VARIOUS ARTISTS – "Northern Soul's Classiest Rarities Volume 5" – Featuring 1965 to 1975 US 45-Singles and Previously Unreleased Material (March 2015 UK Ace/Kent Dance CD Compilation of Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Sending Vibrations..."

It never ceases to amaze me just how deep and rich the vein is that runs through American Soul Music. Last day of March 2015 - a good 50 years after the event - and still the Dancer/Shuffler goodies keep coming at us.

"Northern Soul's Classiest Rarities Volume 5" from Ace/Kent Dance (Kent Soul and Kent Dance are label imprints Ace Records of the UK employs) does pretty much what it says on the tin – you get eighteen uber-rare/desirable homemade American 45s (worth a fortune and impossible to attain on actual vinyl) complimented by one 2014 CD find and a further six previously unreleased cuts for this 2015 release. And frankly Frank – Northern Soul fans are gonna love it hook, line and sinker. Here are the low-down production details that produced big bucks collectables...

UK released 30 March 2015 – "Northern Soul's Classiest Rarities Volume 5" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Ace/Kent Dance CDKEND 432 (Barcode 029667243223) pans out as follows (65:06 minutes):

1. When The Boy That You Love (Is Loving You) – THE AVONS (A Bob Holmes Recording – Previously Unreleased)

2. Hang Around – MARVA HOLIDAY (1968 USA 7" single on GNP Crescendo GNP-411, A)

3. That Same Old Feeling – THE VOLUMES (1966 USA 7" single on Impact 1017, A)

4. Just Beginning To Love You – THE STEELERS (1967 USA 7" single on Crash 430, A)

5. I Can't Get Hold Of Myself – CLIFFORD CURRY (1968 USA 7" single on Elf 90013, A)

6. Losing Control – MARY SAXTON (1965 CANADA 7" single on Pace 8-18-1166, A)

7. They Didn't Know – TERRI GOODNIGHT (1966 USA 7" single on Phelectron PH-701, B-side of "The Fighting Is Over")

8. It's All In The Way (You Look At It Baby) – MOUSIE & THE TRAPS (1966 USA 7" single on Toddlin Town 8204, A)

9. It's Alright To Cry Sometime – J.J. BARNES (1964 Ring Recording – Previously Unreleased)

10. Lover Man – THE SOUL BROTHERS (1967 USA 7" single on Sho-Biz 402, A)

11. How I Got Over – DARONDO PULLIAM (1972 USA 7" single on Ocampo 001, A)

12. Hook, Line And Sinker – ROY WRIGHT (1966 USA 7" singles (first) on Vick 210, (then on) Mica 2016, A)

13. Just Another Smile – MEL DAVIS (1969 USA 7" single on Golden State GSR 4-69, A)

14. I'm Sending Vibrations – THE WEBB PEOPLE (Extended Version of USA 7" single TCB Records 1446 – A Rob Keyloch Mix – Previously Unreleased)

15. Butterfly aka I Wish I Knew – THE BALLADS (1975 USA 7" single on Music City 897, A)

16. It Ain't No Achievement – THE MILLIONAIRES (1971 USA 7" single on Specialty 719, A)

17. Two Loves Have I – BIG JOE TURNER (1970 USA 7" single on Blues Time 45001, A)

18. Wrong, Wrong, Wrong – RAY & DAVE (1966 USA 7" single on Mica 501, A)

19. Pins And Needles – EDDY GILES (an originally unissued Murco recording first aired in 2014 on the EDDY GILES CD compilation "Southern Soul Brother: The Murco Recordings 1967-1969")

20. I'm The Reason – CLEO JACKSON, HUCK & THE SOUL PATROL (1969 USA 7" single on Mar-Kee 711, A – mistakenly credited in the booklet and on the inlay as Mar-Kee 717)

