K SPECIAL
VA - Super Soul 65: The Greatest Soul Songs of 1965 (60th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) (5CD) (2025)
The first in a series of when soul music first exploded onto the music scene and took the charts by storm during the mid-sixties.
In 1965, Billboard published a chart ranking the top-performing singles in the United States in soul and rhythm and blues (R&B) and related African American-oriented music genres; the chart has undergone various name changes over the decades to reflect the evolution of such genres and since 2005 has been published as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The chart returned in the issue of Billboard dated January 30, 1965, having not been published since the issue dated November 23, 1963. No official explanation has ever been given as to why Billboard ceased producing R&B charts. Chart historian Joel Whitburn has contended that "there was so much crossover of titles between the R&B and pop singles (Hot 100) charts that Billboard considered the charts to be too similar". It was published under the title Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles through the issue dated May 29 and Top Selling Rhythm & Blues Singles thereafter; during the year, 13 different singles topped the chart.
When the R&B chart returned from its hiatus, the first number one was "My Girl" by the Temptations, which held the top spot for six consecutive weeks. The song was one of several of the year's chart-toppers to be released under the Motown label and its subsidiaries; Marvin Gaye, the Supremes and the Four Tops also reached number one in 1965 with singles released under the Detroit-based label. Motown, founded by Berry Gordy Jr in 1959, had released its first million-selling single two years later, and would go on to become one of the most successful and influential labels of the 20th century and bring unprecedented levels of mainstream success to Black music.
The Four Tops had the year's longest-running number one, spending nine consecutive weeks atop the chart with "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)". James Brown was the act with the highest total number of weeks atop the chart during the year; he spent eight weeks at number one between August and October with "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag (Part 1)" and a further four weeks at number one with "I Got You (I Feel Good)", which reached number one in the issue of Billboard dated December 4 and stayed there for the remainder of the year. Brown, nicknamed "the Godfather of Soul", is regarded as one of the most influential Black musicians of all time and one of the most successful acts in the history of Billboard's R&B singles chart, with more than 100 of his songs having entered the listing. Gaye was the only other act to achieve more than one R&B number one in 1965, but both "I'll Be Doggone" and "Ain't That Peculiar" spent just a single week in the top spot.
The Supremes scored four #1 hits in 1965 with "Come See About Me", "Stop! In the Name of Love", "Back in My Arms Again" and "I Hear a Symphony".
That year, many legendary acts hit number one for the first time including: Marvin Gaye, Wilson Pickett, Soloman Burke, Fontella Bass, The Righteous Brothers, Little Milton, Junior Walker & the All Stars, the Temptations, the Four Tops, and the Supremes.
Northern Soul Comes Alive! All made in 1965.
This isn’t just about hits, there’s B-sides, obscurities and many hard to find tracks that have gone on to become Northern soul classics.
"Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" is a song and single by American soul singer Frank Wilson first pressed in 1965 on the Motown subsidiary label Soul. It is Wilson's only Motown single and is a prized item among collectors.
Approximately 250 demo 45s of the song were pressed in 1965 and scheduled for release on 23 December 1965. Owing to a combination of Wilson deciding that he would rather focus on producing and Motown's Berry Gordy's lukewarm reception of the vocals and wish to prevent his producers from having a successful recording career, the demos were destroyed. At least two, and maybe as many as five, copies survived, one of which fetched £25,742 in April 2009. One is rumoured to be owned by Berry Gordy. Due to its scarcity it remains one of the most collectable discs especially by followers of Northern soul. Owing to the demand caused by it being played at the famous English Northern soul nightclub, Wigan Casino, it was first officially released in the UK in 1979 on the Tamla-Motown label, and again in 2004 with a version of the same song by Chris Clark on the B-side.
On CD, the mono Frank Wilson version was issued on The Complete Motown Singles, Volume 5: 1965 (Hip-O Select), while the stereo version appears on the British compilation This Is Northern Soul: The Motown Sound Volume 1 (Motown). The Chris Clark version (in an alternate mono mix) was issued on the British "A Cellarful of Motown!", the first volume of four double discs documenting unreleased Motown songs.
