Music Review: Various Artists, South Side Story Vol. 23

By Less Lee Moore

It’s always a challenge to step out of your comfort zone.

Although I certainly enjoy my share of R&B and Soul music, I would never claim to be an expert. This made Numero Group’s soul compilation South Side Story Vol. 23 all the more interesting, especially with the release’s lack of liner notes. A PR rep referred to it as a “cool mix tape,” and that’s an apt description. Mix tapes were always a labor of love, with homemade artwork and only the band names and song titles included. South Side Story is definitely a labor of love for the Chicago-based label who included relative unknowns in the soul genre, at least unknown to those outside of the Chicago area. This required a lot of digging on the Internet, and unsurprisingly, there was not a wealth of information found, although thanks to soul fanatics and collectors, I managed to find some information on each performer included.

The Si-Berians’ Wilson Drummer was in another local band called The Intentions (also featured on this compilation) around the time he was in high school. “This Is The Ending Of Our Love” was released on the Ricardo label, probably in the early to mid-1970s. You can easily imagine this track turning up in a Quentin Tarantino movie. It’s got a mournful shuffle, outstanding lead vocals and harmonies, and a spoken word break that amusingly sounds like someone trying to speak in a deeper voice than perhaps he is used to and which continues far into the end of the song.

The Mystics started in 1967 on the southwest side of Chicago, and like Wilson Drummer, this was when they were still in high school, playing a lot of dances and local festivals. “That’s The Kind Of Love” was recorded on the Teako label at Universal Studios. It even went to #11 on local radio, but sadly, the band never saw any money from it and disbanded in 1971. It’s a relatively upbeat track that’s heavy on the horns and harmonies.

Named because his voice was “sweet like sugar,” Renaldo Domino, née Jones, was a singer from “The Valley.” His voice is indeed gorgeous and 1972’s “I’ll Get You Back” has quite a bit of funk in its soul.

Formed in the late 1960s but perhaps better remembered for their 1975 Curtis Mayfield-produced single “Super People,” The Notations have two tracks on South Side Story. The first, “I’m Still Here,” was released in 1971 on Twinight Records and hit #16 on the US R&B Singles chart. It’s a lovely track but the squeak in the singer’s voice mars an otherwise great performance. What I do like is how the lead vocal is foregrounded and the harmonies are separated out, which sounds pretty modern for the time period. Their next selection, “Don’t Wanna Be Late,” was non-charting, but it’s actually better than “I’m Still Here” with interesting time signatures and a wonderful string arrangement (and less of that annoying vocal squeak).

You have to appreciate the distinctly unusual flavor of a band called Harlem Meat Company. The “I’m Not Gonna Be Anybody’s Fool” single was recorded on Cash Records and it’s a beauty, with the background singers continuing the story that the lead vocalist tells. He’s got a tremendous, husky falsetto that strengthens the pride and heartbreak in the song’s lyrics.

It’s nearly impossible to find any information on Calvin Harris because the UK producer’s name keeps popping up. It’s a shame because his vocals on “It Ain’t Fair” are great, shifting from baritone to a tenor falsetto. The spoken word break is classic. “Puppet On A String,” a song that was also recorded by locals The Young Souls, must represent Calvin at a younger age, because his voice has a wonderful, teenage quality.

The lone girl group on the collection is Brand New Faces. Their terrific “I Don’t Wanna Cry” was released on Lujuna Records and is apparently based on the same backing track as fellow soul singer Jimmy Burns’s “I Really Love You.” The spoken word break is conversational and matter-of-fact. The self-confidence in this is fantastic. It’s a great change of pace to hear a female soul group and makes me want to seek out more of them.

“Wait A Minute” from The Newday was released in 1972 on Calvin Carter’s On Top label. Carter was the brother of Vivian, who, along with her husband James C. Bracken, founded Gary, Indiana’s Vee-Jay Records in the 1950s. It’s a super catchy tune with great interplay between falsetto and tenor and a terrific bridge.

Originally called The Kaldirons in the 1960s, the unfortunately named The Final Solution’s “Gotta Get Through To You” is the most forward-thinking of all the tracks on South Side Story, hinting at where soul’s future was headed. It’s lush and somewhat reminiscent of Earth Wind and Fire, particularly the ending. Thus, it’s not that much of a surprise to learn that The Final Solution also did the soundtrack for the filmed-but-never-released 1975 Blaxploitation film Brotherman. (The soundtrack is available from Numero Group.)

Donnell Pitman would later find success with his 1986 releases “Your Love Is Dynamite” and the awesomely titled “Chocolate Lover,” which was on Billboard‘s Hot Black Singles chart. Here, his “You Hurt Me” gives us a fluid, heartfelt vocal that almost sounds more 1960s than ’70s and a sultry saxophone solo.

Finally, “Blowing With The Wind” brings us right back to the beginning with The Intentions (originally The Chandelles), who share a member with The Si-Berians. The song starts with an actual flute solo and impeccable, jazzy percussion. This song was originally released on the Tiki label and is very reminiscent of Otis Redding’s “Sitting On the Dock of the Bay” in its tone.

With so much focus on the singers, it’s important not to forget the excellent musicianship on all of these songs. It’s pretty unbelievable that they’re all so obscure. With nearly every band in existence being reissued, repackaged, and repackaged on a seemingly endless cycle, it’s quite refreshing to hear something new to us from the genre. South Side Story Vol. 23 is a must for Chicago music fans, especially members of younger generations who weren’t around when these bands were still going strong. Every fan of ’70s soul music will enjoy this compilation.

South Side Story Vol. 23 was released through Numero Group exclusively on April 19, Record Store Day, and is limited to 1,000 copies on LP and CD.