70's Soul

[souldonuts]

Hi Everyone...
This may not be to everyone's taste, but would appreciate the forums view of this podcast i did of mainly 70's soul.
Cheers!
Andy
http://souldonuts.podomatic.com/entry/2011-07-16T00_41_49-07_00
Black Ice - Postcard Love Affair[[1979)
Natural Four - Try To Smile[[1974)
Eon - We Will Go On[[1975)
Toby Kang - I Just Want To Love You[[1976)
Lawrence Hilton Jacobs - Wonder Woman[[1978)
James Walsh Gypsy Band - Cuz It's You Girl[[1978)
Mandrill - Too Late[[1978)
Richard Caiton - I Like To Get Near You[[1969)
Gil Shorty - Walking On Air
The Innersection - I'm In Debt To You[[1977)
Odyssey - Battened Ships[[1972)
Sting - Winning Number[[1978)
Halo - Let me Do It[[1979)
Jimmy Beaumont & The Skyliners - Our Day Is Here[[1974)
Eddie Leon - Just Got Tired Of Waiting[[1997)
Keith Barrow - I put the twinkle in your eye[[1977)
Mighty Fire - Just A Little Bit Of Your Love[[1982)
Van Mccoy - That's The Story Of My Life[[1978)
Tolbert - I've Got It[[1982)
Ray Hines - Why Don't You Give Me A Try
Carol Williams - So Much A Part of Me[[1976)
Consumer Rapport - Love Takes Tears[[1975)

http://souldonuts.podomatic.com

[soulster]

I've never heard a single not of any of this music until just now. I notice you're in the U.K., which could explain it.

Anyway, I just couldn't listen to it because the sound quality was just too awful. Low bit-rate mp3 sound. Ugh!

[souldonuts]

Hi Soulster..
Thanks for your comments fella, you the first person out of nearly 1000 who have listened and downloaded the poddy to mention the sound... i suggest you check your computer audio etc because that is recorded and uploaded at 320k bit rate ... which i think you will agree is not low bit rate sound at you put it! but in fact the highest, most of the records on that podcast are recorded from vinyl and in some cases played a lot so yes you will here the odd crackle and scratch and hiss... but yes thank you for your constructive criticism which in all honesty i don't think in this case is warranted.

The other thing to note mate is that although i am from the UK, nearly all of those 70s songs from that podcast is from an American artist... hopefully you may have learned something today
Cheers
Andy

[texassoul]

I've never heard a single not of any of this music until just now. I notice you're in the U.K., which could explain it.

Anyway, I just couldn't listen to it because the sound quality was just too awful. Low bit-rate mp3 sound. Ugh!



Kinda harsh criticism don't you think? And not a very warm welcome for a new member.

[texassoul]

P.S. The podcast sounds fantastic through my Klipsch speakers. Thanks Andy!!

[soulster]

Hi Soulster..
Thanks for your comments fella, you the first person out of nearly 1000 who have listened and downloaded the poddy to mention the sound... i suggest you check your computer audio etc because that is recorded and uploaded at 320k bit rate ...

respectfully, it's not a computer issue. I think it's whatever the software you use defaulted to. See, you may have uploaded 320kbps, but the software reduced it to something else. Double encoding makes the sound worse.

But getting back to the music, it sounds nice, but most of it is a bit too smooth for my taste. As an American, it doesn't sound anything like the late 70s here in the U.S..

Oh, and BTW, I only recognized six of those artists. They were not popular here. As much as people like to think that there is no difference in the music of the U.K. and the U.S. despits the close musical history, the tasts usually widely differ. So, I hope YOU learned something today!

And, in case you didn't know, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs starred in the TV show Welcome Back Kotter as "Washington". There's something else you may not have know. And Odyssey had a hit here in 1975.

[soulster]

Kinda harsh criticism don't you think? And not a very warm welcome for a new member.

Read my post to him again. I was not harsh in any way. I only said that I had not ever heard those songs until this thread, and that the sound quality was bad. Those are not his fault. I am an audiophile. I notice sound quality. I have been this way since birth. What? You want me to lie and tell him how much I remember those songs when I never heard them?

Learn the difference between rude and politely expressing an opinion. If he didn't want an opinion, he shouldn't have asked us.

[roger]

I listened to the podcast earlier today and enjoyed it ..

