Ronnie Walker: Just Can't Say Hello (Once You've Said Goodbye) (Event, 1973)So, I was rooting around in this pile of CDs on my desk this morning and I found this. As I said before, soul music is a bit of a closed book to me - especially the obsessive collector end of things - but there are two great tracks on it.
I know tap all about Ronnie Walker, but what I gather from the intranot is that he was one of those warhorses who spent much of his career banging out the hit(s) to worshipful Northern Soul fans. This is a brilliantly pitched ballad with great harp and strings. Oh, and a bassline that's pitched somewhere below sea level. Stylistically, Ronnie is like a slightly camp Al Green. I mean, he isn't, but you see what I mean...
Leroy Randolph: Good To The Last Drop (Spring, 1972)There only seems to be this one picture of Leroy Randolph on the entire internet (unless this is also him, which is probably isn't - hello to the wonderfully named Geneva Shells, by the way). He only made one record for Spring and this is it. A proper hip-shaking dancer, it has elements of Motown shuffle, great backing vocals, and a lyric where he describes his lady-friend as being "like a small piece of leather" and points out that she's "very well put together". Good work, Leroy! Great little 4-bar breakdown in the middle too.
Enjoy!
UPDATE: I've emailed Leroy Randolph to ask if he's "THE" Leroy Randolph. I'll keep you posted of all developments...
UPDATE II: If you look closely, you'll see that Geneva and Fred Shells share a "cell-phone". Sweet!
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