through all the posts there are very many that i'd have to agree with but i'd go for the record that got me in: Lynne Randell "Stranger in my arms" ,or the record that kept me in, Mickey moonshine (I know that's not his real name) ""Name it you got it"

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Guest lambrettanik

depends which tempo? for easy accessable northern id have to say dobie gray-out on the floor,as this record in my opinion not only has the typical beat but also the lyrics which explain why we do what we do,but when it gets more obscure -100mph stormer-soul city/everybody dance now,world column/so is the sun,.70s brainstorm/lovin is really my game or bobby womack/home is where the heart is,slow tempo-little anthony/its not the same. as examples of northern soul diversity(i know these arent mega rare or obscure)then there is the instromentals!!! just too confuse em

Edited by lambrettanik
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a couple from willie mitchell ..driving beat and the champion....and maybe one song they would know ...gloria jones... tainted love...

==================================================================================================================

I agree with 'The Champion'.....you just have to rewind in your head to the first few times you heard it yourself and saw the Main Room at Wigan 'going at that strutting stomp'!

Hairs on back of neck...oh yes...just thinking about it!!!

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Guest allnightandy

Marjory Black one more hurt Sue

Billy Prophet What can i do Sue

Williams and Watson Too Late Okeh

Larry Santos You got me where you want me now

And Night Owl because that's what we were

Edited by allnightandy
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  • 2 weeks later...

Magic Touch - Melba Moore alongside I'm Gone. - Eddie Parker. Just total class. I have to say though as a kid What - Judy Street amd I still love it as much now!

Edited by Mrs M
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a couple from willie mitchell ..driving beat and the champion....and maybe one song they would know ...gloria jones... tainted love...

I would have gone for tainted love before soft cell released it. Now the general public would probably say "Oh I like that one- its pop music"!

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So many from all era,

oldies two of my all time favourites...

Invitations - Whats Wrong With Me Baby & Fidels - Try A Little Harder

oh & The Javells ph34r.gif

Later on Mello Souls, Diane Lewis, Parliaments (Rainy Day), Tommy & Derby's etc etc etc.........

The Javells Goodbye Nothing to Say was the first record I heard at Wigan, so has a special place in my heart. :yes:

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Guest allnightandy

Having read through all the posts there are very many that i'd have to agree with but i'd go for the record that got me in: Lynne Randell "Stranger in my arms" ,or the record that kept me in, Mickey moonshine (I know that's not his real name) ""Name it you got it"

Whats not his real name ?

https://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRRh3tsUuweR3S_vtpTXCOL1vgooGrE6OLwswIYnxV1-vVAtTfk

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Whats not his real name ?

https://t1.gstatic.co...wIYnxV1-vVAtTfk

Mickey moonshine was an alias

MM is / was Paul Michael Curtis , an English songwriter and record producer , who wrote over 20 songs that became UK entries for the Eurovision Song Contest . His first entry was the Shadows' "Let Me Be The One" in 1975 .

"above is borrowed from malc burton"

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Guest allnightandy

Mickey moonshine was an alias

MM is / was Paul Michael Curtis , an English songwriter and record producer , who wrote over 20 songs that became UK entries for the Eurovision Song Contest . His first entry was the Shadows' "Let Me Be The One" in 1975 .

"above is borrowed from malc burton"

Most singers use an alias it would get a few strange looks if a DJ said : this is "name it you got it" by Paul Michael Curtis or this is Stop her on Sight by Charles Hatcher

or This beautiful day not by Levi Jackson

or Solomon King or even Randy Leeds

But by Allen Verner who are all the same person (the latter)they all go off the name on the label

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Most singers use an alias it would get a few strange looks if a DJ said : this is "name it you got it" by Paul Michael Curtis or this is Stop her on Sight by Charles Hatcher

or This beautiful day not by Levi Jackson

or Solomon King or even Randy Leeds

But by Allen Verner who are all the same person (the latter)they all go off the name on the label

I only mentioned it because there had been 2 threads regarding this topic in the past few years (both quite long).

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Guest allnightandy

I only mentioned it because there had been 2 threads regarding this topic in the past few years (both quite long).

right got you !
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  • 3 months later...
Guest manusf3a

Professionals Thats why I love you

Vaentines Breakaway

Detroit land apples I need help

Darrel banks Angel baby

Isley Brothers tell me its just a rumour

Earl Wright orch Thumb a ride.

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A record which always blows non-soul scene people away when they hear it for the first time is Oscar Wright on Hemisphere.

On deeper reflection on the original question maybe the single record which sums up everything weird and wonderful about the Northern Soul phenomenon is Paul Anka's "Can't Help Loving You".

It couldn't have been released on a bigger record label and the artist was practically a worldwide household name yet it took a youth cult in the UK to rescue it from the dustbin of abject failure and obscurity.

