Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So who here is into Northern Soul? I won't explain what it is...that is what Google is for. But if you want to hear some, here is a scorcher I discovered not too long ago:
Now I feel really lucky because here in Pittsburgh, there are 3 local DJs who have gigs around town on a regular basis that spin this stuff. We even have the Steel City Soul Club which includes enthusiasts as well. One of the most popular events, Title Town draws anywhere from 300-400 people...most of them dancing and under the age of 30!
I think this is wild because Northern Soul was always like an unknown...a dusty cultural curio. Yet at the Pittsburgh dances, I run into people from Baltimore, New York, Ann Arbor and other places that say they have the same thing going on there. So is Northern Soul becoming trendy now?
Another thing I am wondering about among other Northern Soul fans, how do you get your music? I mean, I am waaaay to poor to be spending hundreds of dollars on one 45. So I settle on buying CDs; which are often imports and double disks where you get 5 good tracks out of 35 it seems. Amazon UK has a better selection...but again more $$$. Of course if you really dig online, you can find some free downloads and podcasts. But I'm not savvy enough to know of a good one-stop source for this stuff.
True I feel like I'm cheating with my iTunes playlists when you really need to hear this stuff on vinyl. I would be curious to hear from other fans in other places (around here, people can score some good vinyl at flea markets...but that is crazy time consuming). Also when I live in FL, no one...and I mean no one, was into Northern Soul. But who knows, maybe things have changed in 2 years!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MissShona
I did a search, and nothing came up!
So who here is into Northern Soul? I won't explain what it is...that is what Google is for. But if you want to hear some, here is a scorcher I discovered not too long ago:
Now I feel really lucky because here in Pittsburgh, there are 3 local DJs who have gigs around town on a regular basis that spin this stuff. We even have the Steel City Soul Club which includes enthusiasts as well. One of the most popular events, Title Town draws anywhere from 300-400 people...most of them dancing and under the age of 30!
I think this is wild because Northern Soul was always like an unknown...a dusty cultural curio. Yet at the Pittsburgh dances, I run into people from Baltimore, New York, Ann Arbor and other places that say they have the same thing going on there. So is Northern Soul becoming trendy now?
Another thing I am wondering about among other Northern Soul fans, how do you get your music? I mean, I am waaaay to poor to be spending hundreds of dollars on one 45. So I settle on buying CDs; which are often imports and double disks where you get 5 good tracks out of 35 it seems. Amazon UK has a better selection...but again more $$$. Of course if you really dig online, you can find some free downloads and podcasts. But I'm not savvy enough to know of a good one-stop source for this stuff.
True I feel like I'm cheating with my iTunes playlists when you really need to hear this stuff on vinyl. I would be curious to hear from other fans in other places (around here, people can score some good vinyl at flea markets...but that is crazy time consuming). Also when I live in FL, no one...and I mean no one, was into Northern Soul. But who knows, maybe things have changed in 2 years!
That little 7" record that Miss Shona illustrates is one of the big cahunas in Northern Soul collecting. How about 4 figures! Yep, it sure does!
Been thinking about talking about this for a while, am happy the op has brought this up.
I scratch my head and try to figure out why albums don't get the same respect as 45's in this area of collecting, but they just don't. But this end of the hobby is not some pie-in-the-sky craze that comes and goes. It has been a big deal for 40 years, maybe a tad longer. Up tempo. Heavy beat. And obscure songs by obscure artists. And it doesn't necessarily have to be r&b, some pop artists are involved in this as well. With this movement being started in Britain (I believe), it is very much a big deal in London clubs.
Obscure songs by obscure artists? Ok, here is an example for ya.
"Boogaloo Down Broadway" was a big chart hit for a guy by the name of Fantastic Johnny C. Philadelphia in the late 60's had some great record labels going, and this hit is on the Phila. of Soul label. In my area, it went to 11 in January of '68, back east it surely hit top 5. But "Boogaloo Down Broadway" is not a real rare record. Northern Soul collectors probably pony up 5 to 8 bucks for it. The other 45's released by him on that label? Different story-25 and up. While Fantastic Johnny C is familiar to me and hard core collectors, the mainstream music buying public almost certainly has never heard of him. They would classify him as an obscure artist. And certainly his other songs are classified as obscure as virtually none of them were played on the radio with the exception of stations in the Philly area and other big eastern cities. Sad because there are hundreds of northern soul songs that the public would recognize but thanks to corporate radio so much of this stuff has disappeared from the publics memory. Unfortunate, very.
