Welcome to something unusual, that being the second consecutive week in a row starting with a new Funky16Corners Radio mix. While I normally wouldn’t stack them so close together, the circumstances are unusual.
Last week – as you already know – I returned to DJ Bluewater’s Master Groove night with a promised all-Northern Soul set. One of the great things for me about spinning at Master Groove is that I have a certain amount of flexibility in what I can spin, the only real constraints being those of the genres funk and soul (and there’s even a bit of wiggle room therein), and the format of the seven-inch, 45RPM single. Outside of those rather expansive guidelines, pretty much anything (assuming that the attendees dig it) goes.
The last time I brought my record box to Forbidden City, the sounds therein were entirely organ driven. It was on that night that I was rapping about the scene with my man Bluewater, when I said that I’d been thinking about working on a Northern (style) set, to which my esteemed host said ‘Why not?’.
Early last week I strode into the Funky16Corners record vault – which is in a seemingly constant state of chaos – and set upon the crates in search of my favorite Northern Soul 45s.
I should take a second here to mention that the definition of ‘Northern Soul’ that I’m using here is strictly a stylistic one, i.e. not every record I played is necessarily an accepted part of the Northern canon (though some are long standing faves on the scene), but rather hew fairly close to the ‘sound’ in question.
I pulled every single 45 box off of the shelves in search of the best and brightest (necessary since at least five of these records were in the very last box) and pulled out enough 45s for at least three hours worth of play. I spent the next few days at the turntable, working out which records I wanted to play, revising the set more than a few times until I was happy with the chosen sides. I’m happy to say that with one exception (the very last record on the playlist) I stayed with all the 45s I had originally selected.
As I’ve stated here many times before, while I’m no expert on the subject of Northern Soul, I am a huge fan of the sound, and the playlist above represents several of my very favorite soul records. And when I say ‘favorite’ I’m not referring to some passing affection. I’m talking about the kinds of 45s that set my hair on end and shivers up and down my spine. Heavy, heavy stuff. There are 45s here that combine propulsive, soulful power with pop hooks and brilliant performances in ways that very few records can approach. Getting to play them for people over a nice sound system is (as it is with any great record) an absolute blast.
My plan was – as I had done on my previous visit – to bring my digital recorder, hook it into the board and record the set as I laid the records on the turntables. Murphy’s Law being what it is, I drove all the way into the city without the necessary cable with which to make the connection. This was a huge drag, but I decided there and then that although I would be unable to present the “live” mix as promised, (since I was so happy with the results) I would record the set at home and bring it to you anyway, thus the new mix.
The mix features a lot of Philly sides, selections from Chicago, Detroit (natch) and even a couple of New Jersey sides, one hailing from my home turf on the Jersey Shore.
Things get started with a classic by Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes. ‘Get Out (and Let Me Cry)’ is probably unfamiliar to folks who’s concept of the group starts with the Teddy Pendergrass era, but by the time ‘Get Out…’ was released in 1965 the group had been together for almost a decade. It has a deceptively mellow opening, but once things get going it evolves into a hard charging dance number.
The original recording of ‘Look at What I Almost Missed’ by Miss Pat Lewis was the first tune to appear on the latest incarnation of the Funky16Corners blog. Though it’s better known via the version by its author George Clinton with his group the Parliaments, the Solid Hit version by Lewis is sweet.
Maurice (McCallister) and the Radiants are one of the greatest Chicago groups of the 60s. They recorded a number of classics, including ‘Voice Your Choice’. The selection included in this set, the epic ‘Baby You’ve Got It’ first made its way into my ears via the cover by the Action.
The Jersey Shore record I mentioned above is ‘You Just Don’t Know’ by the mighty Broadways. Hailing from Asbury Park and Long Branch, and featuring members that would go on to join the Moments, the Broadways recorded two outstanding 45s for MGM. ‘You Just Don’t Know’ is a soaring, hook-filled masterpiece.
