32 replies to this topic

[Fear & Loathing]

Every white boy needs to expand their classic soul collection. Some top notch soul gems that are definitely not overplayed.

Chronologically:

Big Mama Thornton -- Hound Dog [Single, 1953]
Richard Berry -- Louie Louie [Single, 1956]
Nat King Cole -- When I Grow Too Old to Dream, 1956 [Album: Northern Exposure: Music from the Television Series, 1994]
Clarence "Frogman" Henry -- Ain't Got No Home [Single, 1956...also used in the movie "Diner"]
The Chantels -- Maybe [Single, 1958...girl just sings her ace off on this one]
Jerry Butler -- He Will Break Your Hurt [Single, 1960]
Ben E. King -- (There Is a Rose in) Spanish Harlem [Album: Spanish Harlem, 1961]
Barbara Lynn -- You'll Lose a Good Thing [Single, 1962]
Dave Berry -- Memphis, Tennessee [Single, 1963]
Tommy Tucker -- High Heel Sneakers [Single, 1964]
Solomon Burke -- Got to Get You Off My Mind [Album: The Rest of Solomon Burke, 1965]
Otis Redding -- I've Been Loving You Too Long [Album: Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul, 1966]
Chris Farlowe -- Out of Time [Album: The Art of Chris Farlowe, 1966]
Freddie Scott -- Cry to Me [Single, 1966]
Clarence Carter -- Slip Away, 1968 [Album: Almost Famous Soundtrack, 2000]
James Carr -- That's the Way Love Turned Out [Single, 1969]
Koko Taylor -- Love You Like a Woman [Album: Koko Taylor, 1969]
Aretha Franklin -- Call Me [Album: This Girl's in Love With You, 1970]
Donny Hathaway -- A Song for You [Album: Donny Hathaway, 1971]
Betty Wright -- Clean Up Woman [Album: Clean Up Woman, 1971]
Bobby Womack -- Across 110th Street, 1972 [Album: Jackie Brown Soundtrack]
Billy Preston -- Will It Go Round in Circles [Album: Music Is My Life, 1972...also used in "Beautiful Girls"]
Aretha Franklin -- Until You Come Back to Me [Album: Let Me in Your Life, 1973]
Dee Dee Warwick -- I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do, 1973 [Album: I Want to Be With You: The Mercury/Blue Rock Sessions]
Gladys Knight & the Pips -- Neither One of Us [Album: Neither One of Us, 1973]
Bobby "Blue" Bland -- It's Not the Spotlight [Album: His California Album, 1973]
Ann Peebles -- I Can't Stand the Rain [Album: I Can't Stand the Rain, 1974]
Shirley Brown -- Woman to Woman [Album: Woman to Woman, 1975]
Jean Carne -- Don't Let It Go to Your Head [Album: Jean Carn, 1978...she later changed the spelling of her name]
O.V. Wright -- Let's Straighten It Out, 1978 [Album: The Soul of O.V. Wright]
Bobby Caldwell -- What You Won't Do for Love [Single, 1978]
Joan Armatrading -- The Weakness in Me [Album: Walk Under Ladders, 1981]
Olu Dara -- Harlem Country Girl [Album: In the World: From Natchez to New York, 1998]
Stereophonics -- Handbags and Gladrags [Album: Just Enough Education to Perform, 2001]

Who's got more?

Edited by Fear & Loathing, 11 October 2007 - 07:12 AM.

[JuniorNB]

Al Wilson- Show and Tell
Dobie Gray- Drift Away
Manhattans- Kiss and Say Goodbye
Maxine Nightingale- Lead Me On
Dorothy Moore- Misty Blue

[Uruk-Hai]

Donny Hathaway -- A Song for You [Album: Donny Hathaway, 1971]

Is that a remake of the Leon Russell song? I don't recall hearing this one. Have to look it up - thanks.

