ANOTHER GREAT SELECTION OF NORTHERN SOUL
Stuart Jefferson | San Diego,Ca | 08/23/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Four discs 63,64,66,70 minutes each approximately. The sound is uniformly good-warm yet crisp. Included in the hardback-style cover is a 60 page book on the Northern Soul movement and information on a number of the tracks in this collection. There are also many photographs of the performers and color reproductions of 45 labels.
I don't know what it is about this style of music. Maybe it's the overall up-beat feel. Maybe it's the up-tempo beat of the music. Maybe it's the vocals which slide from gritty to a smoother style. Maybe it's the fact that this kind of music isn't be recorded/played much anymore. Probably it's all the above. For whatever reason,this style of soul music has been relegated to the past. After listening to this style of music,and learning about the Northern Soul movement in England years ago,this music still gets the job done. And it shouldn't be forgotten. The Northern Soul movement was,after all,popular in the very late sixties/early seventies. And it really hit it's stride in England,where people would stay up all night dancing,listening,and buying/selling/trading esoteric 45 singles. In the beginning these artists were on major labels. Then,people began to discover some great music on smaller,local labels. It didn't really matter as long as the beat was insistent and the vocal was fairly visceral.
That's what you'll hear on this great collection of music. The artists range from well known to virtually unknown. But that fact didn't matter as long as the music was good. On this collection you'll hear great vocals and a few good instrumentals sprinkled throughout the four discs. If this is the type of soul music you like--mostly up-tempo with great,declarative vocals-this is something you should investigate. Don't wait too long,this collection isn't sold by Amazon any longer,only through certain sellers. But with four discs packed with great music and an informative booklet-all at a pretty good price (under $40 ) as I write this,don't wait too long.
This is music that still has great worth,and will reward listeners over and over again. Good music never goes out of style-but people tend to forget about it as time moves on,which is too bad. This is one of those times."
Track Listings (100) - Disc #1