Search - Various Artists :: Era Records Northern Soul

Herb Newman's Era label was well established in Los Angeles by the time the soul era (pun intended) came about. With over 150 singles behind him by the time our musical story starts in 1962, Herb was a record label veteran.He only occasionally dabbled in black music, probably by chance as opposed to design, and he was undoubtedly more at home with straight pop records. His biggest hit by a black singer was Jewel Akens' The Birds And The Bees which was total pop but came out of a notable session by the accomplished soul group the Turn Arounds whose two great Era numbers feature here along with the full story of that hit. However he had had a notable future soul star passing through his ranks when the young Brenda Holloway recorded I Ain't Gonna Take You Back for his Catch subsidiary in 1964.Another future soul chartmaker was Jimmy Lewis who just had the one Era release arranged by Northern Soul hero James Carmichael. Jesse Davis' Gonna Hang On In There was a rare soulful departure for the nightclub singer protégé of Frank Sinatra but the Sherlie Matthews composition still sounds awesome when blasted out of the speakers at Northern gatherings. Wigan and other legendary Soul club favourites are provided by Othello Robertson So In Luv, Billy Watkins The Ice Man and there are two alternate versions of A Slice Of The Pie and Meet Me At Midnight, arguably better than their Jewel Akens and Cindy Lynn originals.Further previously unissued manna comes from the HB Barnum-arranged Dance With Me by Billy Watkins and excellent alternate readings of Stand There Mountain and The Blue Shadow that Herb Newman had cut on pop acts previously. There are Popcorn classics from the very colourful Bruce Cloud (check out the sleevenotes on him!) and the glamorous Carol Connors, while Steve Flanagan's Stafford monster I've Arrived sounds great alongside Melvin Boyd's killer version of Exit Loneliness, Enter Love. Let's throw in a previously uncharted Brenda Holloway duet and we think we've got a deal. Compiled and annotated by Ady Croasdell.