{"id":7157,"date":"2017-06-01T11:33:37","date_gmt":"2017-06-01T16:33:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/?p=7157"},"modified":"2017-06-01T11:59:41","modified_gmt":"2017-06-01T16:59:41","slug":"best-of-f16c-soul-in-harmony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/?p=7157","title":{"rendered":"Best of F16C – Soul In Harmony"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Example\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Funky16Corners Radio v.90 – Soul In Harmony<\/strong><\/p>\n

Playlist<\/strong><\/p>\n

Superlatives \u2013 I Don\u2019t Know How To Say I Love You (Don\u2019t Walk Away) (Westbound)
\nBroadways \u2013 Sweet and Heavenly Melody (MGM)
\nHesitations \u2013 Stay In My Corner (Kapp)
\nEthics \u2013 Think About Tomorrow (Vent)
\nSoul Brothers Six \u2013 I\u2019ll Be Loving You (Atlantic)
\nBlue Notes \u2013 Never Gonna Leave You (Uni)
\nMagictones \u2013 I\u2019ll Make It Up To You (Westbound)
\nLittle Anthony & the Imperials \u2013 It\u2019s Not the Same (Veep)
\nIntruders \u2013 Everyday Is a Holiday (Gamble)
\nArtistics \u2013 What Happened (Brunswick)
\nPlatters \u2013 Sweet Sweet Lovin\u2019 (Musicor)
\nAmbassadors \u2013 A.W.O.L (Arctic)
\nPrecisions \u2013 You\u2019ll Soon Be Gone (Drew)
\nRadiants \u2013 I\u2019m Glad I\u2019m the Loser (Chess)
\nOriginals \u2013 Love Is a Wonder (Motown)
\nIntrigues \u2013 I\u2019m Gonna Love You (Yew)
\nVolcanos \u2013 You\u2019re Number One (Arctic)
\nVontastics \u2013 You Can Work It Out (St Lawrence)
\nUnifics \u2013 Which One Should I Choose (Kapp)
\nFormations \u2013 Love\u2019s Not Only For the Heart (MGM)
\nProducers \u2013 Love Is Amazing (Huff Puff)
\nParliaments \u2013 Time (Revilot)
\nFour Sonics \u2013 It Takes Two (Sport)
\nMasqueraders \u2013 I Don\u2019t Want Nobody To Lead Me On (Wand)
\nMagnificent Men \u2013 Peace of Mind (Capitol)<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Listen\/Download 110MB\/256kb<\/strong> Mixed MP3<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n

\n<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Greetings all.<\/strong><\/div>\n
The end of the week is here, and I will remind you once again that the Funky16Corners Radio Show<\/strong> drops each and every Friday. You can subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, TuneIn, Stitcher, Mixcloud and right here at Funky16Corners.com<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
You should also take some time and stop by the playlist page for Testify!<\/strong> at WFMU<\/strong> and dig this week’s show, or any of the previous weeks.<\/a>\u00a0There was a streaming problem for the first 8 or 9 minutes of last night’s show, so if you desire the full Testify! “experience” click here to download or stream.<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
We close out the week with yet another classic mix from the archives, Soul In Harmony.<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Work on the reconfiguration of the Funky16Corners<\/strong> operation continues apace.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This year’s Allnighter\/fundraiser will begin later this month, and we have a stellar lineup of guest DJs doing mixes.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
So dig the mix, check out the podcast(s) and I’ll see you \u00a0all on Monday.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
KTF<\/strong><\/div>\n
Larry<\/strong><\/div>\n
________________________________________<\/div>\n

Thanksgiving week is here (at least in the US), and this year I have lots to be thankful for, as well as lots to do.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve decided to drop this mix today, and pretty much take the rest of the week off.<\/em><\/p>\n

Funky16Corners Radio v.90 \u2013 Soul In Harmony<\/strong> is one of those mixes that has been cooking (in my head, anyway) for a long time.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure how much it has been visible here on the blog (anyone have time lapse footage of the last five years?), but my tastes \u2013 often spurred on by a periodic excavation in my record room \u2013 are always evolving.<\/p>\n

Back in the day, when I first started to collect soul 45s, it was all about the rough and ready Southern sound, fast moving and loud.<\/p>\n

It would be years before I really started to examine soul ballads, and then I started to dig into funk, and then Northern Soul, then to disco and on and on, hopefully ad infinitum.<\/em><\/p>\n

The latest spike on the evolutionary time-line popped up sometime in the last year, spurred on by the sounds of sweet soul.<\/p>\n

The AM radio of my youth was filled with bands like the Chi-Lites, the Stylistics, Blue Magic <\/strong>and others, and to be honest, it all struck me as a little mushy, but then again I was 10 years old.<\/p>\n

