tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217250052026-05-03T23:15:11.146+01:00mostly vinyl, mostly a private pleasure - until now.Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.comBlogger764125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-6300429343757650572026-04-04T16:13:00.000+01:002026-04-04T16:13:42.977+01:00

 Early last week Mrs Darce and I made an unscheduled visit to one of our favoured local hostelries, just for one you understand. We had never been aware of the establishment playing piped music, but maybe they do and we had not noticed it before because of the general hubbub. On this particular visit it was mid afternoon and within 15 minutes of walking in a busyish pub emptied as lunchgoers

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-5851908680391083852026-03-24T16:32:00.003+00:002026-03-24T16:32:57.643+00:00

 Another album that I pulled from my collection recently with a view to releasing back into the wild was Gonna Take A Miracle, Lauro Nyro’s 1971 album with Labelle. It was granted it’s final plea – i.e. one more play – and it’s plea was upheld. So once again, like the LTD album I featured last time, it has been promoted into Division One. The instrumentation on this album is very restrained

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-58316194578381310372026-03-13T17:19:00.000+00:002026-03-13T17:19:27.083+00:00

Today is this blog’s 20th anniversary. It’s a stretch to say it has been active for all those years as, in recent times, there have been quite a few, shall we say, hibernations. But, in any event, I think it’s an anniversary worth noting. I realise I’m noting this landmark with my first post of 2026 but let’s hope it kick starts me onto a few more posts this year. I have one half written, started

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-38289086690737409352025-12-24T15:17:00.000+00:002025-12-24T15:17:33.011+00:00

So that’s it for another year. It seems to go quicker every year (a cliché, but true). Compliments of the season to you all. Enjoy your holidays. I have made a Spotify mix to represent this year’s Advent-ure. The doors have once again opened onto some very dusty corners of various abandoned wings of soul music’s vast mansion (you may well have some cobwebs in your hair!). It is therefore really

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-71505442469865212122025-12-23T17:06:00.003+00:002025-12-23T17:06:21.978+00:00

  Carol Anderson is yet another singer whose recording career started in the 60s and limped on into the Disco era. She had just eight singles released in that time. She is revered on the Northern Soul scene for two records roughly ten years apart in their release dates – Taking My Mind Off Love and Sad Girl - and it’s fair to say, I think, if those records hadn’t been “discovered” by the

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-81477451723125464332025-12-22T17:55:00.000+00:002025-12-22T17:55:33.380+00:00

  Bo Kirkland only has one record to his name (this one). Of course he doesn’t, but he only has one 45 released under that name alone. Expand your search to Bo (Kirkland) & Ruth (Davis) you will find a few more records, and one very well known hit if you are of a certain age – at least it was massive in the UK. I wrote some more about Bo & Ruth back in 2019. Now expand

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-47593764260975117092025-12-21T17:45:00.001+00:002025-12-21T17:45:34.281+00:00

  Oscar Weathers has appeared here once before, just over ten years ago now. That song – You Wants To Play - was beautifully arranged and this one, which was Oscar’s next 45, is too. Quite why it has taken me so long to acquire it I’m not sure. Soul for the connoisseur. Oscar Weathers – When You Steal 1971

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-5475133050797575222025-12-20T18:14:00.003+00:002025-12-20T18:14:52.857+00:00

  Moving along into the last few days of this year’s Advent-ure (already!) and it will be early 70s records all the way – and they all have red labels too! It’s just the way it’s turned out. Put “Dale Dennard singer” into a Google search and the AI response is that Dale is male, and that is because the only search hit which says anything about this record, other than the bare facts on the

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-27249190701315809762025-12-19T15:12:00.000+00:002025-12-19T15:12:52.954+00:00

  In my head Atlantic Starr are filed as a 70s band as that is when I first heard them. But in truth most of their output came in the 80s and they hit it big commercially in the mid 80s. Three of their songs have lodged themselves permanently in my memory to the extent that I can replay them in my head at will. Those songs are When Love Calls, Circles, and this one, Silver Shadow. .. Pause

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-79283267697197184572025-12-18T18:20:00.000+00:002025-12-18T18:20:51.081+00:00

  Look at Gwen Owens’ catalog of originally issued 45s and they span soul’s golden decade almost precisely. Gwen’s singing extended beyond that though, singing in the group Hot later in the 70s and having one more single released in her name in 1979, whilst still a member of Hot. Her 60s recordings were mostly cut in Detroit, where she grew up; and her 70s output was mostly recorded in

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-51164505959514475552025-12-17T22:22:00.002+00:002025-12-17T22:22:59.879+00:00

Here’s a bit of a curiosity. A funky record from 1977 celebrating Jimmy Carter making it to The White House. The funk is tight, and the horns have some definite similarities with the horn arrangements that can be found on mid70s Parliament releases. No surprise at all as it happens – Walter Foster had links to the JBs, and Fred Wesley is credited as producer and arranger on this record. Walter

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-54986037334733508402025-12-16T16:31:00.000+00:002025-12-16T16:31:23.569+00:00

 The next three records in this year’s Advent-ure are all late entrants, they dropped through the mailbox only a few days ago. Lou Johnson must have liked a bit of yomping – and the circus. In a short period of time in the 60s he had records released on Hilltop, Big Hill - and BigTop. All were distributed by Bell. These labels were all run by the music publishing company Hill & Range

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-10056579627530957132025-12-15T18:29:00.000+00:002025-12-15T18:29:10.220+00:00