Sure, the sound quality is not great, but I don't expect great sound quality if something is being played through my computer.

Of the tracks in the soundpod I would have only bought one back in the '70s .. the NATURAL FOUR track, which was on their first Curtom L.P. that included "Can This Be Real" [[the LP never got a UK issue at the time so I had the Curtom import). Some of the other tracks I've become familiar with over the years .. notably JAMES WALSH and MANDRILL. Some sound vaguely familiar and some I don't recognise at all.

Overall I found it interesting listening and that track by CAROL WILLIAMS was a major surprise!!

Soulster's post commenting upon differences between U.S. and U.K. tastes, and that this selection didn't really remind him of what was happening in the late '70s I think deserves comment ... and this comes from a British perspective.

Since joining this forum one of the major differences I've noticed between U.S. and U.K. attitudes is that the American posters tend to view music in terms of what they were hearing and appreciating back in the '60s/'70s/'80s etc. British posters seem more likely to consider tracks on how they sound today and there isn't quite the same "nostalgia element".

I don't think there is actually any real difference in taste, I think that it is that British Soul Music fans don't believe that records that failed to receive recognition upon release were failures because they were no good to begin with. We are more likely to think that they were "failures" due to poor promotion and the sheer volume of competition at the time. We are therefore more likely to trawl through obscure "B" sides and L.P. tracks to find that elusive "fresh sounding" recording from 30 or 40 years back without being in the slightest bit concerned about whether it ever got played on the radio in the '70s .. we "know" the BBC never played it so it just isn't a consideration.

Back in the '70s British music journalist DAVE GODIN [[massive Soul music fan) commented that every record is "new" if you have never heard it before, irrespective of how long ago it was recorded. I think that mind-set is commonplace with British Soul music fans to this day.

Roger

[paladin]

well said Roger.......a viewpoint that I hadn't considered but being a music lover it makes perfect sense......

[souldonuts]

Hi All,
We'll at least we got a debate going... thats a postive thing!, i still think soulster's comments were harsh, its not a professional recording, its just a podcast for people to perhaps listen to music and perhaps hear some songs they hadnt heard before.... the "arg" comment was completely unjustified in my opinion and should have been kept to himself. Yes i did ask for an opinion on the music on the podcast, i did not ask for an opinion on the quality.... actually pay a great deal of money out of my own pocket to share music with people.... some may call me a mug, i do it for my passion for it, nothing else., the podcasts hopefully do give people enjoyment, and perhaps the occasional nice surprise of tracks by artists they haven't heard before..
I do think the attitudes between US and UK soul fans is completely different today, i think back in the 60s and early 70s it was a lot closer, that is only my opinion..
There is still a lot of nostalgia with the UK fans in terms of 60s soul i feel, a lot of what is played in the underground northern soul clubs today was being played by the djs in the 60s... i posted an interesting article under my northern soul podcast page if anyone fancies having a look...

I didnt know that Odyssey had a US hit in 1975,i know that battened ships came out on Mowest in 1972, so yes i have definitely learned something today... one of the reasons i joined this forum... i would be interested to know what song it was.... i am still amazed the number of soul fans that don't realise there were of course 2 bands named Odyssey
I did know that Lawrence "Hilton" Jacobs is an actor as well as a singer, think if i remember he appeared in a couple films before he appeared as Freddie Boob Boom Washington on welcome back kotter.
I do enjoy lively debate..... long may it continue!
Cheers
Andy

[soulster]

Take an album by, say, Odyssey: one song could be released in both the U.S. and the U.K.. It may go big in the U.S., and not the U.K.. The next song may not go over well in the U.S. but in the U.K.. You can add any country to the same scenario. There is still such a thing as a cultural difference, and it has nothing to do with the quality of a given song.

[soulster]

Hi All,
We'll at least we got a debate going... thats a postive thing!, i still think soulster's comments were harsh, its not a professional recording, its just a podcast for people to perhaps listen to music and perhaps hear some songs they hadnt heard before.... the "arg" comment was completely unjustified in my opinion and should have been kept to himself. Yes i did ask for an opinion on the music on the podcast, i did not ask for an opinion on the quality.... I actually pay a great deal of money out of my own pocket to share music with people.... some may call me a mug, i do it for my passion for it, nothing else., the podcasts hopefully do give people enjoyment, and perhaps the occasional nice surprise of tracks by artists they haven't heard before..
I do think the attitudes between US and UK soul fans is completely different today, i think back in the 60s and early 70s it was a lot closer, that is only my opinion..
There is still a lot of nostalgia with the UK fans in terms of 60s soul i feel, a lot of what is played in the underground northern soul clubs today was being played by the djs in the 60s... i posted an interesting article under my northern soul podcast page if anyone fancies having a look...

