Early last week Mrs Darce and I made an unscheduled visit to one of our favoured local hostelries, just for one you understand. We had never been aware of the establishment playing piped music, but maybe they do and we had not noticed it before because of the general hubbub. On this particular visit it was mid afternoon and within 15 minutes of walking in a busyish pub emptied as lunchgoers departed - I don’t think it was anything to do with our appearance! Soon we were just about the only people in the place. (An older couple – there are still some older than us! - did walk in at one point and struck up conversation with the barmaid: the gist was they lived just around the corner but hadn’t been in the pub for a few years due to Covid. Now there’s caution for you!). Anyway, we became aware of the piped music, and it was very good. Certainly right up my street.
I find it’s becoming increasingly common to hear great and obscure music in pubs and cafes, and a much richer variety. I guess it is to do with the ubiquity of streamed music nowadays allied to establishments wanting to a) differentiate themselves from the competition, and possibly b) offer their staff a better working environment by allowing them some choice of the music that is played.
This particular playlist was predominantly soul, and I think I can safely say I hadn’t heard any of the tracks played over piped music before, and some of them I had never heard before anywhere. I recognised quite a few of the singers but the songs they were singing were far from the obvious ones in their respective catalogues. I gave myself a pat on the back for identifying Irma Thomas, (Ike and) Tina Turner, Bettye Swann, and Eddie Kendricks; and forgave myself for not recognising Joey Gilmore. I wonder whose playlist this was? I should have asked of course, but I didn’t. The Canadian lady behind the bar, the chef now eating his own food, or a head office job (it is a Greene King pub)? Was it curated (I dislike that term), or was it a Spotify style artist “radio” mix (probably not as I was not aware of an artist being repeated)?
I also recognised Mike (“Bo”) Kirkland’s voice as Mike & The Censations Victim Of Circumstance was played. I have never heard that one played out in the wild before for sure! Hearing it reminded me I needed to flesh out my collection of Mike & The Censations singles. I had those they released on Revue, but none of their earlier Highland releases. So it was I jumped onto the interweb, I didn’t find Victim Of Circumstance at the right price and condition but I did find a couple of others, and a few days ago they duly dropped onto the doormat.
I am sold hook, line, and sinker on Don’t Sell Your Soul. Everything from Mike’s easy on the ear voice, the understated background harmonies, the almost stop go arrangement, and definitely those horns. Most definitely those horns! The only pity is it fades out so quickly. It’s one to put on repeat, but as my copy is styrene I may well wear it out and have to buy another one before the year’s out!
