Someone needs to release Jon Lucien's shelved Ampex album from 1971

Tortola-born soul singer Jon Lucien recorded an album for Ampex in 1971 which remains unreleased. Listen to "Search For The Inner Self" & "We've Got Love"

Writes Mark "Snowboy" Cotgrove...

I was so fortunate to play percussion for Jon Lucien at the Jazz Cafe for 4 nights back in ‘95. A beautiful, kind, friendly and gracious man. We had an instant bond and the friendship between Jon, his lovely wife, Delesa, and I lasted til we sadly lost them both.

That week Jon gave me a CD of an unreleased album that he did for Ampex and hoped that I could try and get it released for him. It’s a beautiful album. Stylistically untypical of Jon. Of course ‘Search For The Inner Self’ was on it, but the rest were ballads and even folk (but all lovely). But there was one incredible uptempo Soul track on there called ‘We’ve Got Love’. Almost Northern Soul/Beach Music. Naturally I immediately made a dub plate of it as any DJ would, and over the past 30 years have played it everywhere. Infact it was a track very associated in particular with my beloved ‘Good Foot’ nights at Madame Jo Jo’s, and became an anthem there, as my guest DJ’s would testify.

In the end Jon never got it released so he did a little 100 press on CD to sell at shows.

Although the album is still un-released (and lets hope not for long) ACE has finally put out ‘We’ve Got Love’ on a 7” backed with ‘Search For Your Inner Self’. I suggest you snap it up quickly. It’s an incredible track and without doubt will pack the floors of the right events. 

Listen to "Search For The Inner Self" and "We've Got Love" below.