Although during soul music's golden era of the 60s, Berry Gordy was dominating the Billboard charts with his "Motown Sound" there was a rival record label company snapping at his heels. On these pages we're gonna take a brief look (and listen) to the records that were produced by JoAnne Bratton and Ed Wingate's record labels. Although the story of their partnership is well documented, sometimes the actual records they made get lost in the story, so on this/these page/pages were gonna look at the individual records on the labels. If some of the records are not what you'd expect to find on a "rare" soul site, then the reason for that is simple ... I have selected my favorite records on the labels. The ones that first got me interested in this fantastic music and the records that bring back memories of over 30 years worth of enjoyment.

Not all 'Northern Soul' records are of the 'impossible to find' variety. Not all 'Northern Soul' records require a collector to eat bread and water for months on end in order to "acquire" them, and certainly not all Northern Soul records were produced on minute, unknown, one off labels from the outer reaches the of Alaskan Tundra. These pages are full of records from three Detroit labels that are mostly "findable", won't (or shouldn't have), your bank manager reaching for the noose or make collector's spouses curse the day that you first heard a 'Northern Soul' record and the family started it's dark descent towards bankruptcy!

This page (or pages if you have printed out this article) is filled with records that collectors 'cut their teeth' on. Not long after these records were made, collectors were making their way to Detroit and finding most of them in large enough quantities to enable them to be sold on at a profit. This of course meant that us mere mortals could buy them at reasonable prices and so ... a thousand fledgling vinyl record collections were born.

Rather than produce a long ramble about the writers, producers, the musicians, the owners, the publishers and eventually the girl who "made the coffee", I thought for this segment I would review individual records that have always been in my collection since I started and that I can't see ever letting go. Hardly any of them are worth a lot, none of them are 'impossible' to find but they all have one thing in common ... that unmistakable sound, the throbbing bassline, the "Detroit" drum fill, the ooh so vibrant vocals of those that were about to become legends in the "real deal" soul world. The names of the people associated with the records are now renowned and we have seen their names become revered worldwide by fans, and so you would expect this type of quality. But place yourself in 1965/66. You enter the local Mom and Pop record store. You ask for the latest stuff they have. They give you 4 or 5 samples to take to the listening booth. You take one from the sleeve, place it on the slip mat, place the needle on the vinyl ... and POW!! Out from the headphones comes the power of the Funk Brothers matched only by the passionate vocals of JJ Barnes singing "Real Humdinger" or Edwin Starr belting out "Headline News"! Man ... if you ain't tapping your feet now ... you either deaf ... or ... dead! So ... join me in a trip to the 'Mom and Pop' vinyl store and rediscover some of my favorite records of all time that are ... the fantastic drum laden sound of Golden World Records, the haunting strings of Ric Tic Records, and the jazzy instrumentation of Wingate Records.

ALL RECORDS BELOW ARE LINKED TO A SOUND FILE, SO CLICK...LISTEN...AND ENJOY!

Barbara Mercer - Hey - Golden World - 21

First up then is the inimitable Barbara Mercer with her fantastic dancer "Hey". Barbara's breathy vocal is preceded by the piano/drum intro that sets the tempo and continues non stop for the whole 2:04 minutes of Detroit magic. The lyrics are sweeter than a cup full of molasses but she gets away with it due to the "feel good factor" of the song. Barbara's strategically placed "Ooooh Oooh's" and "Baby's", and her backing singers supporting refrains are brilliant and it really sums up the mid-60's "Detroit girl" sound for me. One that is timeless and I never tire of either playing or hearing. The most endearing part of the record is towards the end when Barbara sings " ... Walkin' on clouds!" Absolute magic!

Carl Carlton - Nothing no sweeter than love - Golden World - 23
Billed as "The 12 year old Wonder" in order to try and cash in on the Stevie Wonder phenomenon that was hitting the top of the Billboard Charts. Carl Carlton was later to achieve legendary status with Northern Soul fans with his Backbeat records outing "Competition ain't nothing". Carl's outing on Golden World is often overlooked. A pretty basic drum/bassline dance beat connected by a tambourine it plods on as Carl sings the praises of being in love then POW! A tenor sax break, breaks the record in two and the driving beat sort of gets a little more intense and Carl makes it to the end in fine style!

The Holidays - Makin' up time - Golden World - 36
This record ranks up with the best dance music to come out of Detroit. As a soul record some may say that it's lack of vocal is it's downfall. To me it's the exact opposite. The mental pictures that flash through my mind when hearing this are not of any "tortured soul testifying to his lot in life" but rather the musicians in the studio, letting loose, with complete mastery of each component instrument. Why the Holidays? The flipside is a downtempo vocal done by the group that is also a great tune, so how else was Ed Wingate gonna 'tag' Berry's boys The Funk Brothers! The drums, the base, the horns, the vibes the piano!! It's all there. Sheer brilliance by musicians that really were masters of their craft.

