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Which Artist Would You Like To See Live

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Which rare soul artist would you like to see over in the UK. Not that I plan bringing someone over, but in my travels in the US I always get the "I would love to come over" conversation.

When I mention their names to guys over here no one seems interested. Over the last few years, it has seemed to me that we keep getting acts at weekenders that we've had before and not enough, 'Not seen before'. Even worse many acts I've seen in recent times, struggle to sing any longer and can't remember their own lyrics. Lets try and stick to one still alive.

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Irma Thomas.

She was on at Poretta Soul festival this year and was fantastic, there is always at least one act there that just reminds me why soul music live, when its good, is the best way to experience the music.

However agree totally with Dave T too many acts, particularly the Northern ones, here just dont do themselves justice and I end up dissapointed. Thats no slight on them as many just dont sing anymore and are very old but in truth I would rather stick to the records than many of the weekender acts,

I also think live performances are better appreciated outside of the all nighter environment, peoples attention seems to wander far quicker at all nighters for some reason!!

I also think live performances are better appreciated outside of the all nighter environment, peoples attention seems to wander far quicker at all nighters for some reason!!

Really :yes:

Lamont Dozier, Sam Dees and Bobby Bland as a touring "threesome" - how about that?

I seen Bobby Bland a few years ago in Glasgow and have to be honest and say he was a bit dissapointing, he is just very old now and the voice, while still strong compared to some, does not do the man justice any more. Being fair it was in a huge auditorioum which is probably not the best place to see him.

He was supporting Van Morrison and all these middle class w*****s were there to see Van The Man and just talked through Bobby Blands set so in protest as Van was warbling through his first bland ballad we got up and walked out right past the stage very noisily, sure we seen him looking pissed off, well not really but the thought was there!!

Aretha is the one act that I would still love to see. But it seems she will not travel :yes:

For our 40th a couple of years ago my mate and I went over to Cape Cod to see her as she was saying it was her last tour so having been a life time ambition we thought if Aretha isnt coming to see us....

She was great, dont get me wrong there were bits where she had to sit down as she is not fit, and bits where she sung some of her 80's stuff which was a bit iffy but she also `sang almost all of her new album at that time, as she didnt want it to be a classics tour, and some of it was just sublime. She sang the track So Damn Happy (?) at the piano and blew me away her voice was like nothing I have heard live .God only knows what she would have sounded like 30 years ago.

It was in a bit of a middle America venue and she finished off with Freeway To Love, which was a bit ropey and all these Stepford wives were swinging along in time and it was shaping up to be a bit of a dissapointing finish till she got up from the piano, hitched her skirt above her knees and started dancing speakeasy style like a 25 year old while singing Freeway To God with her backing singers and turning it into a gospel hollering session, its a cliche but I blubbed my little eyes out, it was truly a once in a lifetime experience. Best birthday ever by miles!!!

For our 40th a couple of years ago my mate and I went over to Cape Cod to see her as she was saying it was her last tour so having been a life time ambition we thought if Aretha isnt coming to see us....

She was great, dont get me wrong there were bits where she had to sit down as she is not fit, and bits where she sung some of her 80's stuff which was a bit iffy but she also `sang almost all of her new album at that time, as she didnt want it to be a classics tour, and some of it was just sublime. She sang the track So Damn Happy (?) at the piano and blew me away her voice was like nothing I have heard live .God only knows what she would have sounded like 30 years ago.

It was in a bit of a middle America venue and she finished off with Freeway To Love, which was a bit ropey and all these Stepford wives were swinging along in time and it was shaping up to be a bit of a dissapointing finish till she got up from the piano, hitched her skirt above her knees and started dancing speakeasy style like a 25 year old while singing Freeway To God with her backing singers and turning it into a gospel hollering session, its a cliche but I blubbed my little eyes out, it was truly a once in a lifetime experience. Best birthday ever by miles!!!

Mate, sounds just wonderful !

OTIS CLAY and his band would be my call

Was lucky enough to see them at a gig in Shepherd's Bush a few years back.

