Moutton Noir

I've never quite understood the adulation poured on Amy Winehouse. Her albums were very good but far from ground breaking. Back to Black was a blatant rip off of the Motown song book, every track plagiarised Holland Dozier Holland & Ashford & Simpson classics. Her aesthetic was a mash up of the Ronettes, Dusty and 80s new wave duo Strawberry Switchblade. Truth is Amy Winehouse was a 60s tribute act. Along with Mark Ronson Amy managed to hoodwink a generation ignorant of the music she plundered and the middle class white rock journalists who were just as ignorant. Take time to listen- the lyrics of classic Supremes tracks and Marvin and Tammi's hits can almost be sung over Back to Black tracks. She was AWFUL live as any YouTube clips will confirm. Where would she have gone next? How long could she have continued plundering other artists back catalogues? She is the perfect example of cultural appropriation. Having said all this I still enjoy her recordings but I do prefer the originals...

So good to see these contemporary documents/views and opinions recorded for posterity- they really capture the scene as it was- not the edited fuzzy romantic version as remembered!

So good to see these contemporary documents/views and opinions recorded for posterity- they really capture the scene as it was- not the edited fuzzy romantic version as remembered!

I greatly appreciate the time effort and dedication that has gone in to the production of this series of books. The levels of expertise is astounding and it really is great that the many experiences/memories and important biographical info is recorded for posterity. Updating the publication on a regular basis also acts as a snapshot, a time capsule- capturing the mood of the scene at a particular point in time. There is no doubt these books will become important documents to folks in the future who wish to research the history of the Northern Soul Scene. Looking forward to this new edition.

I greatly appreciate the time effort and dedication that has gone in to the production of this series of books. The levels of expertise is astounding and it really is great that the many experiences/memories and important biographical info is recorded for posterity. Updating the publication on a regular basis also acts as a snapshot, a time capsule- capturing the mood of the scene at a particular point in time. There is no doubt these books will become important documents to folks in the future who wish to research the history of the Northern Soul Scene. Looking forward to this new edition.

Thanks Drew, don't know how I missed it, did seem kinda strange! Thanks, don't know how I missed it!

I was disappointed that no mention was made of the sad passing of the great Mary Wilson. Mary made such an important contribution to the success of the Supremes and Motown. She had a great smoky sexy voice that was criminally underused during the Diana Ross years. Her contribution to maintaining the Supremes legacy, fighting for the rights of original group members of classic Soul/R&B bands who were being ripped off by fake performers posing as the official version of the band. The Supremes were at the pop end of the spectrum but they certainly opened lots of doors for fellow performers who gained greater acceptance and success. It's easy to forget that in 1964 when Where Did Our Love Go was released in the UK the Supremes were "hip" and the record was regarded as being too raw and soulful to be a mainstream pop hit (see the reviews in Record Mirror, Melody Maker & NME)- a UK pop band covered the track and was expected to win the race to for a chart placing. The rest... is history!

Ordered my copy this morning- looking forward to its arrival. KENT/ACE always deliver on quality when it comes to the original material and sound quality. The accompanying booklet is a major bonus- always painstakingly researched and jam packed with scans, photos and info about the artists and the history of each track.

Ordered my copy this morning- looking forward to its arrival. KENT/ACE always deliver on quality when it comes to the original material and sound quality. The accompanying booklet is a major bonus- always painstakingly researched and jam packed with scans, photos and info about the artists and the history of each track.

Mmm it all looks rather "hand knitted", an amateur enterprise that although prepared with love by a keen fan/fans will most likely be peppered with errors. The design and layout has that unprofessional appearance. Good luck to them

Mmm it all looks rather "hand knitted", an amateur enterprise that although prepared with love by a keen fan/fans will most likely be peppered with errors. The design and layout has that unprofessional appearance. Good luck to them

Fascinating article. Ray talks about this period during an early 90s appearance on the Geraldo USTV talk show special "The Women Of Motown" which is posted on YouTube, worth checking out as Mabel John & Kim Weston also appear.

Bought this cd and it is awesome!

Bought this cd and it is awesome!