Again, this forum is about opinions, so I will add any pertinent comments about the music in question, and that includes the sound, in my case. I understand many...no...most of you aren't that zoned-in on the sound. I get that. But, it's a very integral part to my enjoyment of music, so I always comment on that. And, my computer is part of my stereo system. In fact, i'm listening to hi-rez files right now through Foobar, as all of my music is on a server. Like I said, that program you use may be reducing the sound quality more. You cannot help that.

I commented on the music and said it was nice, but not exactly my cup of tea. That is permitted. I did not say the music sucked, as that would be rude.



I didnt know that Odyssey had a US hit in 1975,i know that battened ships came out on Mowest in 1972, so yes i have definitely learned something today... one of the reasons i joined this forum... i would be interested to know what song it was.... i am still amazed the number of soul fans that don't realise there were of course 2 bands named Odyssey

We both just learned something else new. It's about the exchange of information that makes this internet forum thing fun.



I did know that Lawrence "Hilton" Jacobs is an actor as well as a singer, think if i remember he appeared in a couple films before he appeared as Freddie Boob Boom Washington on welcome back kotter.
I do enjoy lively debate..... long may it continue!

Yes! "Cooley High", a Motown film, comes to mind!


One more thing i'd like to add: this is still about the only place I know of that will discuss R&B/soul/disco, whatever, with any real seriousness and depth.

[souldonuts]

Here's Volume 2 to keep everyone going!
Cheers!
Andy
http://souldonuts.podomatic.com/entry/2011-07-17T12_31_55-07_00
Moment of Thruth - You Got Me Hummin'[[1977)
Flashlight - Beginners Luck[[1978)
Luther Ingram - Do You Think There is a Chance[[1977)
Gavin Christopher - This Side Of Heaven[[1979)
Solaris - You & Me
The Tams - This Precious Moment
Milton Wright - My Ol'Lady[[1975)
Fredrick Knight - When It Ain't Right With My Baby[[1977)
Tony Fox - I Wanna Get Next To You[[1982)
Seductive Souls - LOve Don't Hurt At All[[2010)
Caviar - Never Stop Loving You[[1982)
Bobby Sheen - Come On And LOve Me[[1975)
Liquid Blue - Ain't What You Want[[1977)
Billy Preston & Syreeta - Hey You[[1981)
Bloodstone - You Know We've Learned[[1972)
Michael Henderson - Everybody Want's To Know Why[[1979)
Billy Boomer - i like what she's doin'[[1982)
Clausel - Let me Love You[[1982)
The Ovations - Till I Find Some Way[[1978)
H Andrews - Stepping Out[[1977)
Jeb Stewert - Baby Lets Get Together Tonight[[1982)
Atlantic Starr - All Because Of YOu[[1977)
http://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt270/sly_rums/thesouldonutsshowonstarpointradio1.jpg

[MIKEW-UK]

Doing the gardening listening to your podcast, I enjoyed several times a John Edwards track new to me... ........just discovered it was Luther Ingram - Do You Think There is a Chance. Got lots of Luther but never heard him sound so like John Edwards....... great podcast by the way...you're adding a LOT of value to the forum

cheers Mike

[nosey]

I haven't heard any of those songs either but on the strength of the other songs that I've been listening to, he's a KEEPER!

[souldonuts]

Hi Mike and Nosey...

Many Thanks for your comments, much appreciated!
Cheers!
Andy
http://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt270/sly_rums/thesouldonutsshowonstarpointradio1.jpg

[smooth]

Hi Souldonuts
Continue to add diversity and quality to the Forum...It is appreciated!

Soulster ...Thank you for the information on Sound Quality.
I was not aware of some of the aspects you discussed.
I for one love learning new information concerning all facets of music.

That's what our Forum is all about...Sharing,Discussing and Sometimes Debating.

Keep it coming and keep it Real.