  Following on from yesterday’s post New Orleans gets another mention today. But, again, the music is not really New Orleans in style. The Barons were a New Orleans group (this is the one only release of theirs that gave them two RRs), but although some of their releases had a funky edge I wouldn’t say they had the classic sound of that NOLA syncopation. This group were certainly active

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-20423117223300827962025-12-14T22:00:00.001+00:002025-12-14T22:00:46.361+00:00

  I was alerted to this 45 during my deep dive last year into the history of Quinvy recording studio. This 45 was recorded there in the last days of the studio, probably in 1972. It is a fine slice of southern soul. Jimmy Jules, whose real name was Charley C. Julien, was born in New Orleans. He had a total of six 45s released spanning a long period (1961-1977). Before that he was a member of

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-89743973604884654632025-12-13T10:36:00.000+00:002025-12-13T10:36:15.782+00:00

  Behind Door 8 I shared some gospel soul. Here is some more. It is more overtly gospel, and the soul is definitely present in Alicia Myers voice; in the final analysis though it can be labelled a disco or, to be more precise, boogie banger. I picked up a 12” of this a few years ago, but it was not in the best condition (one of, thankfully, only a handful of disappointing ebay experiences

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-21910356031248182802025-12-12T18:15:00.000+00:002025-12-12T18:15:34.776+00:00

  Most of the records in this year’s Advent-ure were doorstep finds, so to speak. This one, though, I found (along with a few other little ones with the big hole) in a record shop in Ludlow, of all places. Syl Johnson could have been Al Green, that is to say the hit machine for Hi in the first half of the 70s. He had been invited down to Willie Mitchell’s Royal Studio before Willie signed

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-73284482770786653712025-12-11T17:23:00.001+00:002025-12-11T17:23:27.430+00:00

  The Metros were another short lived group, lasting little more than a year. They racked up three single releases in that time (a few tracks that were evidently left in the can – for decades - have subsequently appeared on a couple of 45s), and one album. That they managed an album release must have been due to the fact that, unusually for a new group coming out of seemingly nowhere, they

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-10704599203999874662025-12-10T20:41:00.003+00:002025-12-10T20:41:42.140+00:00

  Here is another singer where the usual Googling yields very little information. This 45 appears to be the only record Russ Lewis released as an artist. He hailed from St. Louis according to the usual go to sites. The short lived Sharp label was based in Chicago and was started by Bill “Bunky” Sheppard a mover and shaker on the Chicago doo-wop and soul scene in the 60s. So it is reasonable

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-54380728007627720472025-12-09T18:03:00.000+00:002025-12-09T18:03:02.610+00:00

  A full on day today so no real time to craft many words around today’s post. The Charmels had a brief run of four singles on Volt between 1966 and 1968, under the wing of Isaac Hayes. Some of the group had previously been members of The Dixiebelles, and then The Tonettes who had two of the earliest releases on Volt sandwiching Volt 102 which just happened to be Booker T & The MGs

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-81385302004563489042025-12-08T17:56:00.000+00:002025-12-08T17:56:57.454+00:00

  Bought the tree today (you know – that one), the deccys were going up in our local watering hole near the farm shop where the transaction took place, and the Christmas tunes were being played (you know the ones). It’s far enough into December now to be able to embrace the season and all its trappings. So I’m feeling good and today’s song makes me feel even better. I always remember The

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-24123078392925984092025-12-07T17:30:00.000+00:002025-12-07T17:30:33.662+00:00

  I’m feeling mellow today or, maybe more accurately, jaded after a rather boozy night with Mrs Darce’s family. The recycling boxes are full and we sent our daughter home with more empties. A sign of an enjoyable – and long – evening. Consequently this post will be brief. Let’s return to the sixties for a beautiful slice of soul from Fred Hughes hiding on the B side of his third 45,

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-83887433289094225912025-12-06T20:22:00.000+00:002025-12-06T20:22:56.295+00:00

  A micro pub close to me has a "bring your own" vinyl night every now and then. I have been a regular attendee this last year. The DJ seems quite taken by the little selection box of singles I take along, especially the 60s soul, and has been known to take a picture for future reference of a few of the ones he is unfamiliar with. As any good DJ should. he takes some of his own to play too

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-86986216556695061032025-12-05T18:16:00.001+00:002025-12-05T18:16:59.306+00:00

 Timeshift backwards a couple of years from 1967 and today’s somewhat “under the radar” soul singer’s recording career could be said to have mirrored exactly that of Bill Brandon who featured in yesterday’s post. Putting aside a group appearance on a 1959 doo-wop 45 Chuck Bernard put out singles on a few different labels for about eleven years between 1965 and 1975. Despite making some

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-67189006722986329332025-12-04T17:11:22.948+00:002025-12-04T17:11:22.948+00:00

 Some of last year’s Advent-ure was spent hanging around in Muscle Shoals, and I featured a 45 (Don Varner) on Quin Ivy’s South Camp label then. We’re back at the South Camp today. This was Bill Brandon’s first appearance on wax. You may know the song Self Preservation as Percy Sledge recorded it during his career, but it was originally recorded by Bill in 1967 at Quin Ivy’s studio in

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21725005.post-91140411053305860122025-12-03T17:05:21.758+00:002025-12-03T17:05:21.758+00:00

 Checking 45cat for Zeke Strong and Carl Underwood I counted no less than six distinct releases of this song - Every Woman Has The  Right... . The earliest dates to 1961. The most recent is possibly this one, which, purely by the Kujinga label design and colour, I’m guessing was released maybe in the late 60s or early 70s. (It was certainly released later than 1965 because Operation

Darcyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374469353415719429noreply@blogger.com0