| TITLE
& STUFF |
COMMENTS
& WHO FROM |
WHERE TO GET
IT |
| A Touch Of Classic Soul
- Marc Taylor - Aloiv Publishing (ISBN 0 9652328 4 0) |
Subtitled 'Soul Singers
Of The Early '70s', this is an authoritative, wellresearched book which covers it's
subject well. It's not just the two pages and well known facts type of thing either. The
author has taken the time and effort to interview most of the subjects, and goes into some
depth about their careers. Perhaps it does focus more on the artists who sold most
records, but it is certainly better than a lot of other books of the same style. 35
biographies in total, all well written, all informative. If You have any interest in '70s
Soul this book is well worth buying. Dave Rimmer. |
. |
| Aretha Franklin The
Queen Of Soul - Mark Bego - Robert Hale Ltd (ISBN 0 70904053 9) |
An excellent insight
into the life of Aretha which doesn't only cover the highs of her life. It also gets down
to the nitty gritty and examines her eating problems, her phobia of flying, and also
points out that some of her records were simply rubbish. One big plus is the complete
discography included at the back of the book which takes you right from 1960 to 1989, the
year before the book was published. Dave Rimmer. |
. |
| Be My Baby - Ronnie
Spector with Vince Waldron - Harmony Books (ISBN 0 517 57499 3) |
An American book from
1990 which isn't really about Soul music, but one that is still worth while reading. It's
fairly obviously, the auto biography of Phil Spector's wife, and whilst her life story is
interesting enough on it's own, it's the people she met, dealt with slept with (!) which
make this really interesting. Ike and Tina Turner being the main names from the Soul
scene. Dave Rimmer. |
. |
| Beatin' Rhtyhm - A
Magazine for the Open Minded. |
This one is from Pete
Smith. I am totally biased when it comes to Petes stuff so buy it & make your own mind
up. Top!! Mick Fitzpatrick. |
Pete Smith, Flat 3, 12
Maze Hill, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex. |
| Billboard, Music Guide
- Made by Softkey (ISBN 0 7630 1393 5) |
Something a little more
up-to-date. If you go into Woolies they sell cheap CD Roms for about 8 pounds from a
company called Softkey. One they have produced is called 'Billboard' and is a vast
database of American music including most Soul Artists who have had any kind of success.
Loads of photos, old album covers and audio and video files. Well worth checking out. John
Ponomarenko. |
. |
| Black Music - Publisher
Hamlyn (ISBN 0 600313433) |
I think the magazine of
the same name was behind this. Not one author, but different contributors on different
artists. John Ponomarenko. |
. |
| Chicago soul - Robert
Pruter - Illini Books 1992. (ISBN 0 252 06259 0) |
This is the absolute
bees knees in all things soulful from the windy city. It covers the major labels
ABC/Vee/Jay/Okeh/Chess/Brunswick and many of the minors
Pam/Constellation/Onederful/Mellow/StLawrence/Jacklyn/Expo, just to name a few. Great
information on soft and hard soul artists and productions and written by a very
knowledgeable guy (god?). Alex White. |
. |
| Dancing In The Street,
Confessions Of A Motown Diva - Martha Reeves and Mark Bego - Hyperion Press (ISBN 0
78686024 3) |
Remember I said Berry
Gordy had been castigated in some books…… Martha Reeves tells it like it was,
from her perspective. Again, this is a well written book giving the insider's view of
Motown. Lots of good photographs, and it also goes on to cover her career after Motown. My
copy is an American one, and I'm not sure whether this was ever published in the UK.
