Here's a nice tool for commercial club and mobile DJ's with a twenty one track collection of pop soul goodies (many of which were hits in the UK during the 70's) are were tagged with the title of 'Bubblegum Music' . Almost everything on this new CD is well known and has been tried and tested over the last thirty years making it an essential DJ tool for any self respecting DJ.

Opening with the excellent 'Give Me Just A Little More Time' from Chairmen Of The Board, a post Motown style dance track on the then newly formed Invictus label which became home to a host of soul acts for the following four years. This track was the first of many for Norman 'General' Johnson. Donnie Elbert had recorded a number of songs before hitting the UK charts on London Records in the early seventies with his interpretation of the Supremes 1964 classic 'Where Did Our Love Go' which netted him a UK chart hit in 1972 - very very easy to programme and dance to.

The Foundation's were a popular r & b act during the sixties fronted by Clemm Curtis and recorded for the Pye records group. Their most famous song 'Build Me Up Buttercup' from the summer of 1967 is just perfect for those great golden memory night's springing up all over the UK at the moment and again was based on Berry Gordy's Motown hit formulae. During the mid seventies at a time when the term disco was being widely used to reflect uptempo soul and pop there were a number of great songs to grace the UK market, especially songwriter Jim Gilstrap with the hypnotic 'Swing Your Daddy' (parts 1& 2) The Moments with a rare dance track in 'Jack In The Box' and New York City with a Philly inspired mid tempo and melodic song song on RCA with 'I'm Doing Fine' a formulae that the Detroit Spinners used on their own hit song 'Could It Be I'm Falling In Love'

1974 saw a great northern soul styled performance from Linda Carr with 'Highwire' which found fame and fortune at Wigan Casino, and The Playthings with 'Stop What Your Doing' still generates a packed dancefloor even to this day. Perhaps the biggest hit of them all on this CD has to Freda Payne's smash hit 'Band Of Gold' a song that never sounds dated and never fails to generate plenty of radio plays in the UK. Check out the original unreleased studio recording on her greatest hits CD found elsewhere on this web site.

Other brilliant tunes include 'Stop What Your Doing' by the Playthings (a great Motown influenced pacy number) which still fills dancefloors across the UK, and 'Eeny Meeny' by the Showstoppers whose UK single 'Houseparty' on Beacon records hit the charts during the summer of 1968, only to be followed by this bland uptempo number which grows on you with each play. Watch out too for Bill Deal & the Rondells' version of the Tams song 'I've Been Hurt' which is a much more commercial version and easier to dance to.

Whilst nearly all of these tunes have appeared on other CD's this collection pulls together some great commercial soul tunes that really have stood the test of time and are still getting plays on commercial radio and oldies nights and will make an essential addition to any mobile DJ's record box.

My favourite tune on this CD is The Plaything's.

Rating 8/10