FOR FANS OF SOUL, 60,s MOD,JAZZ, JAZZ FUSION,REGGAE AND BLUES MUSIC.....ONLY THE BEST QUALITY OF REVIEWS AVAILABLE! NOW A SUBSCRIBED BLOG AND REVIEWED FOR THE LOVE OF THE MUSIC - NO LINKS AVAILABLE ON THIS BLOG AND NO SHARING REVIEWS WHAT SO EVER PLEASE WITHOUT CONSENT..OR YOUR GONE.....HAVE RESPECT AND ENJOY YOUR VISITS ENQUIRIES OR REQUESTS TO allmusicman2@protonmail.com OR BACK UP EMAIL allmusicman22@yahoo.com
I took my good lady wife away for a few days as she has a tough time ahead of her,between tomorrow & a week on thursday she has 3 medical procedures to endure so i,m not really in the best of minds to fully concentrate on the blog. I ,ll post up when i can find the right time & mood, i hope you all understand. Many thanks for your comments, you are a great bunch of guys!
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catch you all later guys enjoy the music!
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Great Dancers from the vaults of Stan lewis,s Tri-Labels stable!, every one a classic!!...Thanks to OSR for Booklet.
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The Tasters!
The Tasters!
The Hearts of Stone popped up unexpectedly on Motown's V.I.P. label in 1970 with the album Stop the World: We Wanna Get On. Surprising, since artists like the Velvelettes, Carolyn Crawford, Barbara Randolph, the Satintones, Kim Weston, and others hadn't been honored with album releases. The Group Members were Carl Cutler, Floyd Lawson, John Myers, & Lindsey Griffin, yet this unknown group gets one produced by Henry Cosby. The album wasn't Motown and sounds as if it would have fared better in the early '60s than 1970. Myers had been around, first with the Five Pennies on Savoy, and unreleased tracks on the Herald label. Also the Chimes, with Freddie Scott on Arrow Records, also featured with the Four Jokers on Sue and the Four Pennies on Brunswick. The Five Pennies consisted of Clifford Curry, Constance Holloway, Benjamin Washington, and Herbet Myers, John's brother. VIP Records issued two singles by the Hearts of Stone from their album. It's unclear what happened to the group after their stint with Motown, but it's believed that John Myers drifted into gospel music. They recorded another album six years later on a private pressing that,s dog rare and 5 x 45,s. This album only on CD in a japan issue. The first two tasters got plays on the scene.
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UPGRADE...Moxy posted this gem back in may of last year, some of you may have missed it so here it is again,methinks the man,s getting a taste for flac!..Timeless album!
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Courtesy Of Moxysouland jazz...Thx M8!
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The Tasters!
If anybody else on here was lucky enough to catch a JB Gig you,ll know what i mean when he was dynamite live, you certainly got your moneys worth & he with his very talented musicians gave it their all. Quite a hard album to get hold of these days and its a killer in every sense of the word.fast and furious funk from the godfather!..If he had recorded these tracks back in the day at this speed the northern scene would have gobbled the lot up!
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The Tasters!
One of the all time greats was Theodore Austin Taylor born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, in1934 and moved to California in 1952. He became a member of the Mighty Clouds of Joy gospel group, before joining the Santa Monica Soul Seekers as a tenor singer. In 1955, the Soul Seekers approached Maxwell Davis at Modern Records for a recording deal, and he persuaded them to concentrate on secular R&B music. The same group recorded as both The Cadets on Modern and The Jacks on the subsidiary RPM label. Taylor sang lead vocals on The Cadets' "Do You Wanna Rock (Hey Little Girl)" and "I Cry" and also on The Jacks' "Away" and "My Darling." He did not appear on The Cadets' biggest hit, "Stranded In The Jungle" in 1955; for that session, he was replaced by Prentice Moreland. Ted left the group, and recorded two singles on Melatone Records in 1957 with the Bob Reed orchestra on which he was credited for contractual reasons as "Ivory Lucky". Over the next seven years, he recorded singles for a succession of labels including Ebb, Duke, Top Rank International, Laurie (where several of his records were credited to Austin Taylor), Warwick, Gold Eagle, Soncraft, and Apt. He was influenced by such singers as Little Willie John, Clyde McPhatter and Jackie Wilson. At Duke, he made the first recording of the ballad "Be Ever Wonderful" in 1959. Although he had several regional hits, and released an album, Ted Taylor Sings, on Warwick in 1963, he did not achieve national commercial success until his 1965 recording on Okeh Records of "Stay Away From My Baby" reached number 14 on the Billboard R&B chart and number 99 on the pop chart, his only national pop chart entry. He also released three albums on Okeh, Be Ever Wonderful (1963), Blues & Soul (1965) and Ted Taylor's Greatest Hits (1966). After further singles on Okeh, Epic, Atco and Jewel, Taylor signed for the Ronn label in 1967. He remained on the label for seven years, and had several further R&B chart hits including "It's Too Late" (1969), "Something Strange is Going On in My House" (1970), and "How's Your Love Life Baby" (1971). He also issued several albums, including THIS ONE REVIEWED TODAY and Taylor Made on Ronn. His final chart hit, "Steal Away", was issued on the Alarm label of Shreveport, Louisiana in 1976. He continued to record on his own Solpugids and SPG labels until his death in a car crash in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1987, aged 53. Such a tragic end but his music lives on! He recorded 11 studio albums (inc one with his brother Little Johnny taylor) & 90 x 45,s. Another album thats hard to find. I would never consider parting with some albums and this is one of them!..No tracks from this album on the next of teds reviews.
