Ok, here we go. It's ovious that a wide variety of musical tastes are represented on this forum, so I thought I'd tell you about some of the stuff I've been listening to lately, with links to Amazon UK for anyone who's interested.
By some strange coincidence, I've been listening to a lot of soul from Chicago. First off:
The Dells Anthology
This band are truly one of the all time greats. They've been together since the mid to late '50s, all the way back to the days of doo-wop, when they were known as the El-Rays. Their best known songs include Love Is Blue/Sing A Rainbow, Give Your Baby A Standing Ovation. Listening to this double CD always leaves me wanting more.
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis
This is an all time soul classic from one of the greatest musical poets of the 20th Century. All the way back to his days with the Impressions, everything Curtis ever recorded is worth listening to. Interesting CD this, among the bonus tracks are demos such as Ghetto Child which later became "Little Child Running Wild" on Superfly
The Ultimate Tyrone Davis
Another double CD, another all time great. Not sure about this being the "ultimate" Tyrone Davis of the title, but it's a pretty good place to start. If you only know Eddie Floyd's version of Knock On Wood, check out Tyrone's slowed down, soulful treatment. And there's plenty more where that came from.
I've also been listening to the Chi-Lites, without whom no discussion of Chicago soul could possibly be complete. Pop soul perhaps but no worse for that. I remember when one of my mates at school bought their Give More Power To The People LP, he claimed that every song was good enough to be a single. And to this day I can't argue. I also bought their next album, A Lonely Man. Both these albums and many more are included in their Brunswick sessions, two double albums containing everything the Chi-Lites ever recorded for that label. Although they continued to record after leaving Brunswick, these albums contain all the Chi-Lites you'll ever need - brilliant stuff.
Complete Chi-Lites on Brunswick Records Vol.1
Complete Chi-Lites on Brunswick Records Vol.2
Moving away from Chicago, Don Covay - Mercy/Seesaw which CD includes two of his classic 60s albums. Although you might not have heard of Don Covay, he is a soul legend. Not only did he write "Chain of Fools" and "See Saw", both of which were big hits for Aretha Franklin, but his Superdude was a classic early '70s album. This is good stuff, trust me.
I've also been listening to a fair bit of old Motown; for instance Brenday Holloway's Greatest Hits and Rare Classics Received wisdom has it that she would have been massive if she was based in Detroit. But she was from LA, and so it was Miz D.Ross who held the spotlight. I think it was John Lennon who was so impressed by her voice that he asked her to join the Beatles on tour
And finally, at least as far as this post goes,a couple of "Essential Collections", by the late, great Tammi Terrell, who tragically died of a brain tumour in 1970 aged 25 after collapsing on stage; and The Originals, who've been called Motown's best kept secret - never heard of them? Do yourself a favour, this is another classic soul band and this is a truly wonderful CD. Although these collections are extremely cheap (like three for a tenner) there's nothing nasty about them. Bargain is putting it mildly.
It's a bit obvious that at the moment I'm into a bit of a soul groove, any day I might shoot off on a jazz kick, get into a bit of reggae, or maybe even a bit of punk/new wave (Jam, Clash, Elvis Costello, for instance) see how I feel and all that.
So what about you?
By some strange coincidence, I've been listening to a lot of soul from Chicago. First off:
The Dells Anthology
This band are truly one of the all time greats. They've been together since the mid to late '50s, all the way back to the days of doo-wop, when they were known as the El-Rays. Their best known songs include Love Is Blue/Sing A Rainbow, Give Your Baby A Standing Ovation. Listening to this double CD always leaves me wanting more.
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis
This is an all time soul classic from one of the greatest musical poets of the 20th Century. All the way back to his days with the Impressions, everything Curtis ever recorded is worth listening to. Interesting CD this, among the bonus tracks are demos such as Ghetto Child which later became "Little Child Running Wild" on Superfly
The Ultimate Tyrone Davis
Another double CD, another all time great. Not sure about this being the "ultimate" Tyrone Davis of the title, but it's a pretty good place to start. If you only know Eddie Floyd's version of Knock On Wood, check out Tyrone's slowed down, soulful treatment. And there's plenty more where that came from.
I've also been listening to the Chi-Lites, without whom no discussion of Chicago soul could possibly be complete. Pop soul perhaps but no worse for that. I remember when one of my mates at school bought their Give More Power To The People LP, he claimed that every song was good enough to be a single. And to this day I can't argue. I also bought their next album, A Lonely Man. Both these albums and many more are included in their Brunswick sessions, two double albums containing everything the Chi-Lites ever recorded for that label. Although they continued to record after leaving Brunswick, these albums contain all the Chi-Lites you'll ever need - brilliant stuff.
Complete Chi-Lites on Brunswick Records Vol.1
Complete Chi-Lites on Brunswick Records Vol.2
Moving away from Chicago, Don Covay - Mercy/Seesaw which CD includes two of his classic 60s albums. Although you might not have heard of Don Covay, he is a soul legend. Not only did he write "Chain of Fools" and "See Saw", both of which were big hits for Aretha Franklin, but his Superdude was a classic early '70s album. This is good stuff, trust me.
I've also been listening to a fair bit of old Motown; for instance Brenday Holloway's Greatest Hits and Rare Classics Received wisdom has it that she would have been massive if she was based in Detroit. But she was from LA, and so it was Miz D.Ross who held the spotlight. I think it was John Lennon who was so impressed by her voice that he asked her to join the Beatles on tour
And finally, at least as far as this post goes,a couple of "Essential Collections", by the late, great Tammi Terrell, who tragically died of a brain tumour in 1970 aged 25 after collapsing on stage; and The Originals, who've been called Motown's best kept secret - never heard of them? Do yourself a favour, this is another classic soul band and this is a truly wonderful CD. Although these collections are extremely cheap (like three for a tenner) there's nothing nasty about them. Bargain is putting it mildly.
It's a bit obvious that at the moment I'm into a bit of a soul groove, any day I might shoot off on a jazz kick, get into a bit of reggae, or maybe even a bit of punk/new wave (Jam, Clash, Elvis Costello, for instance) see how I feel and all that.
So what about you?
