Saturday 18 August 2007

dancing with tears in my eyes


there was a fabulous moment at the very last party on the roofs of soon to be swallowed by the new kings cross battlebridge road when 'the bottle' blasted out - the night exploded with whoops and hands in the air and beaming faces. how does such a tragic tune do that? and why do we ignore the desperate pain and heartbreak of a million floorfillers when the urge to shake and fingerpop proves impossible to resist?
i can't think of a single jolly northern soul song right now. i know there must be loads but my head's full of 'i hurt on the other side' and 'love gone bad'. oh alright there's ' you turned my bitter into sweet' for a start but soul, funk and disco are built on hi hats and tears and the hits that send us charging to the dancefloor should really have us sobbing in the dark.
come to think of it some of my best moves have been busted to 'home is where the hatred is' which i think proves my point perfectly...


esther phillips - home is where the hatred is

i think this one is going to run and run.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey, hey! they put you on the uardian guide's blogroll again on saturday and this time they've managed to put a link up from their website too.

oh and you need to go and listen to 'wear it on our face' by the dells

Anonymous said...

how did that 'g' fall off?

Fire Escape said...

You're absolutely right (to quote The Apollas) that the Northern Soul idiom largely expresses itself through Pain with a side order of Pleasure. However, if you're looking for "jolly northern soul", I'd like to direct you towards Ecstasy (Patrice Holloway); Heaven Must Have Sent You (The Elgins); I Get What I Want (Denise La Salle); Everything Is Everything (Sandy Waddy); Our Love Is In The Pocket (JJ Barnes); Out On The Floor (Dobie Gray); Talking Eyes (Pamela Beatty); Do I Love You (Frank Wilson); Name It And Claim It (Darryl Stewart); and - what more joy could you want than the braggadocio of a man with a PhD in Loveology - Dr Love (Bobby Sheen).

Roger said...

A great selection, as always. It was nice to see you get a shout in the Guardian.

So It Goes said...

but you deserve it ally, you're a nice person with an outstanding blog.

Anonymous said...

Hmm, you are in danger of making me a fan of your sort of music here, Ally. Quite something for a pig-headed indie snob!

Anonymous said...

try waking up to William Bell's "Happy"

unequivocal affirmation of life, love and happiness

Anonymous said...

Perhaps, no, certainly, the very best song to deal with the demon of addiction.