The Apollas – Mr Creator
The Apollas
Listen/Download – The Apollas – Mr Creator MP3
Greetings all.
I was driving around this past week, working my way through one of a couple of huge Northern Soul playlists I have stacked up in the iPod, and found myself replaying today’s selection several times.
The Apollas are one of those soul groups that despite laying down a collection of demonstrably amazing 45s, were met with utter indifference on the charts.
Composed of three singers – Leola Jiles, Ella Jamerson and Dorothy Ramsey – the Apollas worked for a short time in New York with Lieber and Stoller before moving on to do most of their recording for Loma and Warner Brothers out on the West Coast.
The bulk of their 45s were produced by Dick Glasser, and arranged by cats like HB Barnum and Gene Page.
Today’s 45 is – at least in my opinion – the finest thing they ever did, and that has a lot to do with the fact that the song in question was penned by no less a duo than Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson.
‘Mr Creator’ was released in early 1967, and though it made little to no impact on its release, it went on to be a huge favorite in the soul clubs of the UK.
The record is in many ways the perfect intersection of talents, with stellar vocals by the Apollas, booming production by Glasser, a punchy, danceable arrangement by HB Barnum (dig the way the horns and vibes come in and out of the mix) and a great, hook filled tune by Ashford and Simpson.
As with any great Northern Soul anthem, “Mr Creator’ is a masterpiece of dynamic/daramatic shifts. The way the song lifts at the bridge (around 1:05) and then again when the horns come in at around 1:35 is a thing to behold.
It kind of boggles the mind that a record this perfect went nowhere. The Apollas never made the R&B charts, and as far as I can tell they didn’t find any regional Pop or R&B success either. They were lucky enough to have access to great material and a dedicated producer, and fortunately soul fans have embraced them retroactively.
Their records are now in demand, and I’m lucky that I was able to score a copy that plays well in spite of it’s less than stellar visual condition.
I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you all on Wednesday.
Keep the faith
Larry
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Themocracy
A huge favourite, also a big challenge for Northern dancers – it’s FAST! – and the DJ needs to build up to it and also plan to get back down to mid tempo after dropping that one.