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In A Starbucks... About To Start Dancing


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I am sitting in a Starbucks in California right now.

 

"Love's Gone Bad" by Chris Clark just finished, and now "baby don't you weep" by Edward Hamilton is playing. Is Starbucks about to enter the Northern Soul business? Have other's noticed rare soul being played at one?

 

 

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Guest Matt Male

It still wouldn't persuade me to set foot in that place.

 

Did they play anything by Joe Tax? Or Double Cookin (the books) maybe? Or Cashin In?

Edited by Matt Male
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Did they have a CD for sale at the counter? Starbucks like to market an extravagant lifestyle through exorbitant coffees and World Music CD's so maybe this is a concession on the ethnic front as dreamed up by some bonus-obsessed suit who has accidentally stumbled across some catchy tunes?

Or some clever way of dodging music licensing laws.

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Guest eulalie

Have other's noticed rare soul being played at one?

 

I was in a Starbucks in NYC (on W Broadway I think?) a couple of years ago - just stopped in to use the wifi for directions and what not and they were playing Bo Diddley.  That was enough to tempt me to stop longer for something to eat and ended up staying for half an hour or so as they kept playing the likes of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor etc. I actually looked to see if they had a CD of the mix for sale on the counter, but didn't spot one.

 

Don't normally frequent Starbucks in the UK though as I don't think the coffee over here is up to much -  I once asked for a latte and received a vat of hot frothy milk with a homeopathic amount of coffee in it.

Edited by eulalie
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I was in a Starbucks in NYC (on W Broadway I think?) a couple of years ago - just stopped in to use the wifi for directions and what not and they were playing Bo Diddley.  That was enough to tempt me to stop longer for something to eat and ended up staying for half an hour or so as they kept playing the likes of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor etc. I actually looked to see if they had a CD of the mix for sale on the counter, but didn't spot one.

 

Don't normally frequent Starbucks in the UK though as I don't think the coffee over here is up to much -  I once asked latte and received a vat of hot frothy milk with a homeopathic amount of coffee in it.

 

Yes! It does seem they are EXTREMELY into the Chess/Checker/Cadet/Argo catalogue (blues, R&B, as well as soul)

 

...also, off-topic, is your user name "Eulalie" a reference to Jeeves and Wooster? Just curious. Or is it a common British term/name?

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Guest eulalie

 

...also, off-topic, is your user name "Eulalie" a reference to Jeeves and Wooster? Just curious. Or is it a common British term/name?

 

Yes, I took inspiration from Roderick Spode's lingerie shop!

 

I take it the love for P.G Wodehouse has spread to the west coast US?

Edited by eulalie
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There's a couple of threads that have run before about hearing Soul Records in unexpected places.

 

The small shopping centre under the building I work in frequently plays Ann Sexton 'I still love you' and 'youve been gone too long' and quite a few other decent tunes, and has done for all of the 6 years I've worked here.

 

But, WTF were you in Starbucks in the 1st place? 

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when I visit lots of coffee shops in the Uk, I regularly hear Northern soul, Is getting spooky now as shops play it pretty much every time I'm in..

 

still I'm not complaining... its spotify isn't it, they all have a license I guess..

 

Starbucks coffee sucks though, it really is grit and water, dreadful stuff...

 

Mal

Edited by Mal C
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what did you hear?

Obvious stuff like Chuck Woods - Seven days, Solomon Burke - Cry to me, Dobie Gray...

 

Not so much 'Northern' as 60s club classics, but it was a great surprise to be hearing this stuff on a Friday night bowling session on the outskirts of Amstelveen. Thought it probably a one-off, but they played similar stuff on another occasion, too. It's everywhere!

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Several different Starbucks here in the Seattle area have been playing a similar loop of Northern Soul. I've heard Originals, Sam Dees also, and Lou Ragland - I Travel Alone, Morris Chesnutt - Too Darn Soulful, Earl Jackson - Soul Self Satisfaction, MVPs - Turning My Heartbeat Up mixed in with more obvious ones like "Tainted Love", "I Don't Need No Doctor" and "Do I Love You". Some Starbucks have a flat panel TV screen that shows the LP/CD the songs are from (the one I heard them does not have the screen) and they are from some comps.

