ReviewSometimes it pays to read the small print, and at the bottom of the back-inlay of this CD it clearly states (albeit in very small print) "All tracks produced by Ian Levine and Clive Scott".
Unfortunately I didn't read this when I purchased this CD and so I was bitterly disappointed when I got home and put this onto my CD player to find that rather than having bought a compilation of 25 tracks from the 1960's and 1970's I had added to my collection a compilation of remakes that Ian Levine had recorded 20 years later for his "Strange World of Northern Soul" project.
For those unfamiliar with Mr Levine's "Strange World of Northern Soul", it was a project that involved him tracking down many of his favourite Soul artists and having them perform over backing tracks that Mr. Levine had produced, as rough facsimiles of the originals, using drum machines and synthesisers. The results were then used to illustrate a documentary film in 1999 which was put out as a Video collection, and then as an expanded DVD Box Set issued by Weinerworld in 2003.
I have the DVD box-set and consider it to be a worthwhile purchase, the detail paid to the whole "Northern Soul" phenomenon is outstanding and it is great to be able to see some of the artists performing their songs. However with the DVD we have the videos to look at, unlike with this CD, and unfortunately I have to give this CD collection a very big thumbs-down ... none of the tracks on here compare favourably with the originals and the backing music becomes very monotonous after a while, with its clichéd drum-rolls and thumping synthesised drum beats.
Here are some of the versions of the songs as found on this CD .....