V.A. Saturday

Various artists Saturday reaches Northern Soul today. I'm sure that in the ultra obsessive world of Northern Soul that various artist compilations are if not absolutely verboten then at least frowned upon. A Northern DJ turning up with a bunch of various artists CDs would be laughed out of the building surely- these songs are to be listened and danced to on as God intended, on 7" vinyl, original pressings (re- presses permissible under certain circumstances). But in a world where the casual Northern Soul fan has limited resources and other genres of music to spend money on, original 7" singles from obscure 1960s and 70s labels are a luxury that must sometimes be foregone. 

In 1998 a Northern compilation called It'll Never Be Over For Me came out on EMI's Stateside label, on both CD and double vinyl. The twenty song compilation seems to me to be a cut above the rash of cheap, supermarket Northern Soul CD compilations that came out a decade or so ago, built on TV adverts suddenly deciding northern Soul was the best way to sell fried chicken and mortgages. It'll Never Be Over For Me has some familiar names including Timi Yuro, Irma Thomas and Dean Parrish, and this song by Dean, the last song played at Wigan Casino before it closed its doors for good in 1981...

I'm On My Way

How good is that? Gnarly lead guitar intro from 1967 (re- released in the UK in 1975) and then one of those thumping Northern rhythms, horns, Dean's vocal stop- start dynamics, buckets of echo and a rousing chorus.

It'll Never Be Over For me also has this solid gold banger from Chuck Wood also from 1967, opening with a blast and Chuck declaring 'huh!' and then immediately following with 'First time I called you girl/ They say you wasn't at home...'

Seven Days Too Long

Seven Days Too Long was famously covered by Dexys Midnight Runners in 1980, a 7" that has become as sought after as many Northern Soul 7" singles. 

I may sound like I'm being a bit snobbish about supermarket compilation CDs and I'm not (really). I have bought many, back in the days when supermarkets still sold CDs. One of them, Northern Soul: 20 Original Classics, is as good a way to spend 80 minutes as you're going to find during daylight hours, an album that may not be imaginative in its title but is accurate. R Dean Taylor. Dusty Springfield. Marlena Shaw. Gladys Knight and The Pips. The Impressions. Chris Clark. Frank Wilson...

Do I Love You? (Indeed I Do)

The Flirtations...

Nothing But A Heartache

Viva the cheap CD compilation album. Also, in this age of streaming and playlists, RIP the cheap compilation CD. 

Young Soul Rebel Version

Dexys Midnight Runners' cover of yesterday's northern soul smash isn't too shabby either.

A couple of friends of mine bumped into Kevin Rowland in the street a few months back, both big fans. They approached him and one of them asked to shake his hand, telling Kevin how one of Dexys albums had been a key album in his life. 'Which album?' Kevin asked. 'Searching For The Young Soul Rebels' my friend replied. Apparently the look on Kevin Rolands' face made it clear it wasn't an opinion he shared. Which tells you something about artists, seeing as Young Soul Rebels is pretty much the only Dexys album to get universal adoration. It's thirty years old this year, re-issued this month with the 'legacy' treatment- extra tracks, sessions, unreleased songs, booklet and so on. That'll be the sound of a record company wringing a few more drops out.

06 Seven Days Too Long.wma

The First Time I Called You Girl They Say You Wasn't Home

How much wood would Chuck Wood chuck if his baby was gone for seven days?

13 Seven Days Too Long.wma