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The Tasters!
When i got a request for this gem i paniced! Could not locate it for love or money, again after my good m8 OSR came to the rescue did it turn up. Good job we have everything on Kent between us....Once heard, the exciting falsetto voice of Ted Taylor can never be forgotten or mistaken for any other. With his elaborate pompadour hairstyle and pencil-line moustache, he looked a lot like Little Richard, his label-mate at Okeh Records for a spell (although Ted was far from little). Onstage he wore flamboyant pink suits, his manicured fingers heavy with ornate rings. This and his androgynous singing voice led many to conclude that Ted was gay, but appearances can be misleading, when out of the spotlight, he was a quietly-spoken family man. Ted Taylor fans have been well-served with CDs over the years, but even those with a full collection will find much new material to enjoy on this collection. Pride of place goes to eight previously unissued tracks – ‘Farewell’, ‘I’ll Be Here’, ‘Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere’, ‘A Lick And A Promise’, ‘Got To Have A Woman’, ‘Let Me Fix Up Your Feelings’, ‘Why Do I Have To Suffer’ and ‘(Long As I Got You) I Got Love’ all of which are first-rate with Ted in fine wailing form. Also included are four unreleased takes/versions, four great cuts from Ted’s 1971 album “Taylor Made”, a quartet of killer duets with Little Johnny Taylor from their shared “The Super Taylors” LP and a whole lot more. He left behind a wealth of great recorded work, to which “Keep What You Get” is a vital addition.
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Courtesy Of OSR Thanks m8!
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The Tasters!
Many Northern Soul fans dismiss the blues, a big big mistake! As ive always maintained its a very thin line between the genres if any at all ? This is a fantastic collection of tracks from the vaults of Jewel/paula..Listen to the Tasters that were ALL played out on the scene over the years, in fact check out the whole album...My mistake was selling it to moxy as he drove me mad for it, but i kept the booklet which was good!...just ordered it again its that good!
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The Tasters!
Stan Lewis used his younger brother's name to launch Ronn Records & his wife,s name to launch Paula records all based in Shreeveport, Louisiana. The labels were used as an outlet for "uptown" Rhythm & Blues and Jazz,Ronn records survived into the 1990s, until Lewis retired and sold the catalog to Fuel 2000 Records. P-Vine in japan now owns the entire stock of the jewel & Paula labels. Although never rich in the Berry Gordy sense of the word, Stan, a key
Motown distributor in the South in the 60,s, was able to loan the label 'some cash'
when Gordy wanted re-sign Stevie Wonder in the late 60s. He's still
bitter about losing 60,000 units of stock in Stax, which he received in
the late 60s after selling up his own company. A two year cooling off
period before resale meant that Stax went under before Stan could sell
and he lost around $2.4 million by his calculations, and his masters. He
blames his lawyers for not seeing it coming, although ironically they
also had Stax stock. He also makes reference to a British business man,
publisher and music collector well known on the UK soul scene of the 70s
who never paid him for masters. Without a doubt all 3 labels created some of the best music in the south with New Orleans just up the coast. More to come from these 3 great labels plus an in depth interview with him!
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The Tasters!
