Various Artists
South Side Of Soul Street: The Minaret Soul Singles 1967-1976
Release date: August 13, 2013
Hard to find southern Soul, 40 A- & B-Sides from 20 Minaret Records R&B singles!
For decades, Memphis and Muscle Shoals have been praised to the skies as premier Southern soul recording capitals, and rightly so. But any comprehensive list of important R&B studio destinations should also include Valparaiso, located on Florida’s Panhandle, not far from the Alabama state line. That’s where Finley Duncan established Playground Recording Studio in 1969, producing a series of stunning singles for his Minaret Records label that inexplicably avoided the charts but stand treetop-tall with a legion of R&B aficionados.—Bill Dahl
(Excerpt from The South Side Of Soul Street: The Minaret Soul Singles 1967-19776 liner notes.)
Having explored the West Coast with the 3-volume Music City Sessions, Omnivore Recordings has set its sights on Southern R&B with The South Side Of Soul Street: The Minaret Soul Singles 1967-1976. This 2 CD, 40-track collection gathers all of the A-s and B-s of Minaret’s soulful sides for the very first time. Many of these tracks have been out of print for decades, commanding top dollar on the collector’s market.
While the music is enticing enough, the package features a full-color booklet with extensive liner notes by Bill Dahl detailing not only the history of the label and studio, but of the the stories of the artists whose work is showcased on these 20 singles as well. Featuring photographs and commentary from Playground staff past and present, The South Side Of Soul Street: The Minaret Soul Singles 1967-1976 adds to Omnivore’s reputation as “the Smithsonian of record labels, finding, preserving and championing some of the greatest (and most endangered) music of the past 50 years.” (Cait Brennan, Popshifter)
If you’re wondering which side of the street has the best music, it’s The South Side Of Soul Street: The Minaret Soul Singles 1967-1976.
The Train – Big John HamiltonBig Bad John – Big John HamiltonI Have No One – Big John HamiltonI Just Want To Thank You – Big John HamiltonFine Time – Genie BrooksJuanita – Genie BrooksBlue Diamonds – The Double SoulI Can’t Use You – The Double SoulBig Fanny – Big John HamiltonHow Much Can A Man Take – Big John HamiltonPretty Girls – Big John HamiltonBefore The Next Teardrop Falls – Big John HamiltonThe Night The Angels Cried – Johnny DynamiteEverybody’s Clown – Johnny DynamiteHelping Hand – Genie BrooksSouth Side Of Soul Street – Genie BrooksBreaking Up Is Hard To Do – Big John HamiltonLove Comes And It Goes – Big John HamiltonSuwannee Strut – Leroy Lloyd and The DukesA Taste Of The Blues – Leroy Lloyd and The Dukes
I’ll Love Only You – Willie CobbsDon’t Worry About Me – Willie CobbsIf You’re Looking For A Fool – Big John HamiltonTake This Hurt Off Me Fool – Big John HamiltonA Shell Of A Woman – Doris AllenKiss Yourself For Me – Doris AllenI’m Your Man – Gable ReedWho’s Been Warming My Oven – Gable ReedA Place In My Heart – Big John Hamilton & Doris AllenLet A Little Love In – Big John Hamilton & Doris AllenRow, Row, Row – Willie GableEternally – Willie GableThem Cahnges – Big John Hamilton & Doris AllenBright Star – Big John Hamilton & Doris AllenLift Me Up – Big John HamiltonJust Seeing You Again – Big John HamiltonI’ve Got To Tell You – Count Willie with LRL and The DukesDouble Funk – LRL and The DukesI Got To Get Myself Somebody – Big John HamiltonFree Me – Big John Hamilton
Cat: OV-68
Categories: Soul - Funk, Various Artists, All, CD, Digital
Tags: Big John Hamilton, Count Willie, Doris Allen, Gable Reed, Genie Brooks, Johnny Dynamite, Leroy Lloyd, The Double Soul, Willie Cobbs