SOUL71 HIGHLIGHTS:
THE ROTARY CONNECTION / SHUGGIE OTIS / BLACK SUGAR / THE 5TH DIMENSION / GIL SCOTT HERON / MINNIE RIPERTON / SARAH VAUGHN / CURTIS MAYFIELD / BILL WITHERS / ARETHA FRANKLIN / THE STYLISTICS / EUGENE McDANIELS / CURTIS MAYFIELD / LINDA LEWIS / ISLEY BROTHERS / MARVIN GAYE / EARTH WIND AND FIRE / DIANA ROSS / ISAAC HAYS / CYMANDE
AND MANY MORE
LISTEN ON SPOTIFY:
Our first STELLA SONIC playlist is a deep dive into Soul, strictly selected from 1971. TO honour this EXCEPTIONAL year FOR SOUL music, we’ve DESIGNED a RANGE of t-shirts, wall art and phone cases.
They feature QR codes that open the SOUL 71 playlist on your phone, so YOU CAN TAKE THE MUSIC WITH YOU, wherever you GO.
Have we missed a key song? Join the debate ON OUR DISCORD AND SUBMIT YOUR SUGGESTION. WE’LL CONTINUE TO ADD TO THE PLAYLIST AS MORE STELLA SONICS ARE UNCOVERED.
Below we explore some of the highlights
from the SOUL 71 playlist in a bit more detail:
Gil Scott-Heron
I Think I’ll Call it Morning
Taken from Gil’s second album; “Pieces of a Man“, co-written with Brian Jackson, and produced by Bob Thiel (Flying Dutchman label owner). Musicians on this song include Eddie Hazel (Guitar) Bernard Purdie (Drums) and Reggie Workman (Bass).
Many of the songs from Pieces of a Man are a commentary on the social injustice of the time and the “madness and sadness” of the world. However, “I Think I’ll Call it Morning” strikes an optimistic tone of joy and freedom.
Powerful and poetic with Gil’s lead vocal, uplifting piano melodies and driving rhythm section. The album marked the first collaboration with Brian Jackson. The duo would continue their partnership on multiple albums. Gil called their sound “Bluesology, the science of how things feel“. The perfect sound to launch our Soul ’71 playlist.
“I Think I’ll Call it Morning” strikes an optimistic tone of joy and freedom. Powerful and poetic with Gil’s lead vocal, uplifting piano melodies and driving rhythm section”
Artist: Linda Lewis
Album: Say No More
Reprise Records
Released: 1971
Linda Lewis
Hampstead Way
Taken from Linda’s first album Say No More, this song was an ode to her time living with other artists at a commune in Hampstead. Her distinctive (five octave range) vocal shines on this soulful folk track as it alternates between sweet melodious verses and bluesy guitar based bridges.
Linda wrote the entire album on a melodeon (a kind of wind powered organ). Another stand-out track from this collection is Donkey’s Years which develops from an enchanting mystical folk song to an ethereal bossa influenced extended outro.
Linda Lewis has been sampled by a number of hiphop artists. Notably by Common on his track Go (1996) featuring Kanye West and John Mayer
Rotary
Connection
Hey Love
Minnie Riperton Soprano Vocals
Kitty Haywood Soprano /Alto Vocals
Shirley Wahls Contralto Vocals
Dave Scott Tenor Vocals
Charles Stepney Producer, Arranger, Piano, Harpsichord, Organ, Electric Piano
Sydney Simms Bass
Donny Simmons Drums
Phil Upchurch Guitar
Pat Ferreri Guitar
Master Henry Gibson Congas
Cadet Concept/Chess Records
Released: 1971
The title track from their sixth album, featuring the lead vocals of Dave Scott. Hey Love features the signature lush orchestral arrangements of Charles Stepney. Stepney was prolific at this time and produced and arranged two other tracks on this Soul 71 Playlist (The Dells cover of Make it With You and Minnie Riperton’s Oh, By The Way).
Dave Scott also sings lead on what might be the albums most famous song; Black Gold of the Sun (which was later given a new lease of life by Nuyorican Soul in 1996). This album is his only credit on Discogs. Any new information gratefully received! Drop us a message on our Discord.
Formed in Chicago in 1966 by producer Charles Stepney, Rotary Connection was a diverse ensemble of vocalists and musicians, including Minnie Riperton, Kitty Haywood, Shirley Wahls and Dave Scott
Dionne Warwick
Walk the Way You Talk
Taken from her 1970 album Very Dionne and released as a double A-Side single in 1971. Written and produced by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
Both brooding and fervent, the song has an unusual cognitive dissonance, alternating between contrasting moods, alongside rich orchestration.
Burt released his own instrumental version of the song on his 1973 album Living together. Sergio Mendes and the Brasil 77 made a version in the same year on the album Love Music.
