The Album Review Club - Christmas Break Until 8th January

Blue Mist said:
Sadly Motown and other black music rarely got a look in. There are imo 3 reasons, racism, the class system and trade unions)
Until September 1967 Radio 1 did not exist. The ONLY radio station was called The Light Programme. As an example of how you were dictated to. On a Sunday tea time they had the hit parade. It stopped at 6pm for what we used to call War We War We. In other words a church service (the choir sounded like war we war we :-) )
No pop music was then heard until the next day.
Apart from the lucky few who could get the pirate radio station Radio Caroline, starting at 10pm each night, that was it..

Virtually no black music was played on the Light Programme, maybe Nat King Cole and Harry Belafonte.
Very little black music was played on Radio 1. The Supremes being the only ones I can think of.
The Upper Class ran the BBC and decided what you should hear, not what was new or innovative. How the Stones, never mind black artists, ever got airtime still surprises me.
I mentioned racism, perhaps as the UK was predominantly white, they in their tiny little minds, knew we wanted to listen to white music. That is why UK artist covered black songs and we thought they were the original recordings.
I mention Trade Unions. The Musicians Union would not allow any live performances unless the BBC orchestra was used. Can you imagine the Isley Brothers singing Shout backed by the BBC Light Orchestra ?
As a side note the Musicians Union opposed the introduction of commercial television in 1957 and independent local radio in 1973. Up until Radio 1 they also restricted the amount of records that could be played on the Light Programme. To be fair to the BBC, Radio 1 would have been on air earlier than 67 but the M.U. stopped it.
Finally, sorry for going on for so long, because airtime was so restricted for black artists, what became known as Northern Soul came into its own. The Twisted Wheel in Manchester started as a Soul/Blues nightclub (1963?) before becoming niche with Northern Soul.
I'll shut up now.
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Wasn't a long story don't worry. So in the UK most people wouldn't have heard Motown except through the covers by Lulu, Beatles etc? Who was the first Soul artist to make it big?
 
mrbelfry said:
Wasn't a long story don't worry. So in the UK most people wouldn't have heard Motown except through the covers by Lulu, Beatles etc? Who was the first Soul artist to make it big?
Click to expand...

Depends how you're defining soul but even in the US, though the RnB chart was vibrant, in the early 60s only Sam Cooke and Ray Charles were making a dent into the mainstream billboard chart and they're also the first two to have top 10 hits in the UK (if you discount The Shirelles) albeit a couple of years behind their US break throughs. 1964 is when Motown makes it's breakthrough into the main billboard chart and by '65 The Supremes are established in the UK as well as the US.

(Awaits bollocking from Rob for reading ahead on other thread :-) )
 
mrbelfry said:
Wasn't a long story don't worry. So in the UK most people wouldn't have heard Motown except through the covers by Lulu, Beatles etc? Who was the first Soul artist to make it big?
Click to expand...
Yes, the covers were what you heard and no credit was given to the original black artist.

To answer your next question let me first mention my thoughts on the Beatles and the Stones. The Beatles were the first manufactured band, yes they could play but their clothes, appearances, everything, was managed so as not to upset mum and dad who allowed their children to buy records.*
The Stones were the exact opposite.

From memory the two stand outs are both Motown.
The Supremes and Stevie Wonder and both imo were 'managed' to be the acceptable face of black music.
The brilliant James Brown, the total opposite of The Supremes/Wonder, was rarely heard.

*My first single (1969 aged 11) was Les Biceclette de Belsize by Englebert Humperdinck. Mothers were very persuasive, I can't remember what I wanted but I certainly wasn't going to get it. That's why the Beatles manager controlled their image and music in the 60's
 
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Blue Mist said:
Sadly Motown and other black music rarely got a look in. There are imo 3 reasons, racism, the class system and trade unions
Until September 1967 Radio 1 did not exist. The ONLY radio station was called The Light Programme. As an example of how you were dictated to, on a Sunday tea time they had the hit parade. It stopped at 6pm for what we used to call War We War We. In other words a church service (the choir sounded like war we war we :-) )
No pop music was then heard until the next day.
Apart from the lucky few who could get the pirate radio station Radio Caroline, starting at 10pm each night, that was it.

Virtually no black music was played on the Light Programme, maybe Nat King Cole and Harry Belafonte.
Very little black music was played on Radio 1. The Supremes being the only ones I can think of.
The Upper Class ran the BBC and decided what you should hear, not what was new or innovative. How the Stones, never mind black artists, ever got airtime still surprises me.
I mentioned racism, perhaps as the UK was predominantly white they, in their tiny little minds, knew we wanted to listen to white music. That is why UK artists covered black songs and we thought they were the original recordings.
I mention Trade Unions. The Musicians Union would not allow any live performances unless the BBC orchestra was used. Can you imagine the Isley Brothers singing Shout backed by the BBC Light Orchestra ?
As a side note the Musicians Union opposed the introduction of commercial television in 1957 and independent local radio in 1973. Up until Radio 1 they also restricted the amount of records that could be played on the Light Programme. To be fair to the BBC, Radio 1 would have been on air earlier than 67 but the M.U. stopped it.
Finally, sorry for going on for so long, because airtime was so restricted for black artists, what became known as Northern Soul came into its own. The Twisted Wheel in Manchester started as a Soul/Blues nightclub (1963?) before becoming niche with Northern Soul.
I'll shut up now.
Click to expand...
Did you forget we had Radio Luxembourg every night from 1940 and once a week the American top 50
 
mrbelfry said:
Wasn't a long story don't worry. So in the UK most people wouldn't have heard Motown except through the covers by Lulu, Beatles etc? Who was the first Soul artist to make it big?
Click to expand...
Most people would have heard Tamala Motown on radio Luxembourg, The Temptations being one of the first big hitters
 
There's nothing much wrong with the Rod Stewart album, apart perhaps from the pretty pointless cover of Amazing Grace. Saying that if it wasn't so familiar in so many versions over the years maybe it would have been a nice rather than banal little interlude.

There wasn't too much that I could get over excited by either. I remember the Jeff Beck song I knew of with Rod singing was "Morning Dew" and that was a pretty atmospheric number which suited his voice (or his voice suited, whatever). I do think he has got a decent enough voice although not a classicly good one. That isn't a problem, add him to the list with Dylan, Neil Young, etc.

I prefer him here on the slower songs but really none of them, incuding Mandolin Way, grabbed me to the extent that I felt I would be missing out by not exploring more. Although I did, I listened to Never a Dull Moment which had a similar impact on me. Which is to say it didn't much.

So, glad I've finally given a listen to a rock legend, I can see the appeal but not really so much for me. It's an unexciting 6.
 
LGWIO said:
Have to say it that apart from the Lonesome Jubilee this has to be one of the biggest and best surprises since i joined the forum.
Rock/Blues/Country, whatever genre you wish to attach to it, it is fun and a great listen. Even the Country stuff which usually turns me off is enjoyable. I think perhaps as you don't have that American twang.
Apart from the now outdated references in the opener/title track, its a great start.....and it just keeps going. I don't think there is really a duff track on this...apart from maybe the little bit of Amazing Grace.
Click to expand...
Don’t forget to vote mate :-)
 
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