All of the above posts sound really good. It's one of life's great mysteries- what makes a hit a hit? Talent of course should be the most important element- unfortunately we know that is often not the case. Often times the record just taps into the zeitgeist- right place right time. Truth is DJs/playlists, record companies/pluggers, PR departments are the magic formula. I thought I knew most soul/disco/R&B artists- that is until the arrival of the internet- youtube & amazon in particular- not forgetting several other sites including e-bay. My 40+ years of musical education became supercharged from the early 2000's. It really hit me hard how much we the record buying public and soul fanatics had been at the mercy of that handful of people who held all the power- those hellish Smashy & Nicey DJs spinning the latest sounds that made it to the whiter than white playlists- remember back in the day even major soul superstars like Marvin, Stevie, Aretha, Diana & Michael often struggled to have their music heard on Radio 1. Jeez what chance did anyone else have? The record companies who decided whether to release great American records in the UK. The buyers who ordered the product for the big record stores. The game was stacked against the little guys- Even trying to find out about what was happening was a challenge- it was down to Blues & Soul, Black Echoes, James Hamilton's column in Record Mirror (available again on-line) and our own personal underground networks. Traveling to America was financially out of reach for the vast majority. We often never knew what the artist looked like and were shocked to discover years later that is some cases THAT voice belonged to a white guy! In my opinion there has never been a better time as far as accessing, discovering and collecting music is concerned. Time and fading memories can edit out the worst bits and create that longing nostalgia for a golden period that really does only ever exist in our minds- but it's great to cherish them- however accurate they might be. Listening to the music (and of course dancing to it) brings so much joy and pleasure and for just a few minutes we are all 18 again and the arthritis is gone!

Thanks I almost missed this on the schedules!

Thanks I almost missed this on the schedules!

Amy Winehouse was nothing more than a Motown tribute act. Although I enjoyed her RECORDINGS (her awful live performances were another thing!) I never understood the hype and praise heaped upon her. She was not original by any stretch of imagination. Her image was a Ronettes.Shagri-Las drag act mash up. Most of her music was a straight rip off of well known Motown hits- almost like the Supremes greatest hits and Ashford & Simpson songbook. Why was she adored by the mainstream music journo's? Because of their ignorance of soul music and the legacy of the various soul labels and iconic performers. Their narrow white rock/alternative music knowledge exposed that ignorance. Amy exploited that for all it was worth. I continually pointed out the source of her work to the amazement of friends and colleagues who knew little about soul and r&b music- you know these guys- the ones who think music started with the Beatles "the most influential band in history". They were astounded to hear the blatant rip offs when confronted with the truth! Listen to ANY modern pop singer and you can hear the dominant influence on the singing style of 99% of them is unmistakably soul/r&b. The racism that skews the history of popular music desperately needs to be addressed

C'mon guys you're sounding like a load of grumpy old gits! If a couple of young kids watching Strictly get to hear some northern sounds for the first time and are excited by it and get hooked then it can only be a good thing. It saddens me to see so much negativity elitism and inverted snobbery. There are many ways for people to discover exiting "new" music and find a tribe they identify with and want to belong to. How else does "new blood" join the "scene"? By invitation only? Like The Masons? Someone born in 2001 can hardly be classed as a "johnny come lately" do they have to apologize for being "born too late"? Are you happy for the scene to die out with your generation denying so many kids the chance to feel as we do? So what if it's the result of hearing it on a TV ad, in a movie or on a cheesy (very well produced) TV show.? Can I remind folks that it's no longer 1973 when guys had a bath once a week whether they needed it or not and reality check- 1973 was a pretty crap year for most folks- miners on strike families struggling 3 day week and those power cuts! Thank god it's 2017 we have central heating and the wonder that is the internet. I've been able to discover so much more fantastic music and to connect with like minded people. The rose coloured glasses worn by so many and longing nostalgia for a wonderful time back in 19blahblah really only exists in the heavily edited and very faulty memories of our rapidly ageing bodies along with arthritis and prostate trouble!

C'mon guys you're sounding like a load of grumpy old gits! If a couple of young kids watching Strictly get to hear some northern sounds for the first time and are excited by it and get hooked then it can only be a good thing. It saddens me to see so much negativity elitism and inverted snobbery. There are many ways for people to discover exiting "new" music and find a tribe they identify with and want to belong to. How else does "new blood" join the "scene"? By invitation only? Like The Masons? Someone born in 2001 can hardly be classed as a "johnny come lately" do they have to apologize for being "born too late"? Are you happy for the scene to die out with your generation denying so many kids the chance to feel as we do? So what if it's the result of hearing it on a TV ad, in a movie or on a cheesy (very well produced) TV show.? Can I remind folks that it's no longer 1973 when guys had a bath once a week whether they needed it or not and reality check- 1973 was a pretty crap year for most folks- miners on strike families struggling 3 day week and those power cuts! Thank god it's 2017 we have central heating and the wonder that is the internet. I've been able to discover so much more fantastic music and to connect with like minded people. The rose coloured glasses worn by so many and longing nostalgia for a wonderful time back in 19blahblah really only exists in the heavily edited and very faulty memories of our rapidly ageing bodies along with arthritis and prostate trouble!