Thom Bell-Didn’t I Blow Your Mind? The Sound Of Philadelphia Soul 1969-1983. Label: Kent. Format: CD. During the late-sixties and seventies, Thom Bell was one of the architects of Philly Soul, and worked with everyone from The Delfonics, The Stylistics and The Spinners to M.F.S.B., The O’Jays, Three Degrees and New York City. Artists came from far and wide to work with the prodigiously talented arranger, producer, songwriter and musician. This included everyone from Dusty Springfield to Elton John and Nancy Wilson.  Sometimes, artists whose career had stalled travelled to Philly to work w ..read more

Atlanta: Hotbed Of 70s Soul. Label: Kent Soul. Format: CD. During the fifties and sixties, the Atlanta’s black music scene was thriving. One of the most important figures during the sixties was Bill Haney.  He was a a producer, songwriter and owner of Down South Productions, which was responsible for some of the finest Southern Soul released during the sixties. Haney’s career continued into the seventies. By then, a new name was involved in the Atlanta music scene, Michael Thevis. The story began in the early seventies when Thevis was looking for a legitimate way to get his substantial fo ..read more

Jon Savage’s The Secret Public-How The LGBTQ+ Aesthetic Shaped Pop Culture 1955-1979. Label: Ace. Format: CD. Release Date: 31st May 2024. Ever since the birth of rock ’n’ roll, homosexuality has been part of popular music. However, in the fifties, it wasn’t talked about openly. That was the case right through to the sixties, where many within the gay community felt like outcasts.  In the UK, gay men were harassed by the police, and risked prosecution and imprisonment. Things started to change when the Sexual Offences Act 1967 was passed. It decriminalised private homosexual acts in Engla ..read more

Tomorrow’s Fashions – Library Electronica 1972-1987. Label: Ace. Format: CD. Release Date: 28th June 2024. Over the last few years, there’s been a resurgence of interest in library music, with British and European record labels releasing lovingly curated compilations that are welcomed by a coterie of musical connoisseurs who have a passion for library music. This includes DJs, producers and record collectors who are willing to pay large sums of money to add original copies of rare releases to their collections of library music.  However, not everyone can afford to buy original copies of l ..read more

David Axelrod-Songs Of Innocence. Label: Oldays Japan. Format: CD. Release Date: 22nd March 2024. By the time David Axelrod began work on his debut album Songs Of Innocence in 1968, the thirty-seven year arranger, composer, drummer and producer old had enjoyed a chequered career. He had started off as a boxer, before changing direction and finding work in film and television. However, in 1959 Axelrod embarked upon a musical career when he produced Harold Land’s album The Fox. This launched his nascent musical career. Four years later, Axelrod was hired by Capitol Records as a producer and A&am ..read more

Freddie Scott-The Very Best Of Freddy Scott. Label: Playback Records. Format: CD. Freddie Scott was born on April ’24th,’ 1933, in Providence, Rhode Island. Music was part of his life from an early age. He sang around the house, at school, at church and by the time he was twelve, he was touring England with his grandmother’s gospel group, Sally Jones and The Gospel Keyes.  By the time he was sixteen, Scott had his own television show in Augusta, Georgia, The Sound Of Gospel which was shown. It seemed as if Scott was destined to pursue a musical career. However, that wasn’t the case. Scott ..read more

Johnny Adams-Release Me. Label: Playback Records. Format: CD. Johnny Adams’ recording career lasted exactly forty years. His career began in early 1958, when he released his first single ‘I Won’t Cry’ on Ric. It was a hit single in New Orleans and the Southern states. For the twenty-six year old soul man this was the start of a recording career that would span five decades. Right through to Adams’ death, on ‘14th,’ September, 1998, he was still working. He had just completed his ninth album for Rounder Records, ‘Man Of My Word.’ By then, Adams was a much-loved and popular artist whose career b ..read more

The Counts-What’s Up Front That Counts. Label: Ace Records. Format: LP. Soul and funk group The Fabulous Counts were formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1968 by organist Mose Davis, guitarist Leroy Emmanuel and vocalist and saxophonist Demo Cates. Initially, the trio jammed with musicians in their local neighbourhood. This included conga player Keith Mangrum and tenor saxophonist Jim White. Soon, drummer Andrew Gibson joined the band. However, it wasn’t long before people were taking notice of the nascent group. Later in 1968, they had established a reputation as the go-to-group for solo arti ..read more

Johnny Lytle-The Loop. Label: BGP. Format: LP. Release Date: ‘28th’ July 2023. Johnny Dillard Lytle was born into a family of musicians on December October ’13th’, 1932 in Springfield, Ohio. His father was a drummer and his mother an organist. Influenced by both, the future vibes virtuous grew up playing drums and piano. However, before studying music he was a successful boxer. The man who later became known as Fast Hands was a Golden Gloves champion. Johnny Lytle continued to box into the fifties while working as a drummer. He accompanied musical luminaries like Ray Charles, Gene Ammons and J ..read more

Folk, Funk and Beyond-The Arrangements Of John Cameron. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. Release Date: ‘26th’ May 2023. John Cameron came to prominence in 1966 after he arranged Donovan’s Sunshine Superman. The arrangement was a fusion of jazz, folk and proto-psychedelia, and when the single was released, it topped the US Billboard 100 and launched John Cameron’s career as an arranger. By then, John Cameron was only twenty-two. He was born in Woodford, Essex, on ‘22nd’ April 1944 into a musical family. His mother played piano at the Canadian Club during the war and his father ran and organised ..read more