Search - Various Artists :: Golden Age of Northern Soul 1

Classic Northern Soul in its finest hour!

Josh P. | 05/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While the British Invasion was the rage in the U.S. during the '60s, across the pond, the dance floor was packed through the vibes of American-made soul music. Call it ironic, but the clubs that featured the music and the fans that came had excellent taste, I must say.



Sony/BMG has now brought us 100 Northern Soul gems spread across four volumes each honoring the famous clubs and which songs were popular at those places. Volume 1 honors "The Twisted Wheel." Present soul music afficionados may know nothing about these clubs but will love all the great cuts that are on here. There really are no slow songs on here at all, so this is great keep-you-on-the-dance-floor party music. These English clubs loved to have "all-nighters" and it's easy to see how and why. There was absolutely nothing else in the popular music field that could get you moving like superb R&B.



Among these 25 tracks, there are a mixture of hits and misses, all of which are a treat to hear. Lou Johnson, who only had two R&B hits in his career, starts it off with a sweet vibraphone-laced number called "Magic Potion." The great stomper "Hide and Go Seek" from Bunker Hill (if you saw the 1988 "Hairspray", it'll sound familiar; it was playing during the scene in the record shop). James Carr...oh is this fantastic...does

"That's What I Want To Know" (that one has a bass guitar part that will blow your mind and get the blood pumpin'; it could inspire anybody to want to play the instrument). Oscar Toney Jr. gives us "No Sad Songs" featuring a fat and punchy horn line and a solid beat. Other cuts you may recognize are Lee Dorsey's "Ride Your Pony" and Bob Kuban's "The Cheater." Familiar artists like Major Lance, Little Richard, Al Green, Shirley Ellis, The Vibrations, Peaches & Herb

and the Shirelles have very unfamiliar but yet fantastic tracks to contribute. I love "A Little Bit of Something" from Little Richard, and "It's the Beat" and "Ain't No Soul in these Old Shoes" from Major Lance.



Northern Soul music was a UK sensation during the '60s and early '70s and to this day here in America where it was all produced, it is still a sought-after genre for record collectors. Motown seemed to play a huge part in influencing the other companies and indie labels as far as style. Check out "Everybody's Going to the Love-In" from Bob Brady & the Con-Chords; it sounds exactly like Smokey Robinson & the Miracles "Going to a Go-Go" right down to Smokey's trademark falsetto. The quarter note snare drum feel was another popular Motown trait that also caught on.



A lot of these songs on this volume alone are hard to find together on other discs and finding the original vinyl 45s could be a quest in itself. Here, you've basically got your work cut out for you.



It's a relatively brand new set that's sure to please any classic R&B fan

all from the vaults of the Okeh, Bell/Mala, Date, Epic, and Columbia.

"