21. If You Don't Know, You Just Don't Know - THE DIALTONES (1967 USA 7" single on Dial 4054, A)

22. Do The Popcorn – LITTLE JOHNNY HAMILTON (1969 USA 7" single Soul Shack 531, A)

23. Break Someone Else's Heart – JEANETTE JONES (a Golden State Recorders recording – Previously Unreleased)

24. This Man Wants You – JESSE COWAN (Golden State Recorders recording – Previously Unreleased)
NOTES:
Tracks 1, 9, 14, 23 and 24 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (2015)
Track 19 is a 60ts Murco Recording first released 2014 on an Ace CD
All tracks in MONO except 1, 12, 14, 15, 17, 23 and 24 which are STEREO

Compiled and Annotated by long-time Soul Nutter ADY CROASDELL – his 16-pages of liner notes are the usual plethora of repro labels (and a Jeanette Jones Acetate) with rare publicity photos for Mel Davis, Darondo Pulliam and J.J. Barnes snapped in full flow at the 100 Club in London. Marva Holliday gets three photos in the booklet, front cover top left, Page 4 and a full colour plate on the rear – not surprising given her great homemade voice and Tammi Terrell-gorgeous looks. NICK ROBBINS has done the remasters/transfers and given that much of the material sounds decidedly lo-fi and is in Mono – most sound good to great – with the Stereo cuts being particularly great.

It opens with a 1-2-3 count in and we're off into Girl Group territory with Motown affectations. Marva Holliday lays into a Sherlie Matthews song called "Hang Around" on GNP Crescendo GNP-411 and gives fabulous insights into its creation (her inexperienced and young vocal only lend it more charm). Record labels like Phelectron, Toddlin Town and Ocampo aren't exactly rolling off the tongue or household names even in knowledgeable Soul circles. 

Mary Saxton comes on like Tina Turner's younger sister "Losing Control" over her man (great dancer and apparently only available in Canada). The 2nd release on the Phelectron Records label by Terri Goodnight ("They Didn't Know") went for nearly $3000 on Auction in 2010.

Croasdell rightly praises the vocals and arrangements on the Millionaires cut "It Ain't No Achievement" – a rare Soul outing for Specialty Records. How weird is it to hear Atlantic's Big Joe Turner take the Ted Murrell oldie "Two Loves Have I" (covered by crooners like Nat King Cole) and turn it into a successful upbeat brassy Soul dancer! Another that I like is "Pins And Needles" by Eddy Giles – a nice groove and a great voice. I've reviewed Ace's CD on Eddy Giles elsewhere - another belter. And on it goes to an Unreleased Jeanette Jones recording (ninth issued on Kent).

I can't honestly say everything on "Northern Soul's Classiest Rarities Volume 5" is my absolute travel-bag – but the goodies outweigh the negs by a mile. Another winner from Ace's Kent-Dance and Volume 6 that followed in 2017 is just as good…

Ace Records and Kent Dance's 

"Northern Soul's Classiest Rarities" Series 

(All Releases up to March 2024)

27 August 2001 - "Northern Soul's Classiest Rarities" on Ace/Kent Dance CDKEND 192 (Barcode 029667219228)

30 May 2005 - "Northern Soul's Classiest Rarities Volume 2" on Ace/Kent Dance CDKEND 248 (Barcode 029667224826)

26 May 2008 - "Northern Soul's Classiest Rarities Volume 3" on Ace/Kent Dance CDKEND 338 (Barcode 029667229524)

28 June 2010 - "Northern Soul's Classiest Rarities Volume 4" on Ace/Kent Dance CDKEND 338 (Barcode 029667233828)

30 March 2015 - "Northern Soul's Classiest Rarities Volume 5" on Ace/Kent Dance CDKEND 432 (Barcode 029667243223)

24 November 2017 - "Northern Soul's Classiest Rarities Volume 6" on Ace/Kent Dance CDKEND 471 (Barcode 029667085922)

26 February 2021 - "Northern Soul's Classiest Rarities Volume 7" on Ace/Kent Dance CDKEND 498 (Barcode 029667101721)