Brand New Soul Single 45: Featuring Darrell Smith (As Seen on BBC Northern Soul at The Proms)

[Suit Yourself]

Source News/Article/Feature Highlight:

Fresh from his show-stealing performance at July’s BBC Northern Soul Prom at London’s Royal Albert Hall, singer Darrell Smith has teamed up with producer and songwriter Andy Lewis (formerly bass player for living legend Paul Weller) and instrumentalists The Syphons for this double-sided slice of powerful 60’s inspired musical escapism.

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[Rick Scott]

Well i suppose like it or not it was bound to Happen and  will be interesting to see what the Soul - Source Folks Make of it.

  

[Headsy]

I give up 

[Chalky]

What a crock of sh*te

[Shinehead]

Seems that every new recorded record  posted on here is as far removed from the soul music I grew to love as could be , my idea of soul music is recorded in the USA.

 

Edited November 17 by Shinehead

[Moxey25]

what a crock northern soul is becoming the new line dancing 

[John Siret]

I feel the time could have been better spent in the studio.

[Chalky]

The sooner the wheels fall off the bandwagon and the leeches and others exploiting the scene f&ck *ff the better.  Northern Soul my arse.

[Andy Cullup]

Sounds like a very bad 80's pop record.

[Happy Feet]

4 hours ago, Chalky said:

The sooner the wheels fall off the bandwagon and the leeches and others exploiting the scene f&ck *ff the better.  Northern Soul my arse.

Hi Chalky , 

Isn't it just history repeating itself ?, Nosmo King & the Javelle's , Sharonettes , L.J.Johnson ,Wigan's Chosen Few , etc etc & it just happens to be the 50th anniversary of the most famous disco of all time , it was bound to happen , it'll all be over soon and things will get back to where they where in the 80s , or will these be the UK collectors must haves in years to come ?

The strange thing is though when the above where the big tunes , the dance floor was rammed but turnover was very quick , and it was all orchestrated, behind the scenes weekly meetings on what was or wasn't going to get a spin . The gear might have been better but the desire to dance all night was even greater , as we've got older and wiser we tend to dismiss this as shite but to a 16 yr. old , experimenting as we did it's new, fresh , and probably affordable.

Edited November 17 by Happy Feet

[Djack]

Given that the only  "Northern Soul" records are these tailor made efforts. None of the 60's & 70's tunes co-opted onto the scene were made as "Northern Soul".

[Happy Feet]

1 hour ago, Djack said:

Given that the only  "Northern Soul" records are these tailor made efforts. None of the 60's & 70's tunes co-opted onto the scene were made as "Northern Soul".

Very true but there's an awful lot of 60s tunes not at the time associated with any scene but popular music , are very saught after amongst UK collectors , willing to pay top dollar for nothing more than cover versions , who where trying to cash in at the time due to the popularity of the underground RnB Clubs of the era , too many to mention , but I'm sure with a little research the list is endless.

[Mal C]

Darrell Smith / Stewart Smith,  You be the judge...

 

[Mark S]

Sounds like a really piss poor B side of a really piss poor pop song dreadfull contrived nonsense. 

Soul music with the odd exception is Black American and amplifies the black experience, not some unknown white  wannabee chancer trying to cash in 

[Geeselad]

Horrible, just wonder where the audience is for this, can't imagine it making radio 2, cheesy soul oldie's nights, I doubt it, you're more likely to fill the floor with Dina Carroll or an early 2000's pop house record. Who's going to buy it?

[Chalky]

On 17/11/2023 at 20:51, Happy Feet said:

Hi Chalky , 

Isn't it just history repeating itself ?, Nosmo King & the Javelle's , Sharonettes , L.J.Johnson ,Wigan's Chosen Few , etc etc & it just happens to be the 50th anniversary of the most famous disco of all time , it was bound to happen , it'll all be over soon and things will get back to where they where in the 80s , or will these be the UK collectors must haves in years to come ?

The strange thing is though when the above where the big tunes , the dance floor was rammed but turnover was very quick , and it was all orchestrated, behind the scenes weekly meetings on what was or wasn't going to get a spin . The gear might have been better but the desire to dance all night was even greater , as we've got older and wiser we tend to dismiss this as shite but to a 16 yr. old , experimenting as we did it's new, fresh , and probably affordable.

Possible, there has always been these records to one degree or another.  It is simply more dumbing down of the scene and exploitation, they care little for the history of the scene nor do the intended audience.

