Rob Jones reviews soul records from his vinyl collection (updated 1st September 2026)
"I guess it would be true to say that many old soul singers and songwriters have found validation and appreciation for their work more in the UK than they ever did in the US and there's even an argument that bootlegs have helped them to become more recognised. While probably true, I've never met an artist who hasn't been angered or frustrated by what is essentially a criminal activity from which they have gained nothing financially, which is why I have always avoided bootlegs like the plague and none appear on these pages." - RJ
The following reviews are in artist/band alphabetical order:
Agents - You Were Meant for Me (1965)
Originally formed around 1962 and probably best known for their 1967 release 'Trouble' on Liberty Bell (their follow-up single to this one), West Philadelphia band the Agents started out as the Fabulous Agents before shortening their name in 1965 to record this Phil Gaber produced song 'You Were Meant for Me' - their only known release on the P&L label. Band members at the time comprised of Nat Williams (lead vocals), Kenneth Davis (first tenor), Norman Bowen (second tenor), Warren Lundy (baritone/bass) and Jimmy Downs (second baritone). In my opinion, 'You Were Meant for Me' stands as a brilliant piece of mid-60s Philly soul and a prime example of the quality of music coming from the city at that time. It's still a relatively obscure record and remains very affordable if you deep search it. I have no idea if any demo copies were made - it's possible, but I can't recall ever seeing one.
E G Taylor & the Sounds of Soul - You Made Me Mad (1968)
Eugene (E G) Wayne Taylor, son of Otis Edward Taylor and Marie (Allen) Taylor was born on September 28, 1945 in Piedmont, West Virginia. While still in his early 20s, he enlisted in the US Army to become a ground forces combat soldier who served his country during the height of the Vietnam War. A little known story about Eugene's army experiences was that he was constantly in altercations with another soldier in his platoon who once threw boiling water on him, resulting in a painful blister injury on his foot which began to affect his mobility shortly afterwards. That night when the platoon Sergeant saw him limping towards his post, he ordered Eugene to take his boot off to inspect the problem. On seeing the extent and severity of the injury, the Sergeant then ordered him (despite his protests) to report to the sickbay immediately while the platoon moved out and continued without him. Eugene later received the news that his entire platoon had been ambushed and wiped out.
Having completed his tour of duty, Eugene returned home from the combat zone of Southeast Asia to the regional soul circuits of Maryland and Pennsylvania (a path shared by many young musicians at the time) and went on to record this brilliant storming dancer for the somewhat enigmatic VAL label with the Sounds of Soul who were also notable for being an integrated band during the racially tense period in the late 1960s. While the powerful and charismatic frontman and co-songwriter Eugene Taylor was black, the instrumental backing band behind him was predominantly white, who together formed a highly respected unit which was famous across regional college campuses, weekend hangouts and clubs like the local Swordfish. See the band here.
There is a variant of this one on a plainer VAL Records label design with the label's telephone number at the top just below the logo, but from my personal perspective, the 45 I've featured in the video below has always been the more desirable of the two. Although the single can be expensive, it's well worth the investment and collectors who may be worried about the bootlegs minefield in general can rest assured that this record has never been counterfeited. If it ever is, always look for the matrix numbers stamped in the deadwax; VAL-1025A on the 'You Made Me Mad' side and VAL-1025B on the 'Pick Yourself Up' side, to identify the original.
Eugene Taylor passed away peacefully in Cumberland, Maryland on November 22 2019 at the age of 74 and was laid to rest at the Maryland Veterans Cemetery with full military honours.
Norman T Washington - Tip Toe (1968)
Norman T Washington's recording career spanned roughly a decade and he's still remembered among record collectors for his smooth yet gritty delivery, and a singer who frequently split his output between original material and cleverly re-imagined cover versions to suit the mood of the British mod and skinhead subcultures at a time when a distinctive fusion was taking place on the dance floors over here. While Caribbean immigrants were reshaping the cultural fabric of the UK, some independent record labels stepped up to capture the energy of early reggae and American-influenced soul - and at the epicentre of this underground musical revolution was the now legendary Pama Records label which perfectly bridged the gap between Jamaican rhythms and Afro-American soul. The label was founded in London in 1967 by brothers Carl, Harry and Jeff Palmer and initially started out as a dedicated soul and R&B imprint. However, the brothers soon latched onto the huge tidal wave of Jamaican music washing over the UK and quickly changed tactics, directly licensing rocksteady and ska tracks straight from Kingston producers to wage a fierce but friendly war against Chris Blackwell’s Island Records with 'Tip Toe' being released during Pama’s crucial transitional year of 1968.
Published via Palmer Music and Sleeping Bunny Music, the tune captures the label's dual identity perfectly as a record which wasn't pure Jamaican reggae or American Motown, and was more of a gritty British soul hybrid. The record stands out as one of the gems of the Pama catalogue and represents a fascinating artifact from a time when soul and early reggae collided. As most collectors will already know, this version was actually a cover of a tune originally written and recorded by Robert Parker, more famously known for his massive hit 'Barefootin''. Although Robert Parker’s original version of 'Tip Toe' was meant to replicate the commercial success of 'Barefootin'' in the United States, it was largely ignored by the mainstream. Though Pama Records had wound down its primary operations by 1973, the influence of its catalogue has never faded. Norman T Washington’s 'Tip Toe went on to achieve a global, slow-burning cult status and saw international releases in countries like France and Portugal in the years following its UK debut.
