Ike Noble & The Uptights [2024] - It's Bad / Best of Luck to You [Athens Of The North #Ath 152]

A record that has been championed in recent years by soul record dealer John Manship at the Newark Sunday soul sessions is "It's Bad" by Ike Noble. We've posted it before on an Ike Noble Discography in 2020. 

It is now being reissued digitally and on vinyl by Athens Of The North. It was released in 1967 on Alley and was favoured by the Northern Soul fraternity for the flip side "That's What I Get". As is often the case in later years, enterprising DJs flip record over to test the B sides which were regarded far too slow back in the day when anything less that 100mph was a no go and slower, and perhaps more soulful, songs are now gaining exposure.

Until Manship starting including it in his sets you could have picked an original up for under £100 but they now sell for up to £400! Only one copy is currently up for sale on Discogs with an asking price of £375 for a VG+. You can now buy a minter for  a fraction of that. As far as we can ascertain there is no other way of obtaining it on vinyl, except on an Ike Noble compilation "Look A Little Higher" released by AOTN in Jun 2022.

Instead of the original A side, AOTN have issued it with a previously unreleased deep soul song "Best of Luck to You".

Available along with another two Ike Noble singles from AOTN Bandcamp store, all billed as Ike Noble & The Uptights, from 24 May.

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

Details

Rating:	8.4
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Northern Soul / Deep Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital / 7" Vinyl
Label:	Athens Of The North
Cat No:	Ath 152
Date:	24/05/2024
Key/BPM:	8A/108 / N/A
Price:	£2 / £9.99

Copyright © 2009-2024 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Texas [2023] - Keep On Talking [PIAS Recordings]

Originally released on 14 Jun (and included on a Texas compilation "The Very Best Of 1989 – 2023") but a video was published for it on Friday (22 Sep)  We wonder why? It's a cover of James Barnett's "Keep On Talking" by Texas, although only Sharleen Spiteri appears in the video along with some young dancers.

The Spooner Oldham and Dann Penn written song was recorded in Muscle Shoals and released in  Jan 1966 on Fame. It's Barnett's only listed recording although the B side, "Take A Good Look", and a previously unreleased song "Tears Me Up" are available on a Kent compilation "This Is Fame 1964-1968" (2016) and another, "You're So Fine", is included in a four track release in 2021.

Not one for the purists perhaps, so the original is included below.

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

Details

Rating:	8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Northern Soul / Cover Version
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	PIAS Recordings]
Cat No:	None
Date:	14/06/2023 / 22/09/2023
Key/BPM:	8B/132
Price:	£1

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Georgia Crandon [2023] - Gone with the Wind Is My Love [Static Wax Records]

Presumably released to coincide with Wigan Casino's 50th anniversary, is a cover of Rita & The Tiara's 1967 Dore single "Gone with the Wind Is My Love" by Georgia Crandon. 

Georgia Crandon is a 27 year singer from Essex who is a member of Georgia & Vintage Youth. She released her self-titled debut album on 16 Sep (physical i.e. CD and vinyl only) and this is the first single from it.

Original copies of the song on L.A.'s Dore fetch eye-watering figures approaching £4k but Kent have reissued it a couple of times. It became big at Wigan Casino around 1977 covered up by Richard Searling as The Velvets. The original, unreleased, version of the song was recorded by Gloria Jones. It wasn't released owing to a dispute with Gloria's management but was eventually released in 2011. A slower, angst ridden, version was recorded by Betty Willis on Mojo in 1968.

Story has it that the Tiaras were a backing group and Rita Graham was drafted in at the last minute to perform lead vocals. Graham was one of Ray Charles' Raelettes and the only one that Charles produced an album, "Vibrations", for on his Tangerine label in 1969. One of the tracks, "My Cup Runneth Over", has been  modern/northern soul play for decades.

Rita progressed into singing jazz and is still performing (up until a few years ago at least). She performed the song at the Prestatyn weekender in 2011 (short clip included below).

This new recording of the song includes two member of Northern Soul tribute band The Signatures, Benjamin Pegley on guitar and Stefan Taylor on backing vocals.

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

Click icons below for further information or to connect with the artist. 

Details

Rating:	7.8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Northern Soul / Cover Version
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Static Wax Records
Cat No:	None
Date:	23/09/2023
Key/BPM:	4B/156
Price:	£1

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes feat. Sharon Paige [2023] - Prayin’ / Baby I’m Back [Demon Music Group]

Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes chart success waned after the departure of Teddy Pendergrass in 1975 and they left Philadelphia International in 1976. They released two albums on ABC in 1976-77 and a third, "The Blue Album", on Source in 1979.

The Northern Soul scene pounced on "Prayin'", written by McFadden & Whitehead, which was a huge sound and still gets played today. It was released as a single on three occasions each with different B sides (i.e. "Your Love Is Taking Me On A Journey", "Praying inst." and as the flip to "I Should Be Your Lover") making it easy and cheap to find.

However, Demon Music Group has reissued it on Friday digitally and on vinyl, flipped with "Baby I’m Back", previously an album only track. Both tracks have been remastered by Phil Kinrade.

The lead singer is David Ebo who had the unenviable task of replacing Pendergrass. We did a feature on him last year on 9 Nov which would have been his 72nd birthday on which we posted "Praying'".

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

Details

Rating:	8.6
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Northern Soul
Format:	Single / Reissue
Media:	Digital / 7" Vinyl
Label:	Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	28/07/2023
Key/BPM:	N/A
Price:	£1.79 / £12.99

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved