The Controllers [2024] - Stay [UMG] (Full Album)

Like most, we would guess, The Controllers entered our consciousness with their superb, and epic 8 minute, deep soul ballad "Somebody's Gotta Win, Somebody's Gotta Lose" which rose to #8 on the R&B chart in 1976. It was their biggest hit which just missed out on Billboard's Hot 100 at #102.

The closest they came to that position again was with the title track of their 1986 album "Stay" which peaked at #12. The album has been digitally reissued and also contains their modern soul (album only) favourite "My Secret Fantasy" along with their version of Marvin Gaye's "Distant Lover" which opens the album and was released as the lead single.

The group was originally an eight piece gospel group reducing to four, brothers Reginald and Larry McArthur and their cousins Ricky Lewis and Lenard Brown from Fairfield near Birmingham, AL. Their first single, the funky "Right on Brother, Right On" / "I Ain't Lyin'", was as The Soul Controllers (written by Ramsey Lewis' bassist Cleveland Eaton) whilst they were still at high school in the late 60s, possibly 1970. One source states that they were originally formed in 1965 as The Epics when they would have been 11/12 years old.

They signed to Frederick Knight's Juana label in 1975 where they released around a dozen singles and three albums before moving to MCA in the early 80s where they released a further three albums, "Stay" being their second for the label. The group released just two more albums, in 1989 on Capitol and a comeback album in 1997 for Malaco.

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Details

Rating:	8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	80s Soul
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	UMG
Cat No:	None
Date:	09/02/2024
Price:	£6.99

Copyright © 2009-2024 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Private Funk-Shun [2023] - All That I Wanted Was You / Fantasy [Freestyle Records #FSR7100]

A one-off single for artist, Private Funk-Shun,  and label on a UK, presumably, private press as the label is the name of the group. There is absolutely zero information on the label regarding writers, producers arrangers but the location is given as South Essex and a date of June 1986. I've not come across it before but it must be in demand as it's commanded prices up to £285 on Discogs with only two currently for sale for between £140-£190.

According to Discogs, one of the members was Maxeen Edman-Messam who was a member of a group named Maxeen who released several singles and one album "The Diary" in 1995 which is pretty good and incudes several sample/covers (evident from the outset with Grover Washington Jr / Bill Withers "Just The Two Of Us" used for "Searching"), so have included a YouTube link for the full album below..

Both sides were posted on Spotify yesterday and I was all set to post them this morning but they have been removed. Perhaps because the sound quality was dreadful, so they may well reappear as fortunately I found them posted on YouTube by Freestyle Records who have reissued it with a look-a-like label.

The A side, in my view, is a bit light-weight boogie/funk but the B side stands the test of time much better.

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Details

Rating:	8.4
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul / 80s BoogieFunk / Reissue
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Freestyle Records
Cat No:	FSR7100
Date:	17/03/2023
Key/BPM:	5A/121 / 12A/120
Price:	£1.38

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

TL [2023] - Give It Up / Let's Talk It Over [Athens Of The North #ATH123]

Rare modern soul from TL who is Tom Lipkins. The record was originally released on Suncoast in 1986 with the artist name punctuated i.e. T.L. 

AOTN's Euan Fryer describes it a 'beyond rare' and I would have to agree as it is the only release on the label and none have ever sold on Discogs. A Google search found nothing, not even a listing on Popsike and it is not listed on 45Cat.

The original Suncoast label is sparse suggesting that it may be a private press and, ever the detective, I keyed in the phone number on the label into Google which turned out to be the number for producer Willie Harpe who, at that time at least, was based in Deland, FL. Perhaps that's how Euan tracked him down and licensed the master tapes for this release?

The record was covered up as Hamilton Connection by George Mahood and then by Soul Sam.

On original release, the deep ballad "Let's Talk It Over" was the A side. On the reissue the modern soul tune "Give It Up" takes top billing, but don't ignore the superb, 6:28, deep flip, and don't be thrown by the slow intro to "Give It Up" as it kicks after about 20 seconds in. Interestingly, on the original release, writer's credits go to Tom Lipkin but on the reissue to Willie Harpe, so was Tom Lipkin a pseudonym?

A great double sider that you will probably never find on original vinyl, so this one will fly off the shelves. So you know what to do, head over to Bandcamp to order the vinyl, but it looks like you may be too late as they are already sold out so it's to the vinyl dealers or pay the king's ransom on Discogs.

