Geno, Geno - Geno, Geno etc etc

Saw the This Is Soul tour last nigh and generally pretty good fun I have to say. It was my first time in the new Theatre Royal - very nice but really conducive to low down nastiness and soul fun or with room to dance. Certainly not "back in 68 in a sweaty club", if you get my drift?

Anyhow, I was surprised to see, after an intro from Pauline Black, that Eddie Floyd opened. I'd say he was a bigger soul influence than Geno globally, but maybe in East Anglia thelatter still has a following from his touring in the 60s? Anyhow, Eddie kicked off with Soul man and then into a Wilson Pickett track I've not heard for ages (should play it more) 634-5789. Sounds great and his voice is still powerful. A moody "Ain' No Man" got me right in the soul areas and makes you realise the diffeence between the recent hyped singers and those with genuine talent and longevity. Very pleased to hear him do Big Bird, although not sure quite how well known this was amongst the general audience. He said he wrote it after hearing the news of Otis Redding's plane going down. Finished, of course, with Knock On Wood and eventually we were on our feet in the plush new seats. Just about five numbers but for a man of his age and career he still holds a tune, looked great and enertained. Nice one

Next up was Pauline Black, kicking off with a number of reggae covers with a soulful tinge (Let Your Yeah Be Yeah, Prisoner Of Love amongst others. I thought she'd mellowed since the early 80s, but haven't we all? She sounded more soulful and I wasn't 100% convinced with her on the reggae tunes. A Nina rather than Bob & Marcia feeling Young Gifted & Black was great though. Then a cover of Alcohol from Special AKA In The Studio and the mood was swingy, almost Billie Holiday-esque and this suited her vocal a lot better I thought - really ryhtmic and across a spectrum of vocal ranges. Finished off with On My Radio - had to really I guess?

Quick 15 minute break and into part two. The Ram Jam Band had been on stage with both acts and came back on with Night Train before Mr Washington arrived to a frenetic I Can't Turn You Loose. From there on in it was entertainment, crowd pleasing and cheesy grins and asides to the audience. Can he work a crowd or what? Tracks morphed into one another with at one stage the vocals to Shotgun over the soundtrack to Shaft. Some James Brown Covers (Brand New Back and I Got You) were thrown in and f course he had to do Michael and (another track I've not played for years) Que Sera Sera. Showmanship, a tight band and quite frankly shameless good fun.

The encore featured all three harmonising for This Little Light Of Mine

Like I say, transposed to a less formal setting with a proper dancefloor would have improved the event, but these artists didn't disappoint across their genres. Well worth a night out I'd say.

Geno online

Pauline Black online

Eddie Floyd online - more about his early group The falcons here

The Chords

As I've mentioned elsewhere, these were my fave revival band. Went from SE London to see them at Leicester Uni (supported by The Gas - they were good as well) for the first time. Went with a school friend - we'd be 14 or 15 I guess. Went to Filbert St in the afternoon - Leicester / Wolves - nearly walked into the Wolves' end - saved by a copper who suggested it wasn't a good idea. Too right - kicked off within 10 minutes if I remember. Left early to get back and had to walk past a bunch of Wolves boneheads outside the away end with the police maybe 50 yards away. Really thought we were in for it - and neither of us supported Leicester. Just thought we'd go to the game!

Anyway, enjoy:

Current MP3 Playlist...

Over the years I've copied singles and LP tracks to CDR to increase the number of tracks per lb (or kg if you're under 30!) I can carry to gigs - not that fussed these days to be seen to be playing original vinyl and our crowd don't seem to care either

Anyway, a few years ago I MP3'd a number of the comps I'd made up and I currently have these playing whilst browsing t'internet. As usual when I do this sort of thing there are tunes I'd forgotten about. So far:

Alice Clark - You Hit Me (Right Where It Hurt Me)

Playing now Andre Williams - Do The Popcorn (on the Action label I think - not dug the vinyl out for a while - great stuff - google suggest Cadet label but I may have a British?)

Now up - Apostles - Six Pack - smoking funky hammond - that I havn't played for years - and now Apostles "Soulful" which I think I got on one of the great Luv n Haight funk n soul comps out many years ago out of San Francisco - probably the "Soulful" compilation shouldn't wander - also now on CD

Astors - Candy - sweet male harmonies (on the letter A I love the Artisitics for similar reasons - sweet harmonies, not 'cos they start with an A...)