Either way it's one that is worth buying. Dave Rimmer. |
. |
| Heart & Soul - A
Celebration of Black Music Style in America 1930-75 - Bob Merlis/Davin Seay (ISBN 1 55670
538 7) |
Maria Orlovic. |
. |
| La Pelle Nera |
A classy Fanzine out of
Itally. I can't read Italian but for those of you that do It is worth checking out. I have
wrote a few columns for them!! I think the price per quarterly issue is L5000. Mick
Fitzpatrick. |
c/o Stefano Oggiano,
via C. del Fante 15, 20122 MILANO, Italy. Email pelnera@tin.it |
| Making Tracks - The
History Of Atlantic Records. Charlie Gillett (ISBN 586040188) |
Going back to 1975 for
this one. Charlie Gillett has written several music books, none as impressive as this one
though. It really is a complete history of the label, starting in 1947, and running
through to the mid Seventies. This means of course that the period when Atlantic first
started to dominate as a Soul label doesn't come into the book until about a third of the
way through, and the book finishes off with all the heavy rock bands that made millions
for Atlantic in the Seventies. It really is a well researched piece of writing though with
Charlie Gillett spending time interviewing many players in the game that made Atlantic
into one of the majors in the Sixties Soul scene. Dave Rimmer. |
Almost certainly out of
print. It still turns up at record fairs & 2nd hand bookshops. |
| Manifesto - A magazine
for the Nocturnal |
The premier Northern
Soul magazine. Nothing around to compete with it really. Mick Fitzpatrick. |
MANIFESTO, C/O 199
Design Friars Court, Colege St, Gloucester, GL12NE |
| Motown - David Morse -
(SBN 289.70131.7) |
This book was in press
before ISBN numbers!!!. John Ponomarenko. |
. |
| Nightshift - Pete
McKenna - ST Publishing (ISBN 1 89892740 5) |
This was the first book
dedicated to Northern Soul and Wigan Casino in particular, and it didn't appear until
1996. It chronicled Pete McKenna's life during the years of his visits to Wigan Casino. It
could have been so good, but ended up being description of a druggie's nights out. There
is comparatively little mention of the music, or records, which is a shame because Pete
was typical of a lot of soul fans in that era. It just appears that he can only remember
the drug related episodes. (How he can remember them all so clearly beats me) I suppose I
shouldn't really slag this one off too much because there on pages 101 to 103 are my own
recollections of that period. Dave Rimmer. |
. |
| Northern Essence - Soul
Music Magazine. |
A quarterly soul
magazine with a massive helping of Northern stuff. Here you will find out about gig's,
records and much more. A must have. Mick Fitzpatrick. |
Northern Essence, 34
Lobelia Avenue, Farnworth, Bolton, England, BL40EQ |
| Nowhere to run - The
story of soul music - Gerri Hirshey - Macmillan 1984 (ISBN 0 330 28768 0) |
This is a great book
which covers the birth of soul, big city soul and southern soul with an emphasis on
Detroit, New York, Chicago and Memphis. Well recommended. Alex White |
. |
| Off the Record - Motown
by Master Number, 1958-89 vol. 1: Singles - Reginald J Bartlette |
It contains every 45
that was ever given a catalogue number by Motown issued and unissued. An essential buy for
any motown collector, I think its around £30. Karl Mitchell. |
Click Here |
| Rare Motown And Soul
Price Guide - Simon Soussan - Souvenir Publications (No ISBN Number) |
Well there's a name
from the past ! Firstly I'm not even sure if this book officially exists ! There was a lot
of initial advertising, and attempts to sell wholesale copies (Simon Soussan even rang me
at home to try to get me to take 100 copies). Then nothing. I understand that Motown
showed rather too much interest in the fact that there were pictures of their labels all
over the front cover. So I don't think it was ever officially published. That means that
my copy, which came direct from Simon Soussan, is a bootleg..ha, ha, ha, ha ! I do know
that the book has been seen for sale at American record fairs, so some other copies may
have reached the UK, but I've never met anyone else with a copy. The book was an attempt
to list, price, and show a photocopy of the label of every rare Motown and Soul record.
Nice idea, nice try, but not quite good enough to be the definitive guide it claimed to be
in 1994. Having said that, if you see a copy, grab it with both hands. Dave Rimmer. |
. |
| Rhythm And The Blues, A
Life In American Music - Jerry Wexler and David Ritz - Jonathon Cape (ISBN 0 22403963 6) |
The equivalent of Berry
Gordy's book, this is Atlantic Records, from the inside. Jerry Wexler played such an
important role for the company during it's formative years that he deserves as much credit
as Ahmet Ertegun for the success of the company. It's all in here as well, from the work
with the new York artists, Aretha, to the visits to Memphis and Muscle Shoals. An
excellent reference book, an excellent story, and excellent book. Dave Rimmer. |
. |
| Sam And Dave, An Oral
History - Sam Moore and Dave Marsh - Avon Books (ISBN 0 3807 9375) |
Another one via the net
and Amazon Books, and another one published this year. It tells Sam Moore's own story as
given to Dave Marsh in various conversations. Overall it's a very superficial story,
especially when you compare Rob Bowman's book on Stax to the information that Sam Moore
gives. As I said, very superficial, but only $11, so it's not going to break the bank
either. Dave Rimmer. |
. |
| Secrets Of A Sparrow -
Diana Ross - Headline (ISBN 074721045 4) |
The autobiogography of
Motown's biggest 'star'. Obviously this is heavily weighted towards showing Miss Ross in a
good light, especially through the Supremes years. Interestingly there are several major
differences between the way some stories are told in this book, and the one by Mary
Wilson. There are pictures throughout the book, but I found the Motown memorabilia more
interesting in the inside front and back covers. Again from 1993. Dave Rimmer. |
. |
| Soul Surviviors The
Wigan Casino Story - Russ Winstanley and David Nowell - Robson Books Ltd (ISBN 1 86105053
4) |
The same year as
Nightshift appeared, Russ Winstanley produced this waste of a good tree. Again, this could
have been so good, but it is littered with factual mistakes to the point that it becomes
very, very annoying. It makes a nice story though where Russ broke every big record,
offended no one, and never put a foot wrong in his bid for Soul super stardom. Trouble is,
a lot of other people who were also there during those years remember it quire
differently. Amazingly Richard Searling (Who many regard as the resident DJ at the Casino)
is relegated to a minor role. Perhaps that's because he didn't want anything to do with
the book. Ah well. Dave Rimmer. |
. |
| Soulful Kinda Music |
This is Dave Rimmers
mag, it is well good, Issue 35 now available, published every 3 months. 42 pages each
issue. Subscriptions £10.00 Uk, £12.00 Europe, £13.00 everywhere else for 3 issues.
