I cried today.  Levi Stubbs is gone. 

I still have his voice, on every Four Tops album I ever owned.  But the man is gone and I hope gone somewhere where he will be celebrated for his wonderful talent.   

Like almost all of Motown’s great stars, Levi Stubbs was born in Detroit.  He met Abdul “Duke” Fakir in high school and met the other two Tops at a house party.  They sang together under various names until Berry Gordy convinced them to join Tamla Motown and they became the Four Tops. 

The Four Tops were the sound of my early twenties, friends, clubs and dances, good clothes and Motown.  The minute the DJ played any Four Tops song, we were on the floor.  We had a friend called Bill, big guy, last on the floor, but up and dancing as soon as “I cant help myself (sugar pie honey bunch)” came on.    

We loved the Tops, their clothes (we all wanted those mohair suits, but were not so sure about the long high-point collar shirts), the snappy footwork and their infectious high-energy songs.  They were black guys and we were white but we had a common bond, we liked to dance and loved women passionately, if not wisely.  At least, that was how we saw it.  

We loved the songs, and looking back I loved them because of Levi’s vocals, the hard urgency of his voice.  Levi sang like a man who had something to lose, who knew he really loved that girl.  He sang with conviction and if his vocals were a bit rough-edged by Motown standards, they made up for that with real feeling.  If Marvin Gaye sounded sad, Levi Stubbs sounded bereft.

Grahame Parker, the English R and B/Rock singer famous in the Eighties once talked about dancing in soul clubs in London.  He went on to say that one of favourite songs was the Four Tops “Bernadette” which in his opinion “had a bit of spit and some grit in it, like a good soul record should”. 

When Soul went out of fashion, the Four Tops kept going.  In the seventies they had hits with unlikely (for Motown) material like “If I were a carpenter” and “MacArthur Park”.  I urge you to listen to “If I were a carpenter” it is one of the most soulful records ever made and Levi Stubbs vocals made it that way. 

I saw the Four Tops in 1981, in London, and after twenty years of touring they still had a soul and energy that lifted everyone up.  The audience ended the night on their feet and dancing.      

Even in the Eighties, when Soul and Disco were distant memories, the Tops had hits, including “When she was my girl” and “Loco in Acapulco”.  The first time I heard “When she was my girl” it all came flooding back, the huge vocal, the tightly-timed chorus, the slinky percussion.  All I needed was a dance-floor.  If you are a Four Tops fan, you know the feeling you get when you hear them, you feel eighteen years young and ready to dance all night. 

Only Abdul Fakir of the Four Tops is still alive.  Lawrence Payton and Obie Benson are dead.  But in their day they had more joy and energy than almost anybody else.  If you listen to their music I am sure you will agree.       

Thanks for the wonderful songs Levi.  May your journey be good.

 Soul Music

I am annoyed because I keep seeing a type of article popping up in magazines.  The article is called “the top ten soul records” or ten top soul songs.  I read one in a Scandinavian magazine a couple of days ago and it was absolute nonsense. 

Yesterday I read a similar article by a man named Wayne Hemingway, in a magazine called Shortlist, which included artists such as Gil Scott-Heron and the Tom-Tom club who are definitely not soul, could not be Soul even if God called down from heaven and declared them to be such.  Nonsense. 

I was going to ignore it, but yesterday Levi Stubbs (lead vocalist of the Four Tops) died.  I wrote about it here and it made me think I ought to make my contribution to the discussion.  Soul is an important part of my life, made me smile, lifted me up during the tough times, got me some of my best dates.

So, as an original London Soul Boy, here are my top ten soul tracks.

It takes two:  Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston

Definitive dance music, from the frenzied violins at the start to the perfect old time soul call-and-response of Marvin and Kim.  If you had a good partner who could keep time this was the one to dance to.  Infectiously happy, it pulls you onto the dancefloor.

 You can buy it in the Uk here or the US here

This old heart of mine: The Isley Brothers

Right from the strange recorded-in-a-baked -bean-tin intro through to the drums being thrashed like a kicked dustbin, this is great dancefloor material.  The lyrics race to get you into the blistering chorus, getting you ready to unleash your best moves.  Fast and furious, sweaty and passionate, a soul dancer favourite.

  You can buy it in the UK here and the US here   

Who’s making love:  Johnny Taylor

To give the full title “Who’s making love to your old lady while you are out making love.”  A thumping, bubbly bass line on top of a simple four-beat drumsound.  On top of this goes Johnny Taylor’s sharp, streetwise lyrics.  It just makes you want to dance and with a beat this simple, you can.