Edited November 19 by Chalky

[Paul-s]

22 hours ago, Chalky said:

What a crock of sh*te

Its shockingly sh*te.....nothing to do with northern soul: just like the BBC proms

1 hour ago, Mal C said:

Darrell Smith / Stewart Smith,  You be the judge...

 

Bloody dire, awful, pathetic, soul-less drivel....

[Kathryn Magson]

1 hour ago, Mark S said:

Sounds like a really piss poor B side of a really piss poor pop song dreadfull contrived nonsense. 

Soul music with the odd exception is Black American and amplifies the black experience, not some unknown white  wannabee chancer trying to cash in 

As previously stated - it's a crock of shite!

Edited November 18 by Kathryn Magson

[Woodbutcher]

Well as an initial post to advertise/plug a new bandwagon-jumping release very thinly disguised "news article" I'd say that it was a spectacular own goal for the label's marketing department ... hope they didn't press up too many copies ... 

[Bo Diddley]

In fairness, the guy can sing - it's just that he's more Pat Boone than Ray Pollard. So that's not good!

The lyrics are a collection of generic cliché's that have been cobbled together. So, that's not good either!!

I did wonder if an instrumental would be any better. However, no, it wouldn't!!!

From an environmental point of view, I agree with Mr. Woodbutcher hoping that not too much plastic has been wasted used.

On the plus side, they have generated some attention for the product (is all publicity good publicity?).

Next move, perhaps get some World Championship standard Northern Soul dancers to feature in a video.

 

Edited November 18 by Bo Diddley

[Woodbutcher]

2 minutes ago, Bo Diddley said:

 

Next move, perhaps get some World Championship standard dancers to feature in a video.

 

Next move melt them down and try again ..... !

 

[Soul Salad]

Could have been worse though, Frank Wilson's do i love you? - That may have easily become the Christmas no 1

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME ABUSE, JUST MY THOUGHTS.

 

[Soul Salad]

PS Just one more thing. If that "awful" record you just heard had been a recent vault find of a one-off acetate from 1968 or so ie Rays brother ie Lionel Pollard or whatever, i reckon opinions of the singer and the song would be vastly different?

[Suit Yourself]

I have been watching the comments and taking on board some of the criticism. To be honest, initially labelling it as Northern Soul on what is the biggest platform forum on the Northern Scene was an error, so we've amended that. That fact that some don't like it is fine, personal choice, but to confirm we are not new to the scene and trying to 'cash in' (we been on the scene 35 plus years) if we were we would simply have done 'The Drifter' as Darrell performed at the BBC Proms, (where we first spotted him, and thought he had the most fantastic Blue Eyed Soul voice) and then try to flog the crap out of it.  

It was then we made a decision to do ONLY NEW music and made the conscious decision NOT to do covers, or sample anything, but create some new music in several genres related to the Mod Scene, so we have The Syphons featuring others coming, some new Acid Jazz, RnB, and more Soul inspired music. This is with us and Andy Lewis (Blow Up / Acid Jazz / Paul Weller's Band), so we are definitely more on the Mod side of the Scene, but we are most definitely not new to music & looking to cash in. To be honest there isn't money in music unless you are selling thousands, and every release is a risk, but hey ho, we just enjoy making music, we do it mostly for fun. This ain't no jumping on a bandwagon money spinner, it's too niche, or shite as some of you think (which again is fine). 

We have had some other amazing feedback, from the likes of Richard Searling and plays on BBC radio from the likes of Gary Crowley, so there is a place for it, but that place isn't amongst some hard core Soulies, but that is fine. All we can do is try, and in doing so, you put yourself out there to get shot down by some, but I guess that comes with the territory.

Thanks for taking an interest, negative or not, it's always useful, but please no abuse or debating us now, the above explains what we have done, or attempted to do.

P.S. No, we will not contemplate some silly video with some dodgy out of step dancing, but can't stop others editing one up and they did with the soul stepping number from Andy Lewis & Paul Weller: Are you Trying To Be Lonely. 

 

[Hooker1951]

Here we go again ( Some things are better left unsaid) and ( Lots of things are better left alone)

ML

[Bunderthollox]

Judgement out until I hear it tonite, would be so easy to can it in the pub. 

As for LJ Johnson he did some questionable stuff but is still a very fine soul singer.

24 hours a day, you keep my temperature rising. 

[Timillustrator]

Quite like it, he's got a good voice. Mind you I was at the proms and quite liked that too so I'm clearly a minority.