FOR BEN E. KING

Artist: BEN E. KING (feat. JIMI HENDRIX); Title: II'S ALL OVER; Label: ATLANTIC; Format: 7"; Cat. No.: AT 4007; Year: 1964; Country: UK

This is a post I've been meaning to do for a couple of weeks now - but've only just gotten round to, as a tribute to Soul legend and former Drifters frontman Ben E King who we lost recently.





Looking today at this 1964 release of his which features the classic Soul format of the period - big ballad A Side and more up-tempo B Side.  In this instance the A Side gives you "It's All Over" - co-written and produced by Bert Berns (using his Bert Russell moniker for the writing credit). It's another of those great slow-burning big soul ballads with some great backing vocals from the Sweet Inspirations (line-up around this time comprising Doris Troy, Dee Warwick, Cissy Houston, and possibly even Dionne herself).  Although not as well know as some of the better known Ben E King stuff - this is still well worth checking out.



As is the B Side - "Let The Water Run Down".  As already mentioned this is more up-tempo of the two sides on offer here.  Written again by Bert Berns as Bert Russell - and again with Doris Troy and Co. on backing vocals - it's another good one! And did I mention that the guitarist on this is none other than Jimi Hendrix? It's from that period when Hendrix did a lot of session work for Atlantic - alongside this he proivided the guitar-breaks on Don Covay's "Mercy, Mercy" as well the Isley's "Move Over And Let Me Dance" (which I've featured on a previous post a while back). An excellent track that's again well worth checking out!

MORE DRIFTING NORTHERN SOUL

Artist: THE DRIFTERS; Title: I'LL TAKE YOU WHERE THE MUSIC'S PLAYING; 

Label: ATLANTIC; Format: 7"; Cat. No.: 584152; Year: 1967; Country: UK

Carrying on with The Drifters' late 60's Northern Soul tunes - I'm looking at the next 2 singles released by Atlantic in the UK following on from the previous post.

First up is this stormer from 1967.  The A Side features the amazing "I'll Take You Where The Music's Playing" which has made it on CD as the title track of one Kent CDs focusing on Northern stuff released on Atlantic.  The track's written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich - and as already stated if you're not familiar with it already then I strongly urge you to go and check it out!  And (as far as I'm aware) this is the last Drifters track to feature production by Bert Berns.

 The flip side gives a Drifters classic from 1963 in the shape of the sublime "On Broadway".  Written by   Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil alongside producers Leiber & Stoller - and featuring Rudy Clark on vocals it really doesn't get any better than this!

Artist: THE DRIFTERS; Title: STILL BURNING IN MY HEART; Label: ATLANTIC;

Format: 7"; Cat.: No.: 584195; Year: 1968; Country: UK

Next up is this 1968 offering.  The A Side gives you "Still Burning In My Heart" written by Van McCoy with (I think) Sly Stone using his real name Sylvester Stewart.  It's another good one - and with a slight nod in the direction of Country, hence the use of the harmonica!  It's pretty good and well worth tracking down and having a listen to.

The flip side has the more uptempo psyche-tinged "I Need You Now" which has nod in the direction of Hendrix with it's nice bit of fuzz guitar on it.  Lead vocals on this occasion are handled by Bill Fredericks - and another slightly more obscure Drifters track that merits a listen.

SOME DRIFTING NORTHERN SOUL

Artist: THE DRIFTERS; Title: BABY WHAT I MEAN; Label: ATLANTIC; Format: 7"; 

Cat. No.: 584065; Year: 1967; Country: UK

Carrying on with the Northern Soul vibe from the previous post - looking today at this one in the genre from The Drifters.

 Released on UK Atlantic in 1967 "Baby What I Mean" is a good (and here I mean really good) uptempo offering from Johnny Moore and Co.  It's from that period of their career where the big hits of the early 60's were gone - but they were still knockout gems like this that although weren't massive sellers still did the business on the dance floor; especially those in the UK where these semi-obscure 45s suddenly got picked by the DJs in the Northern Soul clubs. And doubtless part of the reason why UK Atlantic reissued this along with a number of their other tracks in the early 70's - resulting in a lot of them getting back in to the UK charts and doing the business very nicely indeed!

The flip side gives you "Aretha", and I'm thinking pretty much one of the last things Bert Berns wrote (here alongside Jeff Barry) and produced for them before dying of a heart attack.  Song-wise it's another fine Drifters tune - more in the mid-tempo range, and although not quite in the same league as the A Side well worth a listen.  It's just a shame that both sides of this single didn't make it on to that excellent double CD compilation 'The Definitive Drifters' that Rhino issued in the early 00's, as their output from the latter half of the 60's is slightly under-represented.  Any plans out there for The Drifters - The Northern Soul Years'?

THE MIRACLE OF MOTOWN

Artist: The Temptations. Title: "Check Yourself"; Label: Miracle; Cat. No.: MIR 12; Year: 1961; Country: US.


Today I'm featuring this 1961 single from the Temptations issued on the short-lived Motown subsidiary Miracle.  The label issued 12 single during it's lifetime stating with Jimmy Ruffin's 'Don't Feel Sorry For Me' - MIR 1, and ending with this one - MIR 12.  The label wasn't scapped, but it's changed to name mainly to avoid confusion with Smokey's group to that which most music fans will be immediately familiar with - Gordy.

The A Side "Check Yourself" is very much in the style of the time - with traces of doo-wop, and showing the influences of the period - specifically the Drifters, and was the Temptations 2nd issued single (their first being 'Oh, Mother Of Mine' c/w 'Romance Without Finance' - Miracle MIR 5), and also pretty well as a N Soul tune. It's pretty much the same story with the flip side - "Your Wonderful Love".  Which seems to have more of a proto-Soul feel to it.  And again highlighting the impact of the Drifters, alongside that of Jackie Wilson too - not too surprising considering Berry Gordy's connection to the latter.

Have to say a big thanks to Soulful Kinda Music for their exhaustive discographies which were invaluable in checking/confirming the info on release dates and catalogue numbers - and a site well worth visiting in its own right:- http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net

"WHAT'S IT GONNA BE" - A DUSTING OF BLUE-EYED NORTHERN SOUL

Released in 1967 "What's It Gonna" is a cracking bit of Northern Soul from the queen of Blue-Eyed Soul herself - Dusty Springfield.

Written by Jerry Ragovay and Mort Shuman - the latter who'd also penned material with his writing partner Doc Pomus for both Ray Charles and The Drifters, as well translating a fair chunk of Jacques Brel's song into English - it was issued on Philips in the UK (cat. no. BF 1608), in US (again on Philips - cat. no. 40498), as well in Australia too - ! (cat. no. BF-326830). The latter being the first copy I bought after having being on the hunt for it for a good few years. And then reissued in the UK again on Philips in 1974 (cat. no. 6006 350). And as per usual it these circumstances didn't get included on any of Dusty's LPs either here in the UK or stateside at the time of it's release.

Like the best of Dusty's soul output it'd work great on an set of similar themed material, sitting quite happily alongside the Shirelles and Arthur Alexander tracks she'd already done up to this point as well the other one that would definitely have to be included - "Spooky".