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I went into a Starbucks in South Kensington on a Sunday morning after the 100 club allnighter, don't remember the music, just remember pouring the coffee in the gutter as it was crap

 

 

I regularly go to starbucks!

 

i agree the drip coffee is pretty weak, but maybe you should try my drink: four-shots of espresso and about 2 inches of hot water!  

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Several different Starbucks here in the Seattle area have been playing a similar loop of Northern Soul. I've heard Originals, Sam Dees also, and Lou Ragland - I Travel Alone, Morris Chesnutt - Too Darn Soulful, Earl Jackson - Soul Self Satisfaction, MVPs - Turning My Heartbeat Up mixed in with more obvious ones like "Tainted Love", "I Don't Need No Doctor" and "Do I Love You". Some Starbucks have a flat panel TV screen that shows the LP/CD the songs are from (the one I heard them does not have the screen) and they are from some comps.

It's a plot... Starbucks started off in Seattle and have converted every other shop on the High Street into a coffee shop and spawned numerous imitators filling in the gaps between phone shops and Pound Stores. Now Starbucks are taking over the Northern Soul World by stealth as they have stumbled across some half decent piped-music that's a cut above the average elevator tune. Maybe Seattle will become the new Wigan with aged soulies travelling from far afield to hog the armchairs and catch up with the latest releases borrowed from the archives of Universal, Sony and Warner. Perhaps the corporation is using Northern Soul as a tax dodge paying generous royalties to long-forgotten artists and ridiculous sums for 'unknown' tunes.

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I regularly go to starbucks!

 

i agree the drip coffee is pretty weak, but maybe you should try my drink: four-shots of espresso and about 2 inches of hot water!  

I'm now in Spain and Starbucks are rare, Spanish coffee is equally poor, so I'm living caffeine free and enjoying life.  Try giving it up yourself, it's a drug, and not mine of preference

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I'm now in Spain and Starbucks are rare, Spanish coffee is equally poor, so I'm living caffeine free and enjoying life.  Try giving it up yourself, it's a drug, and not mine of preference

 

 

i totally should. i'm a civilian, but i work very long and very odd hrs with the military. it's a tough crutch to boot! 

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It's a plot... Starbucks started off in Seattle and have converted every other shop on the High Street into a coffee shop and spawned numerous imitators filling in the gaps between phone shops and Pound Stores. Now Starbucks are taking over the Northern Soul World by stealth as they have stumbled across some half decent piped-music that's a cut above the average elevator tune. Maybe Seattle will become the new Wigan with aged soulies travelling from far afield to hog the armchairs and catch up with the latest releases borrowed from the archives of Universal, Sony and Warner. Perhaps the corporation is using Northern Soul as a tax dodge paying generous royalties to long-forgotten artists and ridiculous sums for 'unknown' tunes.

 

I propose we have Frankie as our NS union delegate! :thumbsup:

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I propose we have Frankie as our NS union delegate! :thumbsup:

Happy to fill in...always up for an expenses paid junket and more than willing to occupy chairs in Starbucks, use their Wi Fi, browse the magazines and books of Barnes & Noble for free and drink Frappaccinos at 10% off with a B&N card. Now there are only three major music corporations on planet earth, it's only a short step to sole control of the global music market by some merger involving Starbucks, Amazon and Apple. Sort of rotten bad luck for music downloaders but no problem for those who store tracks on vinyl...

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I was in Starbucks on the Deeside Industrial Estate yesterday and Michael Wycoff 'Looking Up To You' was playing so I asked the girl serving me if they chose the music or was it piped in and she replied 'Oh god no we don't choose it it's piped in, this is awful but we can't change it' LOL :)

Edited by Roger Williams
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