Smooth

[marv2]

I've never heard a single not of any of this music until just now. I notice you're in the U.K., which could explain it.

Anyway, I just couldn't listen to it because the sound quality was just too awful. Low bit-rate mp3 sound. Ugh!

I was going to say that I recognized a few of the artist ,but was unfamiliar with any of the songs. Strange because the greatest percentage of my record collection is 70's Soul !

[soulster]

What i'm wondering is if any of the tracks in his podcasts were hits in the U.K..

[roger]

What i'm wondering is if any of the tracks in his podcasts were hits in the U.K..

Soulster .. none of the tracks on these '70s podcasts were chart hits in the U.K. A lot of them, probably most, were never even released by U.K. record companies at the time of release, even as L.P. tracks. I suspect none were released as British singles.

Most of the acts would be totally unknown to the typical British music fan who was listening to music in the '70s .. the exceptions would be THE TAMS, ATLANTIC STARR, BILLY PRESTON & SYREETA and VAN McCOY, all of whom had big hits here in the '70s/early '80s, but not with the tracks in these podcasts ..

But then, as I was trying to explain in my post yesterday, it would be wrong to assume that podcasts like this are some sort of nostalgia trip!!

Roger

[souldonuts]

HI All, None of the songs featured in these 70's soul podcasts were hits in the uk... they gained popularity in the soul clubs by the dj's at the time coming over to the states and crate digging for that elusive tune and sound!..once a dj had played that unknown tune for the it gained popularity in some cases everybody wanted it, in fact certain resident djs would be the only one playing a certain song, and so you would have to go to that particular club if you wanted to here it played. and so the ball got rolling.... a few of them are very rare today and go for big bucks... most have been re-released on cd comps, a few have been re-released as singles in the uk, hope that helps!
Regards
Andy!

[souldonuts]

Hi All,
Here is Volume 3.. hope you enjoy and again feedback and comments are more than welcome...
Cheers!
Andy
http://souldonuts.podomatic.com/entry/2011-07-19T14_30_19-07_00
Daybreak - I Need Love[[1980)
Perfections - Can This Be Real[[1978)
Bobby Boyd - Why are You Crying[[1976)
Cecil Lyde - I'll Make It On My Own[[1982)
Swill Movement - I Wish Our Love Would Last Forever[[1979)
Cloudburst - I'm Loving You[[1977)
Ernest Baker - Alone Again[[1975)
Melvin Moore - All Of A Sudden[[1970)
EKG - Give Me Love
Narada Michael Walden - Give Your Love A Chance[[1975)
The Mark IV - If You Can't Tell Me Something Good[[1982)
Earl White - Very Special Girl[[1977)
John Simmons - Aint Nothing Like The Love[[1981)
Bill - Space Lady[[1983)
Herby Brown - One More Broken Heart[[1980)
Sy Hightower - I Know You're Leaving Me[[1975)
Michael Orr - Here I Go[[1976)
Garfield Fleming - Don't Send Me Away[[1981)
Tony Troutman - Whats The Use
Ad Libs - I Don't Need No Fortune Teller
Tavasco - Love Is Trying To Get A Hold Of Me
Bobby Dukes - Just To Be With You
Seville - Show Me The Way[[1980)
Barrett Strong - Man Up In The Sky[[1976)

[soulster]

Since joining this forum one of the major differences I've noticed between U.S. and U.K. attitudes is that the American posters tend to view music in terms of what they were hearing and appreciating back in the '60s/'70s/'80s etc. British posters seem more likely to consider tracks on how they sound today and there isn't quite the same "nostalgia element".

I don't think there is actually any real difference in taste, I think that it is that British Soul Music fans don't believe that records that failed to receive recognition upon release were failures because they were no good to begin with. We are more likely to think that they were "failures" due to poor promotion and the sheer volume of competition at the time. We are therefore more likely to trawl through obscure "B" sides and L.P. tracks to find that elusive "fresh sounding" recording from 30 or 40 years back without being in the slightest bit concerned about whether it ever got played on the radio in the '70s .. we "know" the BBC never played it so it just isn't a consideration.

Back in the '70s British music journalist DAVE GODIN [[massive Soul music fan) commented that every record is "new" if you have never heard it before, irrespective of how long ago it was recorded. I think that mind-set is commonplace with British Soul music fans to this day.

