The second volume of William Bell's Stax discography consists of his singles between 1968-74 (which follows
last year's compilation from 1961-68) was released digitally on 7 Apr
'23.
It shouldn't need much further clarification except to say that the song
alluded to in the album title, "The Man In The Street", in my view, is his best ever single and is a sleeping giant. It is a
perfect example of 'crossover' soul and has been known for years in rare
soul circles but surprisingly has never been elevated in status probably
because it is cheap and easy to find. It was a B side to "Lovin' On
Borrowed Time" which was a #22 R&B hit (#101 Hot 100) in 1973. Had it
been a rare record, DJs/dealers/collectors would be frothing at the mouth
over it! It just has everything I love about soul music ... a desert
island disc pour moi ... fo sho!
The compilation opens with his biggest hit for Stax "I Forgeot To Be Your Lover" (#10 R&B / #45 Hot 100 1968) and most of the tracks will be of more interest to southern soul lovers,
although his 1969 outing "Happy" had spins on the Northern Soul scene. The other standouts for this
listener are a pair of B sides: "You've Got The Kind Of Love I Need" (1973) and "All I Need Is Your Love" (1974) along with his last Stax A side "Get It While It's Hot" (1974).
Bell left Stax for Mercury when Stax was in financial difficulty and
ultimately went bust. Ironically his first single for Mercury, "Trying To Love Two", (1976) was his biggest hit, his only #1 R&B hit and #10 Hot
100.
To be frank, why would you pay £12.99 for digital when you can obtain the
CD
direct from Kent
for £13.12 (plus postage) with extensive sleeve notes?
Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.
%20%5BKent%5D.webp)
| Rating: | 8.2 |
| Explicit: | N |
| Genre/Style: | Southern Soul |
| Format: | Album / Compilation |
| Media: | Digital |
| Label: | Kent |
| Cat No: | CDTOP 515 |
| Date: | 07/04/2023 |
| Price: | £12.99 |
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