North East Funk And Soul

25/10/2023

UB40 released Signing Off in the UK on 29 August 1980 by Dudley-based independent label Graduate Records. It was an immediate success in their home country, reaching number 2 on the UK albums chart, and made UB40 one of the many popular reggae bands in Britain, several years before the band found international fame. The politically-concerned lyrics struck a chord in a country with widespread public divisions over high unemployment, the policies of the recently elected Conservative party under Margaret Thatcher, and the rise of the racist National Front party, while the record's dub-influenced rhythms reflected the late 1970s influence in British pop music of West Indian music introduced by immigrants from the Caribbean after the Second World War, particularly reggae and ska – this was typified by the 2 Tone movement, at that point at the height of its success and led by fellow West Midlands act The Specials, with whom UB40 drew comparisons due to their multiracial band line-up and socialist views.

23/10/2023

There are six LPs in this Creation Rocker
spanning mid 60s to 1979.
for example,this volume kicks off in 1965 with
baba brooks''guns fever' from '65 and by the end
of side one we're digging errol dunkley doing
'a little way different' (1972).etc etc!!
as time goes by,i'll get around to putting 'em all up on rym.
most of the 72 tracks on this wonderful little
series should be familiar to long term/hardcore
reggae freaks

23/10/2023

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Pauline Black
In a music career spanning over 40 years, Black came to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead singer of the 2 Tone ska revival band the Selecter, which released four singles that entered the Top 40 charts in the United Kingdom during the 1970s and the 1980s, including "On My Radio", "Three Minute Hero", "Missing Words" and "The Whisper". Rolling Stone said of Black "Hands down, Pauline Black possessed the best voice that ever graced a 2-Tone release. Blessed with a bewitching soprano and dramatic panache, Black's voice reached plateaus that made every other musical detail sound like part of a backdrop painted just to set the stage for her entrance." Black has also been an actress, with roles in films and television.

22/10/2023

Donat Roy Mittoo (3 March 1948 – 16 December 1990), better known as Jackie Mittoo,was a Jamaican-Canadian keyboardist, songwriter and musical director.He was a member of The Skatalites and musical director of the Studio One record label.

21/10/2023

Rock in the Ghetto album by Trinity a.k.a. Junior Brammer (born Wade Brammer, 1954 – 9 April 2021) was a Jamaican reggae deejay and producer, whose career began in the mid-1970s and continued into the 1990s.

20/10/2023

The Aggrolites are an amalgamation of two previous Los Angeles reggae and ska bands, the Vessels and the Rhythm Doctors. They formed in 2002 as a live backing band for reggae icon Derrick Morgan, and were asked to record music for a new Morgan album. The project was never released, but the recording sessions inspired the Aggrolites to become a permanent band. They have served as the backing band for Phyllis Dillon, Scotty, Joseph Hill of Culture, Prince Buster, and Tim Armstrong.

19/10/2023

Born in 1944 in Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica, Reid graduated from Dinthill Technical College before starting his musical career via his Soul Bunny sound system in 1968, running it on Victoria Pier on Wednesday afternoons, while working during the day as a government accountant. He went on to work on the Spanish Town-based Son's Junior sound system, where he was spotted by producer Harry Mudie, who renamed him 'I-Roy'. -roy

18/10/2023

One of the most significant collections in Trojan's immense catalogue, The Trojan Story album dramatically changed the perception of Jamaican music among the general British public outside of the country's Afro-Caribbean population. Prior to its release in 1971 there had never been an attempt to present a comprehensive anthology of the island's musical development, with vintage ska, rock steady and reggae widely regarded as obsolete and of precious little merit. The treble disc set, which became an instant best-seller, had been the brainchild of Trojan's label manager and Black Music fan, Rob Bell, who, assisted by Trojan stalwarts, Dandy, Webster Shrewder and Joe Sinclair, produced arguably the most significant Jamaican music retrospectives of all time.

17/10/2023

On 23 September 1973, Russ Winstanley had the idea for putting on and DJing at the Soul Allnighters at Wigan Casino. Over four million people passed through the venue, which ran four nights per week, until 6 December 1981. Both Wigan Casino and Winstanley won many awards for best venue and best DJ. In 1997, Winstanley compiled Telstar Records northern soul album Soul Survivors. In 1998, his book Wigan Casino Story joined the bestsellers' list.

16/10/2023

Introducing The Style Council is a mini-LP by the Style Council, released in 1983. Their debut release, it was released only in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Japan, and the Netherlands. Though not officially released in the United Kingdom, the Dutch release was heavily imported.

15/10/2023

Volume 3 Sensacional Soul series includes 28 Spanish soul stompers from 1966-1976. Most tracks reissued for the first time Another impressive overview of Spanish soul, essential for anyone wishing to hear an irresistible take on the genre Both formats include detailed notes by expert Vicente Fabuel plus picture sleeves of all the tracks, band photos and labels

13/10/2023

My Ever Changing Moods" was composed by lead vocalist Paul Weller, recorded at Weller's own studio Solid Bond Studios, and was released in 1984. It is the first single from the band's debut studio album, Café Bleu (1984), which was renamed My Ever Changing Moods in the United States to capitalise on the success of that single.
"My Ever Changing Moods," backed with the Hammond organ instrumental "Mick's Company", peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of 9 June 1984, in the US.The song remains Weller's greatest success in the US (including his efforts in the Jam and as a solo artist

13/10/2023

If you missed it and you love Northern Soul

12/10/2023

Green Onions is the debut album by Booker T. & the M.G.'s, released on Stax Records in October 1962. It reached number 33 on the pop album chart in the month of its release. The title single was a worldwide hit and has been covered by dozens of artists, including the Blues Brothers and Roy Buchanan (both with Steve Cropper on guitar), as well as The Ventures, Al Kooper, The Shadows, Mongo Santamaría, Deep Purple (Live and studio versions) and Count Basie.

11/10/2023

Check out #18 Reggae and Trojan night on Mixcloud just follow the link in the bio for an hour of chilled out beats from

11/10/2023

Episode #18 with plenty of Reggae to eat up an hour of your time

Rosco spins vinyl from the crates of his vinyl library with this week's artists The Belltones, UB40, The Inspirations, Dub Pistols, Max Romeo, The B-Girls, Fat Freddies Drop, Lee Scratch Perry, T***s And the Maytals, The Pioneers, The Jamestown Sheiks, Dennis Brown, Rico, Ken Boothe, Bob Marley, Bar...

11/10/2023

Tuesday vibes Café Bleu is the official debut album released by the English band The Style Council. It was released on 16 March 1984,on Polydor Records, produced by Paul Weller with Peter Wilson. It followed the compilation Introducing The Style Council, which was released only in the Netherlands, Canada and Japan. The album was mainly recorded at Solid Bond Studios (owned by Weller)

09/10/2023

Imagination is the eleventh studio album recorded by American R&B group Gladys Knight & the Pips, released in October 1973 on the Buddah label. The album, the group's first for Buddah after leaving Motown, includes their first and only Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit "Midnight Train to Georgia", which also reached number-one on the R&B singles chart. Larry Wilcox was credited for the string and horn arrangements

08/10/2023

The Jackson Sisters were Jacqueline Jackson-Rencher, Lyn Jackson, Pat(Olivia) Jackson, Rae Jackson and Gennie Jackson. They recorded material for the Prophasy Records label, obtaining some modest success in the 1970s. However the group really came into their own nearly a decade later, following the emergence of the rare groove scene in the UK.Many of their songs were written by Johnny Bristol. "I Believe in Miracles", their hit song, was written and originally recorded by Mark Capanni in 1973, he also wrote A Day in The Blue. The track reached #72 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1987.

06/10/2023

The "5" Royales was an American rhythm and blues (R&B) vocal group from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, that combined gospel, jump blues and doo-wop, marking an early and influential step in the evolution of rock and roll. Most of their big R&B hits were recorded in 1952 and 1953 and written by the guitarist Lowman "Pete" Pauling.Cover versions of the band's songs hit the Top 40, including "Dedicated to the One I Love" (the Shirelles and the Mamas & the Papas), "Tell the Truth" (Ray Charles and Ike & Tina Turner), and "Think" (James Brown & The Famous Flames). Brown modeled his first vocal group after the "5" Royales, and both Eric Clapton and Stax guitarist Steve Cropper cited Pauling as a key influence. The Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger covered "Think" on his 1993 solo album Wandering Spirit. The "5" Royales were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.

05/10/2023

Sly and the Family Stone was an American band originating from San Francisco, California. Active from 1966 to 1983, they were pivotal in the development of funk, soul, R&B, rock, and psychedelic music. Their core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone, and included Stone's brother and singer/guitarist Freddie Stone, sister and singer/keyboardist Rose Stone, trumpeter Cynthia Robinson, drummer Greg Errico, saxophonist Jerry Martini, and bassist Larry Graham. The band was the first major American rock group to have a racially integrated, mixed-gender line up.

