So, like the half of people on here who aren't rabid original vinyl collectors I'm still ploughing through the new Ace catalogue for those elusive tracks that I can never afford to buy on any other media and I find myself with another conundrum...

What is 'Uptown soul'?

And is there a corresponding Downtown soul?

I think we should be told.

In a galaxy far far away , ( early 60's ) ,young men danced and flocked to certain record dealers all over the uk , if they were on an away day with the footie , trying to find an elusive record shop / stall in some backstreet market whilst they're mates gave them " 10 mins " as the beers flowed before the game THEN they were on holiday again , Devon / Cornwall trying to find them in far flung reaches of this kingdom !!!

I want to be helpful , but for god's sake GOOGLE what ya got !!!!

You will find a wealth of information on the catalogue , dancers , rareities , etc.....

Is It Me !!!! ?

ps . Whats the best way of burying an entire football team alive , the italians do it very well !

In a galaxy far far away , ( early 60's ) ,young men danced and flocked to certain record dealers all over the uk , if they were on an away day with the footie , trying to find an elusive record shop / stall in some backstreet market whilst they're mates gave them " 10 mins " as the beers flowed before the game THEN they were on holiday again , Devon / Cornwall trying to find them in far flung reaches of this kingdom !!!

I want to be helpful , but for god's sake GOOGLE what ya got !!!!

You will find a wealth of information on the catalogue , dancers , rareities , etc.....

Is It Me !!!! ?

Maybe it's me then. I just figured it would be easier to go straight to the people that I thought would know the answer and who are (Usually) only too willing to talk about it. Oh well, back to ploughing through all the entries on Billy Joel and Pet Clarke it is...

ps . Whats the best way of burying an entire football team alive , the italians do it very well !

Why bother? all football will be dead before too long the way it's going. ANOTHER f*£#!&g final decided by penalties?!

If penalties are so snutting entertaining then why bother playing the stupid, arsewipingly boring 0:0 matches anyway? Just play the penalty game and let us get back to the chip shop and back home to the record collection...

I use Uptown, to describe slick, smooth, well produced soul like the Impressions, Maxine Brown, Bettye Swann, Tony Clarke etc. i think it's probably not a very good term, a bit vague, but if you see it in the Ace catalogue it's probably Chicago or NYC soul though Motown would probably be Uptown too. Early Stax wouldn't be.

I use Uptown, to describe slick, smooth, well produced soul like the Impressions, Maxine Brown, Bettye Swann, Tony Clarke etc. i think it's probably not a very good term, a bit vague, but if you see it in the Ace catalogue it's probably Chicago or NYC soul though Motown would probably be Uptown too. Early Stax wouldn't be.

That would be my definition too. Uptown would be nice polished, well-produced records with an aspirational smooth veneer, whilst Downtown would be more raw, with a less polished production and generally nasty funk or Southern grit............

Ian D

isn't that the wrong way around from the original meanings of the terms though? 'downtown' was the south, smart end of Manhattan, 'uptown' was Harlem, etc. the terms then spread across the US, at least 'downtown' did, for the town centre

isn't that the wrong way around from the original meanings of the terms though? 'downtown' was the south, smart end of Manhattan, 'uptown' was Harlem, etc. the terms then spread across the US, at least 'downtown' did, for the town centre

F Scott Fitzgerald when writing a short story set in Harlem described a well endowed woman dancing to Jazz as " Uptown Downtown jelly on plate" - completely off topic but there you go.

Manus

Edited March 3, 200916 yr by manus

isn't that the wrong way around from the original meanings of the terms though? 'downtown' was the south, smart end of Manhattan, 'uptown' was Harlem, etc. the terms then spread across the US, at least 'downtown' did, for the town centre

Yes probably, it's not a great term to use, I'm gonna avoid it in future. Different cities were different though, I think downtown in LA was the rougher area.

In my opinion, a perfect example of Uptown Soul would be Maxine Brown "Since I Found You"

and a perfect example of Downtown soul would be Carl Holmes & The Commanders "Soul Dance No. 3".

Either way, it's all good

I think downtown in LA was the rougher area.

very probably, as the original terms were coined well before the move to the suburbs and decline of the inner city...

to add to the confusion in JA the terms are the opposite to the original meaning i think - so uptown for the posher areas away from the centre...