Another thin layer of dust has settled on the record racks of time since the first volume of Working Man’s Soul was released in 2006, where we at Licorice Soul first rescued a plethora of forgotten funky gems from within the grooves of privately-pressed Road Albums of the 1960s and ‘70s. Now, dear listener, we are proud to present herewith the second volume of selections from the forgotten, yet funky, world of the night club performer of yesteryear, proving that the world of cabaret music is a rich seam that is still a very long way from being picked clean of groovy goodness.
As listeners will remember from the sleeve notes from the first volume of Working Man’s Soul, Road Albums were often the result of self-financed recording sessions from bands and singers who had become marginally successful on a local or regional level, but either couldn’t seem to attract the attention of the big record labels of the time, or were simply happy to plough their own furrow around the clubs. What has brought these artists to our attention many years later is the fact that they decided to go it alone and generate an album or EP to sell to willing punters after the gig, often putting their own cash up front, sometimes working with the assistance of a benevolent patron or independent local recording studio with its own in-house vinyl press, and yet more others taking advantage of the sell-a-few, buy-a-few approach of pressing-and-distribution one-stop shops like the SRT label.
As with the first in the series, this second volume of Working Man’s Soul displays a strong regional flavour. Not that London had any less than its share of Working Man’s, Trade Union or Social clubs, but more likely, and as has often been recounted during interviews with the protagonists over the course of these releases, as far as the major record labels were concerned, if it was north of Watford, forget it. In this age of domestic commuter air travel, it is easy to lose touch with the fact that that the motorway network was still in its infancy in the 1960s and ‘70s and a City & Guilds in mechanics was often needed to make sure that a trip in the band van down to the bright lights of the capital for a big time gig that didn’t end with dashed hopes and the assistance of the AA man. Record company types don’t often venture out of the warmth and comfort of London unless they absolutely have to, and even back then very few bands or singers made it unless they transplanted themselves down to The Smoke. However, it is clear that during the 1960s and ‘70s this major label apathy did not prevent strong regional music scenes from flourishing, often due to the steady employment possibilities for professional musicians on BBC regional radio and television productions; for example at Oxford Road studios in Manchester and Pebble Mill in Birmingham. These studios and other similar facilities around the country, coupled with the birth and expansion of local radio during the period, provided the regional springboard for a large number of the artists we present here, for which the BBC should be highly praised.
But also let us not forget the other side – ITV that is. The thin line between success and failure of the artists we feature here is all too often one drawn by the swing of the Clapometer or the forthright views of Tony Hatch. Highly popular television shows such as New Faces - a mirror to the Beeb’s Opportunity Knocks - provided a platform for a wide diversity of acts from up and down the country to get television exposure at prime time, and this compilation features huge success stories such as The Black Abbots, but equally, many who sadly must have just filled up the bill as Lena Zavaroni won the hearts of the nation for yet another blummin’ week. Their time has now come. |
Following on from the release of the first volume of Working Man’s Soul, we keenly note that some of the featured records are now exchanging hands for more than a few pence; indeed, in some cases for quite a few pounds. Our advice remains steadfast: persistence rather than the power of pounds will reward those who search for the records discussed here. Although the recent decline in the real-life second hand record shop is to be greatly lamented, let’s face it, this stuff never made it out of the basement and into the racks in most shops, so keep heading down to your local flea market or car boot sale on the off-chance that something like the tracks featured here crops up where you might least expect.
All of the records which have donated tracks to this compilation were purchased for loose change in the period since the release of the first volume of Working Man’s Soul back in late 2006, and we are sure that there are still many more privately pressed cabaret recordings out there yet to be discovered. If we have, yet again, missed off your favourite, then drop us a line and tell us all about it and we’ll see what we can do next time. |
