6 GREAT SOUL ALBUMS

Please press the links below for all Albums and Artist details and to play some of the Tracks!

Harvest for the World – The Isley Brothers

Look Out For #1 – Brothers Johnson

Let the Music Play – Barry White

Full of Fire – Al Green

Happiness Is Being With the Spinners – The Spinners

Bristol's Creme – Johnny Bristol

GREAT MUSIC, GREAT BIRD!

By the middle of the Summer in 1976, I remember buying some Great Vinyl, here's 6 of the Best, that will bring a few memories flooding back!


Brother's Johnson "Look out for number one"
Johnny Bristol "Bristol's Cream"
Detroit Spinners "Happiness is being with the Spinners"
Al Green "Full of fire"
Isley Brothers "Harvest for the world"
Barry White "Let the music play"

I brought all of these plus many many more! There was'nt that many Albums I brought and did not like, obviously there must of been a few Duds, sometime later in this Blog I will list my Favorite Artists, Singles and Albums, along with the Duds!

Did I hear somebody say "How the Hell can he remember those Albums being Released in that Year" The answer is Simple, I logged everything I Purchased in my Little Red Books, which Obviously I still have!

I had well over a 1000 Albums (Vinyl and Tape) at one stage, & that didnt include 7" & 12"Singles!

As I said in Previous installment of this Blog, I had 2 other Big Events in 1976, & by roughly the end of the Summer of "76, I met Somebody who would Change my Life forever!

I was still Working as a Trainee Chef in the same Hotel, but by this time I had a new Second Chef, we got on quite well, and he was always go on about his younger Sister in law, who used to go and sit with his Wife (her Sister)while he was at Work!

After hearing him talking about Her for Weeks and telling me she was the same age as me, and what School she went to and where she went Day and Night! I decided to ask him for a Photograph of Her, he some days later Obliged, What a Beauty I thought to Myself ( i still have that photo in the Loft, I will find it up and put it on here later) After having that Photo for a little while, I finally asked him to set me up a date with Her!

A few days later, it was all arranged to meet her, around his House the following Sunday after work, we always worked the Late Shift together on a Sunday! What happened that Sunday!

You will have to wait until my next installment!

THE HOT SUMMER OF 1976 IN THE U.K / MUSIC and a GOOD BEATING IN TOWN!

I remember the Hot Summer of 1976 in the U.K, this was the Year I got my First Car (see previous Blog entry)We had a new Record Shop open our Town it was called " Airfield Tapes and Records 2" it was a Great shop! it Sold lots of Different Soul and Funk Albums and Singles by Singers and Groups Some I had heard of and some I hadn't heard of before!


I can remember walking to the Shop on one Particular occasion, the weather was Boiling hot, I purchased Archie Bell and the Drells Vinyl Album "Dance Your Troubles Away" it had 2 Great Singles on it, "Soul City Walk" and "Let's Groove" that was a Great Album!

Three others Things happened to me in '76 that I wont forget in a hurry!
Firstly around early Summertime, I got the C**P Kicked out of me by I think it was 4/5 Blokes, who were in our Town for a Holiday!

"How the Hell did that Happen" I hear you say! I remember sitting on the steps outside the ABC Picture House in our Town, with about 4/5 so called Mates, and these about 6 Men walked passed and one of the Boys with me Shouted out some sort of Insult, it was a chap by the Name of Gregory Page ( I never did like him!) anyway this was the Era of wearing Shoes called Stacks, (Great BIG Heels and Soles) so when these Blokes heard what "PAGE" Had Shouted they came after us!

Now Stacks and Running dont go together, and I was Caught! as I said at least 4 of them were there Kicking and Punching me, the main thing I remember was being Head -Butted several times by different Blokes, I recall being Pulled up then the Butt and going to the floor and then being pulled up again and butted again, over and over!

My nose and Forehead were sore for Weeks!

I recall the only Help I got, was from a Woman who was in the Bus Queue, who was grabbing them and Shouting at them to stop!

Where was all my so called Friends! they had all Run Off!

As it turned out these Blokes were on Holiday at one of the Caravan Parks just outside of Town, I'll always remember the Main Chap, had long curly Afro Hair and had on a pair of Clogs with an American Flag Pattern on them! they were from Liverpool, one of my older Friends at that time got a few of his Mates together and went looking for them, they were never seen in the Town again!

More of the other things that happened in '76 later!

FIRST CAR, FIRST CAR CASSETTE PLAYER!

1976, I passed my Driving Test at the 2nd attempt,(I had plenty of lessons over about a 8 month period!) on 23 July that year, soon after that I borrowed some money and put that with what I had managed to save and brought my first Car "A Morris 1800" it was a great first Car, I brought it from a Half Cousin for I think £125!

The first thing I brought for the Car was a Cassette Player, the Make of the Player was "PYE" quite a big Brand Name back then! I was still working as a Trainee Chef in the same Hotel, by this time I had a Big Pay Rise, My Weekly wage for about 48 Hours was £7, we had our Annual Pay Rise, and I went right up to £19 per week, which was quite a Decent wage then for a Trainee Chef, I actually worked in what was Classed as "The Best Hotel in our Town" as It is still probably to this day!

I recall wedging my Stereo Speakers into the back side windows, facing into the Car!
WOW that Stereophonic Sound! and I can Quite easily remember the first track I played, it was "Love Machine" by The Miracles featuring Billy Griffin, I can remember getting one of my fellow chefs out of the Kitchen to Check out my New Tape Player "in the car" he was impressed, or said he was!