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I can’t think of many and to add weight to that, it’s sub-titled, Music That Matters To Me. As it was so invitingly perched on the end of the aisle in HMV’s megastore as new release of the week, it had to be a purchase.

Now don’t start thinking this yet another golden oldies northern soul compilation (but if you do want one, try Richard’s excellent Jazz FM CD, A Cellar Full Of Soul). Most of the tracks are from the mid-eighties with a sprinkling of seventies tunes by artists that are not exactly household names — save for listeners to Searling’s radio shows perhaps.

The album has more of a ‘radio’ than ‘club’ feel about it but you’ll find there’s bits of nu-soul, nu-jazz, deep soul, disco, r’n’b (the new version) and good ol’ fashioned soul here.

The opener’s got the synth pingouhhs of Anta Wards’ ‘Ring My Bell’ which is endearing but I hope ‘Fly Now - Pay Later’ by The Intrigues was more reminiscent of a Wigan Casino All Nighter. But isn’t it great that we can all love Northern Soul now thanks to the likes of DJ Andy Smith, Radio 2’s Stuart Maconie and Wayne Hemingway have all declared a love for this scene. It can’t be long before Chris Hill et al of Caister weekends get a dedicated retrospective on Radio 4. And anyone hankering for the soulful leanings of the likes of Robbie Vincent and Invicta FM, this is an album to bring the memories back. You’ll find all of Side 3 in a particularly mellow groove mood.

Not a great fan of the more 80s pop oreinted tracks of Gary Taylor, Elaine Stepter and Scott Scheer but ohhhhhhhhhhhhh! ‘After Hours’ by Charlie Mitchell rubs the shoulders of ‘What’s Goin’ On’, “A true soul masterpiece”.

The only overtly ‘northern’ track is the Willie Hutch composition, ‘Let Yourself Go’ from 1969 by Friends Of Distinction. Whilst on the jazz-tip, there’s a suggestion George Benson makes an appearance on the very rare ‘Why Are You Crying’ by Bobby Boyd.

There’s a fair few that are really Sunday night soul show smoochers and whilst I was tempted for a Hectic skip, at this busy time of year, it’s a good time to mellow out. Especially all of side four; Sheila Hutchins on ‘Keep A Little Lovelite Burnin’, Chuck Cissel ‘Love is Missing From Our Lives’ and Frank Snowden’s “mesmeric masterpiece”, ‘With You’.

The last track is one that passed me by when it came out in 1997. Gina Foster apparently did an excellent PA of ‘Expect A Miracle’ at the Southport Soul Weekender and it’s sounding equally as great now.

Wow, I feel better for that.

As Richard says in the sleeve notes, this album, “will hopefully be the first in a series that enables many tracks to see the light of day commercially for the first time. For me, this is as good as it gets musically — I really hope you enjoy it too.” Top marks to Richard and his partner Ralph Tee at Expansion Records for bringing this one out.

As an aside, I did make some enquiries with Jazz FM to get Richard’s show broadcast live on the Internet but I was told it was for northerners only at the time. Bring on DAB.

Reviewed: Richard Searling - ‘Music From The Soul’ (Expansion Records) Cat. No. LP EXP 22
1. Mike Jemison - You / 2. The Intrigues - Fly now, Pay Later / 3. Bobby Boyd - Why are You Crying / 4. Crosswind - Fire / 5. Gary Taylor - Just what I had in Mind / 6. Elaine Stepper - Always be a Part of you / 7. Charlie Mitchell - After Hours / 8. Friends of Distinction - Let Yourself Go / 9. Scott Scheer - Commitment / 10. Hari Paris - You Hit My Love / 11. Freddie Hughes and The Chevelles - I Just Found Out / 12. Harvey Scales - I / 13. Memphis - Inside Your Love / 14. Sheila Hutchinson - Keep a Little Lovelite Burning / 15. Chuck Cissel - Love is Missing from Our Lives / 16. Frank Snowden - With You / 17. Gina Foster - Expect a Miracle

Links:
www.expansionrecords.com
www.passion-music.com
Fat City
Richard Searling presents A Cellar Full Of Soul - 22 Vintage Northern Soul Tracks From The Vaults feat. Jackie Lee, Edwin Starr, The O’Jay’s, Melvin Davis, JJ Barnes and Darrell Banks (Jazz FM Records) Cat. No. jazzfmcd11 [1998]
Soul Self Satisfaction: The Story of Northern Soul Saturday 22 October 2005 10:30-11:00 (Radio 4 FM) One of the contributors pointed out in this program that many of the people who attended a Wigan Casino All-nighter were often asleep and remarked that this was not often mentioned.
BBC radio 1’s DJ-set Andy Smith
Friends Of Distinction