Notations - Think Before You Stop (1975)
The Notations were originally a 1960s Chicago vocal harmony group who recorded on the local Eddie Silvers-owned Tad Records before being discovered by Syl Johnson and signed to the Twinight label from 1970 to 1972. The band members consisted of Clifford Curry, LaSalle Matthews and James Stroud. When the Twinight operation folded, the Notations regrouped, having replaced James Stroud and adding new members Bobby Thomas and Walter Jones to the line-up to become a quartet. They later signed with Curtis Mayfield's Gemigo/Curtom organisation where their signature harmonies and sound became more polished and dance-oriented. The band released several singles in 1975 along with an album simply titled 'The Notations'. The classy 'Think Before You Stop' reflects the band's transition into a more modern era while still retaining their soulful roots.
The Gemigo demo 45 featured in the video below has mono and stereo versions, but the general release had the more midtempo 'I'm Losing' on the flip and also came out on the UK Curtom label the same year. Certainly a record no '70s soul collection should be without!
O'Kaysions - Love Machine (1968)
Yet another seemingly overlooked classic today, 'Love Machine' was the follow-up single to the more widely known O'Kaysions hit 'Girl Watcher'. The song featured the classic line-up of the North Carolina band, consisting of Donnie Weaver (lead vocals and organ) Wayne Pittman (guitar) Jimmy Hinnant (bass), Ron Watson (trumpet), Jim Spiedel (saxophone) and Bruce Joyner (drums). 'Love Machine' is certainly a great tune as you will hear in the video below, but if you're not familiar with it, the reason for that may become clear as we delve into the somewhat chaotic history behind the song itself - which makes rather interesting reading to say the least.
Having struck gold in the summer of 1968 with the aforementioned 'Girl Watcher', the O'Kaysions looked poised to conquer the beach music landscape, yet by November 1968 when ABC Records dropped 'Love Machine', the band was already trapped in a web of industry exploitation, conflicting contracts and management gridlock despite which, the song found respectable regional success and briefly entered the national music charts. The trouble began when (according to guitarist Wayne Pittman), the band's original regional label North State Records claimed legal ownership over the group's career direction, and without the band’s permission or signatures, North State signed the group's booking and management rights over to the powerful Atlanta-based music publisher and promoter Bill Lowery, with whom the band quickly became disillusioned due to his failure to book them enough live gigs to sustain their momentum. In defiance, the band unilaterally cancelled their agreement with Lowery and signed a new contract with the Associated Booking Corporation in New York City.
Never one to take such things lying down, Bill Lowery (a massively influential industry gatekeeper with vast networks), used his leverage to blacklist the band. Wayne Pittman recalled that word quickly filtered back down to the musicians that Lowery had put the "kiss of death" on them, in turn causing a wary ABC Records to withhold any promotional backing just as 'Love Machine' hit the radio airwaves. In addition to all this, ABC Records executives recognised that Donnie Weaver's distinct soul vocals were the primary product and the label quietly signed him to an individual exclusive contract which isolated him legally from the rest of his bandmates. Caught in this unfortunate loop between an unsupportive label and legal gridlock, the band's original line-up fractured entirely.
While Donnie Weaver stayed behind to fulfil his individual ABC contractual obligations, regional promoters took the remaining pieces of the band's name to Atlantic Records' subsidiary, Cotillion and by 1970 a new version of the O'Kaysions were recording completely different material but still under the old name.
In my opinion, 'Love Machine' is a soul classic which deserved a much better fate, but instead it stands as a prime example of how quickly industry greed, unauthorised contracts and executive overreach could derail a band right at the peak of their creative power.
Royalettes - River of Tears (1967)
Hailing for Baltimore, the Royalettes were a four piece girl band consisting of sisters Sheila and Anita Ross alongside Veronica Brown and Terry Jones. The group formed while the girls were still in high school and their name came from Baltimore's historic Royal Theatre on Pennsylvania Avenue, which was a major venue on the Chitlin' Circuit at the time. While they never achieved the commercial success they deserved, the quartet were certainly one of the finest sweet soul girl groups of the 1960s.
'River of Tears' was originally written by Barbara Banks and Gary Knight and was released on Veep 1247 (a subsidiary of United Artists Records) in 1966 by Barbara Banks as the B side of 'Living in the Past', a single which has since become a highly prized collectable among rare soul fans. Gary Knight also co-wrote 'Breakout' with 'River of Tears' arranger Herb Bernstein, another 1966 release by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels on Bob Crewe's New Voice label.
Sheila Ross had worked briefly as a backup singer for the Three Degrees during their Swan Records era and later went on to spend six years working as a Playboy Bunny in the 1970s. Anita Ross relocated to Florida and built a long-term corporate career as an administrative secretary for the CSX Railroad. Veronica "Roni" Brown remained in Baltimore, where she built a career working as a legal secretary. Terry Jones relocated to San Francisco and entered the medical field.
Although the Royalettes officially disbanded in 1969 after a brief stint with Roulette Records, all four original members reunited for a final performance at the All-Star Classic Reunion at the 5th Regiment Armory in Baltimore in 2003. The song also saw a UK release on the Big T label.