Some more from the 60s/70s:

"Don't Ask My Neighbors" - Emotions
"Wildflower" - Skylark (the O'Jays also did a live version of this that's pretty cool)
"As" - Stevie Wonder
"It's Growing" - Temptations
"To Love Somebody" - James Carr
"I Wanna Testify" - Parliaments
"Sweet Love" - Commodores
"Forever More" - Enchantment
"Cry Baby" - Garnett Simms (I think that's his name)
"Summer Breeze" - Isleys
"Work To Do" - AWB

[JuniorNB]

Donny Hathaway -- A Song for You [Album: Donny Hathaway, 1971]

Is that a remake of the Leon Russell song? I don't recall hearing this one. Have to look it up - thanks.

Some more from the 60s/70s:


"Wildflower" - Skylark

Awesome song.

I'll add-
Special Lady- Ray, Goodman, & Brown

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

Bobby Womack - Across 110th St was used in the soundtrack of the same name before it was in Jackie Brown.

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

So if we're gonna do underplayed...

24-Carat Black - Poverty's Paradise
Baby Huey - Hard Times
Billy Paul - I'm Just a Prisoner
Clarence Reid - Like Running Water
Creative Source - You Can't Hide Love
Lamont Dozier - Shine
The Modulations - It's Rough Out Here
The True Reflection - Whisper
Willie Hutch - A Love That' Worth Having

[Fear & Loathing]

Donny Hathaway -- A Song for You [Album: Donny Hathaway, 1971]

Is that a remake of the Leon Russell song? I don't recall hearing this one. Have to look it up - thanks.

Good catch. According to Wikipedia:

"A Song for You" is a 1970 song written and originally performed by rock singer-songwriter Leon Russell. A slow, pained plea for forgiveness from an estranged lover, the tune is one of Russell's best-known songs.

Donny Hathaway's 1971 recording is today considered one of his signature songs, even though the song was a cover and the single never made the Billboard charts.

The only version of the song that did make the charts was by Andy Williams, whose single peaked at #82 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971.

"A Song for You" is also the title of the third track of Gram Parsons' album, GP. This is not the same song written by Leon Russell."

Some more from the 60s/70s:

"Don't Ask My Neighbors" - Emotions
"Wildflower" - Skylark (the O'Jays also did a live version of this that's pretty cool)
"As" - Stevie Wonder
"It's Growing" - Temptations
"To Love Somebody" - James Carr
"I Wanna Testify" - Parliaments
"Sweet Love" - Commodores
"Forever More" - Enchantment
"Cry Baby" - Garnett Simms (I think that's his name)
"Summer Breeze" - Isleys
"Work To Do" - AWB

Good list!

"Cry Baby" is Garnett Mimms [and the Enchanters]

[Fear & Loathing]

Al Wilson- Show and Tell
Dobie Gray- Drift Away
Manhattans- Kiss and Say Goodbye
Maxine Nightingale- Lead Me On
Dorothy Moore- Misty Blue

I would call Dobie Gray overplayed. I'm not sure I even enjoy that song anymore.

I hear "Kiss and Say Goodbye" on the radio once awhile, but I think you're right that it's underappreciated. Great song.

I had forgotten all about Maxine Nightingale's "Lead Me On." That's a good one. I always liked the faster-paced "Right Back Where We Started From", which was used in the movie version of Starsky & Hutch (which I haven't seen) and way before that in the movie Slapshot (which I've seen too many times).

I'll have to check out Al Wilson & Dorothy Moore.

[Fear & Loathing]

Not sure how underplayed some of these are...but I'll give it a shot.

Jackie Wilson -- To Be Loved, 1958
James Brown -- Try Me, 1959
Otis Redding -- These Arms of Mine, 1962
Joe Hinton -- Funny How Time Slips Away, 1964
Dee Dee Warwick -- We're Doing Fine, 1965
James Carr -- The Dark End of the Street, 1966
Dee Dee Warwick -- I'm Gonna Make You Love Me, 1967
Brenton Wood -- The Oogum Boogum Song, 1967
Aretha Franklin -- Bridge Over Troubled Water, 1971
Stevie Wonder -- Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer, 1971
The Dramatics -- In the Rain, 1972
Ray Charles -- It's Not Easy Being Green, 1975
Billy Ocean -- Love Really Hurts Without You, 1976
Jill Scott -- A Long Walk, 2001

[Yenrub]

You guys are listing some great songs.

