70s Soul

The GRC Records set-up in Atlanta produced a wealth of great soul music. Because of the sudden curtailment of the company, due to owner Michael Thevis’ incarceration, so much of it never saw a release. The tapes were preserved though and with many tracks being issued. This latest batch of tape discoveries is of shockingly high quality. Sam Dees’ presence is a major cause of this. Standouts include Miss Louistine’s original version of ‘Con Me’ – surely a contender to be a Deep Soul Treasure, had Dave Godin heard it. Her take on Dees’ ‘Extra Extra’ is possibly the opposite emotion – sheer joy at finding her lover; equally well expressed. ‘Paperman’ is a classic mid 70s Dees’ composition, well sung by Wes Lewis with his group Alpaca Phase III. Dees collaborated with another major GRC talent, Joe Hinton, for the funkier ‘Shouldn’t I Be Given The Right To Be Wrong’. Hinton co-penned two songs with backing singer Louvain Demps who left her job with Motown’s backing girls the Andantes to move to Atlanta with Hinton. Their ‘Grant Me One More Day’ is a beautiful track and ‘Depend On Me’ is another worthy find.

The GRC Records set-up in Atlanta produced a wealth of great soul music. Because of the sudden curtailment of the company, due to owner Michael Thevis’ incarceration, so much of it never saw a release. The tapes were preserved though and with many tracks being issued. This latest batch of tape discoveries is of shockingly high quality. Sam Dees’ presence is a major cause of this. Standouts include Miss Louistine’s original version of ‘Con Me’ – surely a contender to be a Deep Soul Treasure, had Dave Godin heard it. Her take on Dees’ ‘Extra Extra’ is possibly the opposite emotion – sheer joy at finding her lover; equally well expressed. ‘Paperman’ is a classic mid 70s Dees’ composition, well sung by Wes Lewis with his group Alpaca Phase III. Dees collaborated with another major GRC talent, Joe Hinton, for the funkier ‘Shouldn’t I Be Given The Right To Be Wrong’. Hinton co-penned two songs with backing singer Louvain Demps who left her job with Motown’s backing girls the Andantes to move to Atlanta with Hinton. Their ‘Grant Me One More Day’ is a beautiful track and ‘Depend On Me’ is another worthy find.

The GRC Records set-up in Atlanta produced a wealth of great soul music. Because of the sudden curtailment of the company, due to owner Michael Thevis’ incarceration, so much of it never saw a release. The tapes were preserved though and with many tracks being issued. This latest batch of tape discoveries is of shockingly high quality. Sam Dees’ presence is a major cause of this. Standouts include Miss Louistine’s original version of ‘Con Me’ – surely a contender to be a Deep Soul Treasure, had Dave Godin heard it. Her take on Dees’ ‘Extra Extra’ is possibly the opposite emotion – sheer joy at finding her lover; equally well expressed. ‘Paperman’ is a classic mid 70s Dees’ composition, well sung by Wes Lewis with his group Alpaca Phase III. Dees collaborated with another major GRC talent, Joe Hinton, for the funkier ‘Shouldn’t I Be Given The Right To Be Wrong’. Hinton co-penned two songs with backing singer Louvain Demps who left her job with Motown’s backing girls the Andantes to move to Atlanta with Hinton. Their ‘Grant Me One More Day’ is a beautiful track and ‘Depend On Me’ is another worthy find.

Windy City Soul: Smooth '70s Soul from Chicago Review by Thom Jurek
Back Beats Records is strictly a compilation company based in the U.K. and distributed throughout the European Union at a budget price. What they do is simply compile collections of dance music by well-known and obscure artists from the disco era to the late '90s. And for what it’s worth, when it comes to licensing, they do a terrific job, and this set is a case in point. Compiled by Ian Dewhirst, Windy City Soul collects 21 tracks of Chicago soul recorded during the '70s, most of it in 7" versions. There are plenty of “name” artist mainstays here, such as Barbara Acklin, Major Lance, Gene Chandler, Tyrone Davis, the Chi-Lites, the Impressions, the Dells, etc. What isn’t so obvious are some of the track choices and artists included, such as Sidney Joe Qualis and his slippery, positive groover “Run to Me,” or Mighty Doug Haines original 45 rpm mix of “I’ll Be Right Here,” a stellar example of Northern soul from its latter period. The same goes for Otis Leavill's gorgeous falsetto on “I Love You.” Also check the female vocal trio the Promises' “(I Can Feel Those Vibrations) This Love Is Real,” There isn’t a weak track in the bunch, and this is essential listening for any soul music fan.

3CD set. Monumental 60-track collection features Marvin Gaye, Chic, Anita Ward, Stevie Wonder, The O'Jays, The Commodores, Candi Staton, James Brown, Kool & The Gang, Rose Royce, Earth Wind & Fire, The Isley Brothers, Curtis Mayfield, Al Green, Shuggie Otis and others!

Presenting a brand new edition to the popular Backbeats range. The Backbeats series was designed to offer some of the best music in the world from some of the greatest independent labels over the last 50 years. We only use the full original 12 or album versions from the original artists, plus, with over 75 minutes of music on each Backbeats album, you can be assured of getting maximum musical value for relatively minimal outlay.

Out Now: The 100 Collection: 60s/70s Soul & Motown The 100 Collection is a definitive compilation featuring the biggest hits of a chosen genre in one DJ friendly package. Each collection features a Warm Up, Main Party & End Of Night section that includes the right balance of songs for the perfect night with additional Top Up set options to further increase your music library. The collection is un-mixed and compiled for DJs by DJs!

Spanning two historic decades for the genre, the very best of 60s and 70s soul is brought together on one unique album and features classics from Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Four Tops, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Barry White and many more.

The Essential Hits range features track albums from a chosen music style.Essential Hits: 70s Soul Reimagined includes a selection of classic 70s Soul tracks to add to your DJ music library. For DJ use only.