Another example is the Orlons. Their "South Street" 45 is not a real big deal in collector circles, but they released some 45's on the ABC label that goes for good money, and none of those songs I've heard before because none of those songs charted before.
Anymore if I'm knocking around antique indoor flea market stores or yard sales, I never take anything to chance. Run across 45's by artists you never heard of? Labels you never heard of? Songs that to you draw a blank? You dismiss them as being nothing but junk? You better not.
Wow! MissShona this has brought back great memories
I had not thought about Northern Soul for twenty years or more
It always put me in mind of dancing in skates!
the precurser to the spins and body flips of break dancers ..
with fantastic contests and battles ... great!
West Coast did not have clubs that I knew about ...
I am pleased when dance takes off ... people enjoy themselves..
... community happens
Oh and moderators, pretty please, don't merge with the soul music thread. This is a different genre.
I don't understand, why was this merged with the 'Soul Music' Thread?
Quote:
Originally Posted by MissShona
I don't understand, why was this merged with the 'Soul Music' Thread?
Probably because Soul is soul! Think about it......The Philly Sound with Gamble and Huff (Intruders, Stylistics, Ojays).....Motown (Marvin, Stevie, Diana, Smokey)........they were all from the North. But you also had Chess Records in Chi-Town (The Dells, Etta James, Billy Stewart). It was all Soul Music. But each had a signature sound.
Let's not forget my hometown Stax Records (Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Al Green) outta Memphis......
Soul is soul......it's like Father Soul had a bunch of kids. Are are the kids alike? No. But they gotta the same daddy and the same blood.
Probably because Soul is soul! Think about it......The Philly Sound with Gamble and Huff (Intruders, Stylistics, Ojays).....Motown (Marvin, Stevie, Diana, Smokey)........they were all from the North. But you also had Chess Records in Chi-Town (The Dells, Etta James, Billy Stewart). It was all Soul Music. But each had a signature sound.
Let's not forget my hometown Stax Records (Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Al Green) outta Memphis......
Soul is soul......it's like Father Soul had a bunch of kids. Are are the kids alike? No. But they gotta the same daddy and the same blood.
No it is different. That is like saying "rock is rock". Yes, of course it comes from the same source. But the culture and norms surrounding heavy metal....is very different from southern rock....which is very different from punk rock....which is very different from hardcore/thrash.
If you think it is "all the same" then you are not so keen into 'soul music'.
Also "Northern Soul" has nothing to do with where the artist is from. Please google the term to find out where it came from. It has to do with areas of England where this type of music became popular (and NOT the US)!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MissShona
Also "Northern Soul" has nothing to do with where the artist is from. Please google the term to find out where it came from. It has to do with areas of England where this type of music became popular (and NOT the US)!
Good to see at least one person can see the difference, and knows their stuff...
Also "Northern Soul" has nothing to do with where the artist is from. Please google the term to find out where it came from. It has to do with areas of England where this type of music became popular (and NOT the US)!
I think it would be great to expose people to different types of soul and maybe provide a short definition with a few songs when you post a few songs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BRYN FEDW
Good to see at least one person can see the difference, and knows their stuff...
Thanks. Unfortunately it doesn't seem as if this genre can get it's own thread . Here's a great downtempo number with some cool pics of the Casino Club:
Quote:
The music style most associated with northern soul is the heavy, syncopated beat and fast tempo of mid-1960s Motown Records,
which was usually combined with soulful vocals.
Personally, I love all of it! And I'm glad not to have to hunt down three or fifteen different threads... to hear all the permutations and variations!
quote "brubaker" :
The music style most associated with northern soul is the heavy, syncopated beat and fast tempo of mid-1960s Motown Records,
which was usually combined with soulful vocals.
"The Northern soul movement, however, generally eschews Motown or Motown-influenced music that has met with significant mainstream success. The recordings most prized by genre enthusiasts are usually by lesser-known artists, and were initially released only in limited numbers, often by small regional United States labels such as Ric-Tic and Golden World (Detroit), Mirwood (Los Angeles) and Shout and Okeh (New York/Chicago)."
My humble opinion, for what it`s worth, is that this should not be a debate on genre. Indeed "genre" by it`s very nature is a subjective issue. This should surely be concerned with giving life blood to exceptional long forgotten artists, and those in small record companies who saw the merit in their work..
Fans of Northern Soul have always taken pride in avoiding what would be described as "mainstream"..
It may be stating the obvious. But in any other "genre" of music, Northern soul would be classified a "sub-genre". That I feel, would be beyond any doubt...
Quote:
Originally Posted by BRYN FEDW
Why stop there?
