For many collectors Ric Tic is the archetypal Detroit soul record label. The list of Artists, Songwriters, Producers and Arrangers reads like a "who’s who" of 60's soul. Names like Al Kent, Richard Morris, Charles Hatcher (Edwin Starr), JJ Barnes, Don Davis, George Macgregor, JoAnne Bratton, Ed Wingate, Sammy Lowe, Solid Hitbound, Myto Music, Don Mancha, Teacho Wiltshire, Bob Hamilton etc etc etc......the list seems endless, roll of the tongue so easily nowadays, but it is back in the 60's on Ric Tic records and other smaller Detroit independents that these people studied and developed their crafts.

Freddie Gorman - In a bad way - Ric Tic 101
Freddie Gorman would find fame and success shortly after his time with Ed Wingate’s labels when he became part of the group The Originals. For this, the second release on the label, Freddie takes on the mantle of a spurned lover, lamenting the day his girl walked out and left him "in a bad way". The arrangement is all there, the strong drum beat, the supporting horns, the odd string swirl, along with the a rather lonely sounding bell/vibe that was developed to become trademark signature of the sound in the coming years.

Freddie Gorman - Take me back - Ric Tic 102
Freddie second outing on the label is a total departure from his first. Although lyrically there could be a connection as he is now pleading with his girl to "take me back". This 45 is an out and out dancer. Uptempo, upbeat, with lots of backing singers vocals and handclaps. Sound familiar? You betcha!

A point of note is the flipside to this 45. It’s called "Can’t get it out of my mind" and is nice melodic return to mid tempo for Freddie. The all pervading drum beat and backing singers are back with a vengeance and all together form a rather good record that has been overlooked by a lot of collectors in favor of the 'more famous' ones on the label. Worth a listen.

Bob Wilson and The San Remo Quartet - All turned on - Ric Tic 104
Although this is the flipside to "Hungry for love", there is no doubt for me that this side is the one that "does it". From the opening riff the listener is absolutely 'assaulted' by Bob’s piano playing. For many years I though this was the legendary Earl Van Dyke at the keyboards but thanks to the intrepid guys at www.soulfuldetroit.com it appears that Bob was a "real person".

The Funk Brothers (minus Earl Van Dyke?) Are definitely at play here, the relentless drum beat, the indomitable bassline that never lets up. The sax break that became another signature of the guys and the fantastic guitar break two thirds through, before the piano takes over again and the record fades as it started, leaving the listener in no doubt as to what they just heard. A thunderous composition played by masters of the art. Breathless stuff!

Edwin Starr - Back Street - Ric Tic - 107
The name Edwin Starr will hold a place in most soul fans hearts forever. Not only did he produce some of the greatest dance floor soul ever produced but he always took time out for fans and collectors alike. His Ric Tic outing here is a powerhouse that showcases all of Edwin’s style and passion. Lots of hand claps throughout, a real "foot tapper". Edwin’s vocal is as exciting as anything else he recorded. Track laid down by The Funks again? No doubt in my mind. Check out the instrumental on the flip. Not a backing track, but a real instrumental version with the guys playing off each other. The opening bass intro, the drum fills? Jamerson and Benjamin? If not then someone doing a good impersonation. A fantastic piece of music.

San Remo Golden Strings - I’m satisfied - Ric Tic - 108
Another one that some might find suprising to find here amongst the dance-floor 'fillers'. Another flip side (to "Blueberry Hill"), I included this here as an example of the development of the people who were making these records and how they introduced instruments and production techniques to make their music stand out. Written by Don Davis (Record producer extraordinaire), George McGregor (Drummer and sound engineer), and produced by Gil Askey who went on to produce James Brown amongst his other accomplishments, the record is an instrumental that uses almost every instrumental section you can think of. A mid paced composition, it’s still got the handclaps, piano and rhythm guitar in amongst the violas and cellos and "symphony" feel to it. A real 'stepping stone' record for the Solid Hitbound Team in my opinion.

