It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

The first every Friday post on 09/01/2009

Foolishly I decided to yet again put myself through the torture of abstaining from alcohol for the duration of January, or "I'm aff it" as we say in these parts, so Friday does not have the allure of the G&T or pint of Guinness once I have logged off the company laptop and drawn a veil over the weekly grind.

In order to lift my spirits I have turned my attention to the healing power of soul music and Northern Soul in particular. For those of you unacquainted with this sub sect of soul I am not going to attempt a definition as it would take too long to explain what constitutes a "northern" tune and my explanation would not satisfy the fanatics, suffice to say they are usually rare, mid/uptempo 60s soul records in the Motown style. Northern soul aficionados can be very passionate about their tunes, making your average indie music snob look like the epitome of fair mindedness. When I was a lot younger I once foolishly asked a northern dj what the tune he was playing was to which he retorted "If you don't know that then you don't deserve to be in here", I kid you not.

I will return frequently on this blog to a bit of northern as it is one of my great loves. Most of my northern collection is on cd and compilation lps (which will horrify all those serious collectors out there) as the original singles can cost thousands and I can't really justify anything over 20 quid for a single, I have tried but have not been able to convince myself let alone the good lady. Of the 7" in my possession most of them are either re-pressings as with the tune selected today or dodgy bootleg pressings.

Today's tune is by the late, great Jackie Wilson, corny I know but true. This tune will always remind me of the Togetherness Weekenders in Fleetwood, seeing a good few hundred people shuffling, spinning and clapping in time to this tune is a sight to behold.

So pull back the carpet, sprinkle the talcum powder on the floor or the lino in the kitchen and have a little shimmy

Jackie Wilson - Because of You

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance (mebbe?)

How does a little early 70's Jazz Funk grab you?

Know hardly anything about this apart from the original piece of music was by Richard Strauss and known to millions from its use to great effect in 2001. This version seemingly won a Grammy in 1973.

I have absolutely no fucking idea how you would dance to it, apart from badly but it is as funky as fuck.

I think that the sleep deprivation of the past week and the sunshine yesterday have affected me.

I know of one person who will despise this as the 2 words Jazz and Funk are possibly his 2 least favourite words in the English language and when used together is enough to induce a state of apoplexy, reason enough to post I think.

Enjoy or possibly not.

Deodato - Also Sprach Zarathustra

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

Today we go back to 1993 and an acid trance stormer from the Rising High Collective.

Rising High Collective was one of the many monikers of sadly departed Casper Pound. He also ran a label called Rising High Records which was responsible for some ground breaking techno and early ambient works by MixMaster Morris and Air Liquide. But Pound's main love was techno and the faster the breakbeats the better.

Fever Called Love is quite soulful and the BPMs not too fast. The version here is the 1993 remix by Hardfloor a German duo who invariably turn the 303 up to eleven in order to get their distinctive squelchy sound.

Enjoy

Rising High Collective - Fever Called Love (Hardfloor mix)

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

As this week saw the 50th Anniversary of the founding of one of the most important dance record labels ever, it would be churlish not to post a couple of class dancers from the legend that is Motown.

First up is The Night by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons signed to Motown subsidiary Mowest in 1972 for what would be a disastrous few years and they parted company with the label in 1974, leaving behind this belter of a track which was supposed to be released in the states but was pulled. Like many other tracks before and after it was picked up by the Northern Soul scene here in the UK and became a Wigan Casino favorite.

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons - The Night

And for the main event, Frank Wilson's Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) the ultimate Northern Soul tune, number 1 in The Northern Soul Top 500 and the most expensive single of all time. Frank Wilson was an arranger/producer for Motown at the time he recorded Do I Love You and decided after discussions with Berry Gordy that that was indeed how he his career would progress. Berry then ordered the masters of the song with Wilson's vocals be destroyed and the song re-recorded by another Motown artist. One of the 2 copies was discovered in 1977 and has changed hands 4 times and the other turned up in Canada in 1999 and was sold for £15 000.

If you don't smile and feel the urge to dance when you hear this tune then, you sir/madam have no soul.

Frank Wilson - Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)

as an added bonus

Marvin Gaye - Sunny

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

Foolishly I decided to yet again put myself through the torture of abstaining from alcohol for the duration of January, or "I'm aff it" as we say in these parts, so Friday does not have the allure of the G&T or pint of Guinness once I have logged off the company laptop and drawn a veil over the weekly grind.

In order to lift my spirits I have turned my attention to the healing power of soul music and Northern Soul in particular. For those of you unacquainted with this sub sect of soul I am not going to attempt a definition as it would take too long to explain what constitutes a "northern" tune and my explanation would not satisfy the fanatics, suffice to say they are usually rare, mid/uptempo 60s soul records in the Motown style. Northern soul aficionados can be very passionate about their tunes, making your average indie music snob look like the epitome of fair mindedness. When I was a lot younger I once foolishly asked a northern dj what the tune he was playing was to which he retorted "If you don't know that then you don't deserve to be in here", I kid you not.

I will return frequently on this blog to a bit of northern as it is one of my great loves. Most of my northern collection is on cd and compilation lps (which will horrify all those serious collectors out there) as the original singles can cost thousands and I can't really justify anything over 20 quid for a single, I have tried but have not been able to convince myself let alone the good lady. Of the 7" in my possession most of them are either re-pressings as with the tune selected today or dodgy bootleg pressings.

Today's tune is by the late, great Jackie Wilson, corny I know but true. This tune will always remind me of the Togetherness Weekenders in Fleetwood, seeing a good few hundred people shuffling, spinning and clapping in time to this tune is a sight to behold.

So pull back the carpet, sprinkle the talcum powder on the floor or the lino in the kitchen and have a little shimmy

Jackie Wilson - Because of You