Although tracks from John Edwards' second Aware album have surfaced, Tin Man compiles them all in one place.
John Edwards - Tin Man: The Unissued Second Aware LP
John Edwards’ early releases, mainly at Aware Records under the tutelage of Floyd Smith, thrilled soul lovers with his consummate vocals and impressed the multi-million selling Spinners enough to hire him to replace their revered vocalist Philippe Wynne.
Edwards’ first Aware hits, such as ‘Stop This Merry-Go-Round’ and ‘Careful Man’, led to his eponymous debut LP. As the label’s major male artist, the company followed up by recording a second album and were probably anticipating a further hit. But Aware collapsed thanks to the label owner’s criminal activities, putting paid to that proposed disc. When the master tapes were uncovered in the ’90s, the tracks were issued on the 1996 Kent CD ‘Careful Man’ and handful of singles were issued to great acclaim.
At last, we have collected the tracks on vinyl and the beauty of ‘Tin Man’, ‘How Can I Go On Without You’ and ‘Cold Hearted Woman’ can be enjoyed as they were originally intended. Modern soul fans will be able to sleep easily again.
You can pre-order a copy of John Edwards' Tin Man LP directly from Ace Records UK right here. It's scheduled to ship on August 1st. Check out a few tracks below.
Northern Soul's Classiest Rarities, Vol. 7 – due February 26th – boasts loads of unheard and lesser known gems from the vaults.
Here's the scoop...
This latest episode of the high-quality end of the Northern Soul world is as varied as the scene has become, featuring manic funk, Detroit grooves, doo wop-inspired ballads, neo-Motown and pure soul stompers.
Los Angeles features strongly throughout. As a taster of the pleasures to come over the next couple of years, the opening tracks by ex-Motowners Carolyn Crawford and Kim Weston, along with the Joe Buckner & Major IV number, are from Mickey Stevenson’s late 60s Los Angeles operation; and the Lovers’ acetate-only ‘She’s Supreme’ and John Wesley & the Four Tees’ stomping version of the Williams & Watson LP track ‘Love Is Such A Funny Thing’ were recorded under the aegis of the city’s great arranger Arthur Wright.
Researching the tape vaults during lockdown has proved fruitful. The first version of Claude Huey’s ‘Why Would You Blow It’ by the unknown Isaiah Smith was discovered among the Galaxy tapes, as was the Brothers Of Soul’s ‘I Need Your Love’ – any previously unheard track by this redoubtable outfit is big soul news. I had originally thought that Buck Ram’s group Two Cats & A Mouse would be 50s sounding, like most of his acts, but ‘Love In My Heart’ proved to be a classy cover of the Oracles’ 1967 rarity on OM.
Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds
From Milwaukee, the Badger State, we have two little-known 1963 recordings from the Cuca label. ‘You Don’t Care’ by the Esquires (aka Betty Moorer’s brothers’ group the Ambassadors) first appeared on “Badger A-Go-Go”, a compilation album issued on Cuca’s Night Owl subsidiary in 1968, while Harvey (Scales) & Seven Sounds’ beat ballad ‘It’s Midnight’ was finally made available as a download-only in 2020.
Jack Ashford’s influence is also strong. ‘Crazy Things’ by the unknown Joe Douglas, one of Jack’s earliest productions, was cut in Philly with a Motor City backing track. Jack’s Pied Piper set-up produced the Hesitations’ ‘Soul Kind Of Love’, the second 45 from their superlative “Soul Superman” LP, and his later work with Detroiters Lorraine Chandler and George Rountree is represented by Philly singer Ray Gant’s update of Eddie Parker’s ‘I Need A True Love’, and the Family Brick’s vocal group version of ‘I’ll Fly To Your Open Arms’, which Jack sang on his “Hotel Sheets” LP.
Other soul legends include Major Lance with ‘Girl, Come On Home’ (the original flip of ‘Since I Lost My Baby’s Love’) and the Exits’ ‘Under The Street Lamp’, which epitomised the aspirations of black street corner vocal groups. Joe Hicks’ ‘Don’t It Make You Feel Funky’ is adrenalin-driven soul, adored by the Northern Soul crowd. Rocky Gil’s ‘It’s Not The End’ and Little Nicky Soul’s ‘You Said’ are both mega-money items, but the rarest and most-desired track has to be ‘The Intruder’ by Melvin Hicks & the Versatiles, which was thought to exist only on acetate but is actually a missing number on a collectible soul label – all will be revealed. – ADY CROASDELL
Pre-order a copy of the CD right here. Listen to the uptempo Joe Hicks banger "Don't It Make You Feel Funky" and Little Nicky Soul's "You Said" arranged by Richard Tee and the Jack Ashford & Mike Terry-penned "Crazy Things" by the little known Joe Douglas.
Northern Soul's Classiest Rarities, Vol. 7
01 Ready Or Not Here Comes Love - Carolyn Crawford
02 It Takes A Lotta Teardrops - Kim Weston
03 The Intruder - Melvin Hicks & The Versatiles
04 She's Supreme - The Lovers
05 Why Would You Blow It - Isaiah Smith
06 It's Not The End - Rocky Gil & The Bishops
07 It's Midnight - Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds
08 You Said - Little Nicky Soul
09 You Don't Care - The Esquires
10 I Need Your Love - Brothers Of Soul
11 I Wish I Knew - Joe Buckner & Major IV
12 I'll Fly To Your Open Arms - The Family Brick
13 I Need A True Love - Ray Gant & The Arabian Knights
14 Don't It Make You Feel Funky - Joe Hicks
15 Love Is Such A Funny Thing - John Wesley & The Four Tees
16 Soul Kind Of Love - The Hesitations
17 Crazy Things - Joe Douglas
18 Love In My Heart - Cats 'n' Mouse
19 Farewell Goodbye My Love (Edit) - The Performers