Laura Lee - To win your heart - Ric Tic 111
The first female vocal we’ve come across on the label, and what a vocal too! With the "Festival Time" track to build upon, Laura really goes for it. The drums, hand claps, and especially the swirling strings are all evident again and she gives a performance that will always be remembered as true classic Detroit soul outing. The relentless drum beat, the hand claps, the tell tale swirling strings and the sax break all add up to a monumental record that has achieved legendary status amongst both dancers and collectors alike, and deservedly so. The instrumental ain’t too bad either!

Al Kent - Ooh! Pretty Lady - Ric Tic 133
The guitar riffs in Al Kents records are all unique and here he does it again. Many songwriters/musicians were instrumental in the success of the Detroit sound from this era, and not many were given the accolade they deserved. Al is one of the few who saw his name on the labels as the artist. All the hallmarks of the now Ric Tic sound are present here in this uptempo dancer. The vibes have been introduced and the drum and rhythm guitar really run away with it. Strangely enough I’ve never heard a vocal to this which is unusual as most instrumentals from this time had some vocals in the can somewhere. I suppose after 40 years it ain’t gonna show now if it does actually exist.

The Fantastic Four - As long as the feeling is there - Ric Tic 134
The Fantastic Four were another group that would also see success after their time with Ric Tic. They would eventually see their records released on Soul and then they appeared on the Westbound label with some success, after the buy out of Ed Wingate by Berry Gordy. A point of note is that this record, along with other Fantastic Four ones, was arranged by the prolific Mike Terry. Mike’s list of records he worked on is a work of art in itself and we hope to bring you more on Mike’s contribution to our music in a dedicated article. These records showed the softer side of Ric Tic as a more gentler sound developed. The classy vocals and simple production made a great combination for the group.

The Fantastic Four - Live up to what she thinks - Ric Tic 119
This for me is their finest record on the label, it shows how the writer, a certain George Clinton, could master a mid tempo love song in addition to his ability to create more uptempo dancers. George would become a soul icon in the decades to follow with his Parliament/P- Funk and Funkadelic entourages. This is another Mike Terry arranged song and oozes class throughout. Similar to the previous record in that it’s a simpler melody with a non too complicated arrangement with an almost nondescript organ chord throughout. Certainly not one to tear up a dancefloor, but once again, a beer, a chilled out session and this will come into it’s own. Highly recommended.

Edwin Starr - Stop her on sight (SOS) - Ric Tic - 109
As far as this record is concerned just about everything that could be said about it probably has been. So....where do you start to review a record that has filled dancefloors and record boxes alike for nearly 40 years! Another Solid Hitbound Production that from it’s very first opening bars of piano notes has the listener hooked from the git go. Edwin’s infectious and exciting vibrant vocal style is tailor made for the song. A fantastic sax break after the first full chorus, the reintroduction of the vocal, the hook of the piano and the magical performance of the backing singers all contribute to what is an example of what soul music should always be about. S...O...U....L! If you haven’t got a copy of this record in your box somewhere then you are suffering from a vinyl deficiency that you need to correct at the earliest opportunity.

JJ Barnes - Please let me in - Ric Tic - 106
J Jay Barnes was a 'local boy' who made good. His recordings on Ric Tic are probably his more famous ones and the quality of his work is only matched by the very best. Another beneficiary of the Solid Hitbound Production Team he would go on to record a fantastic version of "Our love is in the pocket" the Darrell Banks classic on Revilot. This outing on Ric Tic has just about everything a record from that era should have. Brilliant drum fills, vibes, hand claps, a more soulful vocal would be hard to find on a dance record of any genre. Once again a record that has filled dance floors for decades and still does. A true giant on the soul scene, every collector should have one.

