Rob Jones reviews soul records from his vinyl collection.
Afrique - Soul Makossa (1973)
Originally written and recorded by Cameroonian saxophonist and songwriter Manu Dibango in 1972, this somewhat more powerful version by Afrique was my first introduction to the song when I was about 14 years old.
There are a couple of other decent versions worth checking out, perhaps most notably by All Dyrections on Buddah (also released in 1973). Afrique however, was and still remains the best version to my ear. Also released on the US Mainstream label.
Babies - The Hand of Fate (1967)
A classic which I would assume resides in more than a few old school collections. Arranged by Gene Page and written by his brother Billy Page, 'The Hand of Fate' was one of only two records by Los Angeles girl band the Babies released on Lou Adler's Dunhill label. The group line-up consisted of lead vocalist Phyllis Brown (who was just 17 at the time), Rita Jean Bodine (Rita Suzanne Hertzberg) who was a classically trained pianist, and two unnamed vocalists. The song was also released on RCA Victor D-4085 in Australia. Phyllis's dad Jack Brown founded Rainbo Records in Hollywood.
Ballads - My Baby Knows How to Love Her Man (1968)
Perhaps better known for their earlier classic 'I Can't See Your Love (For the Tears in My Eyes)' on the small Oakland Wee label (picked up later that year by Vee-Jay for national distribution), here's another of their great uptempo tunes which can be found lurking on the flip side of 'God Bless Our Love' on Venture 615. 'My Baby Knows How to Lover Her Man' was a Willie Hutch penned winner for the band formed by Nate Romeron in Oakland back in 1961. The other members were John Foster, Les LaPalmer and Rico Thompson. Freddie Hughes was also associated with the band during its early years. I believe Rico Thompson was lead vocalist on this one.
Betty Harris - 12 Red Roses (1966)
Out of all Betty's recordings on the Sansu label this one has always stood out for me for its sheer grittiness and real deal soul feel. She also did a great version of 'Ride Your Pony' on the same label which is also worth a listen.
Bird Rollins - Love Man from Carolina (1972)
Bird Rollins also known as B Rollins, Mr Bird Rollins, Mr Bird Rollins The Good Man, etc., was born in Albany, New York back in 1934 and recorded his first record 'That's All I Wanna Do' on the Johnson label in 1957. Fast forward a few years and we find this slightly obscure uptempo dancer on Calla which bears all the hallmarks of a memorable soul classic also released on the UK Mojo label the same year.
Calla was an independent label started by Nathaniel 'Nate' McCalla which eventually became part of Roulette Records. Apparently poor old Nate (a bit of a gangster himself), fell foul of mob-connected Roulette boss Morris Levy who allegedly had him bumped off in 1980. PS: I've used the word 'allegedly' here for health reasons. 😄
Chairmen of the Board - Let Me Down Easy (1972)
A record I've often referred to as "the missing link" as far as the UK is concerned, as I've never understood what the company could have been thinking when they decided not to release it as a single over here.
The band had a huge UK audience which has since developed into a cult following and this record was certainly one of their best, so perhaps it was a marketing oversight which left fans turning to the US Invictus label to complete their COTB collections - sometimes after only discovering the song's existence in later years.
Damon Shawn - Feel the Need (1971)
Damon Shawn's Westbound 193 cut was actually the first recording of this song to make it to vinyl before the Detroit Emeralds' 1972 Westbound 209 version. Although the backing track is identical, this one has extra backing vocals which I assume were purposely removed for the Emeralds' version when it was retitled 'Feel the Need in Me'.
A great old classic either way though, which judging by its ongoing popularity, will probably go on forever.