jazzyjas

My understanding of crossover is a soul record that is too late for a 60s northern sound and recorded too early to be considered modern. This is all regardless of what rooms they get played in. To me, "Just Loving You" by Ruby Andrews is just barely coming over into a crossover sound, even though the production still sounds a little bit 60s. The Ultimates "Girl I've Been Trying to Tell You" is quintessential crossover sounding soul to me. Flame n King "Oh Happy Day" is making its way over into the modern zone, in my opinion. Collins and Collins "Top of the Stairs" is one of the best modern tracks ever, as far as I'm concerned. Personally, I think a lot of people's taste in soul music relies heavily on their introduction to it. As a child, I listened to 50s music almost exclusively, so that's why I've got a strong stomach for popcorn and really moldie oldie sounding stuff. Then, through adolescence, when I got into hip hop and electro, I was also listening to current black music on the radio, like Loose Ends, Mtume, D-Train, etc., which to my understanding, a lot of UK residents not affiliated with northern soul call "modern". I've also learned that a lot of people from Italy and other countries call my adolescent soul music "boogie". These would be artists like Active Force, High Fashion, Sadane, Kleer, Lilo Thomas, etc. Later on, I developed an appreciation for house music. And once the 90s rolled around and black radio was loaded with Puff Daddy's R&B junk, I declared to those that knew me that soul music was dead and it was reborn in deep house. With all of that said, it's personally been easy for me to accept styles of soul music like crossover, modern, etc., because I've had a point of reference for it. If you don't, you probably won't relate to it. The mods would cringe when I played songs like "Because of You" by Jackie Wilson, and to a fan of northern soul, that's a floorfiller! You can't really blame people for their tastes I guess. If they can't relate, they won't like it. My DJ partner came from a totally whitebread environment and started with punk, went to ska, then went to real ska and reggae and then soul. So, to him, disco, crossover and modern soul can't be rootsy at all. It also seems to be human nature to criticize what we don't know about. There's lots of music I absolutely refuse to dance to and will never relate to either. My experience is when mods hear an out and out crossover record, it just sounds like disco. It's a shame about disco, too; over here, it gets a bad rap because of things like Saturday Night Fever and the Bee Gees and shit. Tons of great soulful disco records were being made before the whole thing exploded. Plus, people didn't even want to check it out after the stigma of the Village People and bad clothes were attached to it. Many great crossover soul numbers are also great disco numbers too. Four Below Zero is just one of many. This is why I love northern soul so much. It encompasses all of the great danceable and musical aspects of all of my favorite music. Plus the dancing is great. It's like a perfect marriage of my breakdancing and house dancing, with a little Chicago stepping thrown in. All I can say is sometimes your tastes can change if you give things a chance and hear it in the right environment. Just because a record doesn't sound as raw as an Eddie Parker, it doesn't mean that it lacks soul or lacks substance. KTF Jason

One name that cracks me up is Marion Sodd. He did a song called "Permanent Vacation" What an unfortunate guy with a name like that. And I also wonder if the guys who put out "I'm Gettin' On Life" were proud to say "yeah-I'm in a band called Wombat..." As for non-soul, I think "Blubbering Hellbellies" is pretty funny band name. The sickest most disgusting band names that I've ever heard have to be "Rectal Pizza" and "Fudge Tunnel". I can just see some mother saying "my son plays drums for Rectal Pizza and he makes pretty good money". Good lord, these are real bands we're talking about here. BTW-Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes "I Played the Fool" was produced by none other than Steven Van Zandt aka "Little Steven" aka "Silvio" on the Sopranos. He was one of the Jukes himself and went on to play for Bruce Springsteen. After that, he went on to play the Bada Bing for Tony Soprano. I've always dug the name "Abstract Reality". I've always been curious to hear the record because I liked their name so much. I believe they were on Sport or some other Detroit label. Anyone have that 45? -Jas

First off to Billy the Boot: The story about the wedding at Clemson was one of the most brilliant things I've ever heard of someone doing. I was cheated on by my ex-girlfriend very badly around 4-5 years ago, so I tip my hat to that guy. Plus any good guy who has been done wrong should hear that story. It's like he did it for all of us. I've since gotten myself a fantastic girlfriend who is young, beautiful, smart, considerate, supportive and every possible thing you could want in a girl. We've been together 3 and half years now and it keeps getting better. One day we will get married and although there will be no formal ceremony or regular reception, whenever we hold a celebration, I plan to play the following: 1. Just Loving You-Ruby Andrews (as it describes perfectly, finding someone better who suits you) 2. You Satisfy My Needs-Big Dee Irwin (This song most perfectly describes my feelings about her) 3. I'll Be Loving You-Soul Brothers Six (Just a beautiful track in general) And that's probably enough northern soul music for her to take in during the course of the evening, but it's my expression through three records that really move me. Also, on a side note, "My Proposal" is fantastic for a wedding of two northern soul enthusiasts. Kudos to Dave Flynn. -Jason

