The Real Thing: The Songs Of Ashford, Simpson & Armstead Various Artists (Songwriter Series)

£11.70

Genre:
60s Soul
Label:
Kent
Format:
CD
Catalogue Id:
CDKEND 318

The songs of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson could occupy a whole Hall Of Fame to themselves. There can’t be any students of popular music who are not familiar with at least a few of their classics, be they their own hits like ‘Solid’ or those they wrote for Motown’s ‘A’ list artists, such as ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ and ‘Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing’ for Marvin & Tammi and ‘Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand)’ for Diana Ross.

These and many like them are as much a part of our lives as getting up in the morning. Less well known outside of connoisseur soul circles are the songs they wrote in the years immediately leading up to ‘Ain’t No Mountain’, with their original collaborator Joshie “Jo” Armstead. Between 1964 and 1967, the trio collaborated on a significant number of superior songs to provide hits for artists including Chuck Jackson and Maxine Brown, Betty Everett, Aretha Franklin and scores more.

This month we celebrate their three-way collaborations with “The Real Thing”, the latest volume in our songwriter series and the first to appear on Kent. This CD brings together just about all of the most notable “JoValNick” compositions and embellishes them with a handful of early songs that Ashford and Simpson wrote without Jo. Given that it’s a Kent CD, the soul content is very high – as well as those already mentioned, others who bring the songs to life include the Crystals, the Coasters, Candy and the Kisses, Tina Britt, the Shirelles, the Apollas, Marie Knight and blue eyed soulster Ronnie Milsap. (The inclusion of many of those and other equally notable names will ensure that it also goes straight onto the shopping list of every girl group aficionado…)

And as for those songs, there and many among those who will buy it who will not be familiar with at least one version of ‘Let’s Go Get Stoned’, ‘Running Out’, ‘Cry Like A Baby’ or ‘You’re Absolutely Right’. These are part of the very fabric of 60s soul and it would be impossible to imagine life without them after almost 45 years!

Mick Patrick has maintained the perfect balance between the strikingly familiar and sensationally obscure that we always continue to aim for throughout this series and he is to be congratulated for doing so, given that Nick, Valerie and Joshie worked together for a much shorter period of time than most of those who’ve so far appeared in the series.

Valerie and Nick are said to be hard to please when it comes to reissues of their early work, but they can feel justifaibly proud of this splendid revelation of the genesis of their songwriting (as can Ms Armstead).

Looks to me like this could be The Real Thing! Ain’t Nothing Like It…

By Tony Rounce

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Track listing

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Side 1

  • 01 Preview Are You Trying To Get Rid Of Me Baby - The Crystals featuring La La Brooks

  • 02 Preview Too Hot To Hold - Betty Everett

  • 03 Preview Look Away - The Shirelles

  • 04 Preview Love Ain't What It Used To Be - The Diplomats

  • 05 Preview Same Old Feeling - Jo Ann & Troy

  • 06 Preview You're In Love - Maxine Brown

  • 07 Preview Only Your Love Can Save Me - Betty Lavette

  • 08 Preview Baby I'll Come - Mary Love

  • 09 Preview Cry Like A Baby - Aretha Franklin

  • 10 Preview I'm Satisfied - Chuck Jackson & Maxine Brown

  • 11 Preview Dance, Children, Dance - Mary Love

  • 12 Preview You're Absolutely Right - Tina Britt

  • 13 Preview Mister Creator - The Apollas

  • 14 Preview Looky, Looky (What I Got) - Candy & the Kisses

  • 15 Preview Never Had It So Good - B J Thomas

  • 16 Preview The Shoe Won't Fit - Betty Everett

  • 17 Preview The Real Thing - The Chiffons

  • 18 Preview Smokie Joe's - The Jewels

  • 19 Preview Say It Again - Marie Knight

  • 20 Preview Please Little Angel - Doris Troy

  • 21 Preview I Saw Pity In The Face Of A Friend - Ronnie Milsap

  • 22 Preview Running Out - Vernon Garrett

  • 23 Preview Let's Go Get Stoned - The Coasters

  • 24 Preview I Don't Need No Doctor - Sandy Nelson

Delivery & Returns

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We use Royal Mail First Class for UK deliveries and standard Air Mail for all other territories, very large orders will usually be sent via parcelforce. You may cancel your order at any time prior to your order being dispatched by emailing us at orders@acerecords.com ensuring that you quote your name, address and order reference number or by telephoning +44 (0) 208 453 1311 between 9am and 5pm GMT/BST, Monday to Friday. Please note: As music downloads are dispatched immediately after purchase, there is no possibility of cancelling these orders.

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You have the right to cancel your order within seven days of purchase, or seven days of receipt of the goods (whichever is the longer). If you choose to cancel your order, full payment will be returned to you. Returned items should be sent to: “Returns” c/o Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the email address: orders@acerecords.com including a copy of your notice of cancellation and order number.

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