Review: Not to be confused with the contemporary songwriter Belles, 1960s Canadian soft rockers The Bells, 1980s British pop rockers The Belle Stars, or the seminal Detroit techno anthem by Jeff Mills, Numero Group invite you to step back in time and experience one of the best under-referenced 'response songs' of all time. Taking a lead from Them's 1965 hit 'Gloria', The Belles rework the format to sing about a guy they like. "M-E-L-V-I-I-I... M-E-L-V-I-N, Meeeeelllvviinn" the chorus kind of goes, backing track set to a lackadaisical, classic, jangling, looped rock 'n' roll stomp. Backed with the B-side, 'Come Back', which sets a lighter but brisker mood with its up tempo vocal quartet, delicate snare rolls and catchy six string chords, this is quite the trip to and through another era.
Review: Dan Boadi left his native Ghana to take his highlife sound to American audiences after he had his 1967 breakout debut 'Abrabo'. That was a regional hit and soon after came this tune which was recorded at Paul Serrano's studio in Chicago. It showcased the real breadth and depth of his sound as it called upon reggae, acrobat, halide and funk to demand your ear with a chugging drum groove. Add in the colourful orchestration that makes the tune soar and a you have a record that is a true musical melting pot that stood Boadi pat in his new home of the Windy City.
Leon Bridges - "Like A Ship" (with Keite Young) (5:51)
Pastor TL Barrett - "Like A Ship" (with The Youth For Christ Choir) (4:36)
Review: Leon Bridges and Keite Young's rendition of 'Like A Ship' is a soulful masterpiece that pays homage to Pastor T.L. Barrett's gospel classic while adding a fresh Southern soul twist. Bridges' velvety vocals, combined with Young's passionate delivery and the stirring gospel choir, create a deeply moving musical experience. The track's heartfelt lyrics and uplifting melodies transport listeners to the heart of a joyous Sunday service, evoking a sense of spiritual renewal and celebration. With its classy organ solo and soul-stirring harmonies, this collaboration showcases the timeless power of gospel music while reaffirming Bridges and Young's status as rising stars in the world of soul and t&b.
Review: The Numero Group's reissue of Bump & The Soul Stompers' 'I Can Remember' is a potent soul gem from 1970. Recorded at the prestigious Damon Studios in Kansas City, this single captures the essence of the city's classic-era soul scene, spearheaded by the charismatic Jerald "Bump" Scott. 'I Can Remember' is a vibrant, jubilant track that ignites with its energetic horns, echoing the lively spirit of the era. The accompanying song on Side-2, 'Standing On The Outside', slows things down with a smooth r&b vibe, perfectly balancing the upbeat nature of the flip side. The single's blend of infectious rhythm and soulful depth makes this a very desirable 45 to have.
Review: Kansas City's soul scene wasn't built around a famous label or studio, but on the tireless work of America's Best Attractions, a booking agency run by Allen Bell. Bell wasn't just a booking agentihe was the lifeblood of the local music circuit, keeping acts like Bump & the Soul Stompers on the road, paid, and gig-ready. Led by Jerald "Bump" Scott, the group spent years in the grind without needing to set foot in a studio. But when they did, they chose Damon Studios, home to some of the best recording gear in the regionithanks to its owner, Victor Damon, the man who invented the spring reverb. Their first single, "I Can Remember", echoes the smooth finesse of The Delfonics' "Do You Remember," before Bump & the Soul Stompers spin the melody in their own direction. On the flip side, "Standing On The Outside" slows things down, making it an irresistible lowrider groove. It's a soul story that almost never saw the light of day, but now it's hereitwo tracks that pay homage to a hidden chapter of Kansas City's rich musical history.
Review: Experience two of Joy Division's iconic post-punk tracks like never before with exclusive 7" vinyl from Numero Group. Codeine's 1994 rendition of 'Atmosphere' captures the essence of solitude with a melancholic yet melodic twist that marked the iconic Manchester band's poignant farewell. Meanwhile, Bedhead from Dallas offers a fresh perspective on 'Disorder' and transforms it into vibrant indie rock. Encased in a sleek black and silver sleeve adorned with embossed braille lettering, these twin readings pay homage to Joy Division's enduring legacy while inviting listeners to explore new interpretations of their timeless classics.