As I got older, and started to listen and dig, ever deeper into the sounds of soul, I discovered a fair amount of sweeter, soul harmony stuff, often on the B-sides of more upbeat, aggressive records, and as is often the case, despite the comparative \u2018lightness\u2019 of some of these records, I was drawn in by what always grabs me, that being good songs.<\/p>\n

The first record in this style that really knocked me out was the Intruder\u2019s<\/strong> \u2018A Love That\u2019s Real\u2019 still one of my favorite records.<\/p>\n

Thanks to both geographic proximity and the quality of the music, I\u2019ve collected Philly soul for a long time, and one thing the cats in Philly knew how to create was solid harmony soul. Almost a third of the records I put into this mix are by Philly groups, another third from Detroit or Chicago, and the rest spread over the map (including one by my Jersey Shore homeboys the Broadways)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The importance of tight harmony singing has been a hallmark of black music, from the Mills Brothers<\/strong> and the Ink Spots<\/strong> in the 30s and 40s, countless groups in the 50s and of course everything in this mix, from the classic soul era.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s really something special about harmony singing. Done well, it\u2019s not just an accidental meshing of random voices, but rather an aural tapestry woven from perfectly complementary elements.<\/p>\n

The \u2018classic\u2019 soulful blend, with a tenor, or sometimes baritone lead, a bass and often someone capable of singing in falsetto provides a basic sound, but when some (or all) of these roles are filled by extraordinary singers the end result is something magical.<\/p>\n

All of the songs in this mix hail from between 1966 and 1970, a period when a certain maturity and creative growth was on the rise in soul music, when the finest groups intersected with great writers and producers to make music of increasing sophistication and depth.<\/p>\n

Though there is a general stylistic thread running through this mix, the tempos vary between pure balladry, upbeat, danceable soul and slightly rougher edged sounds.<\/p>\n

There are a few songs that have appeared here before, but when I started assembling the playlist, I knew that they had to be included.<\/p>\n

Things get started with the truly amazing \u2018I Don\u2019t Know How To Say I Love You (Don\u2019t Walk Away)\u2019 by the mighty Superlatives.<\/strong> I have sung the praises of this record before, but it certainly can\u2019t hurt to hear it again. The combination of sweet vocals, heavy drums and that stellar arrangement are truly amazing.<\/p>\n

The Broadways<\/strong>, without any question the greatest soul group to come out of the Jersey Shore recorded two solid 45s for MGM. Their \u2018You Just Don\u2019t Know\u2019 is a staple of my Northern Soul sets, and while \u2018Sweet and Heavenly Melody\u2019 also packs a driving beat, it has a lushness to it (how about those strings) that sets it apart.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know much about the Hesitations<\/strong>. I\u2019ve seen their records \u2013 often packed with covers \u2013 for years, but only bought on for the first time a few months ago. \u2018Stay In My Corner\u2019 is a marvel, with the singers alternating leads over dynamic backing vocals.<\/p>\n

The Ethics <\/strong>recorded a series of excellent 45s for Philadelphia\u2019s Vent label in the late 60s, including the Northern classic \u2018Look at Me Now\u2019. \u2018Think About Tomorrow\u2019 is a much slower, much sweeter, falsetto-led ballad that was clearly tailored to reflect the sounds that Gamble and Huff<\/strong> were creating at the same time.<\/p>\n

One of the rougher sounding, yet oddly pretty songs in this mix is \u2018I\u2019ll Be Loving You\u2019 by the Soul Brothers Six.<\/strong> The flipside of the classic \u2018Some Kind of Wonderful\u2019, \u2018I\u2019ll Be Loving You\u2019 features what is, in comparison to most of the records in this mix, remarkably spare instrumentation, with rhythm guitar, thumping bass, drums and tambourine, all sounding like it was recorded in one take. The real star here, aside from John Ellison\u2019s<\/strong> wonderful lead vocal, is the second guitar, which has a kind of chiming overtone to it that from a distance sounds like vibraphone accents. The more I listen to this one the more I love it.<\/p>\n

The next cut is by the Blue Notes <\/strong>(as in Harold Melvin<\/strong> and\u2026). Right before they began their run of hits with Philadelphia International, the group recorded two 45s for the Uni label. \u2018Never Gonna Leave You\u2019 (from 1969) was the B-side of the funky \u2018Hot Thrills and Cold Chills\u2019. The 45 was reissued a few years later, no doubt to capitalize on the success of their PI hits.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ll Make It Up To You\u2019 by the Magictones<\/strong> is the bottom half of one of the truly great Detroit soul 45s (the A-side being their epic cover of the Parliaments\u2019 <\/strong>\u2018Good Ole Music\u2019). Much like the Superlatives record (also released on Westbound), the Magictones juxtapose their harmonies with a heavy background, including some tasty electric sitar.<\/p>\n

