Looks like I’m going to have a great week, since I’m feeling kinda crazy already. Monday was over before I even noticed it, and, today, I feel like finger snapping and boom-booming through the day. Feelin’ crazy is the main ingredient of any feel-good-day … The rest I’ll leave to some Northern Soul from a powerful girl group, the Kolettes.
I'll have a Temptations day today. It's kind of strange -- sometimes I actually develop a downright hankering for such sessions -- last week I was devouring Manhattan songs as if they were the donuts I had myself denied for too long ... I just had to have them.
Anyway, today's Temptations song is from the 1965 album Temptin' Temptations. I haven't listened to this song in a while, and when it came up in i-tunes this morning, I remembered how peculiar David Ruffin's voice sounds on that recording. At times he sounds more like his brother Jimmy (1:26) than himself. Amazing. I always detect traces of the other one in their voices, but on this record I almost feel as if both of them were singing ...
Of course, once David let's loose, there is no longer any question about whose gritty, intensely emotional voice we're listening to.
From his debut album Back Up Train (Hot Line Records, 1967) is today's choice, A Lover's Hideaway. The album islike crown jewel among the late 60's soul recordings in my opinion. It is amazing to hear Al Green(e) before he signed with Hi Records -- before his singing was defined by that Record label.
I also noticed that there are a few songs on this album where his voice clearly sounds like David Ruffin's in the high range. And it so amazing that at the "tender" age of 21 he already sounded like he did decades later.
I love this album, although learned critics claim the songs are formulaic and dismiss it as a compilation of luke warm soul songs. So what? I love such songs as A Lover's Hideaway and What's It All About. I do admit, however, that I never listen to music with my ears alone ...
When I first heard this song, I was thinking that that's what we all should have in our lives. Pure and natural love. No artificial anything, so to speak. Honest emotions. No schemes. No romanticized expectations. Many a relationship might have profited from such an attitude.
The Ovations were one of the very few groups that managed to deliver quite a few great 45's for Goldwax. They propbably owed much of that success to their lead singer, Louis Williams jr., whose voice could be mistaken for Sam Cooke's.
Every artist has his or her song that will always be their trademark. No doubt, for Barbara Lewis' it was her Hello Stranger. She had written the title herself, and in 1963 this piece of sophisticated seduction got lots of air time on radio stations -- and had made it into the pop charts. (The background vocals are by The Dells, btw.) But today, I'll post a not so popular song by her.
Unfortunately, Barbara Lewis became one of the many artists who got swindled out of her fair share in her work. According to a bio on Pop History Dig "... despite her talents, Lewis’s share of the rewards for her music was not what it should have been, especially in the early years. When she began her career, she was naïve about the business side of her music, and executives got most of the money. Some of her royalty checks were sent to fictitious persons. At one point, Lewis was given a check for $500, with her handlers telling her it was the best they could do."
In case you don't have at least a Best of Barbara Lewis yet, get it here.
Archie Walker is one of the artists who only seemed to have released a handful recordings. I think it is regrettable not to have more material available by this artist. It certainly would have been interesting to hear how his voice had changed over time.
His voice may not be exceptional, but in its modesty (for the lack of a better expression) it is touching me. He's not trying to impress his audience, but is singing his song as if he were by himself -- in the shower, maybe?
I found the tracks -- of course -- at Sir Shambling's. At first, I was going to post only I'm Asking Forgiveness, but A Change Is Neardefinitely deserves to be posted too. The song's title already hints at the original it is based upon: Sam Cooke's A Change Will Come. The latter song's musical arrangement is no doubt brilliant -- I especially love the guitar.
Now, get an earful of that sweet 60's sound of Archie Walker.
I am in the mood for a voice resembling Sam Cooke's set against a backdrop of a soft guitar, a moaning harp, interspersed with the sound of a Hammond organ. Top the whole thing with perfect female background vocals and a driving drum beat showing the song its direction. I could have said I am in the mood for some Southern Soul -- but that just won't do it.
To all my followers and readers and friends: I wish you a happy new year and that at some point during 2011 you'll be the one singing "the dream I had came true."
I also start the new year with a new color scheme, hoping that life will be a vibrant, colorful, and daring an experience as the fuchsia/pink color combination I've picked.
Let's start 2011 on a hope-filled message -- in a song of course.
The Minits were three girls from from Montgomery, Alabama who followed in the footsteps of many another vocal group that before them had tried to make it big in the so called Soul City USA, Memphis. They released three singles on the Sounds of Memphis label, but left five more excellent titles lurking in the vaults to be released by the Kent label in 2010 on Follow Your Heart: The Sounds of Memphis Recordings.
These three girls should have been successful. Their talents speak for themselves. But, alas, as so many others before (and after) them, they never made it to the top.
Today's track is taken from Deep Soul Discoveries Vol. 1
All know about Ton Gregory is that he once sang with the famous Skatalites. He also was a songwriter and did some wonderful duets with Marcia Griffiths.
