Various artists Saturday reaches Northern Soul today. I'm sure that in the ultra obsessive world of Northern Soul that various artist compilations are if not absolutely verboten then at least frowned upon. A Northern DJ turning up with a bunch of various artists CDs would be laughed out of the building surely- these songs are to be listened and danced to on as God intended, on 7" vinyl, original pressings (re- presses permissible under certain circumstances). But in a world where the casual Northern Soul fan has limited resources and other genres of music to spend money on, original 7" singles from obscure 1960s and 70s labels are a luxury that must sometimes be foregone.
In 1998 a Northern compilation called It'll Never Be Over For Me came out on EMI's Stateside label, on both CD and double vinyl. The twenty song compilation seems to me to be a cut above the rash of cheap, supermarket Northern Soul CD compilations that came out a decade or so ago, built on TV adverts suddenly deciding northern Soul was the best way to sell fried chicken and mortgages. It'll Never Be Over For Me has some familiar names including Timi Yuro, Irma Thomas and Dean Parrish, and this song by Dean, the last song played at Wigan Casino before it closed its doors for good in 1981...
How good is that? Gnarly lead guitar intro from 1967 (re- released in the UK in 1975) and then one of those thumping Northern rhythms, horns, Dean's vocal stop- start dynamics, buckets of echo and a rousing chorus.
It'll Never Be Over For me also has this solid gold banger from Chuck Wood also from 1967, opening with a blast and Chuck declaring 'huh!' and then immediately following with 'First time I called you girl/ They say you wasn't at home...'
Seven Days Too Long was famously covered by Dexys Midnight Runners in 1980, a 7" that has become as sought after as many Northern Soul 7" singles.
I may sound like I'm being a bit snobbish about supermarket compilation CDs and I'm not (really). I have bought many, back in the days when supermarkets still sold CDs. One of them, Northern Soul: 20 Original Classics, is as good a way to spend 80 minutes as you're going to find during daylight hours, an album that may not be imaginative in its title but is accurate. R Dean Taylor. Dusty Springfield. Marlena Shaw. Gladys Knight and The Pips. The Impressions. Chris Clark. Frank Wilson...
The Flirtations...
Viva the cheap CD compilation album. Also, in this age of streaming and playlists, RIP the cheap compilation CD.
I have a ton of Northern Soul 'supermarket' CD comps and now c/o Spotify have a ton more bespoke playlists. All I know is they sound amazing booming out of my kitchen (on a humble lo-fi set-up) on a Saturday night. I have very little NS on vinyl save for a couple of Al Wilson and Sam Dees floor-fillers.
ReplyDeleteJM
DeleteI regularly change trains in Wigan on my way to see friends in Southport. There are still a few venues but I think it is fair to say the scene is not what it once was.
ReplyDeleteIt's the perfect music for blasting out in the kitchen John.
ReplyDeleteI knew Wigan in the mid- 90s Ernie, my wife lived there for a year.
Great stuff, doesn't it just make you feel good? And talking of the Wigan Casino, etc. I was reminded of a really heartwarming clip from Grayson Perry's 'Full English' series last year... wonderful
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwMgsXcQrGY
Great post and song choices, Adam. My only way in to Northern Soul realistically was via a couple of compilations from Woolworths. Imaginatively titled This Is Northern Soul & This Is Northern Soul 2, nevertheless it was my introduction to Do I Love You? (Indeed I Do), The Snake by Al Wilson, Out On The Floor by Dobie Gray and so on. There are a couple of duff contemporary remixes by self-styled ‘saviour’ Ian Levine, but they were a great primer for a few quid.
ReplyDeleteAs you say, such ad-hoc purchases & pleasures are sadly a thing of the past. Thanks goodness for music blogs, eh?
That Grayson Perry clip is wonderful C.
ReplyDeleteKhayem- There were a series of CDs themed around towns/ venues that were good too, Wigan, Stoke, Blackpool etc