Pat Lewis - I can't shake it loose - Golden World - 42
Overlooked even by most soul fans, Pat Lewis' version of this song is, I think, the original and she does a much better job than Diana Ross' more famous attempt later. Similar in style to Barbara Mercer's "Hey" if a little less pacy, Pat's vocal is very reminiscent of Barbara's breathy style. Mike Terry's arrangement is just about right and suits her vocal talents to perfection. A dancer that should be played more often. Worth a mention at this stage is the Flipside too. A totally different effort, sort of dragged out of the doowop/soul era it eases the listener into the evolving sound of Detroit's black 'dance' label sound.

The Parliaments - Heart trouble - Golden World 46
George Clinton's finest moment on the label in my opinion. Together with that Detroit stalwart Sidney Barnes they put together, as only they could, a song with a reference to a plumber and made it sound ooh so soulful! With George on lead vocal, Joe Hunter in the arranging team along with Bert Keyes, and produced by the Goe-Si-Mik team they could hardly go wrong now could they?! A brilliant dancer that saw reactivation a few years ago and rightly so. Perrenial dancefloor filler that will always be around I think.

The Reflections - June Bride - Golden World - 24
A strange selection some may say, but on really listening to the song, it stands proudly alongside the other gems on the label and is in my opinion the best record the group recorded. The other stand out thing about this particular record is that the group are fully aware that they're recording a soul song, something that is not really apparent in some of their other recordings. The melody, the brilliant use of vibes on the forward beat help to compose what is , for me personally a favorite on the label. Take a listen, see what you think.

Tamiko Jones - I'm spellbound - Golden World - 40
Probably the most sought after female vocal outing on the label, Tamiko really sets the pace from the git go with the opening line "Oh... it must be witchcraft". Always a dance floor favorite, she also brings a 'breathy' style to her performance as she conveys the fact that she wants to escape the clutches of her lover but finds the attraction so intense that she's under some kind of spell. A fantastic dancer that typifies the labels "girl soul" sound. A point of note is that the flipside is relatively unknown but is a fantastic mid paced song called "Am I glad now" that if it saw some decent turntable action would no doubt become as popular. Both sides are produced by Gene Redd and that alone enough to get the listeners attention.

Theresa Lindsey - I'll bet you - Golden World - 43
Another record that even before the needle hits the vinyl you know is gonna be something special. With the writing talents of George Clinton, Sidney Barnes and Ms Lindsey herself, under the production supervision of a certain Mr Mike Terry the team produce a red hot, uptempo dancer to rank with the best. The opening drum roll, with hand claps, soon joined by the rhythm guitar, lay down the basis for what is a fantastic performance from Theresa Lindsey as she weaves her way throug the lyrics with great support from the backing singers and a fantastic, albeit short, tenor sax break that was becoming the signature to the "Detroit Sound". A truly great record that has stood the test of time. A classic.The flipside to this record "Daddy O" is known amongst the collector fraternity but never seemed to get the dance floor action it deserves. Check out the mid paced dancer if you get the chance. A don Davis production that will have it's day eventually.

Juanita Williams - Baby boy - Golden World - 18
A double sider that will match any other in terms of quality. The bonus with this 45 is that it can still be found for few bucks. The swirling strings matched by a perfect drum beat forms a perfect platform for Juanita to spend the entire record singing the praises of her "Baby Boy". A sort of latin type trumpet effect adds to the record but it is the intermittent string break that really sets this 45 apart. A real point of note is the flipside "You knew what you were getting" which was also released on Wingate Records. A great laid back mid-tempo composition that also includes a nice swirling string arrangement.

Rose Batiste - Sweetheart darling - Golden World - 33
Probably more renowned for her outings on the Revilot Labels, Rose is attempting a Motown style dancer on this 45. With Berry's company enjoying enormous success just up the road this 45 is probably the most "Motown flavoured" on the label and one can just imagine Diana, Flo and Mary practising this one ready for their European tour. A little sugary for some, I think it's a nice ditty that showcases Roses young talent and was a foretaste of what was to come from her.I'm not sure how old she was when this was recorded but she sounds very young. The ever present vibes, along with the backing singers "baby - baby - baby" are pure Detroit 60's.

The Debonaires - Please don't say we're through - Golden World - 26
A record that seems out of place amongst the others this one, from the group that went on to became Dawn. A real 60s girl sound this one, could almost be the Shirelles or Chiffons if it wasn't for the tell tale Detroit beat. The flipside is a similar sort of quandry. A much smoother dance beat but still a strange record to find at midpoint in the Golden World catalogue.A point of note is that this group are not the same group as the Debonairs on WB-S or Soul Click records.

The Debonaires - How's you new love treating you - Golden World - 38
The final record on the Golden World Label is a case of "save the best for last" for the reviewer. This is my favorite 45 on the label. Let me explain why. It starts with a haunting string arrangement that has now become an era signature. The vocal eases in and seems to just coast along with the music. The backing singers "Oooh Ooohs" are hardly noticeable but enough to form a platform for the lead vocal which is sublime. Vocally it's the best song the girls made in my opinion. I very rarely play this record once. It takes a couple of spins for me to be able to replace it in it's sleeve. Maybe not a dancefloor packer but one with which to crack a beer, and just sit back and appreciate it for what it is a performance that showed the talents of the musicians and the girls in their best light ... in other words a classic!

Dave Moore
February 2005