"...You Make My Fever Rise..."
As a long-standing reviewer, it becomes something of a commonplace reflex to award 5-stars to Kent-Soul CD releases - the Soul imprint label of Ace Records of the UK.
Ace Records celebrate 50 years of reissues in 2025 (1975 to 2025) - fifty whole years of Ted Carroll's baby knocking out quality reissue after quality reissue. And as I sit here listening to the utterly superb "Los Angeles Soul..." CD compilation (six of these suckers are Previously Unreleased) - I'm thinking - I hope these English guys never quit because here we go again...
UK released 24 March 2015 - "Los Angeles Soul: Kent-Modern's Black Music Legacy" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Ace/Kent-Soul CDKEND 430 (Barcode 029667243025) pans out as follows (69:05 minutes):
1. I Want Action - JEANETTE JONES (Previously Unreleased, October 1968 recording)
2. You Saved Me From Destruction - DIFOSCO (1971 USA 7" single on Earthquake EQ-28, A)
3. No In-Between - JOHNNY ADAMS (1967 USA 7" single on Modern M 1036, A)
4. I Was Born To Love You - JOHNNY COPELAND (Unissued 1971 recording first appeared Sept 1995 on the UK CD compilation "Serious Shades Of Soul: For Collectors Only" on Ace/Kent-Soul CDKEND 119)
5. My Love She's Gone - THE INTENTIONS (1966 USA 7" single on Kent K 455, A)
6. I Only Have Eyes For You - JIMMY BEE (1970 USA 7" single on Kimberly 88101 and then reissued on Kent KS 4531, A)
7. Cherry Pie - LORD CHARLES & THE PROPHETS (1966 USA 7" single on Modern M 1016, A)
8. I Don't Know - EARL WRIGHT (1968 USA 7" single on Virgo VI-101, A)
9. Give Me A Chance - VENETTA FIELDS with the IKETTES (Unissued Kent Recording first appeared on the Sept 1992 UK CD Ikettes compilation "Fine Fine Fine" on Ace/Kent-Soul CDKEND 063)
10. You Are My First Love - PAT HUNT (USA 7" single first issued Nov 1961 on Exodus EX-6101 as "First Love" - re-recorded/reissued February 1962 on Kent 374 as "You Are My First Love", A)
11. Sing Me A Love Song - FELICE TAYLOR (Previously Unreleased Kent Recording)
12. All That Shines Is Not Gold - THE WINDJAMMERS (1971 USA 7" single on Kent KS 4548, A)
13. Tear My Love Down - WAYNE BOYKIN (Previously Unreleased 1969 Modern Recording)
14. Push On Jesse Jackson - PACE-SETTERS (Extended Version of USA 7" single on Kent KS 4565 - Previously Unreleased)
15. I Know She's Gonna Leave - WILLIE GAUFF & THE LOVE BROTHERS (Previously Unreleased)
16. Gone On Home - TOMMY YOUNGBLOOD (from the 1969 US LP "The Soul Of Tommy Youngblood" on Kent LP 541)
17. It's Been A Long Time Baby - THE OTHER BROTHERS (1967 USA 7" single on Modern 1027, A)
18. You Are My Sunshine - JACKIE SHANE (1967 USA 7" single on Modern M 1031, A)
19. You're My Girl - LARRY SANDERS (1968 USA 7" single on Modern M 1053, A)
20. Move A Little Closer - MILLIE FOSTER (Previously Unissued Kent recording)
21. I Need Money - RUTH DAVIS (1971 USA 7" single on Kent KS 4543, A)
22. Take A Look In Your Mind - ROBERT RAMSEY (1971 USA 7" single on Kent KS 4552, A)
23. I Need A Love - WALLY COX (1970 Golden State/Kent recording first issued on the April 2000 UK CD compilation "Golden State Soul" on Ace/Kent-Soul CDKEND 179)
24. You're Gonna Miss Your Chance - MAURINE WILLIAMS & THE MT. OLIVE 2nd B.C. CHOIR (1971 USA 7" single on Chelsea 102, B-side of "Washed In The Blood")
Tracks 1, 6, 12, 14, 16, 20, 22 and 24 are STEREO
Tracks 2 to 5, 7 to 11, 13, 15, 17 to 19, 21 and 23 are MONO
Tracks 1, 11, 13, 14, 15 and 20 are Previously Unreleased
The knowledgeable and passionate Soul Music lover ADY CROASDELL has compiled, researched and written the 16-page liner notes and as ever with these Kent-Soul CD compilations the text is brought to life by gorgeous US 45 label repros - Kent, Modern, Kimberly, Virgo and Earthquake Records. Each track is talked about in detail with oodles of deep collector info (writers, arrangers, chart histories) and quality black and white publicity photos of unsung heroes like Venetta Fields, Tommy Youngblood and Millie Foster. Gorgeous stuff. But again the NICK ROBBINS remasters elevate proceedings from the ordinary to the sublime with eight of the 24 cuts in glorious Stereo. This CD sounds fabulous - the Sixties Mono cuts sitting nicely alongside the Seventies productions. Top job done yet again...
