’70s SOUL GOLD (2-CD Set)

22 Replies

There are plenty of songs to like on 70s Soul Gold. I like the mix of well-known songs like Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” with more obscure songs like The Originals’ “The Bells.”

I love Smokey Robinson and The Miracles’ “Tears of A Clown,” Chic’s “Le Freak,” and The Staple Sisters’ “I’ll Take You There.” And, then there are classics like Curtis Mayfield’s “Freddie’s Dead,” Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On,” and The Temptations’ “Papa Was A Rolling Stone.”

All in all, this compilation delivers great music from the 1970s. Do you remember these songs? Any favorites? GRADE: A-

TRACK LIST:

1-1The Delfonics–Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)3:24
1-2The Originals–The Bells3:08
1-3The Supremes–Up The Ladder To The Roof3:16
1-4The Moments–Love On A Two Way Street3:30
1-5The Jackson 5–I’ll Be There3:58
1-6Smokey Robinson & The Miracles*–The Tears Of A Clown3:02
1-7Marvin Gaye–What’s Going On3:54
1-8James Brown–Soul Power Pts. 1 & 23:23
1-9Ike & Tina Turner–Proud Mary3:17
1-10Jean Knight–Mr. Big Stuff2:31
1-11Undisputed Truth (2)–Smiling Faces Sometimes3:17
1-12Isaac Hayes–Theme From Shaft4:38
1-13Al Green–Let’s Stay Together3:42
1-14Betty Wright–Clean Up Woman2:47
1-15The Dramatics–In The Rain5:08
1-16The Stylistics Featuring Russell Thompkins, Jr.–Betcha By Golly Wow3:49
1-17The Chi-Lites–Oh Girl3:38
1-18The Staple Singers–I’ll Take You There3:14
2-1Billy Preston–Outa-Space Producer – Billy PrestonWritten-By – Billy Preston, Joe Greene4:10
2-2Brothers Johnson–Strawberry Letter #23 Producer – Quincy JonesWritten-By – Shuggie Otis5:01
2-3Curtis Mayfield–Freddie’s Dead (Theme From Superfly) Producer, Written-By – Curtis Mayfield5:28
2-4The Temptations–Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone7:00
2-5Brighter Side Of Darkness–Love Jones Producer – Clarence JohnsonWritten-By – Clarence Johnson, Ralph Eskridge*, Randolph Murphy3:21
2-6Four Tops–Ain’t No Woman (Like The One I Got) Producer – Dennis Lambert & Brian Potter, Steve Barri Written-By – Dennis Lambert & Brian Potter3:05
2-7The Isley Brothers–That Lady Pts. 1 & 2 Producer – The Isley Brothers Written-By – Christopher Jasper*, Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley, O’Kelly Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley5:37
2-8Marvin Gaye–Let’s Get It On Producer, Written-By – Ed Townsend 4:54
2-9Eddie Kendricks–Keep On Truckin’ Producer – Leonard Caston Written-By – Anita Poree, Leonard Caston3:35
2-10Aretha Franklin–Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do) Producer – Aretha Franklin, Arif Mardin, Jerry Wexler Written-By – Clarence Paul, Morris Broadnax3:28
2-11Dionne Warwick & Spinners–Then Came You Written-By – Phillip Pugh*, Sherman Marshall4:00
2-12Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes–Bad Luck Arranged By – Bobby Martin Producer – Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff* Written-By – Gene McFadden, John Whitehead*, Victor Carstarphen3:10
2-13Diana Ross–Love Hangover Written-By – Marilyn McLeod, Pam Sawye3:51
2-14Commodores–Easy Producer – Commodores, James Anthony Carmichael Written-By – Lionel Richie4:53
2-15The Floaters–Float On Producer – Woody Wilson Written-By – Arnold Ingram, James Mitchell, Jr.*, Marvin Willis4:14
2-16Chic–Le Freak Producer, Written-By – Bernard Edwards & Nile Rodgers4:19
2-17Bell & James–Livin’ It Up (Friday Night) Executive-Producer – Thom Bell Producer – Leroy Bell, Casey James3:24
2-18Ray, Goodman & Brown–Special Lady Producer – Vincent Castellano Written-By – Al Goodman, Harry Ray, Lee Walter4:10

22 thoughts on “’70s SOUL GOLD (2-CD Set)”

    1. george Post author

      Steve, you’re partially right. “Tears of a Clown”first appeared on the 1967 album Make It Happen. “Tears of a Clown” was re-released in the United Kingdom as a single in July 1970, and it became a #1 hit on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending 12 September 1970. Subsequently, Motown released “The Tears of a Clown” as a single in the United States as well, where it quickly became a #1 hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts. So, yes, technically “Tears of a Clown” was a Sixties song…but it became a hit in 1970.