Though they\u2019re best known for their early, doowop sides, Little Anthony and the Imperials<\/strong> recorded well into the classic soul era, including and excellent run of 45s for the Veep label between 1966 and 1969. \u2018It\u2019s Not the Same\u2019 which features Anthony Gourdine\u2019s<\/strong> unmistakable falsetto, and a classy arrangement (in which the Imperials are often doubled by female backing singers), bears a slight (but not overpowering) similarity to \u2018Goin\u2019 Out of My Head\u2019 (also from 1966).<\/p>\n

Speaking of Philadephia soul, there are few groups who were as successful \u2013 artistically and on the charts \u2013 as the mighty Intruders. <\/strong>\u2018Everyday Is a Holiday\u2019 (from 1969) is a great showcase for their unique harmonies and a muscular production and arrangement by Gamble and Huff. Listen closely to the bass and drums (almost funky), as well as the horns and staccato piano accents in the verse.<\/p>\n

Chicago\u2019s Artistics <\/strong>were reliable hitmakers for the Brunswick label in the late 60s. \u2018What Happened\u2019 is another record that seems to run on the outskirts of funk, as well as displaying the influence of the Temptations.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another group with solid roots in the doowop era, that also made some great soul records was the Platters.<\/strong> Though they had few (if any) original members by the time they recorded \u2018Sweet Sweet Lovin\u2019 in 1967.
\nFeaturing a great lead vocal by Sonny Turner,<\/strong> \u2018Sweet Sweet Lovin\u2019 is typical of the kind of upbeat, danceable soul the group was making in this period.<\/p>\n

We head back to the City of Brotherly Love with the Ambassadors.<\/strong> One of the truly great Philly bands of the late 60s and early 70s, the Ambassadors recorded some excellent 45s for Atlantic before moving on to Arctic records where they would record several outstanding 45s and an LP. They were adept a certain brand of funky soul, best displayed on 1969s \u2018A.W.O.L.\u2019.<\/p>\n

When I wrote about the Precisions <\/strong>\u2018You\u2019ll Soon Be Gone\u2019 back in 2008, I compare the sound of the record with a lot of the later period stuff that the Parliaments recorded for Revilot (it probably featured a lot of the same musicians. It has a much harder sound than their other Drew 45s.<\/p>\n

Chicago\u2019s Radiants<\/strong> recorded some of my favorite soul 45s of the 60s. By the time they recorded \u2018I\u2019m Glad I\u2019m the Loser\u2019, their lead vocalist Maurice McAlister <\/strong>had departed. I\u2019m not sure who\u2019s singing lead on this one, but he tears it up.<\/p>\n

The Originals<\/strong> recorded a string of great records for Motown in the late 60s, their biggest hit being 1969s \u2018Baby, I\u2019m For Real\u2019. \u2018Love Is a Wonder\u2019 is a brilliant bit of late 60s Motown, mixing tight, tight harmonies and a powerful arrangement. The lead vocalist sounds like someone Daryl Hall<\/strong> probably spent a lot of time listening to.<\/p>\n

Another great tune that bears a passing resemblance to a previous success is the Intrigues<\/strong> \u2018I\u2019m Gonna Love You\u2019. The Philadelphia group hit the charts in the summer of 1969 with \u2018In A Moment\u2019, a song with a similar vibe and arrangement to the tune in this mix. They recorded a number of cool 45s for the Yew label and hit the R&B (and occasionally Pop) charts a few times between 1969 and 1971.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a regular visitor to Funky16Corners, you\u2019ll already know that the mighty Volcanos<\/strong> are one of my all time favorite soul groups. Led by singer Gene Faith<\/strong> (born Eugene Jones), the Volcanos recorded some of the finest soul singles to come out of Philadephia in the 1960s for the Arctic and Harthon labels. They had the instrumental backing of the core of the famed Philly rhythm section and material from some of the best songwriters around. \u2018You\u2019re Number One\u2019 is a bright, fast moving dancer with lots of sweet background harmony lifting Faith\u2019s lead. Many of the Volcanos went on to form the core of the Trammps<\/strong> who went on to much success in the 70s.<\/p>\n

The Vontastics<\/strong> (who took their name from Chicago\u2019s black radio powerhouse WVON) recorded a couple of truly amazing 45s for a variety of Chitown labels (mostly St. Lawrence) between 1965 and 1969. \u2018You Can Work It Out\u2019 sports a stylish arrangement (dig those horns!) and some razor sharp vocals in a song that sounds like a tip of the hat to the Miracles<\/strong> \u2018Shop Around\u2019.<\/p>\n