King Heroin - James Brown
Frankie & Johnnie - Sam Cooke (anything by Sam is great)

[DCThunder]

There are lots of songs from the Philly soul movement that are way underplayed.

I love: When Will I See You Again-The Three Degrees as well as almost anything by the Spinners and/or the Stylistics (You Make Me Feel Brand New). In fact that entire Gamble & Huff Philly International lable put out some great sweet soul music in the early 70's.

[Fear & Loathing]

There are lots of songs from the Philly soul movement that are way underplayed.

I love: When Will I See You Again-The Three Degrees as well as almost anything by the Spinners and/or the Stylistics (You Make Me Feel Brand New). In fact that entire Gamble & Huff Philly International lable put out some great sweet soul music in the early 70's.

I almost put that one in there. I love that song, but I thought it may be fairly well known...I think it was in a movie soundtrack recently or something.

Even it is kinda well known, I'd say it's another one that's definitely under appreciated.

Good Philly soul: The O'Jays.

Most know "Use Ta Be My Girl" & "Love Train" (Coors Light commercial), but "Backstabbers" is underplayed. I believe "Can You Come Out and Play?" was on the White Men Can't Jump soundtrack.

Edit to add: another good one, yet underplayed from the Stylistics -- "You're a Big Girl Now." Great song. I think they also did "You Are Everything", which you hear once in awhile.

The Spinners are awesome. They've got quite a few hits. "Rubberband Man" got a lot of play a couple of years ago in Staples commercial or something like that. My favorite of theirs is "Could It Be I'm Fallin' in Love", which was on the awesome Beautiful Girls soundtrack back in '96. They did "Then Came You" with Dionne Warwick...seems like that was used as a 70s/80s TV show theme song, but I could be wrong.

Edited by Fear & Loathing, 11 October 2007 - 09:49 AM.

[Fear & Loathing]

So if we're gonna do underplayed...

24-Carat Black - Poverty's Paradise
Baby Huey - Hard Times
Billy Paul - I'm Just a Prisoner
Clarence Reid - Like Running Water
Creative Source - You Can't Hide Love
Lamont Dozier - Shine
The Modulations - It's Rough Out Here
The True Reflection - Whisper
Willie Hutch - A Love That' Worth Having

I'd say great list, but I'm going to have to go find them before I know for sure. Nicely done unearthing some obscure soul cuts here...

[DCThunder]

F&L, you get into DC go-go music much? Trouble Funk, Chuck Brown, EU, Rare Essence?

And while it may be somewhat overplayed, Rare Earth's "Get Ready" and "I Just Want to Celebrate" are pretty good soul songs too, especially for some white boys.

[Fear & Loathing]

F&L, you get into DC go-go music much? Trouble Funk, Chuck Brown, EU, Rare Essence?

And while it may be somewhat overplayed, Rare Earth's "Get Ready" and "I Just Want to Celebrate" are pretty good soul songs too, especially for some white boys.

No, not too familiar with DC go-go music. I don't have anything by any of the ones you mentioned...except the Rare Earth songs.

Is that EU as in "Da' Butt" fame?

[DCThunder]

F&L, you get into DC go-go music much? Trouble Funk, Chuck Brown, EU, Rare Essence?

And while it may be somewhat overplayed, Rare Earth's "Get Ready" and "I Just Want to Celebrate" are pretty good soul songs too, especially for some white boys.

No, not too familiar with DC go-go music. I don't have anything by any of the ones you mentioned...except the Rare Earth songs.

Is that EU as in "Da' Butt" fame?

Yep.

[JuniorNB]

Al Wilson- Show and Tell
Dobie Gray- Drift Away
Manhattans- Kiss and Say Goodbye
Maxine Nightingale- Lead Me On
Dorothy Moore- Misty Blue

I'll have to check out Al Wilson & Dorothy Moore.

