A collection of mostly northern soul, soul, Doo-Wop, Americana and rare girl vocals from the 60s.
Why 45s?
This collection was started more by accident then design. I just wanted a few northern soul tracks to complement some LPs and a shiny new record player.
Checking through what is and will only ever be a small collection, I discovered that a number of the 45s are white label/promo pressings. These promo records weren’t always successful, but this doesn’t mean the artists they captured weren’t incredible.
In the end music often seems ephemeral, and the musicians age. But there is soul in the 45s. And it lives on.
The missing record
If there is one record I was looking for when I started collecting it has to be Wanted by La Rose Philips. This ticks all the boxes for me. A swinging 4 to the floor, soaring – sometimes shimmering – strings, heartbroken lyrics and an uplifting melody. A true Northern Soul floor filler. However, it is an in demand rarity and has a price tag to match.
Why Northern Soul
Perhaps it’s the nostalgia of a genre that was “old” before it started. Maybe it’s the insistent stomp of a four to the floor beat. The uplifting melody? The heartbreak of the lyrics? Or the effort required by the DJs to find hidden gems before bringing them to wider attention.
In some senses Northern Soul is all about the underdog. It’s music and musicians who wrote and performed amazing songs that few people heard until they were played in the clubs of Northern England. Many of the artists were actively ignored in their home country. In the end Northern Soul tells us that closing ourselves off because of our prejudices, dis-interest or a pursuit of our self interest makes us poorer. While embracing the unheard, the sidelined and seeking out the exceptional makes us spiritually richer.