FEATURE:
Feel Free
Soul II Soul’s Club Classics Vol. One at Thirty-Five
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I want to spend some time with…
IN THIS PHOTO: Jazzie B and Caron Wheeler in 1989
an album that turns thirty-five on 10th April. The debut album from Soul II Soul, Club Classics Vol. One ,went to number one in the U.K. In the U.S., where it was titled Keep on Movin, the album went to fourteen on the Billboard 200 chart. It found strong success with R&B fans in the U.S., as Club Classics Vol. One hit the top of the R&B chart. It is worth marking thirty-five years of a classic debut from the London group. There are a few features out there concerning the album and its huge legacy. I would recommend people check this one out. I am going to mix them up a bit. Include some reviews for one of the best and most important albums of the 1980s. Let’s start with a Rolling Stone review for Club Classics Vol One. After all of these years, the album still sounds utterly entrancing. Like nothing else that has ever been made:
"The future of Soul II Soul: A happy face, a thumping bass, for a loving race," proclaimed Jazzie B on "Jazzie's Groove." Who would have predicted that recipe would prove to be the future for a generation of boho-soul musicians? When it first appeared in 1989, Soul II Soul's Keep On Movin' seemed less of an instant classic than a hip tour of the black music diaspora. Soul II Soul's vital sound danced between styles, often in the same song, with self-conscious purpose: The booming bottom end of reggae sound systems (which is what the group began as) melded with Sade's Nigeria-via-London smoky lounge vibe; Motown-worthy lush orchestration and diva vocals from Caron Wheeler percolated next to hip-hop rhythms on songs such as the title track's effortlessly funky groove (lifted from Eric B. and Rakim). "Feeling Free" featured doo-wop harmonies, while the piano-driven house beats of "Happiness" oozed London club culture.
Jazzie B served as the master of ceremonies of this mix, dropping inspirational aphorisms in a casual spoken-word style. The music was the truly inspiring part, though, as the next decade would prove. The scatty, organic vocals in "Fairplay" and the Zulu chanting in "Holdin' On" still echo in neo-soul singers like Erykah Badu and Jill Scott. Trip-hop avatars Massive Attack even made their first recorded appearance on "Feeling Free"; the album's unabashedly multicultural approach also opened the charts to similarly inclined artists who followed, from the Fugees to Shaggy. Keep On Movin's biggest single, "Back to Life" - with its indelible "however do you want me, however do you need me" hook - has become a soul standard of sorts (most recently, Mary J. Blige had an R&B; hit with her soaring interpretation, and a two-step version of the song is a U.K. club smash). Nellee Hooper would leave the group in 1992 to produce hits for Bjork and Madonna, and Soul II Soul would never reach these highs again. But the prescient group's first album sounds as fresh today as it did in 1989, and their legacy just keeps on moving”.
By 1988, Soul II Soul had adopted a more formal group lineup with Jazzie B at the center, along with Caron Wheeler, Doreen Waddell (a.k.a. Do’reen), Rose Windross, Daddae, Aitch B, and Jazzie Q. However, harking back to the sound system ethos, the band’s structure was always intended to be flexible and adaptable, and its roster would ultimately morph and evolve through the years following their initial breakthrough. “Technically, Soul II Soul is a sound system rather than a band per se, which is why we have a rotating lineup of different singers,” Jazzie explained to Wax Poetics in 2014. “This goes back to the origins of the old sound systems as well, because in a sound system, you would also have many different MCs or DJs. All of these things combined to form Soul II Soul.”
While new jack swing and hip-hop were beginning to flourish as the dominant urban musical forms across the Atlantic in the US as the 1980s approached their conclusion, British dance music was concurrently coming of age in various forms and locales throughout the UK. Manchester emerged as a dominant reservoir of talent in the form of genre-bending acts such as New Order, the Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses, while Bristol witnessed the emergence of another dominant sound system, The Wild Bunch, which would morph into Massive Attack. Meanwhile, UK-bred songstresses Mica Paris, Neneh Cherry and Lisa Stansfield blurred the lines between pop, soul and dance to glorious effect.
Collectively, these pioneering artists—including Soul II Soul as the premier London contingent—would developed and refined the sonic blueprint that would enable British dance music to thrive for years to come, well into the 1990s. And while their specific musical dispositions and output were nuanced, the unifying thread between all of these acts—and indeed an essential quality that would truly define and distinguish UK dance music during this period—was their openness to incorporating a multitude of influences in shaping their respective sounds.
