Soul Music/R&B... Where to start?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by PinkIsTheSky, Oct 22, 2019.

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  1. PinkIsTheSky

    PinkIsTheSky Old Blues Man Thread Starter

    Location:
    Michigan
    Hey there everyone!

    So I am looking to dip my toes into the world of Soul and R&B music. I am a big classic rocker and I enjoy the blues quite a bit, but I am looking for something new to me, to take me away.

    I figured the best place to get opinions is right here, at my new found musical home! Assume I am coming in with no knowledge about the genre...

    Where should I start?

    Looking forward to some replies, thanks!
     
  2. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    Oh man...

    OLD: You're in Michigan, so I guess you have to get some classic Motown. Also: anything on the Stax label. Sam Cooke. Aretha Franklin. Wilson Pickett. James Carr. O.V. Wright. (And that's just scratching the surface,.) Listen to black gospel music too, to understand the roots of soul music.

    NEW: Check out the Daptone and Colemine labels.
     
  3. Jonny W

    Jonny W Forum Resident

    Location:
    Orangeburg NY
    I highly recommend the following:

    Sam and Dave
    Aretha Franklin
    Wilson Pickett
    Ike and Tina Turner
    Otis Redding
    The Four Tops
    The Temptations
    Gladys Knight (and the Pips)
    Sam Cooke
    James Brown
    Marvin Gaye
    The Rascals
    Ray Charles
    Stevie Wonder

    ...just for starters...

    Happy listening!!
     
  4. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    I think starting with 60s soul would be the first place to start. Stax, Atlantic, and Motown. I also recommend seeking out the long OOP "Beg, Scream, and Shout!: Big ol' Box of 60s Soul" CD set. After that, delve into the Philly soul sound, and that will lead you into the 70s. Don't forget to check out The Isley Brothers. There's always James Brown, the Godfather of Soul. Oh, you cannot forget Aretha Franklin's classic sides on Atlantic.

    It is really hard to tell you exactly where to start because the world of R&B/soul music is so vast and diverse.
     
  5. PinkIsTheSky

    PinkIsTheSky Old Blues Man Thread Starter

    Location:
    Michigan
    I've noticed! That's why it's so hard for me to start!

    There is just a bunch! Would you happen to have any specific albums you really enjoy?
     
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  6. danasgoodstuff

    danasgoodstuff Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    IMHO, classic ('60s) Memphis soul is the closest to classic rock so I'd recommend this: Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul - Wikipedia
    Rockin' and soulful and just all kinds of good, and it was done in a day just like so many British Invasion era albums were.
     
  7. jwb1231970

    jwb1231970 Ordinary Guy

    Location:
    USA
    [​IMG] Highly recommend the book about Stax records too- little studio run by a few locals in Memphis (Steve Cropper being one of them). Booker T and the MGs were the house band backing a lot of the stuff you hear.
     
  8. Meyer

    Meyer Heavy Metal Parking Lot Resident

    Co-sign on anything Stax-related, specifically anything Booker T and the MGs were a part of.

    And James Brown.
     
  9. Crimson Witch

    Crimson Witch Roll across the floor thru the hole & out the door

    Location:
    Lower Michigan
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2019
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  10. Chemguy

    Chemguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Western Canada
    You need to start with Otis Redding.

    You need to start with These Arms of Mine and move forward from there.

    You will be forever enriched.
     
    bonus, nytechy, Chance and 4 others like this.
  11. Greenalishi

    Greenalishi Birds Aren’t Real

    Location:
    San Francisco
    James Brown
    Ray Charles
    Aretha

    Sharon Jones
     
  12. Crimson Witch

    Crimson Witch Roll across the floor thru the hole & out the door

    Location:
    Lower Michigan
    Yes , I second that emotion ,,
    @Chemguy is absolutely on target there!
     
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  13. chervokas

    chervokas Senior Member

    I'll start you with five albums:

    Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You

    [​IMG]

    James Brown - Live at the Apollo (Vol 1)

    [​IMG]
    Sam Cooke - Night Beat

    [​IMG]

    The Best of Sam and Dave

    [​IMG]

    Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

    [​IMG]
     
  14. PinkIsTheSky

    PinkIsTheSky Old Blues Man Thread Starter

    Location:
    Michigan
    Ahhh a jumping off point! I will start here tonight after work. Thank you!

    The age of music really is no limit for me, I thoroughly enjoy Delta blues, and big band music as well. I just love great music!



    Beautiful!! Thank you a ton! Can't wait to start diggin in!
     
  15. munjeet

    munjeet Forum Resident

    Location:
    Baltimore
    Ray Charles - The Birth Of Soul. What the title says. You can actually hear soul music take shape over the course of Ray’s 50s sides.

    Also, some version of Sam Cooke’s live recording from the Harlem Square Club.

    Joe Tex should be in there also, and Wilson Pickett.
     
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  16. Solace

    Solace Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brussels, Belgium
    Al Green!!
     
  17. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    Isaac Hayes, who was part of Stax
     
  18. Fender Relic

    Fender Relic Forum Resident

    Location:
    PennsylBama
  19. Fender Relic

    Fender Relic Forum Resident

    Location:
    PennsylBama
    My favorite Rev. Al album.

    [​IMG]
     
  20. pseudopod

    pseudopod Dig Yourself

    Location:
    Winnipeg, Manitoba
  21. Fender Relic

    Fender Relic Forum Resident

    Location:
    PennsylBama
  22. Fender Relic

    Fender Relic Forum Resident

    Location:
    PennsylBama
  23. munjeet

    munjeet Forum Resident

    Location:
    Baltimore
    Solomon Burke too. The early sides are great, and Don’t Give Up On Me is a late-career classic.
     
  24. pseudopod

    pseudopod Dig Yourself

    Location:
    Winnipeg, Manitoba
  25. Tony Wilkinson

    Tony Wilkinson Forum Resident

    Location:
    jackson MI
    Not one person has mentioned Curtis Mayfield solo and with The Impressions. Truly a giant in his field, do not miss Curtis, Superfly, Roots New World Record. The Impressions albums are short , but well worth your time.
    Don’t let his smooth delivery fool you, his lyrics still pack a punch after all these years.
     
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