Joseph Benedict Valentine was born in New Orleans, in 1937 & passed in 2018 in Austin,Texas. He was a recording artist, musician, song-writer and (club owner In Austin). Although he only recorded 15 x 45,s he did record 4 studio albums and a live album mainly on his Tee Jay label which are very much sought after by collectors because Joe produced top-drawer ultra emotive deep soul, only a few exponents have managed to produce more than one supreme example in their recording careers and even the very few come mainly from the deep south. Joe wrote all his own material and delivered it with such conviction that makes his 45,s & albums in such high demand. The "Then" CD deals with his 1960,s output & "Now" with his 1970,s material,and he liked to delve into uptempo songs as well. Joe was brought up in Reserve, Louisiana, a community situated some thirty miles north-west of New Orleans on the east bank of the mighty Mississippi. Joe was born into a musical family with a history that dated back many years. His grandfather, Peter Valentine, played trumpet with a Dixieland band and his uncle, Kid Valentine (1896 to 1987) was known as Kid Thomas and became a significant jazz figure, his band playing regularly at Preservation Hall in New Orleans from the 60’s to the 80’s. Kid also toured Russia and other parts of Europe playing clubs and festivals. During the 60’s he recorded widely for the Jazz Crusade label both with his own band and with Big Bill Bissonnette’s Easy Riders Jazz Band. Kid would make more than twenty tours with the Easy Riders to the US North-East.....Joe began his professional career at age 14, as a featured vocalist with the Mitchell Lennox Rhythm Swing Band and was soon signed to Percy Stovall’s Continental Music Attractions. Stovall had run the Hurricane night spot in New Orleans in the 40’s and became a local promoter who also ran his own band. Louisiana born Willie West (well known on here from reviews) would later use this venue when he opened shows in the area both for Otis Redding, Mary Wells,& William Bell. Stovall fondly said: “New Orleans was the first city in which ‘You Don’t Miss Your Water’ went to No.1 for otis. Meanwhile the young Joe apparently supported an also young Ray Charles at one point and it wouldn’t be too long before he would form his own band, the first incarnation of Joe Valentine & The Imperials. When still only about 18 years of age, Joe moved to Baton Rouge and would spend the next 10 years there as a regular attraction at West Baton Rouge’s Carousel Club. In 1967, Joe relocated to Austin, Texas where he would remain for the rest of his days. Once there, he formed his own Val label & later Tee Jay Records. Also a consummate live performer, in his time Joe has apparently shared the stage with not only Ray Charles but also Chuck Berry, Joe Simon, Johnnie Taylor, Jackie Wilson, Eddie Floyd and Joe Hinton. In the early 70’s, he toured the U.S. and Europe with the late Joe Tex as both his bandleader, piano-player and as an additional featured vocalist. Joe sadly passed away in 2018, aged 81 in the Eastside home he had built himself shortly after telling his children it was his "time to go." He had been suffering from Alzheimer's, according to his son Joe Valentine, the youngest of his – wait for it - 22 children – and the fourth to be named Joe. A great artist who again never got the riches and acclaim he deserved. What an incredible deep soul man he was!....The first 3 tasters Northern spins.
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Just the one album release from these New york artists, no 45,s or info, they made this gem on the Roulette sub label and vanished ?..A great uptempo album of pure Funk now extremely rare and sampled loads of times!
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Sadly we come to the last 2 interviews in a very informative series that we all have learned so much about Detroit soul back in the 1960,s. I,m going to include a lot of scans relevant to the series for you to enjoy also....RAM-BROCK was a 1960s soul label from Detroit, Michigan, with the Musical Director being artist & writer Rudy Robinson. Robinson & owned by Dr. WALTER BROCKINGTON, Dr. Rueben Merrett and Dr. Clifford Isaacs. They bought Forest Hairston's Viney Records Recording studio and started producing sessions just after the Detroit riots in July 1967. Tri-Sound & Amazing Records were Owned by Major Reynolds, the Tri-Sound label operated out of a building on the corner of Hamilton and Tuxedo in Highland Park, Michigan, just six miles north of Detroit. The musical duties were carried out by Robert Eaton and Benjamin Knight, who together with Fred Bridges would go on to form the Creations which later became the Brothers of Soul. The Devotions’ ‘Same Old Sweet Lovin”/’Devil’s Gotten Into My Baby’ was the label’s first release, with both sides penned by Robert Eaton. The group was formed of three local girls who had auditioned for the label in late 1966 – Regina Woodward, Rosemary Green and Bobby Hemmitt. It is believed that there was only one other release on the label, Ed Crook’s ‘That’s Alright’ UK Northern Dancer.
