Censational

 

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!

Mike & The Censations – Don’t Sell Your Soul 1968

Another promotion

 

Another album that I pulled from my collection recently with a view to releasing back into the wild was Gonna Take A Miracle, Lauro Nyro’s 1971 album with Labelle.

It was granted it’s final plea – i.e. one more play – and it’s plea was upheld. So once again, like the LTD album I featured last time, it has been promoted into Division One.

The instrumentation on this album is very restrained and the focus is very much on the vocal interplay between Laura and Labelle. Discogs actually lists it as in the Doo Wop style.

From the back sleeve:

Nights

     in New York

              street angels

                     running down steps

                              into the echoes of the train station

                                                                                   to sing...

My (now reactivated*) spreadsheet tells me I found this album in one of my favoured local charity shops back in 2022. It was something of a bargain. Sadly the shop has since closed down. I remember playing it a couple of times back then and not being completely sold on it. It may have had something to do with my mood at the time, I’m sure that plays a part, but I think it goes to prove that you have to give an album a few plays to properly appreciate what it has to offer.

Strictly speaking the track Monkey Time / Dancing In The Street is a medley and I’m generally not a fan of such things, but the rendition of each song is long enough, and separate enough, to not really come across as a medley. These are cover versions that really work too because the vocal approach properly differentiates them from the originals.

Everybody knows Dancing In The Street I’m sure. Monkey Time may not be so familiar, but I did feature Major Lance original (written by Curtis Mayfield) as part of my 2020 Feel It Advent-ure. You can (re)acquaint yourself with it here if you so desire, the mp3 link is still active.

Laura Nyro with Labelle – Monkey Time / Dancing In The Street 1971

* the comment makes sense if you read the referenced Major Lance The Monkey Time post.

Keepin' On, Gittin' Down

Today is this blog’s 20^th anniversary. It’s a stretch to say it has been active for all those years as, in recent times, there have been quite a few, shall we say, hibernations. But, in any event, I think it’s an anniversary worth noting.

I realise I’m noting this landmark with my first post of 2026 but let’s hope it kick starts me onto a few more posts this year. I have one half written, started as long ago as the first week of February. It would have been finished and posted back then but I then felt a bit meh for a few days and it stopped me in my tracks. Subsequently the words that were bouncing around inside my cranium did no more than that – the writer’s block kicked in again. As I say it’s half way there, although it was a bit of ramble. But with a bit of editing and a following wind I am hopeful it will manifest itself in another post soon.

I don’t do New Year’s resolution’s but at the start of the year I made a decision that amounted to one I suppose. I have over 6,000 records now, and that is too many. So I have embarked on something of a purge. Well, the intent is there at least, and I have hardly bought anything in the charity shops this year either. I have taken a methodical approach to this venture which has initially involved documenting my album collection (1,700 + albums) on Discogs so that our children might have a better idea of the records that are actually of real monetary value in the event they are suddenly left with this vinyl mountain. In ploughing through this task I have been pulling out albums that I think I could let go. I am giving them one last chance on the turntable to extend their life in my collection. I say one last chance, in truth I think some of these records were bought over the last 15 years or so and tucked away in the collection without ever being played! I am having some success in the weeding out, but I know I am not being ruthless enough, and I will need to have another lap of the process next winter (summer is not the time for such things).

I have made a few half hearted attempts at purges in the last 10 years or so. I find it almost impossible to purge records I bought back in the 70s as I find I have a strong emotional tie to them, even if they hardly ever get a play. I can picture them in the collection and that seems sufficient, and can preserve the memories.

One such album I felt sure would be purged this time was my copy of L.T.D’s Gittin’ Down.

I reckon I bought this in 1976. It might have been 1977 though as that was when they had some success with the single Back In Love Again, which may have been the reason I was attracted to this album. Anywaty, it has been in the collection for about 50 years now! It has a sticker on it that reminds me where I bought it – Disc ‘N’ Tape, on Bristol’s Gloucester Rd, sadly no longer there, it succumbed I think just before the vinyl comeback happened. I can still picture the second hand bins where I bought a fair few records (there were good bargains to be had), although the layout of the rest of the shop is very fuzzy. So the album scores high on the memories front but I think I have only ever played it a handful of times. Anyway, onto the turntable it went and I played it through, all of it …. and it’s a keeper!

L.T.D. (Love, Togetherness, & Devotion) were originally Sam & Dave’s backing band (a fact I have only just discovered) and had a run of 10 albums released between 1974 and 1983. Gittin’ Down was their debut album. Jeffrey Osborne was one of their main vocalists until he left the band in 1980 to go solo. In 1974, when this album was released, it was all the rage for band members to have their star signs shown on the album cover and so we learn L.T.D. contained three Libra, two Sagittarius, one Cancer, one Pisces, one Gemini, one Scorpio, and one Virgo.