It opens with a fabulous unissued Jeanette Jones track in Stereo (she's the classy lady on the front cover) - a version of "I Want Action" (lyrics above) which was a Ruby Winters cut in 1967 on Diamond Records. Page 3 pictures unbelievably rare and pretty looking 8-track 12" acetate on Golden State for a proposed LP. "You Saved Me From Destruction" by Difosco (Big Dee Irwin under another name) on the Earthquake label is the kind of Northern Soul dancer fans going bananas for - complete with a slightly Psych backbeat (apparently the label only managed 3 releases). Both Johnny Adams and Johnny Copeland aim for the feet with "No In-Between" and "I Was Born To Love You" - great dancers the pair of them. But then we're hit a properly gorgeous obscurity - "My Love She's Gone" by The Intentions - it's the kind of sweet vocal nugget you wish you could find in some carboot sale for 50p - then drive all your mates wild with its irrepressible upbeat feel and William Brown's stunning vocals (he sang with the vocal group The Dukes).
Weird yet strangely wonderful is Jimmy Bee's Soulful take on the Flamingo's 1959 End classic - "I Only Have Eyes For You" - he keeps it to the original but adds in organ and brass as it smooches along (very tasty). The compilation then cleverly downgears into a cover version of Marvin & Johnny's "Cherry Pie" where the obscure Lord Charles & The Prophets sound like Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones circa 1966 Decca doing a clever Soul choice - a lovely shuffle and great vocal from some unknown. Genius choice goes to "I Don't Know" by Earl Wright (gorgeous transfer from Nick Robbins) - as sweet a Soul tune as you could ask for. The sweet Motownesque vocals of Felice Taylor (sounding like a young Diana Ross) elevate the bopping "Sing Me A Love Song" - amazing to think that this calibre of Soul gem has been in the can until now (they even produce a 1967 press cutting from the Boss Soul magazine on Page 9 about her).
Stereo blasts its way into your speakers with the excellent "All That Shines Is Not Gold" (a Wally Cox song) by the young-boy vocals of The Windjammers while we get raw funky with "Tear My Love Down" - a stunning previously unreleased find (why wasn't this huge!). But then we hit unchartered territory - a truly fantastic 5:27 minute driving funky extended version of "Push On Jesse Jackson" that comes on like Sly & The Family Stone meets Shaft via Norman Whitfield/Temptations social conscience (wow!). And on it goes to a staggeringly good but obscure B-side - "You're Gonna Miss Your Chance" by Maurine Williams and The Mount Olive 2nd B.C. Choir (has Betty Gouche' on the A-side). It's a Gospel song done with piano and vocals - so Soulful - and I swear to God it would make Aretha in her "Amazing Grace" prime a tad worried. What a finisher...
Break out the wine glasses you sons and daughters of Marvin Gaye - because those talcum-powder tank-top boys at Ace Records have only gone and done it again...
PS: 30 August 2019 also saw the UK issue of Volume 2 in this series - "Los Angeles Soul Volume 2: Kent-Modern's Black Music Legacy 1962-1973" on Ace/Kent Soul CDKEND 486 (Barcode 029667096225) - another 24-Track CD compilation
