The Rare Soul Bible
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This tome comes in a cardboard box with "Limited Edition" stamped across the middle. Why it should be so or how many have actually been printed I am not actually sure, but there is undoubted potential for this to become a sought after collector's item of the future. It is a strange publication which can best be described as a scrapbook in which any soul related writing written by the author are loosely cobbled together. From the outset I should declare that I am probably the worst person in the world to review this book, the reasons for which I will explain later. Suffice it to say that the best way to decide is to buy a copy and make your own judgement. The backbone of the publication is Dave's research into the discographies of obscure artists. It is his stated intent to identify every record produced by any artist who has ever had a record accepted on the Northern soul scene. I think he would be first to admit that he has set himself an impossible task, but where there are gaps in his knowledge he places a question mark to indicate the fact is not known. None the less it is a very impressive file of information and for each record he tries to name the artist or group, its label and catalogue number, song titles for both A and B sides and the date of release. He considers singles only as albums are less collectable in Northern soul circles. The information is chronologically laid out and where necessary is punctuated with personal observations. When discussing the work of groups he always lists the member's names with additional details of any changes of personnel. The amount of work Dave must have put into compiling this information is staggering and he should be appreciated for making its fruits publicly available. There is no doubt however that it is squarely aimed at the vinyl collector which is my main reason for suggesting I'm not the best person to review it. My record collection went a long time ago and I get my soul fix in CD format these days. For this reason I surprised myself in how must I enjoyed browsing through these lists, for records I used to have, for tracks I now have on CD, for tracks which I am unfamiliar with, but which are by artists I particularly like. Although firmly aimed at the record collector I am of the opinion that it is not exclusively so. The second aspect of the book is Dave's venue reports, which I suspect may have originally been written for an internet list. There's no doubting these were very reader friendly, but in my view rather pointless. If he wanted to include this type of material he may have been better giving a single revue of each venue rather than a short report of every visit he made to the same place. This kind of writing has its place in magazines to let people know which are good or bad or where they might spend their next weekend, but I cannot see why they should be published for posterity in book format. Sometimes the same venue gets a completely different revue from one visit to the next. I have already acknowledged that I am probably the worst person in the world to review this tome, and so it is with this section. As a resident of Jersey I am no longer able to get to venues on a regular basis so these reviews were of little personal relevance. None the less I couldn't help feeling they were included to pad the book out. The third aspect of the book were Dave's artist profiles, and these I cannot fault. For me they are the highlight of the book and I only wish he had included more of them. What makes these mini biographies special is that they are about obscure artists on whom other information is very difficult to find. Profiles include Jack Montgomery, Garland Green, Betty Everett and Tyrone Davies. What can I say other than that they are absolutely stunning. The part of the publication which I expected to be of most interest were Dave's short articles. "I went to a great all-nighter last night!" is his analysis of the different people who attend soul clubs and their reasons for doing so. This was originally published in Togetherness Magazine March 2000. "Milk and Northern Soul" is a piece about the varying styles of soul and R&B that can now be heard at all-nighters. There is no acknowledgement to any other publication so I assume it was purpose written for the book. "Northern Soul is Dead" is a thinly veiled attack on the type of records he doesn't want to hear at an All-nighter. Comments like "I've noticed that the trend towards playing shite is increasing" and "other times it turns up crap" are hardly likely to get Dave a job as the Times Music Critic, nor are they analytical. Now I have to confess I have never heard 'soulful garage', but I believe that if its going to be criticised it must be done on musical grounds rather than those of personal taste. The whole tone of the article was inconsistent with 'Milk and Northern Soul' which was very tolerant of new and adapted styles. All in all I found all the essays very reader friendly but they did rather state the obvious. His final piece "Can 7-inch 45RPM American soul singles be considered to be of significant historical value? A reasoned argument." was better, indeed after reading it I rather wished he could have been with me so that I could discuss the issues with him. His conclusion was spot on, but I think a philosopher or a historian would have driven a tank through some of the holes in his logic. This book is such a mixed bag that I think everyone will find things in it that they like and dislike. Indeed its topics are so diverse that it is impossible to even classify it as a reference book or a reading book. As with all Bee Cool publications the layout is imaginatively and tastefully put together. It is well illustrated with memorabilia and photographs which I suspect must come from Dave's personal collection. Despite my criticisms we should not forget that the main focus of the publication are the discographies and there is no questioning the care and attention that these display. I suspect that it will become an invaluable addition to the library of all Northern Soul Vinyl collectors. |
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Why Not visit the Authors other Website, 'The Alternative Blackpool Website' at http://www.localdial.com/users/jsyedu133/bpool This Site Last Updated 18/05/05
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