Of the many Philadelphia records revered by the Northern Soulies, my favorite (out of the remarkable Harthon stable) is the Four Larks ‘Groovin’ at the Go Go’. Having found almost every other45 by the group, I chased this record for years, ultimately convinced that I would never find – or be able to afford – a copy of my own. Until, that is, a reader of the blog, in one of the greatest recorded acts of vinyl-related altruism, found a mint copy at a New York City stoop sale and sent it to me. To say that I was pole-axed when I opened the package and saw that it contained one of my all-time white whales is an understatement. One of the many records in this mix that might be described as ‘anthemic’, ‘Groovin’ at the Go Go’ – penned by Thom Bell – has it all, and is justifiably considered a classic.
Possessor of the greatest faux-Smokey Robinson voice in soul history, Baltimore’s Bob Brady (and the Con Chords) recorded a number of excellent sides for the Chariot label, but none of them is as flat-out amazing as ‘Everybody’s Goin’ to the Love In’, with its pounding piano line, blaring horns and era-specific lyrics. I dare you to stay in your seat when this one starts playing.
Heading back to Philly – and one of my all-time fave soul groups – we hear the Volcanos and ‘(It’s Against) the Laws of Love’. When I packed my record box for the night it contained no less that four Volcanos 45s, from both their Arctic and Harthon periods. Though ‘Storm Warning’ is still my fave, I decided to go a little deeper and drop ‘(It’s Against) The Laws of Love’ instead. Written by Carl Fisher (who also wrote ‘Storm Warning’), the tune features Vince Montana’s vibes and a typically excellent Gene Faith vocal.
I’ve gone on at length in this space before about my love for Barbara Banks’ ‘River of Tears’ (as well as the Royalettes’ cover of same). It’s simply a brilliant record.
Though Bonnie and Lee’s storming ‘The Way I Feel About You’ was released on Philadelphia’s Fairmount label, I’ve never been able to nail down any info on the duo. It opens with a jangling guitar line, and then the rest of the band falls in like a ton of bricks. It was – as far as I can tell – the last 45 to be released on the label, which would place it somewhere in 1965/66.
Irma Thomas has long been known as the Soul Queen of New Orleans for good reason. Her discography is packed with winners, from soaring ballads like ‘I Wish Someone Would Care’, to uptempo dancefloor killers like her cover of Jackie DeShannon’s ‘Breakaway’, and the song included in this mix, the amazing ‘What Are You Trying To Do’. Unusual in her Imperial discography in that it was written and produced by the master Allen Toussaint ‘What Are You Trying To Do’ sounds a lot more Detroit than New Orleans.
Oddly enough, the first time I heard the Olympics’ ‘Mine Exclusively’ was in an unjustly forgotten, period/teen film called ‘The In Crowd’. A barely disguised retelling of the story of Jerry Blavat’s Philly dance party TV show, the movie features a great soundtrack and some wonderful production numbers. ‘Mine Exclusively’ is one of the finest late-period numbers in the Olympics discography.
I have to admit that I only heard Mary Wells powerful ‘Can’t You See (You’re Losing Me)’ a few months ago, via a tip by Atlanta’s finest, Agent 45. This was another one of those ‘where has this record been all my life’ numbers which knocked my flat on my ass the first time I heard it. I wasted no time in tracking down a copy.
When I mentioned that some of these records sent chills up my spine, I was referring specifically to the Vontastics’ “Never Let Your Love Grow Cold’. One of my fave Chitown 45s, it has a fantastic arrangement which builds excitement from the first guitar riff all the way to the run off groove. If you find any of their 45s in the field, do not sleep!
JJ Barnes made some of the greatest Detroit soul 45s, and is justly revered as a kind of patron saint of the Northern scene. ‘Chains Of Love’ is one of his harder 45s, and features my favorite vocal by Barnes.
I mentioned being turned on to the Radiants ‘Baby You’ve Got It’ by UK mod gods the Action, and such is also the case with the Marvelettes ‘I’ll Keep On Holding On’. Though this mix features a lot of favorites, this is probably – for me – the very top of the heap. It’s not only a great dancer, but the chorus builds into one of the great soul anthems of all time. I remember sweating this record heavily for years until I scored a copy (at a premium) many, many years ago. Oddly enough I found a second, mint copy about a month ago for a pittance. I plan on keeping it in cold storage in case anything untoward happens to my original.
