Northern Soul Story:The Twisted Wheel CD Review

Sounds From the 1960s Soul Underground Filling Dancefloors Today

Jan 26, 2009 Tim Peacock

Largely seen as the forerunner of British Club culture, the Northern Soul scene never broke out of the provinces during its' mid-1960s heyday.

Based upon the beat-heavy Motown soul hits from Detroit, songs defined as 'Northern Soul' were often subject to limited release in America and rarely national hits. They arrived in the UK on import and were usually on imprints like Okeh, Bell and Roulette. Labels taking Motown and Stax Records as starting points, but smaller and infinitely hipper.

The records were snapped up by young DJ's with their ears to the ground. They spun the discs at all-night sessions in happening clubs such as Manchester's Twisted Wheel and Wigan Casino in the north of England. Their initial audience was made up of young Mods who disliked the coming of Psychedelic Rock and stuck to a staple diet of driving, African-American Soul.

Famous Northern Soul DJ's include Roger Eagle and Mike Pickering

Between 1965 and the early '70s, Northern Soul remained a huge scene in the north of England, but bizarrely never broke out further. Many of the DJ's from the period such as the late Roger Eagle (later DJ with Liverpool punk nitespot Eric's) and Mike Pickering (later of M People) would become luminaries in their own right. Now, Sony/ BMG's Northern Soul series (www.amazon.co.uk) introduces their most favourite discs to a whole new audience.

Recommended CDs from the series also celebrate clubs like Blackpool's Mecca Ballroom and Stoke's Golden Torch. Overall, though, The Twisted Wheel CD has the best quotient of killer tunes, even if some of the featured artists may be a surprise.

Al Green, Lee Dorsey and Little Richard at their Soulful Best

Certainly any self-respecting Soul compilation might include Al Green, Peaches & Herb and New Orleans Soul Man Lee Dorsey, but Little Richard? Unlikely, perhaps, yet his lesser-known hit A Little Bit of Something is a horn-led soul revue belter and finds him in great form.

Elsewhere, a song like Shake A Tail Feather may be familiar to anyone in possession of Ike & Tina Turner's Greatest Hits, but the artist covering it here (in this case James & Bobby Purify) may be wilfully obscure.

Often, the unknown quantities weigh in with the best moments. Bob Brady & The Con Chords, for example, were an all-white group from Baltimore, but sound remarkably like Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. Sandi Sheldon, meanwhile, barely even registers with Wikipedia, but her song You're Gonna Make Me Love You is one of the feistiest one-hit wonders ever recorded.

Changing Fashions and the Northern Soul Resurgence

Changing fashions sent Northern Soul deeper underground during the early '70s and most of the original clubs have long since passed into legend. The 'all-nite' spirit lived on, though, later giving birth to super clubs like Manchester's Hacienda and the rise of Rave Culture in the '80s and '90s.

These days, a new version of the Twisted Wheel (www.twistedwheel.co.uk) is back in Manchester and hosting regular Soul nights once again. This time, clubs in London and the south have caught on too, ensuring this original dance culture remains more than simply an energetic history lesson.

The copyright of the article Northern Soul Story:The Twisted Wheel CD Review in R&B/Soul Music is owned by Tim Peacock. Permission to republish Northern Soul Story:The Twisted Wheel CD Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Northern Soul Story: The Twisted Wheel

Twisted Wheel: back cover

Twisted Wheel DJ Roger Eagle