Rare Soul 7-inch sells for £100,000
An English collector paid £100,000 for Frank Wilson's soul gem 'Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)' in 2020.
Recorded in 1965, the single was intended to be released on Motown's Soul imprint, before being withdrawn.
According to rumour, founder Berry Gordy was none too happy about Frank Wilson - his top producer - stepping out to the limelight.
Whatever the reason, the single is now incredibly, incredibly rare… but it somehow went on to enjoy a second life as one of Northern Soul's defining records.
As far as I can work out, this could be the most anyone has ever paid for a seven inch single.
A true classic of the long-running underground scene, a previous copy sold for £26,000 back in 2009.
https://www.clashmusic.com/news/rare-soul-seven-inch-sells-for-100000/
"Tainted Love" is a song composed by Ed Cobb, formerly of American group the Four Preps, which was originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964. In 1981, the song attained worldwide fame after being covered and reworked by British synth-pop duo Soft Cell for their album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret. The song has since been covered by numerous groups and artists.
Gloria Jones versions (1964; released 1965) (second recording 1976)
American artist Gloria Jones made the first recording of "Tainted Love" in 1964. Glen Campbell played lead guitar. The song was written and produced by Ed Cobb and arranged by Lincoln Mayorga. It was the B-side of her 1965 single "My Bad Boy's Comin' Home", which was a commercial flop, failing to chart on either the US or the UK. According to Nick Talevski, before Jones recorded the song, Cobb had offered it to the Standells, whom he managed and produced, but they rejected it. The Standells say that the song was never offered to them, and that they were not signed to Cobb's company Greengrass Productions until 1966, some two years after Jones's recording.
In 1973, British club DJ Richard Searling purchased a copy of the almost decade-old single while on a trip to the United States. The track's Motown-influenced sound (featuring a fast tempo, horns, electric rhythm guitar and female backing vocals) fit in perfectly with the music favoured by those involved in the UK's Northern soul club scene of the early 1970s, and Searling popularised the song at the Northern soul club Va Va's in Bolton, and later, at Wigan Casino.
Owing to the new-found underground popularity of the song, Jones re-recorded "Tainted Love" in 1976 and released it as a single, but it also failed to chart. This version was released on her album Vixen and was produced by her boyfriend Marc Bolan.
In 2014, NME ranked it number 305 in their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
"Rescue Me" is a rhythm and blues song first recorded and released as a single by American soul singer-songwriter Fontella Bass in 1965. The original versions of the record, and BMI, give the songwriting credit to Raynard Miner and Carl William Smith, although many other sources also credit Bass herself as a co-writer. It would prove the biggest hit of Bass's career, reaching #1 on the R&B charts for four weeks and placing at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Rescue Me" also peaked at #11 on the UK Singles Chart.
According to writer Robert Pruter in his book Chicago Soul, the song emerged from a songwriting and rehearsal, or "woodshedding", session at Chess Records." 'Rescue Me' was a terrific example of the Chess studio system at its finest... One Saturday in August 1965, Bass was sitting in a rehearsal studio with producers-writers Carl Smith and Raynard Miner. They were fooling around with the song when arranger Phil Wright walked in, and the ensuing four-way jam session brought forth 'Rescue Me'. Billy Davis produced the side..." Bass claimed that, although Smith, Miner and Davis had assured her that her contribution to authorship of the song's lyrics would be acknowledged, this was never done.
Bass recorded the song in three takes at Chess Studios in Chicago. Minnie Riperton provided background vocals, and Maurice White and Louis Satterfield, later of Earth, Wind & Fire, were on drums and bass respectively. Other musicians on the record included Gene Barge on tenor sax, Pete Cosey and Gerald Sims on guitar, Raynard Miner on piano, Sonny Thompson on organ, and Charles Stepney on vibes. According to Bass, the call-and-response moans heard in the song's fade were unintentional. In an interview with The New York Times in 1989, she said, “When we were recording that, I forgot some of the words... Back then, you didn't stop while the tape was running, and I remembered from the church what to do if you forget the words. I sang, ‘Ummm, ummm, ummm,’ and it worked out just fine.”