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Review Available For 7 Days Only
If there ever was a record that evoked such emotion on the dance floors of the Northern Scene it was "I'm Com'n Home in the Morn'n" Discovered By my good pal John Vincent from Sheffield (Wigan casino & Samantha,s of Sheffield DJ) that sent shockwaves through the scene and is still a collectors piece today and still very much played out, & gone down as one of the greatest 45s to grace the scene, and from a blues singer! The album also contains the rare Memphis longer version of his other dancer " Your Love Is Fading". Tracks 3,5,6,7,8,10,& 14 recorded at willie Mitchell,s Royal Studio,s memphis: the rest at El Paso texas.....George Louis Pride was born in 1950 in Chicago & passed 2012 El Paso Texas aged 62. Lou attended the First Baptist Church, a church pastored by Reverend E.J. Cole, the father of Nat King Cole. Beginning a singing career, he performed a two year stint singing with The Karls on various service shows in Germany where he served. He later duetted with a female singer who he married and settled down with in El Paso, Texas.... In El Paso, Lou recorded the song 'I'm Com'n Home in the Morn'n' b/w 'I'm Not Thru With You' on the Suemi label in 1970. Lou recorded his first album, 'Very Special' (reissued as 'Gone Bad For A Very Special Reason' in 1988), in 1979 while living in Albuquerque, for the Black Gold Records label. He was then introduced to Curtis Mayfield and recorded an album, entitled 'Gone Bad Again', for the Curtom label. Ichiban Records released a CD of Lou's recordings in 1997. Ice House Records later produced 'I Won't Give Up' in 2000. Signing with Severn Records in 2002, Lou released 'Words Of Caution' in 2002' & 'Keep On Believing' in 2005. A very rare collection of Lou's early 70's material, entitled 'The Memphis/El Paso Sessions 1970-1973' is featured today with a bonus track they should have included. Lou recorded a total of 10 studio albums & 20 x 45,s..bonus track listed under back cover....I should not have to say this but if this or/and the southside movement with jackie ross turns up anywhere outside this blog i will close down, so enjoy the music for your ears only.
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The Tasters!
THE RARE MEMPHIS CUT
14 Southwind Symphony - Coming Home - Glorite BONUS TRACK (MP3)
I spent all day yesterday searching for this rare gem and found it after hours of trawling through my collection in locations... Jackie was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1946. She sang gospel in church from an early age, but after her father died, she moved to Chicago with her mother at the age of 15 or 16. It seems that the reason she moved was because Sam Cooke recognized her talent. Jackie released her first single, "Hold Me/Hard Times" (1962), on Sir Records, which Cook founded. Then in 1964, she released "Selfish One" on Chess, which became a huge hit. This song, with its Motown-like brilliance, was later covered by Diana Ross and became a Chicago soul classic. She released her long-awaited album, "Full Bloom" (1964), also on Chess, but after that she only released singles and it took a while for her to release another album. She had to wait until 1980 for her second album, "A New Beginning For Jackie Ross," released by James Van Lear on Golden Year Records in Chicago & reviewed here last month. This LP is now a rare record.It's a long way around, but the collaborative album on this album was also made by Golden Year Records. It was probably produced in 1981, but was never officially released. The title is undecided, and the first track, "Cold Hearted Woman," is sometimes used as the album title. First of all, why did Southside Movement, an earthy funk band, and Jackie Ross, who sang glittering soul, collaborate? The common thread between them is James Van Lear, the label owner and producer of this album. Van Lear has not only been producing Southside Movement since their debut, but also managed Jackie Ross from 1971 to 1982. It seems that Jackie's promotion was not very active after the 1970s, so this album may not have been a high priority for him. However, is it too much to say that the collaboration between the two artists, who have different backgrounds and musical styles, unexpectedly created a chemical reaction. Only the first 6 tracks were on the unissued LP the rest were expanded by the japanese diggers at P-VINE. I also translated the INFO sheet. You wont find this anywhere else (well others cant download it...lol!)
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When i found the J Ross/Southside CD this also turned up so its a Chicago review day today!..This was the talented Chicago outfits debut album i finally located today, still no CD issue for this vintage album ?..so had to replace the well worn Wand LP with real gones LP.
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The Tasters!
