Various Artists - Soul Spectrum Records, Vol. 1
- Written by Matt Jones
As you are no-doubt all loyal readers of every review I write, you have probably guessed by now that I am something of a Soul fan. I mean, of course, sweet soul music, not that of David Soul – but it must be said that even the stirring screams of Sly and Family can stagnate after enough replays, perhaps even stimulating a shameful switch to the music of a washed-up Starsky and Hutch actor (insert brilliant Soul 2 Soul joke here). Having recently overdosed on the genre then, I was somewhat apprehensive about reviewing the no-nonsense titled Soul Spectrum Records Vol. 1.
Fortunately, I was quickly proved wrong. Jazzman Records latest sub-label is far from a spectrum in sensu NOW! THAT’S WHAT I CALL SOUL! – it is much more. In typical, promotional style, the album’s blurb describes it as being ‘curated’ by DJ Euan Fryer, who has undertaken a great journey since the 70s to track down the rarest and finest grooves. Although at first this seems hyperbolic, upon listening one is easily convinced of the genuineness of this Marco Polo-esque tale. Soul Spectrum dares to throw at it’s intended audience names of which they have probably never heard, and succeeds in making them instant classics. Tracks by the likes of Billy Byrd are as easy, if not easier, to pick up than those of the more famous Byrd of soul music, offering a grittier and pleasantly underproduced sound. Another thing Soul Spectrum does better than the millions of funk and soul compilations churned out every year to be tragically destined for the bargain bin, is to show the highly experimental nature of black music of the era. Willie Wright’s ‘Right On for the Darkness’ almost makes Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘The Bottle’ seem conservative, George Smallwood’s ‘Rollercoaster’ opens with just that sound and Phillip Wright’s ‘Keep Her Happy’ is the sound upon entering a disco in 70s Nigeria. "Soul Spectrum" is actually something of a misnomer - this covers a much larger range of wavelengths.
Of course the album has its fillers. As with most compilations of this size (21 songs), certain songs aren’t very memorable and wouldn’t make curious ears prick up if played in a DJ set. But the amount of songs that would, make the album a treasure chest for lazy DJs. By far my favourite track of the album is Gold’s ‘What About the Child’, which reminds us that a soulful song needn’t be a seasoned singer’s lament about love. Almost in deliberate opposition to Motown, the song boldly opening with the lyrics “We don’t care for each other”, and its upbeat feel alongside it’s crisis-ridden lyrics perfectly epitomise the paradox between the joy of sex and the horror of unplanned pregnancy for many young people, of that era and our own.
Soul Spectrum RecordsVol 1. is a pleasant surprise to say the least – let’s just hope the huge effort that has gone in to producing it has not exhausted the potential of a volume two.
Soul Spectrum Records Vol. 1 is released on February 18 by Jazzman Records and will be available via amazon