The “Dave Godin’s Deep Soul Treasures” series began life 16 years ago. Some music lovers will remember where they were when they first heard the initial CD; it made that sort of impact. The last volume hit the shops nine years ago, just in time for Dave to see his final creation before his death – which he knew was imminent.
Dave notated all the sides he considered worthy of inclusion in his series; once some awkward licensing problems are resolved it is likely a final volume will be issued, using mainly Dave’s own words to describe the music. In the meantime, Kent are releasing a vinyl LP to keep Dave and the series’ memory alive. It was his proudest achievement in a life that touched so many issues and people; above all he wanted to promote those recordings.
The LP includes selections from each volume in the series: Dave thought each of his selections had equal merit. When a soul music website recently ran a thread on collectors’ personal favourites from the CDs, the results were as wide-ranging and sometimes contradictory as he would no doubt have hoped.
The main aim of the release is to freshen the series with an alternative format and presentation. Inevitably it will make an impact with some new music fans and swingers (copyright DG) who missed the first furore, possibly due to their tender years. For those lucky souls, 100 blissful tracks lie ahead of them, minus this dozen, once they’ve located a turntable.
We at Kent stand by our preference for the digital format, when utilised properly, but vinyl quality has improved over the years too; the main aural benefit here is in having located superior tapes since the CDs were first manufactured.
Ruby Andrews’ ‘Just Loving You’ is the harder-hitting mono mix as opposed to the stereo LP take. Jaibi’s ‘You Got Me’ features an understated girl backing chorus that was not on the original 45. The sound quality on Rozetta Johnson in particular is improved through developments in audio mastering equipment, which, to a certain degree, applies to all of the tracks here. However, it is the sheer size and quality of the LP cover, which boasts such a gorgeous photo of Rozetta that will seduce the discerning soul fan.
By Ady Croasdell
Pressed on 180g lavender vinyl in heavy-duty gatefold sleeve.