05/10/2023

Moving Violation is the tenth studio album by the Jackson 5 and their final studio album on Motown Records, released on May 15, 1975. Aiming at the developing disco market, the group's funk-based version of Diana Ross & the Supremes' 1968 single "Forever Came Today" was a club hit, while the single's B-side, the R&B ballad "All I Do Is Think of You", became a popular and frequently covered song in its own right.

04/10/2023

Soul Limbo is the seventh studio album by the American R&B band Booker T. & the M.G.'s, released in 1968 on Stax Records. The album was the first Stax LP issued after the label severed its ties with former distributor Atlantic Records in 1968.

03/10/2023

Concept' album with Diana Ross on one side (w/the classic It' s Happening) and Neil Diamond on the other.
The A side with Diana Ross is really good but I can't say the same about the B side unfortunately 🤢

02/10/2023

Light of the world was formed in London in 1978. They were originally a forerunner of the late 1970s/early 1980s British jazz-funk movement. The band's name is taken from the 1974 Kool and the Gang album, Light of Worlds.The original line-up consisted of Jean-Paul Maunick, drummer Everton McCalla, bassist Paul Williams, guitarist Neville McKreith, percussionist Chris Etienne, keyboardist Peter Hinds, trumpet player Kenny Wellington and saxophonist David Baptiste.

The band's debut single "Swingin'", peaked at No. 45 in the UK Singles Chart. This was later followed up by two top 40 hits: a cover of the Bob Marley and the Wailers song "I Shot the Sheriff" ( #40), and the double A-side single "I'm So Happy" / "Time" ( #35). Their debut album was released in 1979 on Ensign Records. Their second album Round Trip was released in late 1980 and peaked at No. 73 in the UK Albums Chart.

In 1981 Baptiste, Wellington, and McKreith left the group to form Beggar & Co.In 1982, the band released a third album titled Check Us Out.A greatest hits album was issued by Ensign Records in 1985.In 1999 Light of the World briefly reunited and recorded an album titled Inner Voices with Richard Bull as producer and Kenny Wellington as co-producer.

01/10/2023

Jamie and the Numbers are a Wellington-based band who have been around for a while now, as a band they are prolific writers of their own original material and in the context of playing northern soul tunes and other tunes in that musical genre they like to be known as The Numbers.

They are usually a 4 piece and consist of three brothers from Wainuiamata and a newly adopted Kiwi originally from Birmingham England. These guys are brimming with cool retro tunes and some barnstorming original songs played with verve and passion and their shows are always fun. In 2019 they supported “From The Jam” on their visit to New Zealand and after teaming up with Jamie have played Pasifika Festivals and open-air concerts to thousands of people.

The Numbers collectively have played/sessioned/recorded for other artists on such labels as Gut Records, D-Star, EG Records, Imaginary Records and have in excess of 40+ published songs with Universal, Complete Music, KWS Records NYC and Cherry Red, with this new direction of releasing Northern Soul songs alongside some of their more soulful originals on 7″ vinyl their goal is to go on and produce some top quality soul album.

28/09/2023

UK DJ Andy Smith is the absolute master of the party-starting
mix, and this comp' of hot-wired soul is an absolute monster
from start to finish. All killer, no filler from Billy Hawks, Booker
T and the MGs, The Blackbyrds, Funk. Inc and more.

27/09/2023

Exciting news! The upcoming new 2 tone era drama from Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Kinight looks set for an early 2024 release on BBC One! Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme in August, Knight discussed his major new 6 part project “This Town”, which was filmed in Birmingham & the West Midlands earlier this year.
This Town is a Birmingham based 80’s family saga, set against the backdrop of the 2 Tone scene. To give a flavour of what to expect in This Town, Knight was introduced with a series of 80’s songs including “Ghost Town” by The Specials, “On My Radio” by The Selecter & “Mirror In The Bathroom” by The Beat. He told the programme that he hoped for the release of This Town to be in the early part of next year.