AWESOME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Would convert the "don't like live acts posse" no problem :yes:

Derek

However agree totally with Dave T too many acts, particularly the Northern ones, here just dont do themselves justice and I end up dissapointed. Thats no slight on them as many just dont sing anymore and are very old but in truth I would rather stick to the records than many of the weekender acts,

Good point.Isn’t that the majority of the ‘northern’ icons made very few recordings and of those only one or two that would be pertinent to a live set at a nighter, weekender etc. Jimmy Burns for instance, what’s he gonna sing “I really love you half a dozen times and after his couple of Tip Top outings?

Group = Flirtations

Solo artist = Bobby Sheen.

I had a serious think about this and there are only two acts in the entire world I would bother going to see, one is Prodigy and the other is Slade, if they reformed obviously. The only soul act I'd be interested in seeing is Al Green, and he'd have to be playing in Wolvo or I wouldn't bother. Jr Walker was the best live soul act I ever saw and he's off the touring circuit nowadays. Artists are better listened to on records.

. Artists are better listened to on records.

Thats better Pete, something we disagree about at last, makes me feel more comfortable :yes:biggrin.gif

Beverly Ann (however does she sing country now as she was always a country singer who crossed over to making a few northern tunes)

they are not obscure but i would die to see Isley Brothers live with motown songs only like This Old Heart of mine, I Guess i Always Love You, My Love is Your Love (think that's title), Put Yourself in my Place, Stop in the name of Love as part of the setlist

BETTY HARRIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It just so happens that unquestionably one of the greatest female soul artists of all time , Betty Harris , will be performing in Melbourne during the Australian National Annual Soul Weekender from 16-19 November 2006.

I'm Evil Tonight , Nearer To You , Cry To Me, Ride Your Pony etc all the classics !

She still looks stunning, and that voice is as sensational as ever , there's still time for you lot to book your plane tickets for Melbourne and enjoy 4 days of the greatest Northern Soul event outside the UK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:thumbsup:

Little Anthony & The Imperials :thumbsup:

Read a great review in "Down In The Basement" of a recent concert in New York by Little Anthony/Imperials and The Impressions, both groups were given standing ovations after great performances apparently.

Little Anthony/Imperials are still the original line-up and as we have seen on here can still cut it vocally.

Fred Cash and Sam Gooden still do their stuff in The Impressions with lead Reginald Torain, who according to the reviewer has a great voice and handled Curtis' songs with great feeling and power, in fact he raved over the quality of The Impressions set, made me wish I'd been there, so.........if there's anybody out there who could bring these guy's over I would gladly pay the price to see them :wicked:

...Can't believe some of the names that are being posted up here as being 'someone you would love to see live'...

Barbara Lynn's been over to Europe no less than three times in the past decade inclding twice (I think) to the UK, Bobby Bland's been here twice, ditto Irma Thomas at least a couple of times (I saw her in Italy not three months ago, and she was touring all through Europe - although, granted, she didn't come to the UK on this visit), Barbara Lewis once (at Cleethorpes, as I said earlier) and coming to Belgium in November - and that's just for starters. Obviously some of you lot need to get out more if you're missing artists of this calibre when they visit...

...consider yourselves admonished :D:D:D

TONE :lol:

Tone,

You should consider yourself very lucky..... :thumbsup::wicked:

To be honest which I'd made more effort years ago.... wink.gif

Karen

Edited by sanquine

In fairness (to me) I did suggest Little Anthony & The Imperials about 4 weeks ago when I posted up that (relatively) recent concert clip but was informed that they are too expensive to bring over.

BETTY HARRIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unquestionably one of the greatest female soul artists of all time , Betty Harris , will be performing in Melbourne during the Australian National Annual Soul Weekender from 16-19 November 2006.

I'm Evil Tonight , Nearer To You , Cry To Me, Ride Your Pony etc all the classics !

:thumbsup:

Saw her in Valencia last October - she sang only three "classics" (and only one of the abovementioned among 'em), and spent the rest of the set doing material from her forthcoming album plus "I'll Take You There".

Still a great singer, mind, but not worth travelling half way round the globe for...

Solo artist = Bobby Sheen.

Possibly only available via seance these days, being very dead....

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Saw her in Valencia last October - she sang only three "classics" (and only one of the abovementioned among 'em), and spent the rest of the set doing material from her forthcoming album plus "I'll Take You There".

Still a great singer, mind, but not worth travelling half way round the globe for...