Dorothy Moore- Misty Blue

Al Wilson- Show and Tell

[GSteps]

A few favorites that I grew up listening to:

We're A Winner - The Impressions
Jimmy Mack - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
I Stand Accused - Isaac Hayes
Try A Little Tenderness - Otis Redding (maybe not underplayed)
Who's Making Love - Johnnie Taylor
That's the Way I Feel About Cha- Bobby Womack
(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want to be Right - Luther Ingram
634-5789 - Wilson Pickett
Love Is A Hurtin' Thing - Lou Rawls
This Old Heart Of Mine - The Isley Brothers
What Does It Take (to Win Your Love) - Junion Walker & The All Stars
Never Gonna Give You Up - Jerry Butler
Patches - Clarence Carter
Ain't That Peculiar - Marvin Gaye

[stevegamer]

Another Philly artist:

Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford - "I Need Your Lovin''

[JuniorNB]

A few favorites that I grew up listening to:

We're A Winner - The Impressions
Jimmy Mack - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
I Stand Accused - Isaac Hayes
Try A Little Tenderness - Otis Redding (maybe not underplayed)
Who's Making Love - Johnnie Taylor
That's the Way I Feel About Cha- Bobby Womack
(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want to be Right - Luther Ingram
634-5789 - Wilson Pickett
Love Is A Hurtin' Thing - Lou Rawls
This Old Heart Of Mine - The Isley Brothers
What Does It Take (to Win Your Love) - Junion Walker & The All Stars
Never Gonna Give You Up - Jerry Butler
Patches - Clarence Carter
Ain't That Peculiar - Marvin Gaye

If I'm not mistaken, Picket was sued for plaguerism by Tommy Tutone for this one.

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

So if we're gonna do underplayed...

24-Carat Black - Poverty's Paradise
Baby Huey - Hard Times
Billy Paul - I'm Just a Prisoner
Clarence Reid - Like Running Water
Creative Source - You Can't Hide Love
Lamont Dozier - Shine
The Modulations - It's Rough Out Here
The True Reflection - Whisper
Willie Hutch - A Love That' Worth Having

I'd say great list, but I'm going to have to go find them before I know for sure. Nicely done unearthing some obscure soul cuts here...

Billy Paul is not hard to find. He's another Philadelphia International Records artist. Willie Hutch is not a hard artist to find in general. His Motown soundtrack stuff is well known (Foxy Brown, The Mack). That song comes from an album in the late 60s in his pre-Motown days. One of the best soul records in my collection hands down.

I was gonna stick with your "lesser known sisters of very well known soul singers" and throw an Erma Franklin song on there, but I find her stuff is more rare than good.

[buddyboy]

"Soul Deep", by the Box Tops
"Oh Girl", by the Chi-lites
"Smiling Faces, Sometimes" by Undisputed Truth
"Love, or Let Me Be Lonely", by Friends of Distinction
"One Less Bell To Answer", by Fifth Dimension
"It Only Takes a Minute Girl", by Travares

[Fear & Loathing]

Dorothy Moore- Misty Blue

Al Wilson- Show and Tell

So that's who did "Show and Tell"? I knew the song, but I didn't know Al Wilson. Good tune.

Misty Blue was a knew one for me.

Edited by Fear & Loathing, 11 October 2007 - 11:45 AM.

[Fear & Loathing]

So if we're gonna do underplayed...

24-Carat Black - Poverty's Paradise
Baby Huey - Hard Times
Billy Paul - I'm Just a Prisoner
Clarence Reid - Like Running Water
Creative Source - You Can't Hide Love
Lamont Dozier - Shine
The Modulations - It's Rough Out Here
The True Reflection - Whisper
Willie Hutch - A Love That' Worth Having

I'd say great list, but I'm going to have to go find them before I know for sure. Nicely done unearthing some obscure soul cuts here...

Billy Paul is not hard to find. He's another Philadelphia International Records artist. Willie Hutch is not a hard artist to find in general. His Motown soundtrack stuff is well known (Foxy Brown, The Mack). That song comes from an album in the late 60s in his pre-Motown days. One of the best soul records in my collection hands down.

I was gonna stick with your "lesser known sisters of very well known soul singers" and throw an Erma Franklin song on there, but I find her stuff is more rare than good.

