From the inception of Britain's
Northern Soul
club scene onward, the
RCA
label adorned more crowd-favorite singles than seemingly any other label, but for years none of the company's truly rare classics ever appeared on CD, making the 1997 release of
Rare Collectable and Soulful, Vol. 1
a real event: Not only was compiler
Ady Croasdell
granted access to
's vaults, but among the 30 master tapes he brought back, 13 tracks were previously unreleased. The end result remains one of the gems of the vast
Kent
catalog, as well as one of the seminal
collections ever issued -- truly essential listening for anyone with even a passing interest in the classic
soul
of the mid- to late- '60s. Highlights include
the Cavaliers
'
"Ooh It Hurts Me,"
Lorraine Chandler
's
"What Can I Do?,"
Sharon Scott
"(Putting My Heart Under) Lock and Key,"
and
Roy Hamilton
"Crackin' Up Over You."
~ Jason Ankeny