26/09/2023

Northern Soul Anthems contains 26 classic tracks of northern soul. Sleeve with original photography from Northern Soul (2014) filmmaker Elaine Constantine. Contains defining northern soul anthems from Judy Street, Al Green, Sue Lynne, Chairmen Of The Board, The Vibrations, Little Richard, The Charmaines, Willie Kendrick, Gloria Edwards and others

26/09/2023

Motown Chartbusters is a series of compilation albums first released by EMI under licence on the Tamla Motown label in Britain. In total, 12 editions were released in the UK between 1967 and 1982. Volumes 1 and 2 were originally called British Motown Chartbusters; after this the title Motown Chartbusters was used.

16/09/2023

28 tracks Northern Soul: All Nighter Anthems delivers the biggest hits at a great value price with classics from the Vaults of Atlantic, Atco, Loma, Reprise and Warner Brothers providing the listener with a truly authentic Northern Soul Experience. Chuck Wood, Tami Lynn, The Coasters.

FRANKIE VALLI – You’re Ready Now

WILLIE TEE – Walking Up A One Way Street

THE INVITATIONS – What’s Wrong With Me Baby

TAMI LYNN – I’m Gonna Run Away From You

THE COASTERS – Crazy Baby

DARREL BANKS – Open The Door To Your Heart

LARRY LASTER – Go For Yourself

LPB

MITCH RYDER – Breakout

THE CASUALEERS – Dance Dance Dance

THE APOLLAS – Mr Creator

BEN AITKEN - Satisfied

THE INVITIATIONS – Skiiing in the Snow

HERBIE GOINS – Number One In Your Heart

SOUL BROTHERS SIX – Some King Of Wonderful

LPC

CHUCK WOOD – Seven Days Too Long

ALICE CLARK – You Hit Me (Right Where You Hurt Me)

CARL HALL – Mean It Baby

LINDA LYNDELL – Bring Your Love Back To Me

LINDA JONES – I Just Can’t Live My Life

CAJUN HART – Got To Find A Way

THE BLOSSOMS – That’s When The Tears Start

LPD

CURTIS MAYFIELD – Move On Up

ARCHIE BELL AND THE DRELLS – Here I Go Again

GLORIA JONES – Tainted Love

THE POINTER SISTERS – Send Him Back

BOBBY SHEEN – Something To Do

JACKIE MOORE – Both Ends In The Middle

SISTER SLEDGE – Love Don’t You Go Through No Changes

12/09/2023

NORTHERN SOUL Souls Classiest Rarities. Mid-tempo mid-'60s American soul singles that have somehow come to be worshiped as choice rarities in England's Northern soul scene. These couple of dozen tracks are from the '60s (and occasionally from the early '70s), they are rare, and they do go for absurdly high prices among Northern soul collectors.

12/09/2023

Released in September 1974 In the Dark is the second international album release by the reggae singing group T***s and the Maytals, issued in Jamaica and in the United Kingdom on Dragon Records, DRLS 5004, a subsidiary label owned by Chris Blackwell. 

11/09/2023

Quadrophenia is the sixth studio album The Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the two previous being the "mini-opera" song "A Quick One, While He's Away" and the album Tommy. Set in London and Brighton in 1965, the story follows a young mod named Jimmy and his search for self-worth and importance. Quadrophenia is the only Who album entirely composed by Pete Townshend.

10/09/2023

In the City is the debut studio album by British band the Jam. Released in May 1977 by Polydor Records, the album reached No. 20 on the UK Albums Chart.The album features the band's debut single and title track "In the City". In addition, the album includes two cover versions, "Slow Down" and the theme to the 1960s television series, Batman, the latter of which had also been previously covered by the Who, the Kinks and Link Wray.

09/09/2023

Mod Fun are an American power pop/garage punk band from New Jersey. Mod Fun were originally active in the early to mid-1980s, and played an integral part in New York City's burgeoning garage rock revival scene at the time. By mid 1986 they were widely regarded as one of the best known indie rock bands in NYC and New Jersey. After disbanding at the height of their career in the late 1980s to pursue other projects, the three original members reunited in 2004 and have been active since.

07/09/2023

Rattus Norvegicus (alternative title The Stranglers IV) is the debut studio album by the Stranglers, released on 15 April 1977.It was one of the highest-selling albums of the punk era in Britain, eventually achieving platinum record sales. Two of its tracks, "Peaches" and "(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)", were released as 7-inch singles in the UK

06/09/2023

My favourite Jam album, could never get bored of this classic.
Setting Sons is the fourth studio album by the Jam, released on 16 November 1979 by Polydor Records. It reached No. 4 in the UK Albums Chart upon the first week of release,continuing the commercial (and critical) favour that had begun with their previous album All Mod Cons.