Customer Reviews

A Touch of Classic Soul: Soul Singers of the Early 1970s

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

 

 

This book is like an "Encyclopedia of Soul Music of the 70's", except that, instead of entries, you get a full chapter for each artist or group. It fills an important gap in the bibliography of pop music. The author understandably did not include such big names as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye or the Jackson 5, as these acts had their own biographies published at one time or another. But then, Tavares and The Hues Corporation would have been welcome. We do get the stories of Blue Magic, Chi-Lites, Billy Paul, First Choice, Stylistics, Spinners, Three Degrees, Barry White and many others. I would have given this book five stars if it had included the complete discography for each artist, which would have been invaluable information for collectors. Unfortunately, it doesn't (though the albums are mentioned in the text). Also, in some cases, the biographies you can find in CD booklets seem to be more in-depth. For instance, in the Blue Magic chapter, there is no mention of the fact that their first single, "Spell", was actually recorded by Ted Mills' original group, before Blue Magic was formed. This piece of information can be found on the booklet of the CD "Soulful Spell, The Best of Blue Magic", which Marc E. Taylor could have used for reference. But don't get me wrong: this book may not be perfect, but it is still an excellent addition to anyone's library. It chronicles those good old days when black singers were accompanied by real drums, real strings, real horns... and made music that was real magic!

I am a music historian with a large collection of music and books. This is easily one of the top 3 or 4 music books I have ever read. What makes this book special is Taylor's in depth examinations of each artist's impact on the era. He understands that Billboard chart positions cannot always be taken at face value, they can be both accurate and misleading. Many authors simply use numbers to tell the artists stories, but Taylor goes beyond this. His explanation of the impact of the first Teddy Pendergrass album is a perfect example. There were only two singles released from that album, but there were at least three more hits that drove the album's sales. This type of info, and more, is given throughout the book. I know alot about this type of music, and I can tell when an author really knows it too. Marc Taylor knows the music, did his homework, and wrote an excellent and informative book. I'm sure volume two is even better.

this is the kind of Book Every 70's Lover of R&B must have ASAP.very detail&interesting from start to finish.a MUST!A MUST!

Mr. Taylor! This is a real up close and personal interviews and encounters with these guys... that fans of this music genre and the people in it like to know. Tommy webb