Deep Soul Special! 4 page booklet!
The Keep On Chooglin’ series is inspired by great compilations like Country Got Soul, Delta Swamp Rock and Country Funk.
#38, however, is a little twist in the series. I have already selected quite a handful of Deep Soul tunes by the likes of O.V. Wright and Otis Clay for the first 37 volumes of KOC. By now I think of Keep On Chooglin’ as the basis for a cool DJ night in a small club filled with like-minded people. And in my opinion Southern Soul sits quite well next to Southern Rock.
On this compilation you find some of the hits by the “heavies”, but also tunes by the “little people”. Most of the songs deal with heartache, lovers lost and meetings at the dark end of the street. And these intensely dramatic songs are delivered with pleading heartbroken vocals.
The tempos range from typical Deep Soul balladry to solid dance beats and contagious grooves. All these tracks were originally released between 1965 and 1975. Music that comes deep from the Soul. Enjoy!
The Love Rustler recommends: “Pour yourself a drink and keep on chooglin’!”
“The term Southern Soul usually evokes images of either some small studio in the Southern US states in the mid-60s to mid-70s, where the musicians are working at getting a suitable groove for a singer to pour heart and soul into some true-to-life lyrics, or a hot, sweaty chitlin’ circuit club, where the crowd is urging acts on to ever greater heights of emotion over the relentless groove of the house band. The best Southern Soul is a rich blend of blues and gospel, with a dash of soulful country added to the mix. Singers who came on the scene in its golden age grew up on their parents’ blues and gospel records, and hearing the (exclusively country) Grand Ole Opry on the radio. They usually started off singing in church, taking their gospel influences with them when they moved to soul.
The majority of Southern studio bands mixed black and white musicians, each mixing sympathy with a singer’s vocal needs and knowledge they had to keep the music hard and tight enough to provide the solid framework that the songs needed.
While Motown in Detroit targeted it’s super-slick beat at teenagers and young adults, the much toughter Southern Soul, issued on label like Stax, Hi and Goldwax in Memphis, Fame in Muscle Shoals, Excello and Dial in Nashville, was aimed squarely at the adult market. This music, with it’s themes of cheating, love lost and life’s hardships, delivered on a foundation of throbbing bass, greasy guitar, hard-hitting horns and a solid backbeat was definitely for grown-ups.” (From Take Me To The River/Ace Records)
1. Betty Lavette - Let Me Down Easy
2. William Bell - You Don t Miss Your Water
3. Roy Hamilton - Dark End Of The Street
4. Candi Staton - I m Just A Prisoner (For Your Good Lovin)
5. Eddie Floyd - Oh, How It Rained
6. Roebuck Pops Staples - Black Boy
7. O.B. McClinton - If Loving You Is Wrong
8. Aretha Franklin - Do Right Man, Do Right Woman
9. George Perkins And The Silver Stars - Crying In The Street
10. Percy Sledge - True Love Travels On A Gravel Road
11. Bill Brandon - Rainbow Road
12. Jimmy Hughes - Steal Away
13. Etta James - I d Rather Go Blind
14. James Carr - Pouring Water On A Drowning Man
15. Joe Simon - Wichita Lineman
16. Charlie Rich - When Something Is Wrong With My Baby
17. Clarence Carter - Slip Away
18. Otis Clay - Too Many Hands
19. O.V. Wright - Nickel And A Nail
20. Sam Dees - Lonely For You Baby
21. Bobby Blue Bland - I Wouldn t Treat A Dog
22. Ted Taylor - Something Strange Is Going On In My House
23. Little Milton - You re No Good
24. Al Green - I m A Ram
25. Ann Peebles - Beware
26. Syl Johnson - Take Me To The River
