Hey pals,
Quick one today. Doing some research for another long-form Big Nothing zine that I’m slowly chipping away and I started, as is my way, to drift down a rabbit hole. Today I got going on Northern Soul, a perplexingly cool offshoot of American 60s/70s soul that existed at the behest of teenagers in industrial English and Dutch towns. I could go on about it, but if you want to know more, shoot me a note and I’ll get you a copy of my first long-form zine, Big Nothing Vol. 1: Northern Soul Ringtone.
In any case, here are some Northern Soul jammers for your Thursday.
Sliced Tomatoes - Just Brothers
Growing up during the dot-com boom, this song was instantly recognizable the moment the first shimmering guitar chord rang out. Elder millennials like myself will know this as the source material for Fatboy Slim’s ubiquitous, “Rockafeller Skank” that was pretty much inescapable in the summer of 1998. I guess I didn’t realize JUST HOW MUCH Mr. Fatboy (Mr. Slim?) lifted from this instrumental Northern Soul deep cut. Talking about a whole-ass riff plus some drum fills to boot. See fer yourself.
Nothing But a Heartache - The Flirtations
Dramatic, horn-laden girl group stomper. Apparently the Flirtations were one of the first groups to actually move to England to capitalize on the British youth’s appetite for American soul in the 70s. I also really just like how this song is mixed. The bass is nice and clear, the drums are crisp and full and the vocals cut through the whole thing. Just a jam for the end of the week.
That’s it for today. Thanks for listening.