Hello all. I accidentally put my home zip code on instead of my work zip code. Please change 21224 to "21227" 21227 is the correct zip code. JASON H. THORNTON CREATIVE PRINT GROUP 1560 CATON CENTER DRIVE BALTIMORE, MD 21227 USA I actually put the wrong zip code on it. Just one stupid number at the end made it come back I guess. I've gotten 7 discs so far and they're all corrected on the zip code. I can tell where people scratched the numbers out. I wanted to put up a post about this in case others have experienced the same thing that happened to mischief. Sorry everyone! I hope you're all enjoying my CD "A Toast To You". Stay in touch. KTF -Jason

Just wanted to thank everyone for all of the kind words I've received so far. It makes me feel good that my efforts are appreciated. I put probably 12 hours total into the whole project, but the sounds have been accumulating in my collection for years. I'm a graphic designer by trade, so the booklet was a breeze for me. Plus, it also helps to work for a printer to get free printing done in-house. Believe it or not, I put the whole booklet and write-ups together while on the job. Lucky for me, it was a slow week when I did it. My inspiration for the booklet design was the Jimmy Hughes "Steal Away" LP cover on Vee Jay. Anybody catch that? Likewise, I've heard some great tracks from the CDs that I've received as well(7 so far). If anything, the project has been worth it for the knowledge of sounds that I've never heard of and to check back on records already in my collection that I've slept on. I'm anxiously awaiting more discs from other members and would definitely like to do this again if anybody wants to. I had about 10 tracks that I left off my CD that turned up on other people's discs, so I got lucky there. The Lorraine Ellison has been the only one on someone else's CD so far. Still, I have some great additional tracks that I left off just for lack of space or I felt they might have been a tad too fast. If anyone's interested in swapping CDs just one on one, let me know. I've got loads more stuff not comped out yet that's midtempo, fast tempo, and whatever.There are also some specific sounds I need. Thanks again for having me on board and I really appreciate the encouraging words. If there are any questions about my records or records in general, let me know. I'd be glad to share info or help other members locate stuff. I also have full-size versions of all my label scans from the comp, in case anyone's interested. When I get a chance to catch my breath, I'll post some comments on songs that stand out for me from everyone's midtempo comps. KTF, Jason

Right back at you, Chalky! I've been going through your CD as well. Buddy Ace, Jimmy Burns, and Donald Jenkins are some of my faves from yours at the moment. Thanks for the compliments on the booklet. I realized after reading your entry a couple of times that "get into it" meant the package was difficult to open. Had a laugh on that one. Anyway, let me know what you think when you give it a listen. Thanks again, Jason

Roy Hamilton's "Angelica" was issued on AGP and is a relatively easy record to find. I must admit that I have a rather extensive collection of his stuff, even the 50s recordings, just for the simple fact that he had such great northern stuff and one of the best voices ever in my opinion. I don't often play a lot of the early stuff, but when they turn up cheap enough, I just can't pass them up. In addition to being a boxer, and a great singer, Roy could also paint well and did a religious painting that was included as an insert in an LP of spirituals on Epic. Scotty Moore was Elvis's high school buddy and was a part of his original band on the Sun recordings, which also included Bill Black. I have also heard that Elvis had a nice selection of "jubilee" gospel music that he and James Brown would get together and listen to on occassion. But Wilson Pickett is rumoured to have the motherlode of all collections of gospel records. From my understanding, "jubilee" gospel means the more lively uptempo stuff. Just some stuff I remembered. I'm not 100% sure on all of the details.

Hello team midtempo! My CDs were mailed out yesterday, so you should have them within a week. I'm really excited about all of you receiving them, so be sure to let me know what you think. I've already received 4 CDs and will post my comments for each very soon.

Ady, Just recently got "Out on the Floor" included on a DVD from Pete Smith. Dreadful watch indeed. But the thing that I would like to know is-where was it filmed? Pete believes that it was Wigan Casino, but judging from photos that I've seen, it seemed a bit of a smaller room than that. I'd like to know just for my own personal reference. Actually the only reason that I kept watching was for the interiors of the hall. Definitely a painful show, though. Seems like it was made as an after school special to serve as some public service announcent to stay off drugs. A few good songs play in the background and some dreadful ones too. They must have been working from one Grapevine LP to get all of the music. The lead girl was kind of cute, though. A disservice to northern soul, though. At least they don't use the term in their dialogue. Your show about Cleethorpes with Doris Troy was brilliant, though. Really enjoyed that one.