I didn't know Billy Paul ever did anything besides "Me & Mrs. Jones". I'd heard a couple of Willie Hutch & Baby Huey songs, but not the ones you mentioned. The other artists are knew to me.

[Fear & Loathing]

A few favorites that I grew up listening to:

We're A Winner - The Impressions
Jimmy Mack - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
I Stand Accused - Isaac Hayes
Try A Little Tenderness - Otis Redding (maybe not underplayed)
Who's Making Love - Johnnie Taylor
That's the Way I Feel About Cha- Bobby Womack
(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want to be Right - Luther Ingram
634-5789 - Wilson Pickett
Love Is A Hurtin' Thing - Lou Rawls
This Old Heart Of Mine - The Isley Brothers
What Does It Take (to Win Your Love) - Junion Walker & The All Stars
Never Gonna Give You Up - Jerry Butler
Patches - Clarence Carter
Ain't That Peculiar - Marvin Gaye

Great list!

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

I'd say great list, but I'm going to have to go find them before I know for sure. Nicely done unearthing some obscure soul cuts here...

PM sent.

[bakes]

Not sure how underplayed some of these are...but I'll give it a shot.

Jackie Wilson -- To Be Loved, 1958
James Brown -- Try Me, 1959
Otis Redding -- These Arms of Mine, 1962
Joe Hinton -- Funny How Time Slips Away, 1964
Dee Dee Warwick -- We're Doing Fine, 1965
James Carr -- The Dark End of the Street, 1966
Dee Dee Warwick -- I'm Gonna Make You Love Me, 1967
Brenton Wood -- The Oogum Boogum Song, 1967
Aretha Franklin -- Bridge Over Troubled Water, 1971
Stevie Wonder -- Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer, 1971
The Dramatics -- In the Rain, 1972
Ray Charles -- It's Not Easy Being Green, 1975
Billy Ocean -- Love Really Hurts Without You, 1976
Jill Scott -- A Long Walk, 2001

Great song.

Also:

1973-1974:

Main Ingredient: Just Don't Want To Be Lonely
Billy Paul: Thanks For Saving My Life
Johnny Bristol: Hang On In There Baby
George McCrae: Rock Your Baby (backup band later became KC and the Sunshine Band)
Blue Magic: Sideshow

Others:
Gwen (George's wife) McCrae: Rockin' Chair - 1975
Isley Brothers - Fight the Power - 1975
Tavares: Hold Back the Night (later covered by Graham Parker) - 1976/77

[Statorama]

King Curtis - "634-5789"

[DCThunder]

Heard a good one over the weekend: "Stand" by Sly and the Family Stone. Not played anywhere's near as much as "Dance to the Music" or "Everyday People", but it's a really good Sly song.

[Mister CIA]

Bobby "Blue" Bland - Member's Only.

[HoTnickZ]

Heard some on the ipod today, can't forget about Smokey..

(You Can) Depend on Me (Temptations version isn't too bad either)
Who's Loving You
I've Been Good To You
Shop Around

I'd say some early James Brown as well.

Etta James - Loving You More Every Day
Carla Thomas - Gee Whiz

[wdcrob]

Late to the Party...

Chris Clark - Love Gone Bad
Percy Sledge - True Love Travels on a Gravel Road
Booker T & the MGs - Outrage
Dorothy Williams - Closer to my Baby
The Elgins - Heaven Must Have Sent You
Marlena Shaw - California Soul (playing in a commercial near you!)
R.B. Greaves - Take a Letter Maria
Solomon Burke - None of Us Are Free (instant classic)

[Fear & Loathing]

Late to the Party...

Chris Clark - Love Gone Bad
Percy Sledge - True Love Travels on a Gravel Road
Booker T & the MGs - Outrage
Dorothy Williams - Closer to my Baby
The Elgins - Heaven Must Have Sent You
Marlena Shaw - California Soul (playing in a commercial near you!)
R.B. Greaves - Take a Letter Maria
Solomon Burke - None of Us Are Free (instant classic)

Good list.

Speaking of classic soul, I've been wearing out Sam Cooke today. He's good 90 degrees on a Saturday afternoon in May music.

Edited by Fear & Loathing, 10 May 2008 - 12:38 PM.