Big in Wigan

by Big In Wigman / Various

Overview

The raison d'etre of this disc needs some explanation to North American audiences. Subtitled "collection of shameless oldies played in the golden era of Northern soul," it's an anthology of 20 obscure soul tracks from the mid-'60s to the mid-'70s that have found favor with the cult of obsessive soul listeners in Northern England. There's no real thread connecting the tracks, other than that each one has been selected to represent one of the DJs that spins rare 45s for the dancers who still go to British clubs to hear this music. It's easy to see why these numbers are dancefloor favorites -- most have a solidly thumping pop-soul groove conducive to dancing, especially if you're one of those old-fashioned fogies who doesn't want to get blasted into the English Channel with synth-driven rave and techno. It's also, to be harsh, easy to see why they made a beeline for the collector bins rather than the AM airwaves -- the material wasn't arresting enough to capture the ears of the masses. Judged solely as a stone-cold home listening experience, it's definitely not an A-list choice for the soul compilation library, even if you're a soul fan. If you're a specialist collector, you may well find it to your liking, populated as it is by obscure names such as Flower Shoppe and the Lovettes, obscure singles by minor soul notables like Bobby Freeman, Millie Jackson, and Leon Haywood, and the primo mod soul of Mickey Lee Lane's "Hey Sah-Lo-Ney," probably the rawest and most compelling track here. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	09/03/1996
Label:	Kent
UPC:	0029667212922

Tracks

1. It's a Woman's World (You'd Better Believe It)  - R. Evans  -  Gypsies
2. Baby Reconsider  - Leon Haywood
3. That's Loving You  - Jerry Crutchfield  - Percy Wiggins
4. Sweet Sherry  - J.J. Barnes  - Don Davis
5. I Wanna Be (Your Everything)  - Winfred "Blue" Lovett  -  Pretenders
6. Happy  - William Bell  - Booker T. Jones
7. My Man, a Sweet Man  - Raeford Gerald  - Millie Jackson
8. Little Miss Soul  - Winfred "Blue" Lovett  -  Lovettes
9. I'll Never Fall in Love Again  - Bobby Freeman  - Sylvester Stewart
10. Hey Sah-Lo-Ney  - Mickey Lee Lane  - John Linde
11. Till You Give In  - Bobby Patterson
12. With My Love & What You've Got (We Could Turn the World Around)  - Jean Wells
13. Mother of Shame  - Sam Dees  - Loleatta Holloway  - J. Lewis
14. Running Away from Love  - Skip Mahoney  -  Mahoney
15. You've Come a Long Way Baby  -  Flower Shoppe  - Raeford Gerald  - John Lombardo
16. Ain't That Good Enough  - Jo Armstead  - Nickolas Ashford  - John Edwards  - Valerie Simpson
17. You Turned My Bitter into Sweet  - Mary Love  - Chester Pipkin
18. Baby I Need You  -  Lorraine & the Delights
19. Can It Be Me  - Millie Jackson  - Mel Williams
20. Our Love Will Grow  -  Showmen

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Mickey Lee Lane   Primary Artist
Lorraine & the Delights   Primary Artist
Jean Wells   Primary Artist
Gypsies   Primary Artist
Leon Haywood   Primary Artist
Percy Wiggins   Primary Artist
Millie Jackson   Primary Artist
Pretenders   Primary Artist
The Showmen   Primary Artist
William Bell   Primary Artist
J.J. Barnes   Primary Artist
Loleatta Holloway   Primary Artist
Mary Love   Primary Artist
Mel Williams   Primary Artist
Skip Mahoney & the Casuals   Primary Artist
The Lovettes   Primary Artist
Bobby Freeman   Primary Artist
Bobby Patterson   Primary Artist
Flower Shoppe   Primary Artist
John Edwards   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Percy Wiggins   Performer
Mickey Lee Lane   Composer,Performer
Phil Flowers   Producer
Chester Pipkin   Composer
Jean Wells   Composer,Performer
Harboro Horace   Liner Notes
Chris Towns   Arranger
Harris   Producer
John Linde   Composer
Gypsies   Performer
Winston Hall   Model
Adam Skeaping   Producer
Young   Producer
Skip Mahoney   Composer
Don Davis   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Raeford Gerald   Composer,Producer
Andrew "Mike" Terry   Arranger
Leon Haywood   Performer,Composer
R. Evans   Composer
Jerry Crutchfield   Composer,Producer
Richard Barrett   Producer
Millie Jackson   Composer,Performer
Pretenders   Performer
The Showmen   Performer
Ady Croasdell   Compilation Producer
William Bell   Composer,Performer
Arthur Wright   Arranger
George Kerr   Producer
Winfred "Blue" Lovett   Composer
Sylvester Stewart   Composer
Ken Laxton   Engineer
Booker T. Jones   Arranger,Composer,Producer
J.J. Barnes   Composer,Performer
Loleatta Holloway   Performer
Mary Love   Performer
Nickolas Ashford   Composer
Mel Williams   Composer,Performer
J. Lewis   Composer
Skip Mahoney & the Casuals   Performer
Bert DeCoteaux   Arranger
The Lovettes   Performer
Bobby Freeman   Performer
Bobby Patterson   Composer,Performer
Baker   Producer
Cliff Goldsmith   Producer
Clyde Otis   Producer
Jo Armstead   Composer
Floyd Smith   Producer
Flower Shoppe   Performer
John Lombardo   Composer
Lorraine & the Delights   Performer
Sam Dees   Composer
Valerie Simpson   Composer
Horace Ott   Arranger
Hy Weiss   Producer