Customer Reviews

Keep on Movin

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There will never be another sound like Soul II Soul. The energy that vibes out from this music reminds one of the last real great days of partying to some ultra funky grooves not glorifying violence and disrespecting women. I've got all their CDs and they all rock my world. I hope Jazzy B. is still in it to win it. He's pure genius......

When this album came out, I was barely a teenager. I purchased the tape (which is arranged differently than the CD) and I've been jammin' ever since. The good tracks are REALLY good while the bad tracks are REALLY bad. Songs like "Keep On Movin" and "Back To Life" are classics that will still get parties jumping today. Versatile tracks like "Fairplay" give you more mellow grooves to cool out to or jam to. The shortcomings of this CD/tape come when Jazzie B tries to sing on tracks like "Holdin' On". Man oh man, that was pretty bad. When I throw 80's parties, I always play "Feeling Free" to get the people going during an intermission. I remember the impact this album had on me back then and it still has that same impact at some parties today. You could party back then without having to refer to drugs, money, rims, or hoes because of albums like these and I miss that. This album is more than worth the money. Pick it up, you'll be glad you did.

Standout Tracks: Keep On Movin' (My Favorite), Back To Life, & Jazzie's Groove

I don't want anyone to misunderstand this but here it goes. I love this group's music since I first heard them. I want everyone to be aware that this is not the "original" album cut that was first released in 1988/89. In 1988 I purchased this tape which is "great", the way the music blended into the next track. In 2000, unfortunately that tape warped so I decided to buy the CD. The CD is not the same. The tracks are cut differently, but the music is still good.
Enjoy.

Do NOT buy this version - buy "Club Classics, Vol. 1 - 10th Anniversary Edition" instead. That version is the 1999 remaster of the British edition of this CD. It has all the tracks on this CD (including the original CD version and the single version of "Back to Life"), plus bonus tracks and improved sound.

Now, once you do your search and find the 10th Anniversary edition, you should absolutely buy this CD. This was one of the best releases of 1989. It almost singlehandly brought back 1970's-influenced soul music and contains some of the best house music of 1989.

It is a very warm-sounding album, with a rich sonic texture. What the hell does that mean? These aren't just some pre-programmed pop ditties; Jazzy B. and Nellie Hooper put some thought and effort into this one. They also got screwed out of the 1989 Best New Artist Grammy (the winner? none other than those musical revoluntaries, Milli Vanilli - who were not the best, new or even artists).

I'm not going to go into the individual tracks, other than to say that if you like "Back to Life" and "Keep On Moving" you are going to like this CD. A hits compilation won't do Soul II Soul justice. Buy this CD and listen to the entire album instead.

Soul II Soul are one of the most influential music groups in history. When tracks such as "Fairplay", "Keep On Movin" and the massive UK No. 1 "Back to Life" hit the charts in the late 1980s, black music groups across the UK suddenly switched to producing harmonious vocals over hip hop beats. "Another Soul II Soul rip off" was a popular quote when music magazines reviewed such releases.
Originally a sound system, famous for their party's at "Africa Centre" and the Fridge Nightclub in London, the group was a loose collective of singers and instrumentalists, based around founder Beresford Romeo AKA "Jazzie B". This release was originally named "Club Classics Volume I" - and not "Keep On Movin" as per the re-issue.
"A Happy Face, A Thumping Bass...for a Loving Race" was Soul II Souls motto - which the "funki dreds" certainly embodied. "Back to Life", the groups highest charting single ever, is here in a capella form only. Well, the track starts of a capella. Three minutes in, and Caron Wheelers vocals are laced with one of the grittiest hip hop beats ever produced (the beat was later sampled by a slew of American hip hop artists including The Goats, LL Cool J, Mobb Deep, Yo Yo, Ice Cube and Ghetto Boys ) before the track melds into "Jazzies Groove" - in which Jazzie speaks the "story" of Soul II Soul over a funky bassline and chorus horn stabs. Soul II Soul enjoyed considerable - if but brief - success stateside, when "Back to Life" hit the Billboard RnB charts. Jazzie B appeared to present an award at the American Music Awards in 1990.
This album's production sounds as fresh as it did upon its initial release and its fusion of diva vocals and hip hop rhythms would resonate with most modern RnB, funk and soul fans.

I was in high school when this tape came out. It was a very good tape not slam talking women but good talking music to get your groove on doing the wop. I know you remember that dance with the hype. Well anyway I loved this tape and I hope there are many more.

I have listened to Keep on moving on my Grand Theft Auto San Andreas Video Game. I like it very much. It is very peaceful like most late 80's early nineties pop. i like everykind of movie, videogame, and music. This music is the kind of music you would listen to on a summer trip. i am 16 years old. it is june 25 2006

I love "Back to Life" and "Keep on Movin'." I purchased the cassette back in June of 1989. As the years went on, I misplaced my cassette. Today, these songs are really popular and I hear them several times a month on my local radio station, but I am so thankful for the opportunity to purchase this one again, especially the CD. Thank you Amazon!!

The songs in this CD are incredible. I don't know why this group never caught on in the United States. All of the songs hit the core of soul music. It's at the top of my list for dance music in this genre. The beat throughout defies description. It's alive, powerful, vital. Take this cd to your next aerobic class, and I'm sure it will be played more than any other, because almost all the songs are jumpin'. You must get this one.

A nice opening salvo in the Afro-Brit invasion; too bad that it never materialized as strongly as promised. Still, this CD manages to hit all of the high notes while, for the most part, avoiding too many cliches along the way. Some songs hold up much better than others over time - "Back to Life" and "Fairplay" are two good examples. Some songs were good for the time, but now ound dated - "Dance" and "Jazzie's groove;" others, like "Feel Free" are embarasments. The rest of the disc is okay, but I have serious issues with whoever decided to put "Dance" and "African Dance" - two versions of the same song- back to back with each other.