Mick Fitzpatrick. |
12 Winchester Rise,
London Heights, Dudley, England, DY12SE. |
| Standing In The Shadows
Of Motown, The Life And Music Of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson - Dr Licks - Hal Leonard
Publishing (ISBN 0 88188882 6) |
Probably the longest
title seen on a book about Soul music, this is a bit of an odd one dating from 1989. An
American book which tells the story of James Jamerson completely. It takes it from the
angle of the music though. So if you are into playing the bass guitar would think this
would be your idea of heaven. There are even two cassettes included with world famous
guitarists showing how Jamerson played the bass on certain tracks, and when I say world
famous, I mean world famous: Paul McCartney, John Entwistle, Jack Bruce from the world of
Rock music, and lots of names we would recognise like,: Joe Messina, Joe Hunter, Dennis
Coffey, Bob Babbitt, Robert White, Willie Weeks, and Earl Van Dyke. All the music scores
are also included. That aside the book provides a fascinating insight into the life and
work of one of the people who shaped the Motown sound. Well worth searching out. Dave
Rimmer. |
. |
| Stars Of Soul And
Rhythm & Blues - Lee Hildebrand - Billboard Books (ISBN 0 82307633 4) |
180 short biographies
of assorted artists from the late Fifties right up to the early Nineties. Unfortunately
the biographies are very superficial, and, by the very nature of the book, concentrate on
the well known names anyway. Interesting, but not essential. Dave Rimmer. |
. |
| Stevie Wonder - John
Swenson - Plexus Books (ISBN 0 85965 076 6) |
A capable biography,
nothing more. There are some nice photographs in the book though. That sounds awful really
doesn't it. What I meant to say is that the book faithfully records known facts about
Stevie Wonder's life in a reasonable well written style. There are no earth shattering
revelations though. Dave Rimmer |
. |
| Sweet Soul Music -
Peter Guralnick - Penguin (ISBN 0-14-014884-1) |
If you want to read a
book about Soul Music you have got to read 'Sweet Soul Music' by Peter Guralnick - a total
masterpiece by without any shadow of a doubt the best writer on music around - check out
'Lost Highway' also. Mike Lofthouse. |
. |
| Temptations - Otis
Williams and Patricia Romanowski - G.P. Putnams Sons 1988 (ISBN 0 339 13313 5) |
A behind the scenes
look at temptations written from the perspective of the founding member. Some great
stories about the people and music at hitsville USA and the politics behind lineup
changes. Alex White. |
. |
| The Billboard Book Of
Number One Rhythm And Blues Hits --Adam White & Fred Bronson - Billboard Books (ISBN 0
82308285 7) |
This is literally what
it says. Each number one hit on the Billboard R & B Chart between 1965 and 1990 is
listed and discussed, all 583 of them. Obviously trying to give information on each one
means that there is not a huge amount of info on each artist, and anything beyond 1980 is
totally lost on me. It's also interesting to see the statistics associated with each
record and although this is an American book, it can be found quite cheaply over here.
