For Dancers Only

by N/A

Overview

It was the early days for soul reissues when this compilation first came out as a Kent LP in 1982 -- so it's understandable that the annotation was on the perfunctory side (though odd that, when it was reissued on CD, no additional information was added to the liner notes, let alone extra tracks added to the disc). Even so, as various-artists soul anthologies go, it was of fairly marginal and specialized worth, with all 15 of the mid-'60s tracks taken from the vaults of the Modern label. Modern didn't cultivate the most distinctive of label or regional soul sounds in the era; in fact, many of its releases were derivative or even imitative. That's what you get on this album, largely populated by no-hit artists, though Lowell Fulsom, Z.Z. Hill, and Ike & Tina Turner are on board, too. To be blunt, too many of these tracks are sub-Motown productions to make this comfortable listening for soul fans with a sense of discrimination. Not every track aspires to latch onto the Motown bandwagon, but a lot of them do, sometimes to the point of lifting ideas almost verbatim (as Hill's "Baby I'm Sorry" does in its female backup vocals, modeled slavishly on the Supremes' harmonies in "Come See About Me"). When a track pops up that's not a Motown aspirant and is of genuine quality -- namely, Ike & Tina Turner's "I Can't Believe What You Say," which is the duo at its most compellingly earthy -- the ears perk up in attention and the rest of the cuts are dwarfed in comparison. The album offers competent danceable pop-soul for the most part, but it's not original or expressive enough to command interest, unless you're so enamored of the Motown sound that even photocopied variants of sorts are enough to satisfy you. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	02/20/2007
Label:	Kent
UPC:	0029667025225

Tracks

1. You Turned My Bitter into Sweet  - Marc Gordon  - Mary Love  - Chester Pipkin  - Gary Pipkin
2. I Can Feel Your Love  - Felice Taylor  - Johnny Taylor
3. Baby, Without You  - J. Ford  - Danny Monday  - Lolly Vegas
4. Your Love Has Made Me a Man  - Marc Gordon  - Willie Hutch
5. I'm So Thankful  - Marc Gordon  -  Ikettes
6. In the Sunshine  -  Marvellos  - Van McCoy
7. Before It's Too Late  - Jackie Day
8. I Can't Believe What You Say  - Ike Turner  - Tina Turner  -  Turner
9. Gimme, Gimme  - Aaron Collins  - Z.Z. Hill
10. My Aching Back  - Lowell Fulson
11. Come Back Baby  - Arthur Freeman  - Tami Young
12. I've Been Taken for a Ride  -  Saints
13. Dancing Fast, Dancing Slow  -  Intentions
14. Baby I'm Sorry  - Z.Z. Hill
15. Let Me Know  - Mary Love  - Frank [Motown] Wilson

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ike & Tina Turner   Primary Artist
Danny Monday   Primary Artist
The Marvellos   Primary Artist
The Ikettes   Primary Artist
The Saints   Primary Artist,Primary Artist
Lowell Fulson   Primary Artist
Ike Turner   Primary Artist
The Intentions   Primary Artist
Mary Love   Primary Artist
Jackie Day   Primary Artist
Felice Taylor   Primary Artist
Z.Z. Hill   Primary Artist
Willie Hutch   Primary Artist
Tina Turner   Primary Artist
Tami Young   Primary Artist,Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Gary Pipkin   Composer
Frank Wilson   Composer
Aaron Collins   Composer
Chester Pipkin   Composer
J. Ford   Composer
Marc Gordon   Composer
Jackie Day   Composer
Arthur Freeman   Composer
Van McCoy   Composer
Lowell Fulson   Composer
Lolly Vegas   Composer
Johnny Taylor   Composer
Ike Turner   Composer