Possibly only available via seance these days, being very dead....

You must have great frequent flyers miles

...Can't reply directly to the earlier comments about Jimmy Burns, for some reason, but I am happy to report that he's still performing, albeit exclusively blues these days, and his voice is still extremely good. He was in the UK within the last year, and I believe that he played the Burnley Blues Festival! What an opportunity there could have been for someone to 'borrow' him for a couple of days and put him on at a 'nighter or something.

TONE :thumbsup:

You must have great frequent flyers miles

Oh, I dunno, Dave, you don't do so badly yourself :lol:

Anyway, does you good to get out of the house occasionally, dunnit?

TONE :wicked:

  • Author

...Can't reply directly to the earlier comments about Jimmy Burns, for some reason, but I am happy to report that he's still performing, albeit exclusively blues these days, and his voice is still extremely good. He was in the UK within the last year, and I believe that he played the Burnley Blues Festival! What an opportunity there could have been for someone to 'borrow' him for a couple of days and put him on at a 'nighter or something.

TONE :thumbsup:

Oh, I dunno, Dave, you don't do so badly yourself :lol:

Anyway, does you good to get out of the house occasionally, dunnit?

TONE :wicked:

True keeps you from go crazy, but in my case that's questionable biggrin.gif

True keeps you from go crazy, but in my case that's questionable :thumbsup:

Not an issue for me, really, I've always been bonkers :wicked::lol:biggrin.gif

To be honest which I'd made more effort years ago.... :wicked:

Karen

...I'm sure that all Sourcers have missed golden opportunities - I didn't go to see Tyrone Davis at Isaac Hayes' restaurant in downtown Memphis a couple of years ago, because I'd just been to see the Temprees and the Soul Children, it was late at night and I couldn't be arsed to walk the quarter of a mile between the two venues. Tyrone was supposed to be playing in Porretta a few weeks later, and as I was going there it didn't seem like a big deal to me. Of course, TD was a 'no show' for Porretta that year and less than 12 months later he was dead...

Of artists no longer with us, I really do wish that I'd had the opportunity to see Jimmy Holiday, Z.Z. Hill, Billy Stewart, and Linda Jones but I've seen most of my late heroes, from Otis Redding and Curtis Mayfield to Arthur Alexander and Johnnie Taylor, so I consider that I've been very fortunate in that respect...

TONE :thumbsup:

Lamont Dozier, Sam Dees and Bobby Bland as a touring "threesome" - how about that?

Lamont Dozier gets my vote, he was due to perform @ the Jazz Cafe a few years ago, and was then cancelled. Great dissapointment.

Gotta be Jerry Butler. :thumbsup:

Would be nice - but isn't he busy with a career in local politics in Chicago?

Would be nice - but isn't he busy with a career in local politics in Chicago?

No, he's retired from government business now - but he's the Dennis Bergkamp of Soul in that he apparently refuses to fly anywhere, even across the USA...

ComeonyouLions!

TONE

Jocko wrote -"I seen Bobby Bland a few years ago in Glasgow and have to be honest and say he was a bit dissapointing, he is just very old now and the voice, while still strong compared to some, does not do the man justice any more. Being fair it was in a huge auditorioum which is probably not the best place to see him"

I saw him at the Silver Dollar Room in Toronto, which is a small Blues club and I have to say he was fcking phenomenal, small club, great band, Bobby in a Purple Velvet jump suit!!

They had to help him up onto the small stage and to be honest I was beginning to have doubts but when he started he was just great.

I also saw Mighty Sam McClain and he can still belt out the tunes and still active touring but not many Northern tracks?

About live acts, we'll have Martha & The Vandellas here in Tuscany on Dec 30th, and I'll dj before and after their gig... :thumbsup::huh::lol:

Roccia

No, he's retired from government business now - but he's the Dennis Bergkamp of Soul in that he apparently refuses to fly anywhere, even across the USA...

ComeonyouLions!

TONE

Do you know if he is he performing with any regularity in Chicago?

(Millwall Soul Boys ! - met so many over the years it really is a mystery we have such a right wing rep ???)

Do you know if he is he performing with any regularity in Chicago?

He's still doing gigs all over the USA - I guess he must have a tour bus, or maybe he gets heavily sedated for short hop flights!

