Soul Brothers Six - "(She's) Some Kind Of Wonderful"

Now, Northern Soul really isn't really my thing. This is about as close as it gets, but I've had at least with one pious soulbore who tells me that this isn't the real thing, anyway. Why ? Because it's not expensive enough ? Because you can pick it up for the price of a mild piss-up in a pub ? Because it was...commercial ?

Aah, who cares a fig for rarity. This is the stuff of champions. And pointlessly covered in a really nasty, Dinner Funk way by Joss Stone. And Grand Funk Railroad.

An Atlantic stormer from 1967, this probably featured the lineup of members Willie John Ellison, Joe Johnson, Charles Armstrong, Harry Armstrong, Vonn Elle Benjamin and Lester Peleman. John Ellison went on to release a bunch of singles on that fine, under-rate label Phil-La of Soul, but this was the breakthrough..and the exception, commercially.

By 1969, the Soul Brothers Six were split up, leaving this fine fragment plus some solid follow-ups in their wake. If you're into this, check out You Gotta Come A Little Closer, recently comped, along with another John Ellison track, on the Soul Jazz Philadelphia Roots comp over here.

This is from the 1969 UK reissue. A mere £3 in your local boot sale, fact fans. £3 for this piece of sweet, uplifting, gospel-soaked feel-good, goddamn-i-even-put-britches-on-the-right-way-round anthem ?

You was stitched up there mate.

{Mp3 removed}