By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! Soul music is all about punch-you-in-the-gut emotion, which is why it never really goes out of fashion. From Stax and Motown to Northern Soul and neo-soul, it's a timeless genre that's gripped us for decades. Happy listening, soul mates!
The best soul songs: 40-31
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Regular all night 'raves' saw the introduction of rare soul 45's being played to a youthful 'fed up with the UK pop hit' syndrome. Soon, this bizarre youth culture turned the North of England into 'the place to be' every Saturday night, and following the closure of 'The Wheel' in saw a plethora of hip clubs such as 'The Catacombs' Wolverhampton , 'The Golden Torch' Stoke-on-Trent and the daddy of them all - 'Wigan Casino'. The latter was the scenes most famous all night venue from where the most popular singles emerged.
The best soul songs: 50-41
Richard Searling, music consultant on the film Northern Soul, tells us about his favourite tracks. Only ever officially released in the UK, there are just a handful of American promotional copies in existence. A record first heard at the Catacombs All Nighters in Wolverhampton in One of the greatest soul singers who ever lived, Linda was tragically taken from us in just as her star was on the rise. This George Kerr produced masterpiece was first spun at the legendary Highland Room sessions at the Blackpool Mecca and is the perfect mix of deep and Northern Soul — there will never be another like Linda! She later became a successful songwriter at Motown, and then later still married Marc Bolan.
With the Formation duo's father Will Ritson being an expert of the genre, the boys have got some of the scene's rarities on lock down — from foot-tapping listens in their dad's car through to tracks they wouldn't mind spinning in a DJ set themselves. Even now, my dad and I are still finding hidden gems, almost 50 years since the whole scene began. Formation: "This is one of my favourite tracks and I love playing it out more than any other. Formation: "This is, simply, a great piece of songwriting. It was written by Curtis Mayfield, so no wonder.