Maybe nothing else better sums up the idea that it's the sound, not the artist or the artist's racial identity which makes a Northern Soul record different from simply a Soul Record.

Love it or hate it this is quintessential, textbook NS. I would have loved to have been there when it was uncovered.

Yep, absolutely spot on in my humble opinion.

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Guest Droylsdonian

Given that NS - as macho as it was - was probably the first public way that blokes had to express their true sentiments, I'd say that a proper love song, like say Frankie Beverly, or else an absolute heart-wrencher like Carla Thomas or Ruby Andrews fits the bill, but what a hard question!

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Guest Brian Fradgley

Edwin Starr used to say it was"Out on thefloor" by Dobie Gray - and he should know !

But on a wider front the record that changed the direction for me will always be the Carstairs "It really hurts me girl". That intro is stunning, almost matched by their other contender "He who picks a rose".

Another Okey contender from the early days must be "I still love you" from the Seven Souls, and for sheer inyaface attitude I still love Personally.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Guest Mark D

I was asked to do a cdr of NS for a non soulie friend, the track he liked most was the Metros 'Since I found my baby' :thumbup: :thumbup:

BH

I gave a list to a friend who wanted to check out some NS -- he came back raving about one track. The Metros.........

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  • 1 month later...
Guest Church

Can't just pick one!

If you ask me - Jerry Williams - great mid tempo

Dance Dance Dance - Casualiers - great up tempo

Are you ready for this - Brothers - great instrumental

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  • 2 years later...

In my experience the one record that non soul people rave about above all others is..................

 

The Snake.

 

Sorry but I wish I had a pound for every time someone has come up to me and said, "Hey, you're into that northern soul aren't you? I love that snake record"  :facepalm:

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Guest manusf3a

Female vocal Alice Clark...........You hit me.

 

Male vocal Larry  Atkins.......Ain't that love enough

 

Instrumental.........Checkboard  Squares .......Double Cooking.

 

There are  others I like more apart from the Alice Clark and although they are on the oldies end of the spectrum that is the scene I believe they would start to give a hint of what its about.The again you,ve got Boss four Just Walking By  and the falcons Im the the Fool ,I must love you etc to show another facet of the jewel followed by more modern funkier edged goodies.I think one good nighter ,soul night  is enough to hear choons in the company of soul lovers in what to me and others no doubt experienced as an almost magical setting that  is where that one choon",may hit your brain and do it for you saying this is where I want to be this is it.

 

To conclude,I am at a total loss  for to me no one record on its own is ever going to be enough "On its own!",to exemplify or explain Northern Soul,one record perhaps to ignite the blue touch paper that starts you of on the path to this diverse and wonderful thing to start to understand and apreciate it but never just one to use to explain and exemplify  to a non believer the greatness and wonder of it all!.

Edited by manusf3a
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Several spring to mind to epitomise Northern Soul - rareness shouldn't come into it at all - its all about the beat and danceability! 

 Mine would have to be  - Invitations - What's Wrong With Me Baby, Fascinations - Girls . . ., Bobby Sheen's Doctor Love and I really like Pete's suggestion of Jimmie Raye's Philly Dog Around The World - an absolute bloody powerhouse of a record!

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Guest Dave Turner

So many that one could say exemplifies "Northern" but one that comes to mind is Don Covay's SeeSaw. For me it just typifies the kinda sound that inspired mid-sixties mods to dig for others of a similar vein and what eventually progressed to become the Northern scene. The rest is history

 

Got heaving, scary, illicit pharmaceutical, sweaty, smoke filled cellars all over it  

 

Edited by Dave Turner
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Think you hit the nail on the head with that one yes.gif

Major Lable, prolific artist of the wrong ethnic variety, and yet damn near Northern Soul Perfection, still does it for me after all these years. Top call

M.thumbsup.gif

If you're going to use those 2 criteria, rather than trying to make a convert, I'd use the Margaret Whiting "stomper" "Nothing Lasts Forever", that was played on the scene as an example to show that "Northern Soul" was a completely different movement from that of the development of Soul music and the communities it "served" in USA, as Margaret Whiting was a lily-white MOR singer known as a purveyor of milque-toast watered down"Pop music" that was to vocal music as Muzak (elevator music) is to The Funk Brothers.

Edited by RobbK
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A lot of these records appear to be peoples favourites rather than exemplifying a specific music driven British youth cult.

With all respect to the posters, the Don Covey 45 just sounds like an (admittedly fine) Stax recording from my perspective, while the Brothers "Are You Ready For This" exemplifies (again, to my ears) the sort of sounds you'd hear at my local Cats Whiskers disco in the mid 70s, rather than those associated with a pretty unique subculture.

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