This song is from his Tony Gregory Sings album (Coxsone). Don't you just love the organ?
George Jackson, born in Indianola, MS in 1945 was not only a great singer but also a prolific songwriter. Growing up the southern way, he was of course exposed to the finest Gospel singers, including Sam Cooke, The Soul Stirrers and The Staple Singers.
Ike Turner had him record his first 45 in New Orleans: Won't Nobody Cha-Cha With Me. Jackson's first "recognisable" single came out in 1965and was titled There Goes My Pride.
Jimmy Ruffin is best known for his 1966 hit What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted, a song that was originally written for the Spinners -- and maybe for the fact that in 1964, after he had left the Army, he declined Motown’s invitation to replace Elbridge Bryant in the Temptation. Jimmy let his younger brother David have that spot ... The rest is history. (Of course, there is another version of the story, but that one is less credible, in my opinion.)
He followed this initial success with two more songs who made the charts I’ve Passed This Way Before and Gonna Give Her All The Love I Got (1966/1967). The Temptations later covered the songs with David Ruffin as lead singer.
After his initial success, Jimmy found himself struggling to score any more hits. He began eying the British scene, and in 1970 he finally landed three top ten hits in the UK. His British fans even voted him the world’s top singer.
I Am My Brother’s Keeper, the album he recorded for Motown together with his brother David, just recently has been re-released, and nowadays is being touted as a gem. In 1970, at the time of the original release, it was hardly noticed. That’s life, people!
Jimmy left the US in the 80’s to live permanently in the UK where he is still performing. (I heard he’s got a concert coming up there.)
First things first, I would like to thank Raggedy so much for the invitation to contribute on her blog. She's a complete class act and I am happy to be able to call her a friend of mine.
Since this is my first official written post on Sounds Of The Soul, I thought I would write about something that I am anticipating coming out very soon and that's the Syl Johnson: Complete Mythology from Numero.
For those that are not familar with the Numero Group, they have been putting out compilations of rare soul that is known as their Eccentric Soul series since 2004. These guys should be recognized for their work as they provide very detail and in depth linear notes about the histories surrounding such labels as Twinight, Prix, Tragar and Note just to name a few.
The newest release however will be spotlighting the very under appreciated Soul Legend Syl Johnson. Born in 1936, starting his career back in what many consider the birth years of soul(the late 1950's) as a blues singer, Syl would begin his career singing with the likes of Jimmy Reed and Howling Wolf before setting out on his own to forge his career that is criminally slept on. Syl's name should be right up there with the likes of James Brown and Wilson Pickett when talking about legends in Soul music. This set will hopefully help steer the ship in the right direction from the early looks of it. It will be focusing on all of his material he's done prior to his 70's run on Hi Records. That includes material from Federal and Twinight labels which many fans hold in high regard.
This will be a 4 CD, 6 LP set. As seen in the second You Tube video below, this set will undoubtedly do Syl Johnson justice. The release date for this beautiful set is October 19, 2010, so save up those dollars.
Garnet Mimms' greatest (and only hit) was Cry Baby, the song that later became a steady fixture in Janis Joplin's repertoire. He sang the original in 1963, and followed that fantastic song with plenty of other titles which were no less brilliant in my opinion. But they never reached hit status. One of these songs is I'll make It Up To You. This record does neither lack in Garnet's signature soulful urgent pleading nor in beautiful background vocals or a catchy arrangement. The track has been in my post-on-blog folder for quite a while, and since I am a little slow with my posts lately, I thought it would be appropriate to promise my blog followers that i'll make it up to them, so to speak, as soon as life gets back to normal here ...
This is the kind of song that catches my attention; as a matter of fact, this song got me out of the pool last night when it came up on my playlist. I couldn't remember having heard it (yes, yes I know) so I climbed out of the water, and went upstairs to the patio to see what song it was and who sang it ...
All I know about the Steelers is that they are a Chicago Soul group with only one hit in 1969, Get It From The Bottom. Today's song is the B-side of that 45.
In case you think I sound a little weird on today's blog, I confess to having had two glasses of wine and a barrel full of fun. Great combination, huh?
Why I chose Chuck Jackson for today's episode? Because Chuck Jackson has a phenomenal voice. Basta. Period. End of the story. He's been in the business for over 50 years, and that man has not lost an iota of power or charm. Just watch the video clips. Unbelievable!
In 1964 Emmet Garner Junior and his friends Ralph O'Neal, Jerome Johnson and Eddie Dunn founded one of the many groups that emerged from Chicago's West Side during that prolific era of Soul music. The Trends, as they had named the group, were not very successful though. They had several singles released mainly during the 60's, but they never had a hit. In 1968, finally, they broke up, and Emmett stayed in the business producing and promoting music in Chicago. (Source: Chicago Soul by Robert Pruter)
