Soul Master DVDs

At The Prestatyn Soul Weekender, I just happened to bump into Chris Waterman, who was holding a DVD.

Being a nosey kind of chap I asked him what it was and he told me it was aload of vintage footage of some of our heroes.

I had a look and was amazed to see the first track was Jackie Lee - The Duck. On looking down the list I couldn't believe my eyes:- Major Lance, Joe Matthews, Barbara McNair, Esther Phillips just to name a few.

When he told me that they were for sale I handed over my 20 quid, and as soon as I got home it went into the DVD player.

My opinion............FANTASTIC Quotes from other happy punters at bottom of page

Some of the video is not quite up to today's' standards, but what can we expect, some of the footage is 40 years old!!! The sound quality is great, and in my humble opinion it's well worth the money.

Right now where can you get it from I hear you asking!

Check out their site at www.newcenturysoul.co.uk and follow the DVD link

Volume two is now available (and a Twisted Wheel Special soon), and there are loads of stuff in the pipeline.

SOME QUOTES ABOUT THE DVDS........

It was a mention on Eddy's site that set me off in pursuit of Soulmasters, the truly amazing series of DVDs from Manchester's New Century Soul Club.

I'd often wondered if there was any film of the soul performers of the Sixties around, and told myself that apart from the top Motown or Stax acts, there mustn't be.

The Seventies fare a bit better due primarily to the Soul Train series, but shots from this haven't been seen in this country since the British version of Soul Train in the Eighties had a flashback spot to segments from its American cousin.

The Soulmasters series of dvds are like the opening of the Motown vaults: treasures have been unearthed that are seriously breathtaking for the soul fan.

OK the picture quality on some of the tracks is far from top-notch, but the sound is always clear.

You'll be absolutely gobsmacked at the segments the compilers have been able to get hold of. Cult heroes are there alongside the household names, often accompanied by those go-go dancers who seemed to populate every Sixties American TV rock show.

As the New Century Soul blurb says on the website, it's "authentic film of Northern Soul legends performing while at the peak of their powers. These clips have remained rare and elusive until now. Artists performing tracks when they were released."

Here's a selection of what's on the three DVDs.

Soulmasters Vol 1 kicks off the series, and fittingly it's a Northern classic leading things off - Jackie Lee, and those go-go girls, doing The Duck.

Major Lance looks like he could come out the winner in a soul dance competition, slipping and sliding his way through The Monkey Time.

The brilliant Jackie Wilson presents a jazzy live take of Higher and Higher, in colour and dancing like a good 'un.

The O'Jays - the original five-man line-up with the underrated Walter Williams singing lead - move Temptations-style through Lipstick Traces, and the Radiants show they can move a bit too on Voice Your Choice.

However two of the highlights on volume one are slowies, Esther Phillips singing Just Say Goodbye and a young Aretha Franklin, prior to her signing with Atlantic and superstardom, presenting her version of I Can't Wait To See My Baby's Face from her 1964 album Running Out of Fools, to the same backing track as Baby Washington's version.

Soulmasters Vol 2, which has been available since April, is another 25-song compilation full of surprises, such as Chuck Jackson in colour performing Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone, which was never even released as a single, the Shades of Blue doing their sole hit Oh! How Happy. On deck, on a battleship!!., the Reflections showing white boys can groove on Romeo and Juliet, and another white band, the O'Kaysions, singing their classic Girl Watcher, live and in colour.

Brenda Holloway is fully kitted out in British Mod style (cap, big earrings, belted coat) to do Just Look What You've Done, fellow Motowner Kim Weston figures in an older shot singing Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While), and Chubby Checker chips in with the Northern classic At The Discotheque.

The highlight for me, however, is the relatively unknown Peggy Gaines with the very soulful One Step.

Soulmasters Vol 3, released in July, is another tremendous mix of soul classics, Northern faves and fascinating oddities.

A few sessions from the Seventies Soul Train series make the cut, including Millie Jackson's My Man A Sweet Man, Otis Clay's Trying To Live My Life Without You and Greg Perry's Love Don't Come No Stronger.

They're in colour, but you've to get your black and white glasses to watch one of the best performances, for me, of the whole series so far.

It features the Four Tops in not-too-terrific picture quality but great voice performing Ask the Lonely at a small venue somewhere in the States. Looking at Levi's straightened hairstyle it's probably from around the time of the record's release.

He's astounding as expected, but the harmonies of the other Tops are scintillating.

Among the bigger names in soul are Jerry Butler (Moody Woman in colour), Len Barry (1-2-3) and James and Bobby Purify (I'm Your Puppet), and among the super surprises is Jamo Thomas, who I think I've only ever seen one picture of, looking great and performing Arrest Me, which my internet research tells me was probably filmed for a Texas TV show called The Beat in 1966.

Clips from the three dvds are available on the club website, www.newcenturysoul.co.uk, where you can also order copies at £21.50 each.