I have never been that big a fan of Seventies soul. I always found it too polished, too smooth and on the whole pretty insipid. But there were certain tracks that I loved and still do, some of the Philly output but not all of it by any means and also some of the stuff that Ian Levine pushed at the Mecca but on the whole I would have to say that I'm a Sixties soul kind of guy.
Why I love Hang On In There Baby is a mystery to me, it has all of the those things that turn me off 70s soul, the slick production, that earnest, " I'm pure sexy, me" vocals and the fact that it was a top five hit in 1974 but there is something about the song that I love. Can't think of any reason not to post it so . . .
Not a bad way to kick off the week.
Johnny Bristol - Hang On In There Baby
5 comments:
I'm with you there generally re 60s v 70s, although my teenage years (and therefore formative years musically) coincided with the 70s. This record = school discos, early parties, and radio under the bedclothes for me so will always be a favourite.
Couldn't be doing with sweet pop soul back then - especially The Stylistics - but recently picked up Stylistics 2 in a chazza and I'm really liking it. Must be an age thing.
Bristol Cream.
Could be worse .. could be '80s 'soul'!
Driving through the sun-kissed Broad Acres last week, I was fiddling with the FM radio tuning knob as you do - drifting in and out of local stations - when I came across a new one on me ... "Radio Smooth".
The music was smooth, the adverts were smooth and the DJ's were smarm-dripping velvety vocal-chord merchants who doubled up as Disney voice-over men. (And with such sincerity too). I listened through the merangue melange of nice, warm songs feeling 'Mmm Mmm'. It was like pissing in the swimming pool. Sweeter than a baby possum dipped in golden syrup.
It invariably used to be edgy stuff from me. Or stuff that's rougher than a bear's arse. Loud or gruff, or full of funny (peculiar and ha-ha) angular statements. Could this say something about me? My age? Effortless songs oozed through the speakers blended finer than a freshly-Kenwooded bucket of snake shit drizzled in the finest Tuscan olive oil.
How come such smoothness doesn't come naturally to me? I mean, it wasn't as if I was abused as a child; I was always in bed by the time my Dad came home from the pub. I like to think I'm a well-rounded individual. (I also received adequate counselling following the incident with the goat).
Well, on the radio came a bona fide smooth one; a US male vocalist called Gregory Abbott wanting to "Shake You Down" . (Hang on a minute while I Google him in) ... Hmmm .. seems to encapsulate the fellow quite nicely. I do like the idea that he coined the term "Groove Ballad". I mean how fuckin' smooth is that? Moreover, (and much like meself), "Gregory is a favourite with the ladies for his sophisticated demeanor and intelligent green eyes".
Well, there you go. The evidence is as clear as a bulldog's testes; ... I think it's smooth - and so did loads of other folk! Consequently, by definition, ipso facto, I must be 1 Smoooth mutha ... with soulful strength and intensity too!
I feel like King Kong on 'Free Banana Night'.
I used to frequent a lot of nights out that played the 80s variety. While I was going to Mod nights and Northern soul things, the women were not. So a night on the pull involved going out somewhere where soul and jazz funk was playing. So I've always had a soft (hard!?!?)spot for it.
Meanwhile the 70s variety is actually my favourite, despite the slickness. The BPM count is normally slower, which suits my aging knees.
*waves at DVD*
*waves back*
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