In the case of Soul II Soul, this involved merging hip-hop beats and sampled drum breaks, reggae/dub soundscapes, and soulful vocals, along with African and West Indian rhythms—all of which worked in concert to form a universal sound unbeholden to any one cultural or musical mooring.
Prior to Club Classics’ release in April 1989, the group unveiled two singles that met with lukewarm reception, at least commercially speaking. Co-produced by Jazzie B’s fellow Brit soundsmith Nellee Hooper (who would later collaborate with the likes of Björk, Madonna, No Doubt and U2) and featuring the Brand New Heavies’ Andrew Levy on bass, the percussive funk of their debut single “Fairplay” served as an invocation of the Soul II Soul ethos and invitation to join their community, as manifest through Rose Windross’ lines, “Soul II Soul is the place where you should be / On Sunday night we’ll expect you and Jazzie B / Cause it’s all about expression”.
Bolstered by Graham Silbiger’s steady bassline, the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra’s symphonic pulsings and Do’reen’s distinctive vocal style, the group’s second single “Feel Free” found Soul II Soul embracing its more ruminative dispositions and contemplating visions of the future.
Undeterred by the modest chart showings for the initial pair of singles (neither managed to crack the UK Top 50), Soul II Soul’s breakthrough moment arrived soon enough, in March 1989. Invigorated by Caron Wheeler’s soaring vocals atop a stirring confection of deep bass and piano flourishes, the simple messages of patience and perseverance encapsulated by “Keep on Movin’” exemplified the group’s recording career up to that point, whilst offering a more broadly applicable clarion call to those in need of a little motivation in their lives.
As the story goes, Wheeler originally offered her vocals for the single as a one-off collaboration, but on the strength of the recording, she was invited to join the Soul II Soul fold as an official member. It’s also worth noting that the US version of Club Classics was actually titled Keep on Movin’—a testament both to the track’s undeniable appeal and the fact that club culture did not figure as profoundly in America as it did abroad”
I am going to round things up pretty soon. I thought it would be useful to bring in a feature from CLASH. They looked inside the biggest two songs from Soul II Soul’s Club Classics Vol. One: the mighty Keep on Movin and Back to Life:
“‘Keep On Movin’’
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Initially based at a studio on Camden Road, the group consisted of a multitude of creatives, models, musicians and fashion designers who had already established a distinct DIY community vibe. Under the charismatic leadership of frontman and former sound engineer Jazzie B, it amalgamated house music, R&B, dub and funk into a post-rave dance meditation and direct precursor to the trip-hop movement. No surprise, considering Jazzie’s right-hand man and mixing partner was legendary figure Nellee Hooper of Bristol’s Wild Bunch, who would later metamorphose into Massive Attack.
Opening track ‘Keep On Movin’’ sets the tone for the whole album, celebrating that ecstatic 5am sunrise when you’re piling out of a club and all you want to do it keep the vibe going forever. Even at the time of release there was a halcyon element inherent to this music: it was the heat and high spirits of summer captured on vinyl. Over a slow groove and smooth production, Caron Wheeler’s vocal is like caramel. The call to revel in uniqueness and self-expression on ‘Fairplay’ propels the listener into a grittier, urgent sound. Carried by Rose Windross’ feral, funky vocal, it’s an unequivocal English recording.
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It’s a peerless summer soundtrack, which provided a blueprint for how things could be done: homogenously and uncompromisingly.
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The collective was always message based. ‘Holdin’ On’, with its rough and ready spoken-word moments, provided a unifying sentiment to the masses in the style of Gil Scott-Heron, but despite bringing a singular UK flavour to the table, elements of what was happening across the Atlantic couldn’t help but creep in. ‘African Dance’ fused the sounds of the African continent with the hedonism of New York clubs by way of Detroit and Chicago house. Its sister track ‘Dance’, a breeze of chilled-out beats and flutes, also feels like a new dawn.
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‘Back To Life’
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Originally featured only as an a cappella track, ‘Back To Life’ is dizzyingly infectious and instantly recognisable from its first few bars alone. It continues to fill dancefloors wherever it’s played. Over fat beats and a portly piano riff comes sweeping strings and a heavily harmonised chorus. Independent of its global iconic status, it was a personal record for many, introducing them to their first taste of British R&B while altering the musical landscape forever.