In 2010, it was sampled my Master Ace and M Dot on the track You Don’t Know About it and more prominently by Osunlade on his track Dionne in 2013. The latter transforming it into an uptempo club track with an early house music feel.
“Both brooding and fervent, ‘Walk the Way You Talk‘ has an unusual cognitive dissonance, alternating between light and dark moments”
Shuggie Otis
Strawberry
Letter 23
The songs “Sweet Thang” and “Purple” were featured in the soundtrack of the 2013 film “Dallas Buyers Club,” bringing Otis’s music to a wider audience and introducing him to a new generation of fans.
Strawberry Letter 23 (from Shuggie’s 2nd album Freedom Flight) refers to the exchange of notes between lovers. He sings about letter ’22’ in the song and Strawberry Letter 23 is in fact his reply to this. Confused? Never mind, just enjoy this psych-soul masterpiece, notably the soaring second half that culminates in a climactic delirium of slick guitar licks, elysian celeste chimes, flanged effects and vocal harmonies.
Shuggie is thought to have played all instruments on this album but some internet sources state that there’s a prestigious line-up of musicians, including George Duke, Frank Zappa and Wilton Felder. Please let us know on our Discord if you know better!
Strawberry Letter 23 became a hit for The Brothers Johnson six years after this release and was produced by Quincy Jones. George Johnson discovered Freedom Flight when he was dating a cousin of Shuggies.
Boz Scaggs
Downright Woman
From Boz’s second album Moments, produced by Glyn Johns. Downright Woman is a summery love song with a light and airy vibe, soulful instrumentation on a bed of latin percussion.
Downright Woman is the most soulful track from the album and a departure from Boz’s more traditional R&B, country and folk-rock experiments of his debut. It gives us a sneak peek into the direction of Boz’s later music which firmly placed him in the AOR/Yacht Rock genre, exemplified on his hit song Lowdown from Silk Degrees in 1976.
The album features several notable guest musicians, including Rita Coolidge, Ben Sidran, and the horn section from Sly and the Family Stone.
Join our to submit more songs to the SOUL71 Playlist
War – All Day Music – Rotary Connection – Hey, Love – Gil Scott-Heron – I Think I’ll Call it Morning -Dionne Warwick – Walk the Walk You Talk – Earth Wind & Fire – Beauty – BLACK SUGAR – ALL YOUR LOVE – Nikki Giovanni – Ego Tripping – Marvin Gaye – Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) – Minnie Riperton – Oh, By The Way – Stevie Wonder – Think of Me As Your Soldier – The Stylistics – People Make The World Go Round – Sarah Vaughan – Tomorrow City – Mandrill – Symphonic Revolutions – Boz Scaggs – Downright Woman
Eugene McDaniels – Lovin’ Man – The Supremes & The 4 Tops – Let’s Make Love Now – The Dells – Make It With You – The Jackson 5 – Never Can Say Goodbye – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – That Girl – Aretha Franklin – Rock Steady – Earth Wind & Fire – Bad Tune – Wanda Robinson – InstanT Replay – Curtis Mayfield – Gypsy Woman (Live in NY) – Bill Withers – Better Off Dead – Shuggie Otis – Strawberry Letter 23 – Jean Carn – Peace – Quincy Jones – Cast Your Fate To The Wind – Diana Ross – And If You See Him – Steve Kuhn – The Meaning of Love
Donny Hathaway – Take A Love Song – The Exceptional Three – What About Me – Linda Lewis – Hampstead Way – CYMANDE – Friends – Leon Thomas – Echoes (Live) – The Isley Brothers – Lay Lady Lay – Toni Tornado – Nao Lhe Quero Mais – Nina Simone – O-o-h Child – The Ponderosa Twins Plus One – Touchdown – The Presidents – Gotta Keep Movin’ – The Last Poets – Opposites – JAMES BROWN – ESCAPE-ISM – PT 2 – The 5th Dimension – Viva Tirado – The Main Ingredient – It’s So Sweet (Loving You) – Funkadelic – Can You Get To That – Al Green – God Is Standing By
The Rhodes MK1 – The sound of the 70’s
In 1970 the Rhodes MK1 electro-mechanical piano was released. Throughout the late 60’s artists such as Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock began experimenting with earlier models, but the release of the Rhodes MK1 and it’s subsequent popularity, went on to define the unmistakable sound of music throughout the 70’s and into the 80’s.
The Rhodes MK1 would likely have been a novel, new instrument in the recording studios where songs from the Soul71 playlist were recorded and indeed, you can start to hear its influence. Notably on: The Stylistics People Make the World Go Round, Eugene McDaniels Lovin’ Man, Jean Carn’s Peace, Steve Kuhn’s The Meaning of Love.
It’s such an iconic sound with a fascinating history. You can find out more on the Rhodes MK 8 website.
We can guarantee more themed STELLA SONIC playlists in the future that feature the Rhodes prominently. If you have any Rhodes based suggestions, let us know on our Discord!