Status Report: All CDs are burnt. I am currently working on my notes as well. I have every last record at my desk to be scanned for the booklet. So-take that! "originals police"! I promise a nice finished product that will be of my best quality. I will post them all in a day. It will be well worth the wait. Jason

Hello all, After chopping down 49 tracks into 32, I've finally got a CD that I'm satisfied with. I am currently in the process of burning the CDs and I'd like to take an extra day or two to make a good insert with notes and nice graphics, if it's ok with everyone. I promise it will be worth the wait. Jason

Yes, DJ I was at the Los Angeles weekender. I was the guy that told you about having Gary Levine's cassette from 1983 that you made. Still sounds good, too. Actually, your copy of Jay Traynor's "Up and Over" transferred over from that old cassette, sounded better than the one that was issued on Casino Classics V. 2 on Goldmine Soul Supply. I still have your work business card, so I'll stay in touch. Miff, Actually, yes there are some essential tracks that I need that I haven't found on CD yet: 1. Clydie King-Only the Guilty Cry-Philips 2. Hal Miller-On My Own Two Feet-Amy 3. Whispers-It Only Hurts For a Little While-Dor 4. Tony Middleton-Drifting-United Artists 5. Springfield Rifle-That's All I Really Need-Jerden (not sure if this fits the format or not) 6. Jimmy Ellis-Happy to Be-Century City 7. Ralph Graham-She Just Sits There-Up Front(or up look?)-Now, I know this just got comped, but it sounds dreadful. I'd love to hear this one a bit cleared up if possible. 8. Jimmy Barnes-Maybe Never-Sue (i might put this one on mine, but maybe someone has a cleaner copy? let me know) Any or all of those would be greatly appreciated! KTF Jason

Gareth, I've got a mint demo copy of "Either Way I Lose" that I snagged from my good buddy and ex-Baltimore resident Dave Withers a few years ago. I don't have the LP. though. I grabbed that image from a web site dedicated to jazz musician Kai Winding, as he played on that LP. I've never heard it either, but I imagine it's got a bit of a supper club sound, as she was and still is primarily a jazz vocalist.

Gareth, That was me, Jason who brought that up. You're dead right about the Stardust label, too. It appears to be for that market. I've been invited to attend a dance in the Bronx once, but couldn't make it, as I had to drive back to Baltimore that night. I have heard that they're quality nights, though. People dance as partners and it's like a slow lazy cha cha step that they do. It's a very collector-driven scene, but many couples show up for a good night out. The Jamaicans are also very secretive about what their after. They don't want record dealers to be able to pinpoint which records they're looking for. They also don't like their lists making the rounds either. They keep quiet. As for popcorn, I'm not suprised how a lot of people on the soul scene don't like it, but I will say that there are many great records by black artists on that scene and the jamaican scene that are great, but not well suited for a proper northern do. Kurt Harris "Emperor" has legendary cult status on all three scenes, too. While many Belgians are waking up and smelling the coffee on some Stafford type sounds, the Brits are starting to play a few of their sounds like Harvey on Tri-Phi and Jimmy Gilford on Thelma. It appears that it's all starting to converge a little, which is good because I like how northern soul is becoming more and more progressive, now. It seems like all of my favortie music is eventually falling under the umbrella of northern soul. If you're in on the midtempo swap, you'll be in for a treat of nice sounds that define what the "jamaican beat" sound is. A larger ratio of it is soulful, in contrast to popcorn, which veers further away from an r&b base.

Kolla, Please COUNT ME IN! I've been collecting records for years and I've got loads of stuff not comped out yet on CD. I should know because I buy every northern CD I get my hands on. Also, I would like to make this a regular thing. There are some tracks that I'd like to get my hands on that the odd collector might have. I'm not really into cover-ups either, so my collection is up for the world to share! For my mid-tempo collection, I'm choosing to go with records of the Ray Pollard/Hal Miller variety: big city productions and mid-tempo floaters. This style is called "Jamaican Beat" around my part of the country, many of these tracks are "popcorn", too. A lot of Jamaicans, mainly in New York, have their own dances and spin these rare records. And these guys actually have DJ battles to see who has the rarest records in the best condition. Oddly enough, many have not been comped out yet. I try to get my hands on these records as much as possible. As of now, I have three volumes and I'm about to make another. For my CD, I will feature the best of these compilations. I love northern soul music and I'm constantly trying to broaden my horizons. I've got a lot to offer, too. I promise bring some quality sounds to the table. Jamaican, Popcorn, Northern, whatever. It's all great music for all to enjoy and I'm eager to jump in! Best to every serious music lover, DJ, dancer and collector on the scene! Jason DJ (Jazzy Jas) and on eBay (majorwaxbuildup) Baltimore, MD USA jazzyjas35@hotmail.com

The only thing that comes to mind is Kell Osbourne on Titanic. The B-side of "Quicksand". KTF Jas