I love The Spinners and Philly Soul from the 70-75 era. Lets dig deeper.

July 20, 2014 11:52 AM

Im up here at the tip of the iceberg of Philly Soul with The Spinners, The Delfonics, Blue Magic, etc. but I want to dig deeper into this stuff and find some bands/songs/records that I might not encounter otherwise, since history has a way of remembering the big stuff and forgetting some of the amazing but less well known stuff. So help me down the rabbit hole here if you please to find even more music in that vein.
posted by Senor Cardgage to Media & Arts (7 answers total)

Check out Now and Again Records, which goes out of its way to cull little known and forgotten soul/funk music from basements and attics. There's Philly soul in there, but a whole lot more worth expanding into, including Northern Soul as a broader category.

I also recommend reading Wax Poetics magazine, which hits on everything from soul to hip hop to R&B to funk to afrobeat.

And Numero Group's Eccentric Soul compilation series will knock your socks off.

Here's an example of the kind of gems you'll find by going through some of the above.
posted by nightrecordings at 12:20 PM on July 20, 2014 [3 favorites]

This boxed set won't get you to the really obscure acts, but it will get you started with the major players and it contains quite a lot of good music.

This track somehow keeps finding itself into the playlists I make for my radio show more frequently than I expect. The artist might not technically be from Philly but the song is penned by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff so it's definitely got some Philly pedigree.

If you're not fixated on the Philadelphia aspect or concerned about strict genre boundaries, you might find some other related music to be of interest (e.g. the "Brooklyn Sound" such as you might find in this example.)
posted by Nerd of the North at 12:32 PM on July 20, 2014 [1 favorite]

I agree re Northern Soul -- in particular, given your preferences, start with the compilations centered on the Blackpool Mecca, which was a legendary Northern Soul venue that particularly catered to Philly soul.

Also, check out the Gamble & Huff discography (on preview: jinx!) to find some other groups/songs that will definitely have that great Philly feel.

I have a couple of friends who are hardcore soul fanatics, so I'll check in with them as well to see if they have other suggestions.
posted by scody at 12:36 PM on July 20, 2014 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Oh man that Joe Simon track NotM linked is incredible.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 12:48 PM on July 20, 2014

You might enjoy tuning into the Internet radio station known as Soulful Bits.
posted by Work to Live at 12:54 PM on July 20, 2014 [1 favorite]

You might also enjoy the Rhythm Revue with Felix Hernandez on WBGO public radio in Newark Saturdays from 10am to 2pm. If you're not in the listening area, you can stream it on the website or on iTunes.
posted by feistycakes at 1:57 PM on July 20, 2014 [2 favorites]

More than once I've fallen down a 60s/70s soul k-hole on youtube by starting with a song I know and clicking on the suggestions. You'll find a lot more than the usual hits. And because the people taking time to rip and upload are a somewhat self-selecting group, they tend to be accurately labeled and decent sound quality.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 7:05 PM on July 20, 2014 [1 favorite]