I first heard the Unifics<\/strong> a few years back when I scored a copy of their monumental 45 \u2018It\u2019s a Groovy World. A product of Washington, D.C.\u2019s Howard University (like Roberta Flack<\/strong> and the Blackbyrds<\/strong>) the Unifics hit the charts a few times in 1968 and 1969, their biggest hit being \u2018Court of Love\u2019. They recorded some 45s and an excellent LP for the Kapp label under the guidance of songwriter and producer Guy Draper.<\/strong> The amazing \u2018Which One Should I Choose\u2019 was co-written by Draper, lead singer Al Johnson <\/strong>and yet another Howard alumni, the mighty Donny Hathaway<\/strong> (who also plays piano on the track).<\/p>\n

The Formations<\/strong> were another Philadelphia group with a Northern Soul classic \u2013 \u2018At the Top of the Stairs\u2019 \u2013 to their credit. \u2018Love\u2019s Not Only For The Heart\u2019 shows a harder edged side of the group that went on to perform and record as the Corner Boys<\/strong> (for Neptune), the Silent Majority<\/strong> (for Hot Wax) and Hot Ice<\/strong> (for Atlantic).<\/p>\n

The next track is a personal favorite of mine. One of my earliest \u2018cool\u2019 Philly 45 scores, the Producers<\/strong> 45 (on Gamble and Huff\u2019s short lived Huff Puff label) is a very solid two sider. \u2018Love Is Amazing\u2019 (the only tune in this mix with a female lead, provided by Mikki Farrow<\/strong>) is one of those records that should have been a substantial hit, yet never really (as far as I can tell) made a dent anywhere, even in Philly). It does have it\u2019s partisans in the UK, but remains (unjustly) obscure.<\/p>\n

The Parliaments<\/strong>, led by George Clinton <\/strong>are best known as the group that started the Parliament\/Funkadelic <\/strong>empire, but recorded some of the finest soul 45s to come out of Detroit in the 60s. \u2018Time\u2019 (from 1968) was the upbeat flipside of the psyched out breakbeats of \u2018Good Ole Music\u2019.<\/p>\n

The Four Sonics <\/strong>\u2013 another Detroit group \u2013 had connections to Nolan Strong and the Diablos<\/strong>. The unusual, bass-heavy vocals of \u2018It Takes Two\u2019 (not the Marvin Gaye<\/strong> song) appeared on the B-side of their epic version of Dusty Springfield\u2019s <\/strong>\u2018You Don\u2019t Have To Say You Love Me\u2019.<\/p>\n

I recounted the tale of the Masqueraders<\/strong> in this space not too long ago, but I couldn\u2019t very well do a mix dedicated to soul harmony without including their incredible \u2018I Don\u2019t Want Nobody To Lead Me On\u2019. A group of Texans, who relocated first to Detroit, and then ended up recording their best stuff in Memphis, the Masqueraders ought to be much better known. This song was also covered by the Dynamics.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This edition of Funky16Corners Radio closes out with the only white group in the mix, Pennsylvania\u2019s Magnificent Men. <\/strong>\u2018Peace Of Mind\u2019, written by lead singer Dave Bupp <\/strong>and trumpeter Buddy King, <\/strong>which hit the R&B charts in 1966 is an outstanding example of the influence of Curtis Mayfield <\/strong>specifically, and Chicago soul in general. Bupp has been quoted as saying that the song was written with Walter Jackson <\/strong>in mind, and it\u2019s not hard to imagine the master balladeer doing a fine version of the song. The Magnificent Men were one of the few white soul harmony groups to have success with black audiences in the 60s, though there must have been something in the water in Pennsylvania, with folks like Len Barry, Billy Harner<\/strong> and the Temptones (featuring a young Daryl Hall).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners<\/strong> on Instagram<\/strong><\/a>, Twitter<\/strong><\/a> and Facebook<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keep the faith<\/strong><\/p>\n

Larry<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Example\"<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

____________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived!<\/strong> The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock.<\/strong> They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US).<\/strong> Click here to go to the ordering page.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Funky16Corners Radio v.90 – Soul In Harmony Playlist Superlatives \u2013 I Don\u2019t Know How To Say I Love You (Don\u2019t Walk Away) (Westbound) Broadways \u2013 Sweet and Heavenly Melody (MGM) Hesitations \u2013 Stay In My Corner (Kapp) Ethics \u2013 Think About Tomorrow (Vent) Soul Brothers Six \u2013 I\u2019ll Be Loving You (Atlantic) Blue Notes \u2013 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[129,12],"tags":[166,169],"class_list":["post-7157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-of-funky16corners","category-soul","tag-funky16corners","tag-northern-soul"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pMKgo-1Rr","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7157"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7157\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7171,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7157\/revisions\/7171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}