Roger


That is a very astute observation, and pretty much on the money. I think most Americans believe that a recording probably wouldn't have flopped had it been any good. A great recording would have been able to cut through the competition of it's day. We may indeed listen to something today and think that maybe it wasn't so bad, but at the time, it was, considering the state of music when it was released. It's a little mental gymnastics we play. However, one cannot make such a sweeping statement because there are sometimes gems that don't get promoted and sink to the bottom. I'll take Robin Trower for an example. I don't know how big he was in the U.K. in the 70s, but here, they were good for maybe one album, "Bridge of Sighs". When it became obvious Robin Trower was going after the hit single with successive albums, especially in the U.S., the rock audience that liked BOS ignored him. I have a friend who was a huge Trower fan in the 70s. about twelve years ago, he gave up rock music and gave me all of his albums. In it was every RT album up to 1987. I heard all that stuff for the first time and loved it, but I still compare it all to what was happening in the 70s and 80s, which made it clear why he never got very far here in the U.S.. If I make a compilation today, I do not include any of his stuff because I didn't hear it back then. It wasn't part of history for me.

Perhaps it is because the U.K. doesn't have the same history with the music that the U.S. has, so we aren't blank slates when we hear this stuff. Even with Motown, today we listen to it through a nostalgic prism. We probably don't want to hear the failures, hence the fascination with hits, and have these #1 CDs. We Americans need to identify with the music. We need some kind of reference point. In short, The Brits don't have that mental and historical baggage. The music we hear has to fit into our history.

Once in a while we discover recordings that may have been big, but some dufus at the label decided he or she didn't like it, and shelved it. Johnny Mathis comes to mind. He did an album with Chic in the late 70s or early 80s, but has not seen the light of day because someone was worried about his image. Maybe they were right, maybe not. I can say that he hasn't had a hit since 1978, when he made an duet album with Denise Williams. That album with Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers could have put him back on the map. We'll never know now. I doubt not many people in the U.S. even care to hear it now. After all, look how many people got upset when A&M finally released the "lost" Karen Carpenter album in the mid-90s.

[souldonuts]

Volume 4
http://souldonuts.podomatic.com/entry/2011-08-05T13_03_11-07_00
Smokey Robinson - Ever Had A Dream[[1979)
Houston Outlaws - Ain't No Telling
Collins & Collins - Top Of The Stairs[[1980)
Tender Loving Care - Love Me Baby
Essex IV - My Reaction To You[[1975)
Lew Kirton - Heaven In The Afternoon[[1978)
The Dynamic Superiors - One-Nighter[[1975)
Chuck Robinson - I Got To Have Your Love[[1983)
Earl White - Very Special Girl[[1977)
G.C.Cameron - Live For Love[[1980)
Mary Love Corner - Come Out Of The Sandbox
Mayberry Movement - Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right[[1974)
Denise Lasalle - Here I Am Again[[1975)
SideShow - Sexy Lady[[1985)
General Johnson - Don't Walk Away[[1977)
Timothy Wilson - It's Love Baby[[2002)
Bill Brandon - The Streets Got My Lady[[1977)
Seville - Show Me The Way[[1980)
Mojoba - I Know[[1977)
Garland Green - Let Me be Your Pacifier[[1977)

[chidrummer]

Whoa souldonuts, slow down. I've just finished the first podcast.

Like most folks here, I'd never heard of most of the artists you have in volume 1. I'm struck, though, how all the elements are there: the popping g strings on the bass, the disco drums, the soaring strings, real hand claps, analog synths, Mutrons!

What I noticed most is how much I miss guitar parts. These tunes have tons of Funky riffs, phase shifters and plenty of noodling. You just don't hear that in popular tunes anymore.

I'm also surprised how some of the songs sound almost like one of the "hits" from the era. They're not ripped off copies, but parts of these songs are direct cousins of other more well-known songs.

I had no idea Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs could sing at all, let alone have three albums released by major producers on a major label. That was sure a surprise. Sting is definitely NOT Gordon Summner here and I might have bought the Barrow tune. That was interesting.

I'll try to get to the other volumes. I used to do this kind of stuff in college and you're right; you sometimes will run into a buried gem.

[souldonuts]

Hi Chid,
Many Thanks for your comments!
Cheers
Andy