Stax Northern Soul Disco LP Sleeve Notes

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Brilliant posting! I bought this LP brand new from the racks of a High Wycombe record shop in about 1978/79 and was also struck with how 'different' the sounds were to what I'd heard up to then as Northern Soul, though the guy who had introduced me to NS was originally from Grimsby, had been a Cleethorpes regular and was more Mecca than Casino. Great sleeve notes from ID - "one wonders exactly how long it will be before the record buying public will realise that they have been brainwashed into buying sub-standard product" ................... not much change there maybe? Though I must admit, among my favourites at that time were Tammy St John, Beverly Ann, Phil Coulter   

 

Blimey. Those were written 42 years ago. Sentiments spot on though!

Ian D

Was a staple spin for me back in the day along with ian Levines scepter wand comp and this is Loma vol 1, does any one remember the abc comp 'out on the streets' - that was pretty great if my memory serves correctly !!)

PS tho grapevine 'this is northern soul' was the one that seldom left the turntable !

Hiya, still got stax album, some great tracks. Still got got out on the streets, very flimsy  vynil but a great mix of ballads and uptempo stuff. Cheers

plonker then bought it on cassette which i still have gradually picked a lot of the 45's off though not all,were some album tracks or all 45's  kev

Great posting, thanks.

I've got a copy of this album. I bought it from a certain Pete Smith, who I believe contributes to this forum occasionally! Bought it aged 15/16 but haven't played it for years.Agree with Polyvelts above about the Grapevine LP, still have that as well.

the young lady pictured on the sleeve was a cleethorpes regular called steph.if my memory serves me correctly she lived in the walcott/sleaford area nr lincoln and at that time was married to a guy called tony. i seem to think tony was a doorman at the winter gardens

Wow, no pussyfooting around in those notes. Worth buying the album just for them!

Compiled by Dave Godin; who'd have thought!

On 1 December 2016 at 10:16, markw said:

Brilliant posting! I bought this LP brand new from the racks of a High Wycombe record shop in about 1978/79 and was also struck with how 'different' the sounds were to what I'd heard up to then as Northern Soul, though the guy who had introduced me to NS was originally from Grimsby, had been a Cleethorpes regular and was more Mecca than Casino. Great sleeve notes from ID - "one wonders exactly how long it will be before the record buying public will realise that they have been brainwashed into buying sub-standard product" ................... not much change there maybe? Though I must admit, among my favourites at that time were Tammy St John, Beverly Ann, Phil Coulter   

 

Would that of been Harlequin Records in High Wycombe where you bought it? I used to get most of my UK released Soul from there as the manager used to tap up the reps for freebies for me.

42 minutes ago, reforee said:

Would that of been Harlequin Records in High Wycombe where you bought it? I used to get most of my UK released Soul from there as the manager used to tap up the reps for freebies for me.

I think it was! It was the shop just outside the Octagon centre but part of the same development, along that parade of shops next to the flyover leading to Oxford Street and Frogmoor. Is that where you meant?

Heard little Sony played at the 2017 Detroit a go go gig.

First time ever aside from the LP I bought around 77.

Rance Allen is top 10. 

Great choices from a great label.

Ed

The Stax LP seems an odd and quite underwhelming selection by today's standards, doesn't it? Feels like a budget LP. I just missed the 70s but were any / many of these tracks ever big sounds? 

Lots of things on Stax / Volt, etc that are revered and collected now are in the 'crossover' vein, so post-70s in popularity, I suppose. But there must be have been more impactful / in demand selections they could have gone for..? 

 

 

 

On 22/04/2019 at 23:07, JoeSoap said:

The Stax LP seems an odd and quite underwhelming selection by today's standards, doesn't it? Feels like a budget LP. I just missed the 70s but were any / many of these tracks ever big sounds? 

Lots of things on Stax / Volt, etc that are revered and collected now are in the 'crossover' vein, so post-70s in popularity, I suppose. But there must be have been more impactful / in demand selections they could have gone for..? 

 

 

 

I can see why you'd say that Joe, but having bought the LP when it came out while only having been getting into the scene for a year or two, this was an inspiring eclectic mix that expanded my horizons (thankfully). As Ian's notes indicate, the focus was "dedicated to the real thing", and although I loved and still enjoy lots of pop stuff that was part of what got played at many venues, I suspect this was a timely jolt for those of us who might so easily have overlooked the depths of quality and history that really underpinned the music we were hearing.

The breadth of music that can get a hearing at soul events nowadays seems astonishing, and I think that projects like this album and input from many pioneering individuals and clubs before and since have kept this alive and continuing to thrive for pretty much 55 / 60 years now!

On 22/04/2019 at 23:07, Joesoap said:

The Stax LP seems an odd and quite underwhelming selection by today's standards, doesn't it? Feels like a budget LP. I just missed the 70s but were any / many of these tracks ever big sounds? 

Lots of things on Stax / Volt, etc that are revered and collected now are in the 'crossover' vein, so post-70s in popularity, I suppose. But there must be have been more impactful / in demand selections they could have gone for..? 

 

 

 

Bear in mind that the album was compiled in 1974 and many subsequent discoveries were discovered long after that.  There was no internet and Stax (at that time) was probably the last label that anyone would expect to find much Northern Soul compared to most. Access to many of the lesser-know releases was confined to the relatively small network of dealers back then.  Wasn't easy. The Stax Southern Funk volume was a breeze to compile compared to the Northern one.

Ian D

 

Ian