Because I'd rather listen to music than read about music.
Whaddaya planning to talk the Northern Soul music scene back to life?
But seriously, I'd be glad to hear some of these non-mainstream songs you talk about.
If you go to youtube and copy the address (starting with http: ) at the top there...
then paste it in your post...we can get started!
Because I'd rather listen to music than read about music.
Whaddaya planning to talk the Northern Soul music scene back to life?
But seriously, I'd be glad to hear some of these non-mainstream songs you talk about.
If you go to youtube and copy the address (starting with http: ) at the top there...
then paste it in your post...we can get started!
You don't have to talk it back to life...it already exists. Ann Arbor has had their dance for 3 years already. Pittsburgh has had different dances and DJs active for about 7 years now.
Which is what the point of my initial post was; to hear about other dances/DJs/events around the US and also how fans secure their music.
The Northern Soul scene depends on dances and DJs because most fans people cannot afford the actual records. Thankfully there are compilations made and put on CD....but in the US they are tough to find (which is why I was pegging for suggestions on sources).
The link above also discusses this. I quote:
“We probably play a handful of the same songs most every month; those are crowd favorites people expect to hear,†Wells said. “Motown hits, or an artist named Gloria Jones … Shirley Ellis’ ‘The Handclap Song’ … if you come a few months in a row, you get to recognize the songs. But most of it is obscure.â€
If you are interested, it might help you to find a dance or DJ in your area. You'll learn much, much more than youtube clips (understand...hundreds of them are on youtube, so what would your point of reference be without knowing the scene?) Also if you have or stumble across any 45s, offer them for sale.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MissShona
You don't have to talk it back to life...it already exists. Ann Arbor has had their dance for 3 years already. Pittsburgh has had different dances and DJs active for about 7 years now.
Which is what the point of my initial post was; to hear about other dances/DJs/events around the US and also how fans secure their music.
The Northern Soul scene depends on dances and DJs because most fans people cannot afford the actual records. Thankfully there are compilations made and put on CD....but in the US they are tough to find (which is why I was pegging for suggestions on sources).
The link above also discusses this. I quote:
“We probably play a handful of the same songs most every month; those are crowd favorites people expect to hear,†Wells said. “Motown hits, or an artist named Gloria Jones … Shirley Ellis’ ‘The Handclap Song’ … if you come a few months in a row, you get to recognize the songs. But most of it is obscure.â€
If you are interested, it might help you to find a dance or DJ in your area. You'll learn much, much more than youtube clips (understand...hundreds of them are on youtube, so what would your point of reference be without knowing the scene?) Also if you have or stumble across any 45s, offer them for sale.
I could start a "Southern Soul" thread with nothing but Stax Records somgs in it. It is very different from all of the Motown, Philly or your "Northern" variations. It's grittier......more gospel and blues influenced in style. As one comedian said..."It had that boogah sound". But alas, it's still just soul. Look....I'm black. My skin tone is medium brown. My older sister is very light skinned like a white person. Same parents. Same family....Same blood.....Different variation in appearance. But if you look at us, aside from skin tone, our features resemble strongly. Our noses, eyes show we are related.
Thanks for introducing a new member of the family.
If you go to wikipedia and search Soul Music you will find a list of all the sub-genres and it is a pretty lengthy list(see below). The intention of this thread was to ecompass all types of soul music.
Not sure why you are mentioning this. If the thread had this rule, I was obviously not aware. But it has been addressed now.
Quote:
You have a great opportunity here to expose people to another type of soul music that is not being addressed and also to initiate discussion about it - and it is most certainly welcome, in fact more discussion is welcome. All the background about it or something about where it's from or the artists and post some things and also ask other people where they get their music ect. I would much rather you introduce the history of it or explanation about it in a more positive fashion.
This actually happened already. Also, I am not sure why you are thinking my post is not positive. Also note that my response was to a post that was on the border of being dismissive. If a bona-fide question about the genre is asked, I will try to answer it (I am not an expert in it). But not anything along the lines of 'it sounds the same to me' or 'are you trying to revive it from the dead'. That is really not how you go about learning something about things you are unfamiliar with.
Last edited by El Rhino; 06-28-2010 at 12:43 PM..
Reason: deserves own thread
No it is different. That is like saying "rock is rock". Yes, of course it comes from the same source. But the culture and norms surrounding heavy metal....is very different from southern rock....which is very different from punk rock....which is very different from hardcore/thrash.
If you think it is "all the same" then you are not so keen into 'soul music'.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Jim
Northern Soul
this has brought back great memories 