"Yes, I'm Ready" is a song by Barbara Mason from her album Yes, I'm Ready (1965). It has been covered by numerous artists, and was a hit single for Teri DeSario and K.C.when they recorded a duet version in 1980.
Mason, a soul / R&B singer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, had released a few singles while she was a teenager in the mid-1960s. "Yes, I'm Ready" became Mason's first big hit on the music charts, peaking at No.2 on the Billboard R&B chart, and No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1965. While Mason would continue recording into the 1980s, this song has been her highest-charting hit. Mason later re-recorded the song for her 1973 album, Give Me Your Love. The key personnel who helped bring this hit recording to life later became the important creators of the "Philly Sound". These people include: Kenny Gamble as a backup singer, Bobby Eli and Norman Harris on guitar, Ronnie Baker on bass and Earl Young on drums (Eli, Harris and Baker later on became principal members of MFSB and Kenny Gamble would co-found Philadelphia International Records with Leon Huff).
So, after months of exhaustive and extensive online research, plus my own recollections and memories, here is my personal compilation of what I consider to be the 150 best and most important soul tracks from 1965.
This fully packed 5CD set contains many rare and extremely hard to find tracks, with a number featured in their original mono 7" single form. Only the original 1965 studio mixes are included. No later remixes, 'stereo enhanced' or live versions here!
*** PLEASE NOTE: A few tracks featured in this compilation were actually released at the very end of 1964 but didn't hit their peak chart position (mostly on Billboard) until January or February 1965 and that's why I've included them.
Compiled as always using the very latest and highest quality digital remasters, with a considerable number of tracks sourced from the original master tapes for superior sound quality and enjoyment.
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Track lists
CD1
1 Frank Wilson - Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:33
2 Gloria Jones - Tainted Love (Original 1965 Champion Records 7" Mono Single Version) 2:10
3 Fontella Bass - Rescue Me 2:52
4 Barbara Mason - Yes, I'm Ready (Original 1965 Arctic Records 7" Mono Single Version) 3:05
5 Four Tops - I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:44
6 Martha and the Vandellas - Nowhere to Run (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:52
7 James Brown - Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, Pt. 1 (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:06
8 Ray Pollard - The Drifter 2:59
9 Edwin Starr - Agent Double-O-Soul 2:44
10 The Radiants - Ain't No Big Thing 2:50
11 Marvin Gaye - Ain't That Peculiar (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:59
12 Earl Van Dyke & the Soul Brothers - All for You (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:57
13 Dionne Warwick - Are You There (With Another Girl) (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:51
14 Jimmy Ruffin - As Long as There Is L-O-V-E, Love (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:51
15 Four Tops - Ask the Lonely (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:59
16 Loretta Williams - Baby Cakes 2:10
17 Barbara Lewis - Baby, I'm Yours 2:32
18 The Supremes - Back in My Arms Again (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:57
19 Edwin Starr - Back Street 2:46
20 The Velvelettes - A Bird in the Hand (Is Worth Two in the Bush) (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:52
21 The Ad Libs - The Boy from New York City (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 3:01
22 Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Edit) 2:36
23 Nella Dodds - Come Back Baby 2:23
24 The Supremes - Come See About Me (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:41
25 Ben E. King - Cry No More 2:52
26 Mary Wells - Dear Lover (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:08
27 Etta James & Sugar Pie DeSanto - Do I Make Myself Clear 3:01
28 Dee Dee Warwick - Do It with All Your Heart 2:24
29 Chris Clark - Do Right Baby Do Right (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:50
CD2
30 Chris Clark - Don't Be Too Long (B-side of 'Do Right Baby Do Right') (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:35
31 The Ikettes - Don't Feel Sorry for Me 3:02
32 Willie Hutch - The Duck 2:58