Review: Bailey's Nervous Kats was a teenage dream who combined surf, rock n' roll, exotica, and r&b in their music. They operated in the rural fringes of Northern California in the 1960s and released only one long player, sadly. The Nervous Kats is it and it now gets reissued by the quality Numero Group. It came right at the end of the band's time together and was released by the Emma imprint in 1965. It's a real doozy of the era and will take you to a time and place you didn't live but make you wish you had.
Review: Barbara Stant went on to be known as Queen of the Norfolk Sound having first been spotted in 1970 as a mere teenager. It was then that she auditioned for Noah Biggs, something of a Shiptown impresario who got her to record more than 10 tunes that spanned from sister funk t deep soul via Northern soul. Just eight years later in 1978, the soul train has left the station and disco was the big sound du jour so Stant was left out in the cold. My Mind Holds Onto Yesterday is a collection of the great music she recorded before her time passed, and a great album it is too.
Review: Described in the accompanying press release as "the halfway point between Bollywood and Balearic", Rupa Biswas' 1982 debut "Disco Jazz" has long been a favourite of dusty-fingered diggers with a healthy bank balance and a penchant for the quirky. All four tracks are cheery, charming and superior to many "Bollywood disco" records produced in the same period. The sunny disco-boogie of "Moja Bhari Moja" is followed on side A by the delightfully eccentric, bass-powered AOR-disco/funk-rock fusion of "East West Shuffle" and the effortlessly Balearic cheeriness of "Aaj Shanibar". Best of all, though, is the exotic and intoxicating flipside cut "Ayee Morshume Be-Reham Duniya" which expertly joins the dots between cosmic rock and Balearic disco grooves for 16 spellbinding minutes.
Review: Calling on major chords for their riffs, emotional angst for lyrical delivery and motoring juggernauts for basslines, the driving rhythms of Boilermaker were hard to ignore once you found them back in the 1990s. Emerging from the San Diego guitar scene at a time when Gen X was obsessed with post-hardcore, the trio - Terrin Durfey, Tim Semple, and Richard Sanderson - described their counterpoint as 'Leucadia-core'. If you need a lesson in what that means, Not Enough Time To Get Anything Halfway Done is probably the best place to begin. Three albums, a stack of singles and rarities. In total, 41 tracks spread over a sprawling four LP box set with a 24 page book to read while immersing yourself. And yes, there's a test at the end to check you actually paid attention. (Juno legal disclaimer: there is no test).
Review: The late Joanna Brouk's legacy as an electronic music pioneer is a mysterious one, given her rejection of industry conventions in favour of a more heartfelt connection with her craft. Her run of new age releases in the early 80s were landmarks of the genre, and now Numero Group are reissuing one of the finest of them now. Sounds Of The Sea originally came out in 1981, and it's never been reissued since. Making its first ever appearance on vinyl, this captivating, mysterious album remains wholly out of time and place, existing in its own sphere inhabited by flute, drones and whale song alike.
Review: Sounds of the Sea was one of the first albums from Joanna Brouk, a West Coast sonic explorer who emerged somewhere around the boom in DIY tapes of ambient music in the early 80s. Brouk distanced herself from the platitudes of new age music and instead probed at more mysterious moods in her pieces, best captured in this highlight from the run of cassettes she first released. Numero Group have taken up the mantle and reissued Sounds of the Sea for the first time, bringing the swathes of pads and cascading flute to the attention of a much wider audience, finally.
Review: In the 70s, sharing a name with the main protagonist of the Peanuts comic strip got you nowhere. No, it's talent that got you going: no sooner did the swelling vocal lopes of Charles Brown, only one or two letters remiss of the former identity, blew the band Sleepy Creek away, did they set about recording this establishing record. Then only in high school, Charles Brown nonetheless laid down the eponymous, deeply emotionally intelligent ballad, decrying the retreat into privacy as a misappropriation of the act of love. Now on top of this star single comes this 15-song LP, which gathers Brown's solo and band work from 1976-82; Jon Freeman's enclosed essay dissects the origin story of this private press pioneer.
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