Soul II Soul were at the vanguard of a revival in urban black music in the UK, questionably unprecedented since reggae’s heyday in the ’70s. It’s a peerless summer soundtrack, which provided a blueprint for how things could be done: homogenously and uncompromisingly. It’s an album about community, co-operation, cross-fertilisation, immense optimism and, ultimately, dancing. Never has a record been so well named”.
I will move to a 2009 review from BBC. Almost impossible to dislike, one cannot refute the power and wonder of Club Classics Vol. One. It is such a phenomenal album that has not aged at all. It sounds so fresh and fascinating now. I hope that more people will mark the approaching thirty-fifth anniversary:
“Soul II Soul's pivotal debut album is 20 years young. Make anyone feel old? 1989's Club Classics Vol. 1 has firmly cemented itself in UK soul music history. With their funky anthems, unforgettable lyrics and signature beats, appreciation for the group’s unique twist on classic soul can be found from America (where Soul II Soul hit top 10) to Australia (where they still tour today).
Chunky, ballsy single Fairplay was both Soul II Soul's first official release and the reason major label Virgin signed Jazzie B's groundbreaking group. Having already created major hype on the underground with their street party soundsystem (Notting Hill carnival still hosts the collective), Fairplay was proof that the Londoners could cut it in the mainstream.
Twisting voluptuous female soul vocals (Caron Wheeler, Rose Windross, the late Do'Reen Waddell) with rare groove-styled dance beats gave Soul II Soul a niche that would see them win a broad array of fans worldwide. Back To Life (However Do You Want Me), their best-recognised hit, is a classic example of this musical melting pot.
Keep On Movin' –another key anthem- was the group’s first real mainstream success (Fairplay only made it to 63 in the UK charts) and came at a time when American artists saturated the R&B scene. Founder Jazzie B made his record label more than happy as the track hit number five in the UK and number one on the US R&B chart.
Much like Bristol's trip-hop supergroup, Massive Attack, Soul II Soul have had a huge and important effect on black British music. Like Massive Attack's Blue Lines, Club Classics Vol. 1 is one of those rare albums that make you want to listen to every single track, over and over, again and again. Something most musicians can but dream of”.
I am going to end with this feature. Again taking us inside a classic album, we get to see why Club Classics Vol. One was so meaningful and acclaimed. It was indeed a major success. Anyone who has not heard the album definitely needs to check it out. It turns thirty-five on 10th April. I think that I first heard the album when I was a child. I was instantly hooked! Big singles like Keep on Movin has a real impact on me:
“Those two chart-topping singles were plucked from the group’s debut album, Club Classics Vol. 1, a landmark release that altered the landscape of R&B at a time when the brash, hip-hop-influenced swingbeat sound had been America’s dominant sound. After Soul II Soul’s arrival, many R&B records aped the distinctive drum loop and string arrangements that had defined the group’s two biggest singles; and Jazzie B and his partner in crime, the band’s keyboardist Simon Law, were also in demand as producers and remixers, working on tracks for a variety of artists, ranging from US house music queen Kym Mazelle to R&B star Jody Watley, and even the reggae group Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers.
Offering an assortment of different musical styles, Club Classics Vol. 1 reflected the musical eclecticism of British club culture and stayed true to the band’s motto: “A happy face, a thumpin’ bass, for a lovin’ race!” Its tracks ranged from minimalist electro-funk (“Fairplay,” featuring vocalist Rose Windross) to bubbling house music (“Holdin’ On”), sampladelic hip-hop (“Feelin’ Free”), and jazz-infused dance cuts (“African Dance”). Though it covered a lot of different musical bases – and sometimes sounded like it featured several different bands – the LP was given a sense of cohesion by Jazzie B’s groove-conscious production that gave each track an addictive dance pulse.
On its release in April 1989, Club Classics Vol. 1 (which was retitled Keep On Movin’ for the US market) rocketed to the summit of the UK albums chart during an incredible 60-week stay in the hit parade. It also topped the US R&B charts and rose to No. 14 in the Billboard 200. In 1990, two tracks from the album brought the group a couple of Grammy awards: “Back To Life” won Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal, while “African Dance” grabbed the Best R&B Instrumental Performance. Quite an achievement for a debut album that more than lived up to its title”.
On 10th April, we celebrate thirty-five years of a seminal album. One of those all-time great debut albums, Soul II Soul’s Club Classics Vol. One is truly magnificent. It went on to be certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales in excess of two million copies. A happy thirty-fifth anniversary to…
AN extraordinary debut album.