33 Tony Clarke - The Entertainer 2:34
34 Willie Mitchell - Everything Is Gonna Be Alright 2:23
35 The Sapphires - Evil One 2:07
36 The Contours - First I Look at the Purse (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 3:03
37 The Dixie Cups - Gee the Moon Is Shining Bright (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:16
38 Bobby Marchan - Get Down with It (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:27
39 Bessie Banks - Go Now (Original 1965 Red Bird UK 7" Mono Single Version) 2:39
40 The Yum Yums - Gonna Be a Big Thing 2:27
41 The Olympics - Good Lovin' 2:32
42 Solomon Burke - Got to Get You Off My Mind (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:36
43 The Sapphires - Gotta Have Your Love 2:14
44 The Chalfontes - He Loves Me (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:07
45 The Velvelettes - He Was Really Sayin' Somethin' (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:31
46 The Ikettes - (He's Gonna Be) Fine, Fine, Fine 2:36
47 Sugar Pie DeSanto - Here You Come Running 2:51
48 Mickey Lee Lane - Hey-Sah-Lo-Nay 2:27
49 Tammi Terrell - Hold Me Oh My Darling (B-side of 'I Can't Believe You Love Me') (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:36
50 Sam Hawkins - Hold On Baby 2:48
51 Marvin Gaye - How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:59
52 Irma Thomas - The Hurt's All Gone (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:23
53 Tammi Terrell - I Can't Believe You Love Me (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:36
54 Evie Sands - I Can't Let Go 2:15
55 Baby Washington - I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face 2:33
56 Tawny Reed - I Got a Feeling (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:50
57 The Supremes - I Hear a Symphony (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:42
58 Dee Dee Sharp - I Really Love You (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:48
59 Clarence Reid - I Refuse to Give Up 2:27
60 Joe Tex - I Want to (Do Everything for You) (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:05
CD3
61 The Detroit Spinners - I'll Always Love You (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:46
62 Marvin Gaye - I'll Be Doggone (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:52
63 The Marvelettes - I'll Keep Holding On (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:27
64 Mary Love - I'm in Your Hands 2:34
65 Loretta Williams - I'm Missing You (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:47
66 Kim Weston - I'm Still Loving You (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:49
67 Otis Redding - I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now) (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:57
68 Barbara Mason - If You Don't (Love Me, Tell Me So) 3:19
69 Dusty Springfield - In the Middle of Nowhere (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:59
70 Wilson Pickett - In the Midnight Hour (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:35
71 Dobie Gray - The "In" Crowd 2:51
72 Shorty Long - It's a Crying Shame (The Way You Treat a Good Man Like Me) (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:45
73 Ray Pollard - It's a Sad Thing 2:27
74 Maxine Brown - It's Gonna Be Alright 2:37
75 Four Tops - It's the Same Old Song (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:47
76 Roy Head - Just a Little Bit (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 1:42
77 Nolan Chance - Just Like the Weather 2:36
78 James Barnett - Keep on Talking (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:27
79 Lulu - Leave a Little Love (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:46
80 Donnie Elbert - A Little Piece of Leather 2:41
81 The Apollas - Lock Me in Your Heart (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:06
82 The Velvelettes - Lonely, Lonely Girl Am I (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:11
83 Tina Britt - Look 2:56
84 Willie Hutch - Love Runs Out 2:38
85 The Toys - A Lover's Concerto 2:37
86 Barbara Lewis - Make Me Your Baby (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:29
87 Otis Redding - Mr. Pitiful (Original 1965 Volt Records 7" Mono Single Version) 2:32
88 The Temptations - My Girl (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:56
89 Connie Clarke - My Sugar Baby 2:43
90 Tawny Reed - Needle in a Haystack (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:13
CD4