This was the debut LP from the Kay-Gee's who came from Jersey City, New Jersey. Formed in the early 1970s they proved that the band led by Kevin Bell (brother to Kool & the Gang's Ronald) had all the deep, driving grooves, kinetic energy, and street-corner vibes of funk's master outfit. Initially they were Kool And The Gang protégés Produced by Ronald Bell and Kool & the Gang, this album is full of strong lead tracks and plenty more strong material, like "Hustle Wit Every Muscle" (used as the theme song to the television show Party). The Kay-Gee's' horn section was equal to Kool & the Gang's, and if they lacked a few of the awesome hooks that propelled Ronald Bell's group into the R&B charts on a regular basis, alto/soprano Pete Duarte was a superior soloist and female vocal trio `Something Sweet` filled in the gaps on the great jam "Let's Boogie" and "Wondering." The Kay-Gee's were also better at locking into great grooves, while Kool & the Gang spent too much time mixing up their style. In 1976 they moved to De-Lite Records & Disbanded in late 1970s after recording 4 studio albums & 13 x 45,s.
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Southside Movement were a Chicago based octet which recorded in the early '70s. Made up of vocalist Melvin Moore, guitarist Bobby Pointer, keyboardist Morris Beeks, bassist Ronald Simmons, drummer Willie Hayes, alto saxophonist Milton Johnson, trumpeter Stephen Hawkins, and trombonist Bill McFarland, the group got its start as the backing band for the Sam & Dave-styled soul duo Simtec & Wylie. They later signed with the Wand label and issued their self-titled debut album in 1973; it produced a Top 20 R&B hit in the breakbeat classic "I've Been Watching You," which was sampled heavily by a future generation of hip-hoppers. The follow-up single "Can You Get to That" also charted, and the band subsequently moved to the 20th Century label. Their second album "Movin" appeared in 1974, but despite another much-sampled item in "Save the World," it didn't match the group's earlier success. 1975's "Bus Stop" was a minor hit, and the high-quality accompanying album, "Moving South" (REVIEWED TODAY), spawned a second single in "Do It to Me." from a total of 10 x 45,s recorded However, Southside Movement broke up later that year. They did a fourth album with the great Jackie Ross to LP on Golden Ear ,as soon as i find my Expanded CD i,ll review it plus the other two albums, also as it is their best IMHO. Superb band that deserved much more. "Do It To Me" a big northern hit!...The old LP well worn out.
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More selections from the DJ,s at the june alldayer back in 2004!
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More rare great tracks from the Mike hanks stable of labels. He was tragically shot dead in his prime. Crazy world!
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The Tasters!
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A fantastic Box set from france featuring the cream of New Orleans in the run up to the soul era. Please read the BOOKLET (In French & English equally). A Knock out Box set thats a must have!!!
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Courtesy Of PMAC...Thank You M8!
The Tasters!
First off this is NOT a disco album whatsoever....She may never have enjoyed the cross-over success of Dionne Warwick but Baby Washington's haunting singing is one of the most singular sounds to have emerged from the New York soul scene of the early 1960s. This is another album never issued to CD sadly and it is a cracker if you love your soul & it was her last album released from five recorded along with 70 x 45,s. Justine Washington was born in 1940 in Bamberg, South Carolina.She possessed a tremendously moving voice, earthy but sophisticated, perfectly epitomized uptown soul. Yet unlike her southern counterparts she has never experienced recognition, although once cited by Dusty Springfield as her all-time favourite singer. Baby Washington was raised in Harlem after her family migrated north, singing first in a vocal group, the Hearts, in 1956 and becoming a solo artist the following year. She built a career with 16 chart entries during a decade and a half, most of them during the 60s, recording in New York first for Donald Shaw's Neptune label and then for Juggy Murray's Sue label. She established herself as a major soul singer recording some great sides that went unoticed. Moving to Sue Records in 1962, Jeanette hit the US national Top 40 with the sublime "That's How Heartaches Are Made" (1963) and the US R&B Top 10 with "Only Those In Love" (1965). She revived her career in the early 70s, recording in Philadelphia a duet with Don Gardner, a revival of the Marvelettes' "Forever", (number 30 R&B), a solo release "I've Got To Break Away" (number 73 R&B), and a well-received album. In 2004 she came over to the UK and performed to raptuous acclaim at a Northern Soul week-ender where she was bowled over by the respect & knowledge her fans had of her music. The advent of disco in the mid-70s effectively killed her career off, as it did those of many soul artists. She performed on cruise ships and soul weekenders mainly in europe for the remainder of her career and is still alive as far as i am aware. Fabulous artist & her rarest album !
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