As you can gather I'm running through alphabetical artist on the MP3s - didn't mention the Action, Alexis Korner, Aztecs, Andantes or Alvin Cash...

Coming up for my delectation Baby Face Willette "Face To Face" which I lifted from my chunky vinyl Blue Note LP - fantastic organ. Also on a Blue Note comp I have no doubt - several probably such as this one:



Barbara Lynn - Some Day We're Gonna Love Again

Barry Barefoot Beefus - Barefoot Beefus - ***ing awesome RnB - I know nowt about this barefooted mohair suited dude - have this on a Loma compilation - from memory there were seven and luckily I have the lot...seen this vol3 advertised for 20 quid - I think it was or is a Warner Brothers subsidiary

That's enough for now as the Beat Merchants "Messin With The Man" rings out

Soul - live at ... Theatre Royal?

Ok so maybe not the ring to it as James Brown at The Apollo (vols 1 and 2) from 1962, but Saturday 26th Jan sees Eddie Flord, Geno Washington and Pauline Black in Norwich - details here. I've never actually seen Geno, but understand his live shows are energetic. Eddie Floyd is a stone cold legend.

I've only ever seen Pauline Black in the first incarnation of Selecter, live at Lewisham Odeon (1981?) supported by I think The Bodysnatchers. The days when the sieg heiling bonehead contingent made their presence seen, heard and felt. Infact Selecter got adverse comments I seem to recall from, of all papers, the Daily Telegraph along the lines of "Don't Rock With The Sieg Heilers". Now firstly the stereotypical Telegraph reader would more likely than not have preferred the NF / BM nut jobs than Selecter and secondly it clearly escaped the notice of the journalist of the colour of most of the band. They were hardly going to invite these people into the gigs with open arms, let's be honest. Unfortunately I can't find an online reference to the article. I'm sure I didn't dream it though.

Virgin got soul...

Strolling through Norwich at lunchtime dodging the rain I wandered into Virgin to ahve a look to see what, if any, soul they have available. Stuck at the back of the first floor next to the "dance" section was a chap setting up a soul display of about 40 titles. He told me soul was now in with rock and pop (!) BUT there was a promotion on soul stuff until maybe April. Worth a look with titles from £3 to £10 with a number of Kent CDs at nine quid. OK, so some of these will be the classic "northern oldies" available on loads of comps, but grab 'em whilst you can. I spotted the recently reissued seminal Kent "For Dancers Only" for £6

Radio 2 - Sat 12th Jan

Quick note to alert you to a documentary on Dean Parrish this weekend 8 til 9 deatils here - it's probably (hopefully) on "listen again" for seven days afterwards if you miss it

Dean's site is here

Features MP3, pics, videos

Popeye Ska

For some time now I've suspected that TV and / or advertising agencies have been infiltrated by people of my sort of age and musical background. Over the last half dozen years I've heard "Bert's Apple Crumble" used as a TV trailer for Radio 2, a TV quiz theme tune using "Here Kitty Kitty" ( a "big beat" cover of Jimmy Smith "The Cat"), a couple of Felix cat food ads using classic northern tunes, various versions of "Have Love Will Travel" plus the whole Nina Simone yoghurt extravaganza. Is there a cabal of ageing mods and soulies now in positions of influence in the corridors of TV power?

By the way, check out this advertisement theme tune look up site for those elusive add tunes...

So imagine my surprise hearing a snippet of the Granville Williams Orchestra "Popeye Ska" in a part of "Three Men in Another Boat" on the BBC the other day. I've had this on original vinyl on GWO for maybe 18 years and didn't think it was the sort of thing your average "I've got Trojan History Volumes 1 to 100" person would have heard. I didn't think it was amongst the "usual suspects" of ska and reggae tracks. Is there a rudie at the controls of the BBC?

Having said that a quick google suggested a number of compilations with this on - respect to those labels for picking up on a great tune and going beyond the obvious.

If any of you know who's responsible for getting these tunes onto the telly please let me know - more power to them

Get "Popeye" here:



Or



Trojan Reggae For Kids - Gregory Isaacs doing "Puff The Magic Dragon"? I can hear the Daily Mail headlines now...!