NEW RELEASES: NORTHERN SOUL’S CLASSIEST RARITIES – VOLUME 6; KEV BEADLE PRIVATE COLLECTION – VOLUME 3; i2 LOVE MUSIC VOLUME 1

NORTHERN SOUL’S CLASSIEST RARITIES – VOLUME 6 (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

It’s nearly three years since Kent released the last volume in this respected series; here’s another package full of ultra-rarities, collector’s pieces, unissued gems and classic dancers. The eye-opener will be the previously unissued version of I Only Cry Once A Day Now, a superb Gene Page arrangement known and treasured as being by the Puffs but performed here by the mighty Fidels. Fellow Los Angeles vocal group the Hyperions contribute the intensely catchy and exciting Why Do You Wanna Treat Me Like You Do, while the very rare single Dream Girl by the Lon Genes gives further kudos to that city’s soul reputation. Difosco aka Dee Ervin recorded the ebullient Sunshine Love for another Los Angeles imprint, Earthquake, and its standing among collectors continues to grow. Here we finally put out the correct brass-filled version of Peggy Woods great Modern Records tape not properly heard since its mid-80s discovery. That much-travelled ambassador of soul, Sidney Barnes, has licensed to Kent not only his early super-rare NYC song and production on Little Nicky Soul, I Wanted To Tell You, but also two of his later under the radar creations on Andre Scott and Jean Carter. Sid’s Detroit production partner and later superstar George Clinton has one of his earliest works from his New Jersey days, Tamala Lewis You Won’t Say Nothing, an established Northern Soul classic in Jackie Day’s Naughty Boy, Johnnie Taylor’s Friday Night and Betty Turner’s The Winds Kept Laughing. An even more established oldie is given an interesting new twist with an earlier session of Maxine Brown’s One In A Million, a precursor to the released version that is so loved; the subtle differences make it an aural thrill. Jack Ashford’s Just Productions tapes have turned up an earlier version of his Fly To My Loving Arms, simply called I Can Fly. The great male vocal group sound of the Magnificents are first rate on this fabulous song. A Detroit Emeralds LP-only track called Long Live The King has found favour with soul fans recently and sounds vibrant here. The distinctive vocals of O.C. Tolbert give Dave Hamilton’s Marriage Is Only A State Of Mind a soulful twist on a recent tape discovery, and a pretty Carla Thomas recording (unreleased until 1992) called Little Boy is the perfect ender to this collection of treasures. There are two majestic big beat ballads from Jack Nitzsche’s Los Angeles vaults. The Nooney Ricket track is unissued and the terrific Daniel A Stone take on Young Boy Blues has only been heard on an Ace CD before. Jock Mitchell’s moody and mysterious Nomad Woman fits snugly between the pair. Finally, Kent have two excellent early Chicago soul rarities from the Vows and the Kittens who were stalwarts of that soulful city.

KEV BEADLE PRIVATE COLLECTION – VOLUME 3 (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

Beadle returns to BBE with a 3rd volume of his much lauded ‘Private Collection’ album series. Taking in a wide range of obscure jazz with a distinct nod to the dance-foor, the frst two ‘Private Collections’ are already considered classics by the jazz-dance community. Once again presenting a wealth of ultrarare sounds previously only available to record collectors with very deep pockets, Vol.3 sees Kev inviting us to travel even deeper into the vinyl vaults. Quite a lot has happened in the 3 years since ‘Private Collection Vol.2’ was released, not least Kev’s announcement last year that he was hanging up his headphones. We hope, selfshly, that his retirement won’t last, but either way, the news has given this compilation some added signifcance for us. A founder of London’s legendary Dingwalls and former Wag club resident, Kev has been at the very centre of the UK’s jazz-dance scene for decades, locked in (friendly) competition with the likes of Gilles Peterson, Patrick Forge, Bob Jones and many others on a never-ending quest for that perfect track. As you might expect, ‘Private Collection Vol.3’ contains its fair share of frenetic, syncopated musical workouts to test the stamina of even the most dedicated dancers, but the album also provides some moments of calm, some smooth Latin grooves like Louis Hayes version of the Freddie Hubbard classic ‘Little Sunfower’ as well as very rare, sought after recordings by Belair, Lee Willhite and the Webster Lewis that have changed hands for big money in recent times amongst the collectors. Whether you are a record collector or a jazz club regular, this compilation represents a chance to fnally own more than a few ‘holy grail’ tunes without breaking the bank and a chance to relive those special moments on the dance-foor. For the rest of us, this is simply a glorious concoction of 70s and 80s jazz, rescued from relative obscurity, painstakingly assembled and presented with a great deal of love.

i2 LOVE MUSIC VOLUME 1 (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

i2 proudly presents Love Music, Vol.1 – featuring stellar performances from established legends like Shalamar’s Howard Hewett with a brand new song ‘Because You’, Atlanta based soul star Carmichael MusicLover and from the UK, The Sound Principle. Added to this eclectic blend of talented vocalists are up and coming future stars like Everett, who delivers soul hits ‘First Night’ and ‘Your Side of Love’, UK R&B stalwarts Qanah and Chris Ballin. Hailing from Kansas City, USA: Le Velle delivers a compelling call to action with his blockbusting soul classic, ‘Bring Back The Love’ and another storming track ‘It Was Me’. For lovers of soul jazz music JFly hits you with his seminal track ‘Love Song’. Soul music of such consistently high quality is hard to come by, but i2 have united the best of British with excellent offerings from the United States to create an album full of pure gems. Live strings on ‘First Night’, ‘Because You Love Me’ (featuring Phillippia) and ‘I Need Your Loving’ are testament to the top-level production values on display throughout this outstanding compilation.