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From the Vault...
03/04/2001
#723 |
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info
Various Artists
"Soul Hits Of The '70s: Didn't It Blow Your Mind, Volume 2"
© Rhino Records
Year of Release: 1991
Rating:
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track listing
"The Bells"--
The Originals
"Love Or Let Me Be
Lonely"--
The Friends Of
Disti
"Girls It Ain't Easy"--
The Honey Cone
"Viva Tirado Part 1"--
El Chicano
"Turn Back The
Hands Of Time"--
Tyrone Davis
"Love On A
Two-Way Street"--
The Moments
"Compared To What"--
Les McCain &
Eddie Harris
"Love Land"--
Charles Wright &
The Watts
103rd St
"O-O-H Child"--
The Five Stairsteps
"Band Of Gold"--
Freda Payne
"Are You Ready"--
Pacific Gas &
Electric
"Maybe"--
The Three Degrees
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Various Artists
"Soul Hits Of The '70s: Didn't It Blow Your Mind, Volume 2"
Rhino's Soul Hits Of The '70s: Didn't It Blow Your Mind series
focuses on Soul music, which in today's frame of mind, is completely different.
Soul music today is that of R&B, hip-hop and rap, and comparing that music to
the 1970s Soul, there is a huge difference: They don't make songs [1970s
Soul] like that anymore...
In observing the 12 tracks on Volume 2, to my knowledge, there are
only three songs that I remember as I was growing up: The Five Stairsteps'
"O-O-H Child" is a great tune, and I can't help but see the resemblance
in the lead singer's vocal style to that of a performer who would emerge in the
last year of the 1970s decade, Elvis Costello. An uncanny resemblance to
Costello's vocal style, this is a song that I could easily see Elvis mastering
on his own.
The second tune I remember is Freda Payne's "Band Of Gold".
A song that definitely has the Motown sound, this song's lyrics was unique at
the time, as the disappointment of the typical wedding night duties, was not
as typical as most married couples would endure. This song is another great
1970s classic, despite the song's lyric content.
The third and remaining song I remember is the soulful "Are You Ready"
by Pacific Gas & Electric. This song combines both soul and rock together,
as this song could easily get the grooves flowing, and repeatedly playing this
song never loses its flavor.
An additional mention: "Maybe" by The Three Degrees is featured here,
as I remember this song by The Chantels and Janis Joplin. However, The Three
Degrees version has much more soul and grit than The Chantels version, and in
later years, Janis Joplin would also record a remake of this song, in the same
style of The Three Degrees. The Three Degrees would later have their own big
hit, "When Will I See You Again."
Now for the songs that I, (as well as others), may not have remembered...
Forming three categories, many 1970s Soul hits were ballads. And even
though these songs may not have been well remembered, they are part of music
history, realizing the fact that all 1970s Soul was truly a great time for music,
and it also had its own era. The two songs that fall into this category are:
"The Bells" by The Originals, and "Love On A Two-Way Street"
by The Moments.
Our second category are the typical upbeat Soul tunes. Three songs fall
in the category: "Love Or Let Me Be Lonely" by The Friends Of
Distinction, "Girls It Ain't Easy" by The Honey Cone, and
"Love Land" by Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street.
All three of these songs have the typical upbeat soul style, enjoyable for any
1970s Soul fan. And speaking of upbeat, we can't forget the funky soul of the
1970s, where Tyrone Davis fits this bill with his hit, "Turn Back The
Hands Of Time."
Our third and remaining category, is the "Different" category, meaning
soul songs that not only features soul, but other styles of music as well:
El Chicano's "Viva Tirado, Part 1" combines the latin sounds
that Carlos Santana had featured in the late 1960s/1970s, and it also has the
R&B style of the instrumental group, Booker T. & The MG's. Ramsey Lewis Jazz
comes to mind when hearing "Compared To What" by Les McCain & Eddie
Harris.
All of the twelve songs on the Soul Hits of the '70s, Didn't It Blow
Your Mind, Volume 2 were popular in the year 1970. As Motown was the
leading source of black pop music heading into the 1970s decade, black music
took another direction, as it became more soulful, more energetic and funky.
Rhino Records captured all these flavors in their powerful Soul Series, and
as many of the volumes may contain some well-known songs that everyone can
remember, it's always a thrill to discover the other songs that you may not
have remembered, and there will always be that thrill, in hearing particular
songs, and saying to yourself, "Oh! I remember THAT one!" All in all,
discovering 1970s Soul music is a classic treat; and as mentioned before in
this review... "They sure don't make records like that, anymore..."
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Review or any portion may not be reproduced
without written permission. Cover art is the
intellectual property of
Rhino Records
and is used for reference purposes only.
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