We return to New Jersey with the great ‘I’ll Try’ by Sam and Bill. This is another one of those 45s that I pulled out a huge, multi-thousand record haul some years back, and it sat, unlistened to for a good, long time until it finally blew me away. It’s records like this that remind me that I need to be more thorough when I’m reviewing my finds.
It wouldn’t be very cool if I put a set like this together and didn’t include anything from the pen of the brilliant Curtis Mayfield. The Fascinations 1967 ‘Girls Are Out To Get You’ (one of their six 45s for the Mayfield label, almost half of its entire discography) is a classic.
When I mentioned accepted numbers from the Northern Soul canon, I was referring to 45s like Young-Holt Unlimited’s ‘California Montage’. Actually a piece of film music (from the movie ‘Winning’), ‘California Montage’ is a classy instrumental, with a strong dancers beat and layer upon layer of strings and horns.
Eddie Holman is best known for his late 60s ABC sides like ‘Hey There Lonely Girl’, but I’m here to tell you that unless you’ve heard his Cameo/Parkway 45s, you’re missing a big part of the picture. Holman worked as both a performer and songwriter attached to Philadelphia’s Harthon organization for a few years before he hit it big, and made some really brilliant 45s. ‘Eddie’s My Name’ – featuring Holman’s soaring tenor – is my personal fave, and it makes me happy that after a long search, I dug up my own copy inside the Philadelphia city limits.
Another great Philly side is the Ethics’ ‘Look at Me Now’, which should have been a huge hit (they did have a couple of R&B chart placements, but this wasn’t one of them), instead of the local sensation that it was.
The most successful of the classic Philly soul groups, the Intruders had no less that twenty-four (?!?) R&B chart hits between 1966 and 1975, including 1968’s Number One hit ‘Cowboys to Girls’. The storming ‘(You Better) Check Yourself’, from 1966 is proof that they were capable of more than the sweet soul they were best known for.
Another Northern classic (a fave at the UK – Stoke On Trent – venue the Golden Torch) ‘Sliced Tomatoes’ by Just Brothers is actually a later record, having been released in 1972. I always enjoy dropping this one since most people, if they’re unfamiliar with the OG, recognize it as the song Fatboy Slim sampled for ‘Rockafella Skank’.
If you follow the Funky16Corners blog, you already know that I verily worship at the altar of the mighty Lou Courtney. He penned (and produced) Lorraine Ellison’s stratospheric ‘Call Me Anytime You Need Some Loving’. Featuring a propulsive verse and a positively explosive chorus, ‘Call Me…’ is a great illustration of Ellison’s amazing range.
Marvin Gaye’s oft covered ‘Baby Don’t You Do It’ is yet another great tune that I first heard via a performance by a UK 60s mod band, in this case the mighty Small Faces. Though their version is very cool, Gaye’s original snaps, crackles and pops on a whole ‘nother level. Listen to how those drums explode from the speakers as Marvin winds his smooth way in and out of that powerful Motown sound. Solid, solid stuff.
This edition of the Funky16Corners Radio Podcast comes to a conclusion with a killer song by Len Barry. I knew (and loved) ‘I Struck It Rich’ in the version by Billy Harner, but only found the original (written by Barry with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff) late last year. While it lacks the power of Harner’s cover, it has a certain stylish, polished vibe that I dig a lot. I’ve always considered Barry to be an underrated singer, and ‘I Struck It Rich’ is proof as to why.
I hope you dig the mix, and hopefully the next time I hit the decks at Master Groove, I’ll have all my technical ducks in a row.
See you later in the week.

Peace

Larry

PS – One of the benefits of running the blog out of my own web space, is the opportunity for better statistical tracking. One of the benefits of that is seeing where all of you fine folks are visiting from, which has been a sobering experience. If you take a look at the list below the Funky16Corners blog is bringing folks in from all over the world. In addition to almost every one of the United States (especially one person in Atlanta who seems to be the biggest fan this blog has ever had), people are falling by from all corners of the world.

I drive my wife nuts every day as I check the visitor stats to see if I can find a flag I haven’t seen before.

I’d just like to say thanks to the folks in…

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Just added 2/26 ! Venezuela, Cambodia and Bulgaria!!!

Added on 2/28 – Moldova and Pakistan!!!

Added 4/4 Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Libya!!!

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