Welcome to the RPM Record Club Seven Day Soundtrack, week ending Friday 5th May 2023. Firstly, apologies for trouble playing 6 of last weeks songs. Sometimes there are issues embedding Youtube vids into the RPM site. When I published last week's edition, everything looked fine; no messages saying anything had blocks on them....so I'm not sure what happened between publishing and you folks accessing it all. Hopefully you just clicked the handy hyperlink that's always included, and which opens a new window, and you were able to listen to the songs that way. This week there are a couple of songs which are blocked, so please use the hyperlinks....plus a couple of songs where the vids are not what the person initially submitted because they had blocks on them, but which I managed to find alternatives which would embed. It's getting to be a bit of a nightmare. Anyway, Jackie starts off where we finished last time.....over to....

Jackie -

"A very enjoyable concert from John, Alan and Ian of Oysterband last week at the National Centre for Early Music in York. Here's my Oysters selection."

Nina -

"Hi folks. Hope you're all well. I'm meeting up with visitors from Australia, Manchester & Leicestershire over the next couple of weeks, so my 3 are inspired by different places. Enjoy the 3 day weekend folks. Cheers!"

Dave -

Hi RPMers, hope you all have your flags ready!!! Here’s my 3 this week."

Piers -

"Three tracks that I have heard this week. One which I may or may not learn to play on the concertina.

Also a classic Dub track and one that two members of the RPM faithful have heard covered today (Friday) and another (not me!) played on ! I'll let you guys guess which is which."

Jayne -

"Music scattered throughout the week and loads coming up this weekend…hope your musical journeys have been fun this week."

Alan -

"This week, as threatened, it's three of the UK's sixties girl singers covering 'soul' tracks, starting with possibly the most famous."

Cilla Black- 'Whatcha gonna do 'bout it' (from 'Cilla' LP released 25th January 1965. Parlophone label)

"Taken from 'our Cilla's' debut album released almost two years after her first Lennon and McCartney penned single, 'Love of the loved'. Bearing in mind that, by the time of the LP's release, Cilla had released five singles, including two number ones, a number two and a top tenner,  all with non- album b-sides, it's surprising that none of those tracks were used to boost the album, which does fall a little flat on occasion. Johnny Scott provides 'energetic' accompaniment on 'Goin' out of my head', 'Every little bit hurts', 'Baby it's you' and 'Dancing in the street', the albums opening salvo, before the side closes with the overly fussy Bobby Willis/George Martin comped ''Come to me' and the hoary old spiritual 'Ole man river', accompanied by Johnny Spence. Surely this would have been an opportune time for George Martin to step in and record 'Fever', the song Cilla would always sing when appearing in Liverpool's clubs in the early sixties? Side two features this goodie, first recorded by Doris Troy (and posted here two weeks ago), and a fine version of the Drifters 'In this empty place' (covered around the same time by Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers) alongside an overly busy Kenny Lynch /Clive Westlake 'I'm not alone anymore' and a lively 'Love Letters' backed by Sounds Incorporated but, again, there's a let down with an Italian ballad ('One little voice') and another oldie, Cole Porter's 'You'd be so nice to come home to'. So, pretty much a curate's egg, credible nods towards soul but producer George Martin was probably influenced by Brian Epstiens wish to turn Cilla into an 'all round entertainer'. A pity really when there were singles and/or b-sides which may have improved the LP's contents. File under 'Opportunity Missed'. Nice sleeve though!!!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22Bpc79oJz8

Kiki Dee- 'Ain't nothing like the real thing baby' (From 'Kiki Dee' album released 1974. Sounds Superb label, reissue of 'Great expectations' US only LP released August 1970. Tamla Motown label)

"Having never heard any of Kiki's Motown recordings I was pleased to snap up this cheapo re-issue but................... Kiki had started out singing around Bradfords Working Mens Clubs where a passing music A&R man saw her perform and invited her to audition in London. She signed for Fontana in 1963 after a stint singing cover versions for the BBC Light Programme and backing Dusty Springfield on record before releasing her debut single, 'Early Night', the first of a string of unsuccessful discs. A brief appearance in the cash in 'Dateline Diamonds' movie, singing the b-side to her then current release (!) was followed by a brace of worthy singles before her excellent 1966 (retitled) cover of Tammi Lynns 'I'm gonna run away from you' which very nearly broached the charts. Perhaps if Tamla had signed her at this juncture we may have seen Kiki dueting with Marvin Gaye instead of her later mega-hit with Billy Bunt...sorry,  Elton John. Instead the album 'treats' us to an overfussy, over orchestrated selection of Motown second string songs and the occasional goodie from Ashford/Simpson and Smokey Robinson. And then there's the sleeve!! The Sounds Superb sleeve is yer usual 'cheapo' photo of Kiki as she was in 1974, full rock chick mode in satin and wielding a tambourine, which is bad enough but, the US original? Gawd help me!! I know Kiki was Tamla's first UK signing but did the US market really need a small photo of her surrounded by 19 full and partial Union Jacks? And even that's a long way from 1995's pretty self explanatory 'Almost Naked' LP sleeve on Tickety-Boo Records!!! Another one to file under 'Missed Opportunity' methinks. A real pity as Kiki has a really soulful voice, something that Motown were unable to utilise in a proper setting as they moved further away from their mid sixties glory years towards the disco market."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9gwL23l2Rw

Tony -

"Here's my 3 for the week; taking a brief break from packing my holiday case and swapping dreadful weather (thunder, lightning and sleet) hopefully for some sun and lots of feathered friends in Menorca as from Sunday..."

John -

"Hi RPMers, Here are my three for this week. In addition to these, thanks to Jayne, I've also been listening to The Ouse Valley Singles Club... hilarious! Keep safe and well everyone."

Tim -

"Not a lot of different bands listened to this week, but It's certainly been a bit of a mixture of styles..."

'Til Next Time...