Arthur Conley (1946-2003) was an American soul artist, today mostly seen as a one hit wonder. After some unsuccessful 45:s with various constellations on a couple of different labels he was spotted by Otis Redding who saw his talent and offered support. 1967 they rewrote and pumped up Sam Cooke's "Yeah Man", turned it into "Sweet Soul Music" and got a world wide hit, reaching #2 in US and top ten in a number of other countries. Following two years he released three more albums and a couple of near hit singles, but never reached the same hype again. As the story goes - Conley was more or less openly gay and felt that hampered his artistic expression on home turf, so he moved to Europe in the seventies, eventually ending up in Holland where nobody cared about sexual orientations. Changing his name to Lee Roberts he got a domestic carreer there with successful live performances and as promotor for other artists. He stayed in Holland till his death 2003, aged 57. "Sweet Soul Music" is a killer. The lyrics may be concieved as nonsense as it's just an enumeration of soul artists, telling how good they are, but the pumping energy and emotional vocals together makes it one of the best party tracks ever. Just turn up the volume and try to sit still. The rest of the album isn't bad either. A blend between uptempo and slow movers, performed with passion and skill. The vocals sincere and backing fully adaptable. Good listening either you're in the chair, jumping up and down or squeezing a partner. Audio on this UK is tophole - big and clear with prominent bass. Premiere US in mono or fake stereo on ATCO (SD/33-215). Also originally issued in Canada (AT 33-215), Germany (same as US). Japan 2012 remastered CD on Warner Music (WPCR 27546). First UK issued in mono only. It came with label as shown here and laminated cover. (ÄTHP*) (ÄHU*)
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