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Details

Rating:	8.8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul / Deep Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital / 7" Vinyl
Label:	Athens Of The North
Cat No:	ATH123
Date:	27/01/2023
Key/BPM:	10A/130 / 10A/67
Price:	£1.38 / Sold Out

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

R.J.'s Latest Arrival [1986] - Heaven In Your Arms [Manhattan #B-50040]

Each Monday Spotify presents a playlist called Discover Weekly which theoretically selects 30 tracks based upon your listening habits. This long time favourite appeared this week which you may or may not be familiar with.

It's by Detroit group R.J.'s Latest Arrival (name after founder R.J. Rice) with "Heaven In Your Arms" from their 1986 album "Hold On" and was also released as a single 7" and 12". The song was written by Garry Glenn and Dianne Quander who wrote for many artists including, most famously, Anita Baker's "Caught Up In The Rapture" the title track of her 1986 breakthrough album "Rapture" which followed "The Songstress" (1983).

Details

Rating:	8.6
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	7"
Label:	Manhattans
Cat No:	None
Date:	06/1986
Key/BPM:	4A/93
Price:	£4-£8 approx.

Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Tony Etoria v Phil Fearon - I Can Prove It

Following on from the new version of Tony Etoria's "I Can Prove It" by Golden Bridge, I thought I'd dig out the original and an 80s  cover of the song.

One hit wonder Tony Etoria's first single"I Can Prove It" reached #21 on the UK pop chart in 1977. He released just one more single in 1980 "So Far So Good" on Cobra. Afterwards he joined a couple of Brit soul groups Decoupage and Osibisa.

Ex Hi-Tension group member Phil Fearon covered it in 1986 which became his third biggest hit reaching #8 (following "Dancing Tight" #4, "What Do I Do" #5.) and was his first US R&B hit. His second R&B hit was a horrendous 80s version of The Show Stoppers "Ain't Nothin' But A House Party" which was produced by Stock, Aitken & Waterman who ought to be lynched by Northern Soul devotees for destroying a classic, and Pete Waterman ought to know better as he claims to have been a Northern Soul DJ in a previous life!

Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Four Tops [1986] - Hot Nights [Motown #1854 MF]

Something to look forward to tonight! "Hot Nights" is probably not a very well known song from Four Tops which was a non-hit from 1986. It was their last single of their second spell at Motown between 1983-86. I believe that it was a single only i.e. non-album track.

A 12" version was issued in Europe with a medley of five of their 60s hits: I Can't Help Myself, Shake Me Wake Me (When It's Over), Standing In THe Shadows Of Love, Reach Out I'll Be There and Bernadette.

Details

Rating:	7.4
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	80s Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	7"
Label:	Motown
Cat No:	1854 MF
Date:	1986
Key/BPM:	N/A
Price:	£3-£10 (approx.)

Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Anita Baker (for International Women's Day)

Into the 80s now, and as far as I'm concerned the obvious choice for the best female artist to emerge in this decade was Anita Baker.  Here's 'six of the best' - her top charting singles from the 80s.

1986 - Sweet Love

1986 - Caught Up In The Rapture Of You

1987 - Same Ole Love (365 Days A Year)

1987 - No One In The World

There's also an 'amateur' video of her perfroming this with an impromptu contribution by BeBe Winans in 2021.

1988 - Giving You The Best That I Got

1988 - Just Because

Booker Newberry [1986] - Take A Piece Of Me [Omni #OMN 1]

A lot of 'soul' music produced in the 80s just doesn't seem to stand the test of time.  I guess they were experimenting with 'electronics' (synths, drum machines and computers etc.). Some who grew up in that era like that sort of stuff, but a lot of it just leave me cold. I suspect it's because I grew up in the Philly era with full and lush productions using real musicians and much of the 80s recordings sound very sparse and synthetic in comparison.

Whilst this track, released in 1986, does have 'electronic' elements it is saved by Booker Newberry's deep and soulful vocals and the saxophone.  The song was co-written by Philly 'legends' Len Barry & John Madara along with Terry Price, so that gives it some additional 'pedigree'.

This, somehow, completely passed me by when it was released 3 years after his massive hit with 'Love Town' and I've only just 'discovered' it.  It was released as 7" & 12" and is more or less his last single release, although he did record an album in 1996. It sounds to me like there are elements of Luther Vandross in it as I detect hints of/similarities with 'Never Too Much' in places.