•3CD collection of 60s and 70s club classics, from mod to northern soul.
•Including floor fillers from Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Ike And Tina Turner, Curtis Mayfield, Wilson Pickett, The Chairmen Of The Board and many more. Plus a host of obscure gems.
In 1980 Dexy’s Midnight Runners talked of a “new soul vision”. They were referring to their own music but they and other groups including The Jam through covers of soul songs such as ‘Seven Days Too Long’ (Dexy's), ‘One Way Love’ (Dexy's), ‘Big Bird’ (The Jam) and ‘Move On Up’ (The Jam) inspired a new generation of teenagers to seek out the originals then go deeper. ‘Ain’t Nothing But A House Party’ provides a soundtrack to those exciting times, a celebration of 60s and early 70s soul that filled dance floors again in the 80s.
Discs 1 and 2 focus on US soul music and include tracks by soul legends Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, The Temptations, Four Tops, Martha And The Vandellas, Chairmen Of The Board and more, while disc 3 spotlights soul made in Britain including visiting US stars Garnet Mimms and Little Richard and London based groups such as mod favourites Jimmy James And The Vagabonds and Geno Washington And The Ram Jam Band.
There are soulful gems from Darrell Banks, Bobby Bland and Darrow Fletcher, calls to dance from James And Bobby Purify, Jackie Lee and The Miracles, James Bond inspired belters from Edwin Starr (he’s not 007 he’s ‘Double ‘O’ Soul’) and Rex Garvin And The Mighty Cravers and an anthem of positivity by Curtis Mayfield.
Musical gold is mined from Detroit’s Motown stable of labels, Stax Records of Memphis, Chicago’s Chess Records, Mirwood of Los Angeles and the New York based R&B giant Atlantic Records. Other nuggets appeared on little known local labels such as our title track by the Philadelphia based The Show Stoppers whose ‘Ain’t Nothing But A House Party’ was one of several songs on the compilation that was bigger in the UK than the US.
Though not a straight northern soul compilation there are loads of northern soul favourites here including foot stompers and floor shakers plus 60s mod club spins including dynamic duo Sam And Dave’s ‘You Don’t Know Like I Know’, The Capitols’ ‘Cool Jerk’ and The Ramsey Lewis Trio’s cool instrumental version of Dobie Gray’s mod anthem ‘The In Crowd’.
Track Listing:
DISC ONE
1The Show Stoppers – Ain’t Nothing But A House Party
2Shirley Ellis – Soul Time
3Bobby Sheen – Dr. Love
4Marvin Gaye – Can I Get A Witness
5The Soul Sisters – I Can’t Stand It
6Edwin Starr – Agent Double O Soul
7The Impressions – You’ve Been Cheatin’
8The Temptations – Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)
9The Marvelettes – I’ll Keep Holding On
10Little Anthony & The Imperials – Gonna Fix You Good (Everytime You’re Bad)
11The Contours – Just A Little Misunderstanding
12Darrell Banks – Open The Door To Your Heart
13Soul Brothers Six – Some Kind Of Wonderful
14Sam & Dave – You Don’t Know Like I Know
15Jr. Walker & The All Stars – Tune Up
16Martha & The Vandellas – In My Lonely Room
17Solomon Burke – Keep Looking
18Aretha Franklin – Save Me
19Ike & Tina Turner – Finger Poppin’
20James & Bobby Purify – Shake A Tail Feather
21Jackie Lee – The Duck
22Darrow Fletcher – The Pain Gets A Little Deeper
23The Astors – Candy
24Tony Clarke - Landslide
25Booker T. & The MG’s – Hip Hug- Her
26The Miracles – Mickey’s Monkey
27Rufus Thomas – The Memphis Train
28Johnny Otis – Country Girl
29Wilson Pickett – Baby Don’t You Weep
30Mack Rice – Baby I’m Coming Home
31Betty Lavette – Witch Craft In The Air
DISC TWO
1 Curtis Mayfield – Move On Up
2Marlena Shaw – Let’s Wade In The Water
3Ramsey Lewis Trio – The “In” Crowd
4Dobie Gray – See You At The “Go-Go”
5Little Carl Carlton – Competition Ain’t Nothin’
6Four Tops – Something About You
7Chuck Wood – Seven Days Too Long
8The Olympics – The Same Old Thing
9The World Column – So Is The Sun
10Eddie Floyd – Big Bird
11R. Dean Taylor – There’s A Ghost In My House
12The Velvelettes – Needle In A Haystack
13Kim Weston – Helpless
14Bobby Bland – Shoes
15The Drifters – One Way Love
16The Capitols – Cool Jerk
17Homer Banks – A Lot Of Love
18The Falcons – Has It Happened To You Yet
19Doris Willingham – You Can’t Do That
20Robert Knight – Love On A Mountain Top
21Willie Tee – Walkin’ Up A One Way Street
22Otis Redding – Hard To Handle
23Rex Garvin & The Mighty Cravers – Sock It To ’Em J.B. Part 1
24The O’ Jays – Working On Your Case
25Bobby Wells – Let’s Copp A Groove
26Mr. Flood’s Party – Compared To What
27Chairmen Of The Board – Give Me Just A Little More Time
28Freda Payne – Band Of Gold
29Fork In The Road – Skeletons In The Closet
DISC THREE
1Garnet Mimms – As Long As I Have You
2Little Richard – Get Down With It
3Herbie Goins & The Night-Timers – Number One In Your Heart
4Madeline Bell – I Really Got Carried Away
5Jackie Edwards – I Feel So Bad
6J.J. Jackson – Come See Me
7Jimmy James & The Vagabonds – Hi Diddley Dee Dum Dum (It’s A Good Good Feelin’)
8Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band – I’ve Been Hurt By Love
9Timebox – Beggin’
10Kenny Bernard – Ain’t No Soul (Left In Those Old Shoes)
11The Ferris Wheel – Number One Guy
12Jason Knight – Love Is Getting Stronger
13Lorraine Silver – Lost Summer Love
14Paula Parfitt – Love Is Wonderful
15Elmer Gantry – The Painter
16Carl Douglas & The Big Stampede – Crazy Feeling
17The Alan Bown Set – Emergency 999
18The Foundations – Am I Groovin’ You
19Lucas & The Mike Cotton Sound – Jack & The Beanstalk
20The Soul Brothers – Good Lovin’ Never Hurt
21Ronnie Jones – My Love
22Bobby Johnson & The Atoms – Tramp
23Sugar Simone – It’s Alright
24Wynder K Frog – I’m A Man
25Gene Latter – Sign On The Dotted Line
26Val McKenna – Love Feeling
27Major Lance – The Right Track
28Jack Hammer - Swim
29Tommy Hunt – Loving On The Losing Side