91 The Chiffons - Nobody Knows What's Going On (In My Mind But Me) 2:22
92 The Apollas - Nobody's Baby (Am I) 2:27
92 The Velvet Satins - Nothing Can Compare to You (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 1:51
93 The Supremes - Nothing But Heartaches (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:42
95 Lenny Curtis - Nothing Can Help You Now 2:44
96 Gene Chandler - Nothing Can Stop Me 2:56
97 Maxine Brown - One Step at a Time (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:04
98 Len Barry - 1-2-3 (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:23
99 Fred Hughes - Oo Wee Baby, I Love You 2:18
100 The Miracles - Ooo Baby Baby (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:43
101 Darrow Fletcher - The Pain Gets a Little Deeper 2:25
102 The Ikettes - Peaches 'N' Cream (Original 1965 Modern Records 7" Mono Single Version) 2:16
103 The Impressions - People Get Ready 2:39
104 Barbara Mills - Queen of Fools 2:25
105 Tina Britt - The Real Thing 2:22
106 Otis Redding - Respect (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:08
107 Lee Dorsey - Ride Your Pony 2:53
108 Don Covay and the Goodtimers - See Saw (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:56
109 Sam Cooke - Shake 2:49
110 Junior Walker & the All Stars - Shotgun (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:58
111 Four Tops - Something About You (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:49
112 Dee Dee Sharp - Standing in the Need of Love 2:01
113 The Supremes - Stop! In the Name of Love (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:53
114 Joe Tex - A Sweet Woman Like You (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:35
115 Evie Sands - Take Me for a Little While 2:29
116 Kim Weston - Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While) (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:55
117 Tina Britt - Teardrops Fell (Every Step of the Way) 2:14
118 Willie Tee - Teasin' You (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:43
119 The Sapphires - Thank You for Loving Me 2:30
120 Willie Mitchell - That Driving Beat 2:06
121 Rosetta Johnson - That Hurts (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:20
CD5
122 Marie Knight - That's No Way to Treat a Girl (Original 1965 7" Extended Promo Mono Single Version) 2:40
123 Anna King - That's When I Cry (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:16
124 The Artistics - This Heart of Mine 2:30
125 Solomon Burke - Tonight's the Night 2:48
126 The Marvelettes - Too Many Fish in the Sea (Original 1965 Stateside UK 7" Mono Single Version) 2:27
127 Sandy Wynns - The Touch of Venus 2:38
128 The Miracles - The Tracks of My Tears (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 3:01
129 Roy Head and the Traits - Treat Her Right 2:05
130 Lulu - Try to Understand (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:10
131 Lou Johnson - Unsatisfied 2:33
132 Nita Rossi - Untrue Unfaithful (That Was You) 2:35
133 Gene McDaniels - Walk with a Winner 2:58
134 Willie Tee - Walkin' Up a One Way Street (B-side to 'Teasin' You') 2:42
135 Elkie Brooks - The Way You Do the Things You Do 2:42
136 Little Milton - We're Gonna Make It 2:38
137 George Kirby - What Can I Do 2:51
138 The Invitations - What's Wrong with Me Baby 2:36
139 Brenda Holloway - When I'm Gone (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:08
140 Carolyn Crawford - When Someone's Good to You (Original 1965 Stateside UK 7" Mono Single Version) 2:28
141 The Supremes - Whisper You Love Me Boy (B-side of 'Back in My Arms Again') (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:40
142 Little Milton - Who's Cheatin' Who? 2:55
143 Sam & Dave - You Don't Know Like I Know (Original 1965 Atlantic Records 7" Mono Single Version) 2:35
144 Mary Love - You Turned My Bitter Into Sweet 2:22
145 Tamala Lewis - You Won't Say Nothing 2:25
146 The Apollas - You're Absolutely Right (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 2:20
147 Martha and the Vandellas - You've Been in Love Too Long (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 3:00
148 Brenda Holloway - You've Changed Me (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 3:04
149 The Righteous Brothers - You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' (Original 1965 7" Mono Single Version) 3:43
150 Jimmy Radcliffe - Long After Tonight Is All Over (Original 1965 Stateside 7" Mono Single Version) 2:38
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