Perhaps the original British ”Funk Soul Brother” NORMAN JAY M.B.E has both seen and been part of the development of dance music in the UK since the late 60s, from reggae, through disco, the new soul movement, the warehouse scene and beyond, finding time to launch KISS FM along the way - at first a pirate station – and recently bagging an empirical gong from the Palace.
The one sound system of JAY’s that has stood the test of time has been ‘GOOD TIMES’ (named after the classic Chic song) which is now into its fourth decade. And on the basis of this Silver Jubilee Edition – to commemorate 25 years with the Notting Hill Carnival – it’s easy to see why it has remained so popular down the years. No doubt having such an encyclopaedic knowledge of dance music helps JAY’s cause but what is particularly enjoyable about this 2 CD collection is the seamless way JAY has brought such divergent music together from the ages, the trends and the ‘scenes’ and in doing so has found the pure joy and the gold carat groove that connects them all.
There are the old soul classics: Otis Redding’s ‘Too Hard To Handle’, Bob & Earl’s ‘Harlem Shuffle’; the ‘underground’ smashes: Mantronix’ ‘King Of The Beats’, Goldie’s ‘Inner City Life’; the uncovered gems: Googie Rene Combo’s ‘Smokey Joe’s La La (obviously a ripe hunting ground for David Holmes); and the newies of which Roisin Murphy’s ‘If We’re In Love’ is the pick.
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To be honest time-frames, bpms and the level of familiarity with each song quickly become an irrelevance when the real enjoyment is the ebb and flow of the jubilant mood that is effortlessly inclusive and all-welcoming. This is a collection that can be enjoyed by the hardcore enthusiast and the casual listener who is grateful for a sampler that offers instant credibility amongst the crowd pleasers. The way JAY builds up the groove on Disc 2 is immaculate culminating in the euphoric celebration of Lenny Williams’ ‘When I’m Dancing’ (JK eat your heart out) and the life-affirming (If You Want It) Do It Yourself by Gloria Gaynor.
Hard to pick a highlight but the stoned shuffling R&B funk work-out of Labelle’s 10 minute take of Cat Stevens’ ‘Moonshadow’ sounds like a blueprint for tripping out The Happy Mondays while the Philly soul of the Phil Spector produced ‘Black Pearl’ by The Checkmates Ltd is indicative of how in this day and age – to misquote Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard – “it’s the music that got small”.
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