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  3. Deb

    Good one, Dan!

    I know all of these songs—and I like most of them. To me, a lot of these songs represent a time in music where the polished sound of sixties Motown was giving way to funkier stuff and artists were asserting more control over their material: certainly true of Marvin Gaye and anything he produced through Motown after 1970. Of the songs on this compilation, some of my favorites are the more obscure songs. I love “Up the Ladder to the Roof”, one of the first Supremes songs not to feature Diana Ross (she had left to pursue a solo career). Speaking of Diana Ross, “Love Hangover” is probably my favorite of her solo songs. I also really like “Float On” (which has the corniest lyrics imaginable, they sound like a personal ad from the pre-Internet days, but I always find myself singing along, regardless), “Love Jones”, and “Freddie’s Dead”. But probably my favorite song here is the hippy-dippy-dreamy “Strawberry Letter #23” written by the criminally under-appreciated Shuggie Otis and produced by Quincy Jones. Love it!

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    1. george Post author

      Deb, I agree with you on “Strawberry Letter #23.” What ever happened to Shuggie Otis? I have another Quincy Jones CD in my Listen to Real Soon CD stack.

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  4. Jeff Meyerson

    Yes, I know almost all of those (“Float On” does not ring a bell) and like most of them. That Supremes song is one of my least favorite of theirs, but I like it well enough. Favorites? Too many, but What’s Goin On, The Tears of a Clown (Smokey’s lyrics were always so much more sophisticated than the rest of Motown), Oh Girl (Tony Soprano’s favorite song), Betcha By Golly Wow, Freddie’s Dead, Didn’t I Blow Your Mind This Time, Let’s Get It On, Clean Up Woman, so many more.

    IN 2007 we saw Al Green with B.B. King in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden
    Speaking of MSG, in 2017 we saw Chic with Nile Rodgers open for Earth, Wind & Fire in the main areana. Good show.

    I hope Big Orange is fired up for FOUR FEET of snow!

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    1. george Post author

      Jeff, I fired up Big Orange yesterday. It’s gassed and ready to snowblow! Buffalo is in the Lake Effect storm’s crosshairs. The storm will oscillate north and hit us on Saturday. They’re predicting 3 inches an hour snowfall. That mounts up fast! All the schools in Buffalo have announced they’re going to close on Friday when the storm really hits.

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  5. Patti Abbott

    I know some of these but I was already drifting away from pop music, not to return until my kids were listening in the late eighties. I need to take a catch-up course.

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  6. maggie mason

    I don’t recognize all of them, at least by title, but enjoy many of them. When I went to the Rock n Roll hall of fame in August, one of the most enjoyable things we did was listen to the music of the inductees, that and utilize instruments in the garage band area. There’s a video of me playing drums that needs to be trashed, and photos of my friend joining a woman in the space next to him rocking out on guitar (that should have been a video, but I didn’t think of it).

    I’ve been listening too allman bros and skynard in the car, and think it’s time to dig out the Motown cd.

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  7. wolfi7777

    Many of the songs I remember – some artists are among my favourites like Tina Turner (and the other girls: Aretha, Diana, Dionenn …), Marvin Gaye and the groups (Temptations).
    I was on the road often driving maybe 150 miles to customers on Monday and back on Wednesday or Friday and besides AFN I would listen to my CDs Car radios in Germany then had a special function:
    If traffic was heavy somewhere or an accident happened etc there would be a special signal and the radio would switch to that local info station – you didn’t have to listen to their crappy German “Schlager”.

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  8. Cap'n Bob Napier

    I know most of them and like most of the ones I know. Exception: Freddie’s Dead. That song is dead to me.

    When I heard the weather report yesterday I knew Big Orange was going into action again.

    Reply ↓

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