Saturday, February 26, 2022

VA - The Cream Of Vintage Soul, Volume 1 [1997] (3 x CD's)

 

VINTAGE SOUL

VA - The Cream Of Vintage Soul, Volume 1 [1997] (3 x CD's)

This three-CD compilation from Mars Records is loaded with familiar artists doing unfamiliar songs. Known tunes are The Parliaments' "I Wanna Testify," Eddie Holman's "This Can't Be True," and Bob & Earl's "Harlem Shuffle." The rest -- like Frank Beverly's "Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)," the Dynamics' "Bingo," David Ruffin's "You're Still in My Heart," and the Flirtations' "Settle Down" -- will be strangers to most ears. L.J. Reynolds & the Relations weigh in with "We're in the Middle," recorded prior to Reynolds' association with the Dramatics. There are also tracks by J.J. Barnes, Darrell Banks, and many others. (Amazon)

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Track lists

CD1

01 Eddie Holman This Can't Be True 3:02

02 Jackie Lee Try My Method 2:28

03 Ad-Libs Human 2:38

04 Parliments I Wanna Testify 3:11

05 David Ruffin You're Still In My Heart 2:55

06 Bob & Earl Harlem Shuffle '66 2:36

07 Robert Ward Never Alone 3:02

08 Steve Marcha Whirlpool 2:19

09 Darrell Banks When A Man Loves A Woman 3:03

10 Lee Garett I Can't Break The Habit 2:40

11 San Remo Sings Still Hungry 2:46

12 Carl Carlton Nothing No Sweeter Than Love 2:48


CD2

01 Olympics Secret Agents 2:31

02 Incredibles Another Dirty Deal 2:31

03 L J Reynolds & The Relations We're In The Middle 2:59

04 Bobby Womack I Wonder 2:41

05 O'Jays I'll Never Forget You 2:10

06 Manhattens What Should I Do 2:23

07 J J Barnes Hole In The Wall 2:58

08 Eskew Reeder You Better Believe Me 2:39

09 Viola Wills The First Time 2:59

10 Flirtations Settle Down 2:36

11 Frankie Beverly Love (Your Pain Goes Deep) 2:33

12 Mirrettes He's Alright With Me 2:21


CD3

01 Oatis Leavill Gotta Right To Try 2:16

02 Natural Four I Thought You Where Mine 2:55

03 Martha Reeves Hit And Run 2:18

04 Edwin Starr My Kind Of Woman 2:34

05 Jimmy Thomas Just Tryin' To Please You 2:26

06 Darrow Felcher Gotta Draw The Line 2:13

07 Luther Ingram If It's All The Same To You Babe 2:51

08 Timothy Wilson Hiding In Your Heart 2:43

09 James Fountain Malnutrition 2:32

10 Dynamics Bingo 2:07

11 Eddie Holman Stay Mine For Heaven's Sake 2:39

12 Darrell Banks Look Into The Eyes Of A Fool 2:22

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15 comments:

  1. thank you great post some really good tunes here

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  2. Thanks Butterboy, lots of good things here.

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  3. thanks Butterboy for the cream of Vintage Soul. Keep the volumes coming. Thank you.

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  4. Thank you for this. Soul is a never ending story!!

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    1. You said it, Manolis.
      And that is why it will endure.

      Cheers.

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  5. Interesting - thanks BB.

    Also interesting is CD3 Track 02 The Natural Four - I Thought You Were Mine. I danced to this for many, many years at venues all around the UK, and much later, when getting into digital, was so happy to find it (maybe a Goldmine CD) as it's an all time favourite of mine ........... but it was wrong, sounded terrible (to me) and I was soooooo disappointed LOL.

    There's 2 versions - a) the one in this comp https://www.discogs.com/release/7045128-The-Natural-Four-I-Thought-You-Were-Mine-You-Did-This-For-Me ........ & b) the one I prefer https://www.discogs.com/release/5457920-The-Natural-Four-I-Thought-You-Were-Mine

    Lonnie Cook (composer) speaking on the difference between the 'slow' and 'fast' versions;
    This version is the best one (the fast one) but it was not recorded at the speed that i wrote it. I wrote the song to compete with The Miracles' 'Choosey Beggar" so it was a near ballad. The producer increased the speed when the track was recorded. The year of release (slow version) was not 1969, i wrote it in the summer of 1967 and it was released a few months after that. This first version sold over 30,000 copies in the Oakland / San Francisco area. The ABC version is too fast and further away from what i intended.

    I think most people know the 1st slower version because of compilations, but if you're lucky enough to have their LP Album (https://www.discogs.com/release/2924447-The-Natural-Four-Good-Vibes), then you'll know the faster version. I would love to get my hands on a mint digitised copy !!!

    What is impressive about Soul around the late 60's and early 70's is evident by the line ups used to record, such as on 'this' album;

    The Natural Four; Chris James, Allen Richardson, Al Bowden, John January, + James Brown (piano), Edgar Joseph (congos), Curtis Moore & Gaylord Birch (drums), Eugene Blacknel , Marvin Holmes, Lloyd Gregory, Eddie Foster (guitar), Arthur James (bass), Ellis Mattox (bass), David Wilson (vibes), Larry Souza (trumpet), Zane Woodworth (trumpet), John Coppola (trumpet), Don O'Brien (tenor clarinet & flute), Bill Perkins (barritone sax), Fred Mergy (trombone), Beverly Bellows (harp and chimes), Dick Fenner (cello), violins sections (Nathan Rubin, Ann Kish, Celia Rosenberger, Ed Bogus)

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    1. Hi puw,
      Thanks for the wonderful feedback and write-up.
      I think I have the other version on file. I will Check for you.
      I have a great set Natural Four - Can This Be Real, The Complete Curtom Recordings, but doesn't have any of Good Vibes track on it. I'll be checking today...

      Cheers.

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    2. I have both the 1974 Album (The Natural Four) & The Curtom collection you mention. For some reason (must be legal as I'm sure the ABC master tapes are somewhere), their debut album (Good Vibes) never seems to have been CD'd. I've got a 224k copy, but even that IS TOOOOOO SLOW LOL.

      This is what I think of as the 'right speed' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs5wkPWehAo ....... which of course was speeded up by the DJ's, so I can never get a copy of 'my version' (weep, weep, weep).

      There's an ABC LP called 'Out On The Streets Again" that collects a number of great early 70's Soul, one being 'Why Should We Stop Now' by The Natural Four off the 'Good Vibes' album.

      One track I've never been ablle to find/locate off of this album is Nick Ashford's "Dead End Kids" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QshLpcussow. Before his time with Ms Simpson, any song he actually sung was great (to me), but none ever got anywhere, from the 60's either, which is a real shame. Any music related search to him is always as a writer/composer for others with Ms. Simpson and then all the songs they then later wrote and sang together. He is a real 'Diggin' The Crates' artist!! (Not to be confused with 'Jack Ashford')

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    3. Hi puw,
      Found this on an old hard drive. Could be what you want.
      https://krakenfiles.com/view/gVDSQn0TjC/file.html

      Cheers

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    4. OMG!!! The album declicked and with the NS mega-fast version included ..... this is "Heaven Right Here On Earth" for me. I'd be round kissing you if you didn't live so far away hahahaha.

      Eternally grateful :) :) :)

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