As I said earlier on in this posting, I saw him myself in Dallas about 6 years ago, at a soul/R&B festival that also had Irma Thomas, the Neville Brothers, Little Richard, Dr. John, Wilson Pickett, the Five Blind Boys Of Alabama and Bo Diddley (among others) on the bill. He was sensational - as were his band....

They opened with an instrumental of "I'll Be Around" , before Jerry came out and kicked off with "Moody Woman", followed by "Hey Western Union Man" and "Never Give You Up". He then did a pretty much chronological tour through his hits, from "For Your Precious Love" through to "I'm Just Thinking About Cooling Out". He even did some duets - he had his sister doing the Betty Everett ones with him, and a fantastic young lady who, if memory serves, was related to Jean Carn or someone of that calibre, doing the Brenda lee Eager ones - and his short tribute to Duke Ellington (per the wonderful "Goin' Home" CD) was spellbinding. I'm not trying to over-egg this pudding, but it really was one of the best soul shows I've ever been to, up there with the Dells at Trentham Gardens, Curtis Mayfield at the Hacienda and Otis Redding and the "Hit The Road Stax" tour at Finsbury Park Astoria...

TONE :thumbsup:

Edited by TONY ROUNCE

Which rare soul artist would you like to see over in the UK. Not that I plan bringing someone over, but in my travels in the US I always get the "I would love to come over" conversation.

When I mention their names to guys over here no one seems interested. Over the last few years, it has seemed to me that we keep getting acts at weekenders that we've had before and not enough, 'Not seen before'. Even worse many acts I've seen in recent times, struggle to sing any longer and can't remember their own lyrics. Lets try and stick to one still alive.

Just another Pete Docherty Gig then? :yes:

I think I prefer acts that are still active and unlike most I like hearing their current stuff. Not sure how appropriate that is at a 'northern' event.

I know the stick we got at the Neighbourhood for Betty LaVette doing stuff off her (then) current album.

Mind you when she was jamming in the Winter Gardens with just a Pianist the night before was just about the best live performance I've ever seen and there was only about ten of us there.

She did tell us about being good friends with Pat Lewis. Now she would be worth seeing.

I can still remember Betty Lavettes big one at the 100 club in the early 90ts - does any one remember that? She dropped a massive hit that night! :yes: i was only a teen at the time but she was much more entertaining than the DJs that night!!!! Onederful!!

Saw them at Southport weekend, had LJ Renolds on vocals, who also did "Key to the world". Fantastic.

Morning Dave

Was there too wasn't it the weekend that had Glenn Jones on too in the main room?

Derek

Saw them at Southport weekend, had LJ Renolds on vocals, who also did "Key to the world". Fantastic.

I am pretty sure I have some good pictures of this, with their silver suits?? He was amazing.

Just need to find them now!!

Cheers

Jock

Absolutely, good call Blake....
:yes:

How about Jo Armstead ?

someone persuade her ?

joshiearmstead@yahoo.com
:thumbsup::unsure:

Aready done Southport and Scotland in the late 80's / early 90's.

Theres a Voices From The Shadows from around that time with a woderful in depth article on Joshie and the story of her UK gigs told in Mr Dearloves own inimitable style.

Did you get the "Red Hot" CD from a couple of years ago? With her "in the can" tracks? Crap quality but some good tunes.

Cheers Paul

Jimmy Burns!

...and here, indeed IS Jimmy Burns, singing in the UK on last bank holiday weekend, in Colne, Lancashire. Sadly he's not singing "I Made It Over"...

Edited by TONY ROUNCE

...and here, indeed IS Jimmy Burns, singing in the UK on last bank holiday weekend, in Colne, Lancashire. Sadly he's not singing "I Made It Over"...

Saw Him a couple of years ago at the blues estefette in Utrecht Holland.

Was lucky enough to meet him before his show, a perfect gent but had to decline my request of "I Really Love You" as he was "doing a blues set".

When first introduced his reaction was "Oh you're English.y'all know Mark Bicknell?"!!!! His voice was top notch, a Dutch friend of mine who had never heard of Jimmy Burns commented "This guys voice is much too soulful to be singing blues"!!!

Cheers Paul

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