 You can buy it in the UK here and the US here     

I’m a road-runner baby: Junior Walker and the all-stars

Great getting-going song.  That wailing saxophone, drum sound like an aluminium wall being beaten by the Incredible Hulk and the tinny ping of the guitars all building up to the chorus.   The loose rambunctious sound of Junior Walker came straight out of the back-country soul clubs of Alabama and Indiana.  Junior Wallker somehow ended up on Motown, but he was really a wild man from the backroads. 

You can loosen up on the floor with this song, with its fat, syncopated rhythm section knocking out a hard beat, with the added genius of that brittle tambourine sound that Motown threw into so many choruses.   

 You can buy it in the UK here and the US here    

Get up (Sex Machine)

Everyone knows this one but leaving it out is talking about religion without mentioning God.  The beat is everything.  Real men danced to this, with a soul strut and lots of hip rolls.   To sweat to.

 You can buy it in the UK here and the US here    

I can’t stand the rain: Ann Peebles.

There has to be slow one, and this slow one was filled with lust and melancholy. Ann Peebles voice moves from her natural deep vibrato to a high-pitched wail on the chorus, while the relentless backbeat helps you to keep a slow sexy rhythm.  Filled with loss and rich, bitter, sexy regret.  When Ann Peebles sings “do you remember?  How sweet it used to be?” you know she was not talking about having coffee together.  It smoulders, just don’t dance to it with your ex.

 You can buy it in the UK here and the US here       

Hold on, I’m coming: Sam and Dave

Well, there was Motown and there was Stax, Sam and Dave were on the Stax label.  We considered Stax to be the real deal, authentic black dance music untouched by commercialism.  But we were fooling ourselves, we were dance whores, we would dance to anything that was soul. 

The power and heartfelt emotion of Gospel singing mixed with down and dirty lyrics made this a great dance track.  From the magisterial horn sound to the thudding beat anyone can dance to this and look like they are in time.

 You can buy it in the UK here and the US here      

I‘ll take you there: The Staples Singers

This was the Staples urgent, gritty and slightly ambiguous shouter.  The 4/4 backbeat was perfect for a soulful strut, with all the hip rolls you could get in.  This was the one you showed off to, the one you tried to impress your partner with.  When Mavis Staples sang “I’ll take you there” I think she meant Jesus but when we mouthed it to our dance partners it was definitely a promise of sex.     

 You can buy it in the UK here and the US here   

It’s better to have (and don’t need): Don Covay

This is hi-energy dance music, with its politically incorrect lyrics and a fast, raw sound.  Don Covay sings of sex, over a cascade of high-hat cymbals and some of the best R+B piano that ever got on record, a powerful bass holding it all together.  This was made in 1974 when Soul was almost dead, but Don Covay reached back pre-motown and put a raw soul sound on this fast n furious song.  For those of us who love to dance. And Don Covay is an unrecognised genius.   

 You can buy it in the UK here and the US here     

Let’s get it on: Marvin Gaye

Always end on a slow song.  A true love song, from the opening wah-wah guitar to Marvin’s passionate sexy lyrics.  The sound, lyrical saxophones, tumbling drum breaks and the anguished croon still sound fresh today.  It works because Marvin had such timing and discipline that his vocals never obscure the insistent beat.  This is the one song where you find your best girl and dance out the promise of what you are going to do for her later……

 You can buy it in the UK here and the US here      

What it is about

My brother was a DJ and he was playing a track one time.  As it ended a guy came up to him and said angrily “Why did you not play the New Orleans mix, with the extended fadeout?”.  My brother turned to me, shrugged, smiled and said “Everyone loves a trainspotter”.  This is my problem with articles that talk about finding obscure, hand-pressed discs from collector’s stores in Vancouver.  Soul music is dancing, not stamp collecting.   

It’s an information world out there and the temptation is to make everything information.  That is not what Soul music is.  Find a club.  Dance. Be a Man.  Be Sexy.  Sweat.  Enjoy.

Still to come:

When Soul became Disco

Style and the boys: White Soul 

Barkers shoes at very low prices

As regular readers will know, I recently blogged about English benchmade shoes.  It was big piece of work and I tried to define the top English shoemakers selling hand-finished ready-to-wear shoes.  One of the brands I wrote about was Barkers, one of the older English companies.

So I was pleased when I spotted this sign in Leonard Jay’s window as I was passing.  By the looks of things Leonard Jay mostly sells bargain-price suits.  However Barkers at this price are not to be missed. 

I took a minute to browse the shop and they also had some (only a few) Chester Barrie suits at £395.00.  Like the Barkers, this is a great price for a Chester Barrie suit. 

There is something very satisfying about getting style at knock-down prices.  Being clued-up and the thrill of the hunt may account for it.

Details

Leonard Jay,

120-121 Newgate Street,

London,

EC1A 7AE

Tel:                   44 (0) 20 7796 4880

Website:           http://www.leonardjay.co.uk/