Edwin Starr - Headline News - Ric Tic - 114
If anyone could carry off this record it’s our old friend Edwin Starr. The opening refrain in the "newspaper boy" style set against the piano intro is a slice of imagination that sets this apart from other records. The whole song is littered with brilliance. The burping baritone sax which helps to support Edwin’s passionate vocals. The tenor sax break midway, the introduction of male backing singers (a break with tradition), the hand claps on the forward beat. The lyrics although when seen on a piece of paper would appear mundane, but when given the Ric Tic/Edwin Starr treatment turn into a soulfest! Edwin’s 'aggressive' vocal intonation when he demands that you "better read all about it" is a stroke of genious. Yet another record that I’d be embarrasses to say if it was not in my collection. You can’t buy a better record for $5.00 ANYWHERE!

Edwin Starr - Agent Double-O-Soul - Ric Tic 103
An obvious attempt to cash in on the latest James Bond popularity this 45 is surely the most "typical" example of the Ric Tic sound. A full on production with everything at it’s most imposing. There’s little finesse intended here, this is a blast of a record that hits you square in the face. The opening vibe percussion and horns that introduce the backing singers "Agent OO Soul" lay the foundation for Edwin to come menacingly in and then tell us all he is the Agent of Soul. The intermittent bell and wood blocks(?) vibe give the song a unique feel, and have always intrigued me. Did they really use just blocks of wood? One point of note is that this is one of the few early Ric Tic records that I have never seen a White Promo of. I’d be grateful if anyone does have one to contact me at the website email address.

JJ Barnes - Real Humdinger - Ric Tic - 110
The penultimate record on the Ric Tic label in this review is probably one of my all time favorites. Once again maybe a somewhat suprising choice for some people. What? No "Al Kent - The way you been acting lately"? Or "Fantastic Four - Can’t stop looking for my baby"? Well yeah, they’re all great records, but for me this is the real deal. Remember what we were doing ... we were trying to relive the listening booth experience in the "Mom & Pop" record store ... so ... can you imagine ... putting this on brand new in 1966, headphones are on, first few clicks and pops of the styrene and then.......POW!! The four opening piano notes reverberate in your eardrums before the "Oooooooooh" makes way for the drum fill. Then that’s it, JJ has now got hold of you and ain’t letting go until he’s told you exactly what he loves about his girl. A fantastic dancer that has become timeless for soul fans everywhere. In this bland, disposable, often musically unintelligible MTV dominated world the word "classic" has become all too familiar when describing anything above mediocre. In the case of this record it falls short, so I will use a word I believe describes everything about it, the artist, the song, the label and it’s producers ... ICONIC. If you don’t own a copy, do yourself a favor, get onto eBay right now and buy one ... no, not tomorrow - RIGHT NOW!

Edwin Starr - I Have Faith in You - Ric Tic 109 (Polydor UK)
Here we come to the final Ric Tic record of this review so why you may ask does the picture show a UK Polydor copy.? Well, here’s the answer ... as a collector of W/Demos, unfortunately the Ric Tic 109 was issued on promo with the A side on both sides (Stop her on sight) SOS. So in order to own this particular song I have the UK copy. And as such I have no copy of this particular record on Ric Tic! Which was something I didn’t realize until I wrote this review and something I shall be "putting to rights" very shortly! Edwin’s version of this song is in my all time Top 10 soul records of all time. I like the Doni Burdick version too on Sound Impression Records and but for me, this is 'THE' version. The fact that it’s Mr Hatcher, and the fact that this is the version I knew first are all factors I suppose, but I defy you to put it on, listen to the DEEP build up piano intro, suck in the vocals of Edwin at his very best. "No one can change me, no one No No No No , cos I have faith in you" Absolutely fantastic record. Has been matched by other ones but never surpassed in my opinion. One of the best moments of my life was watching Edwin perform this song in my home town in 1998. A small mill town in Lancashire UK, hosting a Detroit Legend singing one of the greatest soul songs ever ... does it get any better? FANTASTIC!

Dave Moore
February 2005