What an excellent idea to create a northern soul "mecca" around the clubs which gave it birth!. All of these hallowed names now so familiar to those who loved the music and the scene and which are in no small way totally responsible for its success both then and again now.
Born in 1963 I was not considered old enough to go to the all dayers and all nighters of that time. Therefore back then I loved the music but only heard a tiny portion of it and never had the honour of entering the sacred halls themselves; Blackpool Mecca, The Torch, The Twisted Wheel and Wigan Casino. Thanks to Richard Sterling however I have enjoyed the revival and added extensively to my northern soul knowledge and collection. Now with these 4 CD's, this ... Read More:
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As this is a greatest hits album I knew what I was getting before I bought it so obviously there was no disappointment there. The songs that are on it are great, some of my favourites.
But personally there are so many more songs that I would have liked to be on there. I don't know if the answer is a double album or replacing some of the songs on this album.
It's still a good album though.
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This certainly has to be one of my best albums of 2007. Believe me this ain't really the sort of music I listen to, especially coming from an Industrial/Neofolk/Ambiant background, however this album is a real exception in mainstream music, with some outstanding contributions from Timbaland, who I was introduced to from this album. Definatley 5 stars and a real misfit in my collection where it sits amongst the likes of Death in June and Throbbing Gristle.
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If you were too young at the time to buy his albums but old enough to remember how cool he was and do some sexy dance moves too. This is for you, it has all the greats on there and is a good addition if your adding a few 80's icones to your CD collection.
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I think that ZZ Top are a very good band and they remain one of my favorite bands of all-time. this is one great collection and they made great blues music in the 1970s and the 1980s. here are my comments about most of the songs. GIMME ALL YOUR LOVING this is a really great song and is my 2nd favorite song on the entire cd. SHARP DRESSED MAN this is pretty great too, but probably my 5th favorite. ROUGH BOY is a ballad that is too slow and too sad for me. TUSH is an excellent blues rocker remains one of my 5 favorites on this album. MY HEAD'S IN MISSISSPII is a blues rocker one of my favorites, PEARL NECKLACE not my fave, IM BAD IM NATHIONWIDE this is pretty good although remains as a 10th favorite or something. I AINT CRAZY ABOUT VIVA LAS VEGAS, ... Read More:
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The album is an appropiate length, not too long and too short.
Considering it's a rectro feel album this has the great mix of milleninums new music and the old sound of 60's Motown, Doo wop, Sam Cooke and others all wrapped up into this.
In my opinion this album is better then Amy Winehouses Back to Black, it won't sell the units, but this album is heartfelt and Raphael Saadiq has nailed the feel, and essence of this music.
It is not contrived either, which for along time alot of music trying to replicate this has become i.e Duffy.
If you are into Motown msuic or soul as a general genre, i would highly recommend ... Read More:
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James Brown was always a big fan of Christmas - in fact, he recorded several Christmas albums over the course of his career, including a rare Internet-only release just a couple of years before his passing. That aside, 'Funky Christmas' gathers together tracks from each of Brown's festive LP's, so fans can have him on the stereo instead of Cliff Richard (sorry, Cliff)!
This record places more emphasis on his soul work, and there are not as many funky grooves as some might expect. It is also surprisingly serious, even grim in some places, as James sings of Christmas in the ghetto, and trying to get by without a dime in December. It's good music to reflect to, and certainly one of the most original Christmas albums I've heard. However, at Christmas time, ... Read More:
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I am not one to use the word 'MASTERPIECE' freely. This is because these days, i feel most people overuse the word 'masterpiece' and i find this to be rather irritating. You know what i mean? Too many albums, films, etc are refered to as masterpieces when they are just ok or good. This album, however is NOT ok or good. It IS a masterpiece.
Firstly, let me say, i am a rock fan. I was brought up on Heavy metal and punk. I'd lived in complete ignorence of Stevie Wonder until a friend recommended this album to me. At first, as you can probably guess, i was hesitant. Its not rock, i thought, why would i like it? Eventually i yielded and got a copy, expecting to give away after i'd heard it once. How wrong i was. This album is a genuine work of genius. Stevie pours ... Read More:
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Many Motown stars recorded Christmas albums and tracks from those albums have been the source of many Motown Christmas compilations. This is one of a pair of British budget compilations that are as good as any I've seen, with an excellent mix of famous and obscure songs and all the singers you expect to hear.
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Temptations and Stevie Wonder are each represented by three tracks. The Jackson five get two tracks. The Four Tops also get two, including one featuring guest vocalist Aretha Franklin. Kim Weston and Marvin Gaye have one song each.
For me, the highlights are Everything for Christmas (Temptations), Little bright star (Diana Ross and the Supremes), Warm little home on a hill (Stevie Wonder), ... Read More:
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Like the sea itself, Maiden Voyage is vast and epic- flirting with adventure and myth. It is Herbie Hancock's tour de force- what the wonderous Speak No Evil was to his Blue Note peer, Wayne Shorter- ie. representing the composer/pianist at his imaginitive peak. We can only imagine what kind of zone Freddie Hubbard, George Coleman, Ron Carter and Tony Williams must have been during the recording of this masterpiece- so wonderfully coherent yet brimming with subtle musical conflict. And Hancock's playing is simply majestic.
The opening track is stunningly simple- you might feel a little uninspired by the low-key opening, but then, all of a sudden, it all opens out beautifully during the trumpet solo. This short flourish embodies the enitre tone of the album and indeed the ... Read More:
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