Thursday 3 March 2011

Northern Soul Gems from The Past

Have you ever been in a bar or dance club, and heard someone remark that they'd like to hear some of that "rare northern soul?" Most people have heard of soul music, a genre that originated among the African-American population in the United States. Part blues, part gospel, and part funk, soul music has a reputation for having catchy rhythms and funky beats, which as emphasized by singer and musicians that use handclaps and rapid body movements to further express the sentiments of the song. When it comes to the genre of northern soul, however, you must look far across the ocean to England for its true origins.

When the British mod scene was nearing its end in the 1960s, young music lovers were looking for a new sound to call their own. Many were in love with the early artists that had come out of the American Motown scene, with their upbeat rhythms and light-hearted attitudes. The music was easy to love and even easier to dance to. But when American Motown began moving toward the funk and soul of the 1970s, many of the artists emerging with the original style later on the scene were quickly brushed aside. Not so in England, however, where a small contingency of Motown aficionados were requesting more rare northern soul than ever before.

The reason the term "rare northern soul" is so often used to refer to this style of music is because even from the time that it began growing in popularity, it was a dying genre. With the American Motown scene moving further and further away from the sounds that kids in Northern England loved to hear, they set out on a mission to find rare and even unreleased artists that had the music they were looking for.

Slowly by surely, record store owners started to notice that there was an entire group of music lovers that were more interested in the rare northern soul than the more popular music coming up the charts. To respond to this demand, they started looking for the most obscure artists, one-hit-wonders, and records to ever come out of the soul music movement. That's why the hunt for northern soul records is almost as exciting as dancing to the music: because there are only a finite amount of artists that fit into this category. If you're looking to start your collection, there are plenty of websites completely dedicated to this type of music.

Michael Procter - Love Don't Live

Charles Johnston - Never Had Love So Good

Jesse James If you want a love affair

Northern Soul - Dance Styles And Much More

Do you think your self a good 70's music aficionado, but cannot find a way to discover what folks mean as soon as they comment on northern soul? If you should live outside the uk, it's actually reasonable to assume that you really would have been ignorant of the musical trend that gave birth to this term. Commonly, this specific genre is characterized by music that belong to a assortment of rare soul music coming from Motown, New York and Chicago, which was played on the radio by British disc jockeys in northern England through the late 60's and 1970s.

This kind of rare soul music is special because it had become atypical of the sound which had been leading the charts in the United States around the exact same time.Given birth to soon after the mod scene had seen its best times, yet prior to when punk music would certainly animate the entire English musical landscape with its raw sound as well as ragged styles, northern soul music really enjoyed an incomparable mixture of style, music, and dancing.

Because northern soul was much more upbeat compared with many of the songs that had been making head lines in the United States at the time, the dance style which supported it was considerably more energised and lively than you might imagine.London record shop operator David Godin is credited with coining the word northern soul as a way to aid his sales people sell the type of music the customers were looking for.

Troops of kids were getting into London looking for the quick tempo songs that were popular years before, and rather than spend time trying to sell all of them on the current popular black American music, Godin told them to promote that "northern soul" in its place.Although some people thought it would die in the early 1980s the most popular songs and artists of this genre have remained within the hearts and minds of those that listened to them. If you appreciate this type of music and youre curious about mastering some rare northern soul dance moves, it's actually super easy to get started.

To start with, select a song which has a constant 4/4 beat, like Edwin Starr's "Double-O-Soul," or Major Lance's "Monkey Time." Tune in to the rhythmn for the first couple of bars, and then you're all set to proceed. For those who do not know any moves, then you'll definitely find a lot of information on the internet, regardless of whether it be online video clips to watch or Dvd disks to obtain.

Northern Soul And The History Of Its UK Roots

For a great many people in the UK the phrase Northern Soul has no meaning at all, but for others it conjures up fond memories of the late 60\'s and 70\'s and became a movement that had its roots in the Mod scene. History has it that the Northern Soul sound was defined in the Twisted Wheel Club, followed by others such as Wigan Casino, the Torch in Stoke on Trent and the Blackpool Mecca. A particular Northern soul dance style and fashion emerged at the same time.

The term northern soul however is said to have originated in a small Covent Garden shop in London called Soul City, which was owned and run by Dave Godin a journalist who wrote a Blues & Soul magazine column. It was evidently a sales term used by those serving visiting football fans from the north, to indicate that visitors from the north were looking for the type of music played in the northern clubs, not the sounds of Detroit or Chicago..

The initial years of the northern soul scene between late 60s and early 70s was founded on the Motown sounds of the mid 60s. DJs would search for and acquire rare recordings that could be added to their playlist. As time moved on DJs began to play more contemporary music, and started to drift away from Motown..

It is those rare recordings, which still drive a passion amongst aficionados of the rare northern soul genre today, with some recordings selling for thousands of pounds. Often recordings were produced in limited quantities by the smaller independent labels throughout the USA. Labels such Golden World from Detroit, Shout from New York and Okeh from Chicago..

DJ's on the northern soul scene became well known for their possession of rare recordings, and if accepted on the dance floor would draw hundreds to the venues they played at. It's said that a Frank Wilson song called, Do I Love You, is the most valuable northern soul single around due to its rarity. .

Just do a search online and you'll get an impression of the different artists and labels that made up and influence northern soul back in the days. You'll discover little gems like ‘I just want to fall in love' by the Spinners on the Atlantic Demo label which was a real 70s dance floor anthem. Dig deeper and you'll find hundreds of 45's that average around £350. Ever heard of the Fast Eddie label and Pat & Blenders, or Soul-Fay on Audio Forty..

If you love that sweet soulful Motown sound, or you prefer the sounds born of the Twisted Wheel Club, just search online for Northern Soul, and a wealth of new musical experience awaits you..