Published in 1993. Dave Rimmer. |
. |
| The Blackwell guide to
soul recordings - edited by Robert Pruter - Blackwell Publishers 1993 (ISBN 0 631 18595X) |
This book is a must for
anyone likes to know where the music comes from. It divides soul into regions and
discusses major artists/labels/musicians and producers from each city or region (New York,
Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, The south, West Coast, UK). Most of the sounds are not
obscure and discographies are limited to LPs and CDs. Still, its really informative and
great for putting together 'theme' based radio shows! Alex White. |
. |
| The Official Music
Maker Soul Catalogue - Edited by Chris Wells - Retail Entertainment Publishing (ISBN 0
90452085 4) |
Listing over 23,000
recordings by 2,300 artists. That's what the blurb on the front cover says. I always feel
slightly sorry for the people who produce books like this because there will always be a
smart arse out there who knows what has been missed out. I must admit that this is
definitely the best attempt I've seen yet. Again 1994, although this makes a point of
being the '1st Edition' (Has anyone seen the 2nd edition ?), it literally attempts to list
every UK release by the 2,300 artists whether they are still available or not. A huge
task, which I'm sure could never be completed in it's entirety. A good attempt though, and
an invaluable reference tool. Dave Rimmer. |
. |
| The Soul Book - Ian
Hoare |
This book was published
in 1975 and the chapters are titled: 1. Roots, forerunners and originators 2. You can make
it if you try: the motown story 3. Memphis and the sounds of the south 4. mighty, mighty
spade and whitey: soul lyrics and black white crosscurrents 5. soul in the seventies. It
also includes each contributors play list at the end. Alex White. |
. |
| The Sound of
Philadelphia - Tony Cummings - Methuen Books 1975 |
Chapters
include....introduction: the city of brotherly love 1 the gospel truth - the blue gates of
harmony to stars of faith. 2 doowop - the street corner harmonizers. 3 jazz fragments -
roots to free form. 4 bobbysox, bandstand and beatles. 5 beat concerto - philly to new
york. 6 the birth of the sound. 7 philly ascendent. 8 towards tomorrows sound. Amongst the
acknowledgements are; john anderson, adam finn, rob finnis, charlie gillett, vivien
goldman, ian levine, alan lewis, tony philibert, bill millar, clive richardson, roy
stanton & cliff white. The cover states; that author Tony Cummings started "Soul
Music" magazine in 1964 when he was 16. He has been soul music features writer for
Black Music magazine since 1973. The book still stands up brilliantly after 24 years - a
top read. I understand Mr Cummings chose the born-again christian route after a run in
with the Bolivian marching powder. Where is he now?......Bondy |
. |
| The Sound of Soul -
Phyl Garland |
Published in 1969 is a
look at the history of soul music and is a little bit heavy on the sociological aspects of
black music (but not as much as 'soul music' by Haralambos!. Again this is largely
restricted to mainstream artists but it has some interesting radio play lists and live gig
reviews. Alex White. |
. |
| The Stars And
Superstars Of Black Music Phoebus Publishing Company (ISBN 0 72710079 3) |
A compilation book put
together from the articles in 'The Story Of Pop' magazine in 1977. Surprisingly the
articles are amazingly well detailed, and it's not just the usual names that are featured.
Of course all the big hitters, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross,
Smokey Robinson, The Jackson Five are here, but also Al Green, The Pointer Sisters, Steve
Cropper, and The Detroit Spinners get a look in. Each article is accompanied by several
photographs, black and white and colour, and to give an example of the quality of article,
the Al Green section includes a nice photograph of Willie Mitchell. Dave Rimmer |
Almost certainly out of
print. It still turns up at record fairs & 2nd hand bookshops. |
| The Ultimate Soul Music
Trivia Book - Bobby Bennett & Sarah Smith - Citadel Press (ISBN 0 8065 19231) |
501 questions about
Motown, Rhythm & Blues and more is what the blurb says. And simply that is what this
book is. It's not all really simple questions though, and despite some errors, generally
this is a very good book to spend a few minutes with each day. Published in the States
this year, I've never seen a copy in this country, and I got mine via the net and Amazon
Books. Dave Rimmer. |
. |
| To Be Loved, The Music,
The Magic, The Memories Of Motown - Berry Gordy -Headline (ISBN 074721417 4) |
1994, was it worth the
wait ? 35 years. Yes it was. This book, of all the books on Motown, tells it like it was,
from the point of Berry Gordy. He has been praised in some books, castigated in others.
Now he has replied, in some style. A well written, well documented history of Motown
records from the founder's point of view. Obviously Berry Gordy's objectives differed from
that of the artists in several respects. They wanted hit records, so did he, but he wanted
to found a dynasty. He did, and went on to head one of the largest, most famous
independent record companies in the world. All the gory details are here, along with many
photographs from Berry Gordy's own collection. Well worth the money. Dave Rimmer. |
. |