I think after all these years I may have finally got around to properly listening to this album, and what strikes me is the overall upbeat feel. The interplay between the vocals and horns are great, and the sound has what I can only describe as an open and airy quality; it has a sort of joyous outdoorsy feel, “street” I suppose. Now I come to think of it that is a feel I associate with a number soul and funk albums from the early 70s. It’s very much of its time and has firmly hit my nostalgia button.

The sound I might describe as light and airy, the album art maybe a riot of bright colours on a white background, but this is one tough album. It’s now survived probably three purges in recent years. Back from the brink, and after some years ago being relegated to Division Two in my own quirky way of organising my collection it has now, proudly, properly taken it’s place in Division One.

L.T.D. – Groove For A Little While 1974

L.T.D. – Your Love Is The Answer  1974

PS. Happy Birthday Candi Staton!

The Feel It Advent-ure 2025: Door 24

So that’s it for another year. It seems to go quicker every year (a cliché, but true).

Compliments of the season to you all. Enjoy your holidays.

I have made a Spotify mix to represent this year’s Advent-ure. The doors have once again opened onto some very dusty corners of various abandoned wings of soul music’s vast mansion (you may well have some cobwebs in your hair!). It is therefore really no surprise that roughly 50% of the tracks featured I could not find amongst the 100 million or so that are available on Spotify, so think of this mix as something of an alternate take.

(Where possible the tracks featured on this Advent-ure are included in the mix. Where the tracks could not be found on Spotify related tracks are included. Some are simply another track from the same artist that was featured, others have some link that I’ll let you work out for yourself. The running order has been tweaked to help the flow).

The Feel It Advent-ure 2025: Door 23

 

Carol Anderson is yet another singer whose recording career started in the 60s and limped on into the Disco era. She had just eight singles released in that time. She is revered on the Northern Soul scene for two records roughly ten years apart in their release dates – Taking My Mind Off Love and Sad Girl - and it’s fair to say, I think, if those records hadn’t been “discovered” by the Northern Soulies Carol would barely make a footnote in soul music’s history. In saying that I don’t deny she made a few good records (especially her earlier ones), but it’s just that so many artists on the scene back then did too, and for every one who caught a break and got a deal with a major label there were plenty who didn’t and their 45s on local labels were destined to receive just a few plays on local radio stations before disappearing into the ether, and the dead stock warehouses. We should be grateful to the dedicated soul diggers who would eventually plunder those warehouses and shine a light on them.

Taking My Mind Off Love is a Northern Soul monster, and due to it’s rarity and its Northern appeal commands a four figure valuation. It was apparently released in 1968 on the obscure Detroit label Whip, although there is a comment on Discogs stating a 1964 recording date. It sounds more like 1968 to me though and the backing singers remind me of some of The Parliaments’ tracks recorded around that time, also a Detroit based group of course.

I’m banging on about this Whip single but of course I don’t own a copy, it being way out of my league value wise. But I have been attracted to one of Carol’s early 70s singles which I could afford. You Boy/Holding On was released in 1972 on Mid-Town which I believe was owned by Carol’s mum, Essie.

The winter of 1983/4 would prove to be a tragic time for the Anderson family, Essie passed away on Christmas Day 1983 (cancer is often quoted as the cause, but it was more likely diabetes?) and three months later Carol succumbed to cancer.

Carol Anderson – Holding On 1972 

The Feel It Advent-ure 2025: Door 22

 

Bo Kirkland only has one record to his name (this one). Of course he doesn’t, but he only has one 45 released under that name alone.

Expand your search to Bo (Kirkland) & Ruth (Davis) you will find a few more records, and one very well known hit if you are of a certain age – at least it was massive in the UK. I wrote some more about Bo & Ruth back in 2019.

Now expand your search to Michael Kirkland and you will find another 45, and to Mike James Kirkland and you find a few more 45s and albums.

We’re gradually going backwards in time now, and we’re not finished yet.

Plug in Mike & The Censations and you will find his 60s output – a string of eight cracking 45s released in second half of the 60s. I featured one of them in my 2014 Advent-ure, and I should really feature some more (next year).

Yes Bo Kirkland = Michael James Kirkland = Mike James Kirkland = Michael Kirkland.  Don’t get him confused with Robert (Bob) Kirkland though, that’s his brother, he was also a member of the Censations, as was his sister and her husband.

Sure Got A Thing For You is a lovely piece of slinky mid 70s midtempo soul. A "B" side again, and in my opinion much stronger than the funky A side Grandfather Clock.

Bo Kirkland– Sure Got A Thing For You 1975

The Feel It Advent-ure 2025: Door 21

 

Oscar Weathers has appeared here once before, just over ten years ago now. That song – You Wants To Play - was beautifully arranged and this one, which was Oscar’s next 45, is too. Quite why it has taken me so long to acquire it I’m not sure.

Soul for the connoisseur.

Oscar Weathers – When You Steal 1971