vs Texas Soul

This is the last of the vs series. Make sure you go back to the last five days or so and get the other picks. I made a playlist for each: Belgian Popcorn, Carolina Beach, Lowrider, Northern and now Texas Soul. I call it Brisket Beats. You can see the similarities and the differences in the sound and feel, although there are no doubles between the five different styles in the compilations I made. Texas is unique. Not just the state, but also the state of their music. It's a mixing pot. It's a regional style that mixes Tex-Mex, country, blues, rock and soul with some cumbias and rancheras. Where else do you see German and Polish polkas mix with the above? And yet there are some similarities. I hope you enjoyed this series as much as I did in compiling it.

vs Texas Soul

01 Freddy Fender - Before the Next Teardrops Falls

02 Sam Price And His Texas Bluesicians - Rib Joint

03 George Jones - He Stopped Loving Her Today

04 O'Jays - Back Stabbers

05 Roger - I Want To Be Your Man

06 Ned Miller - From A Jack To A King

07 War - Why Can't We Be Friends

08 Lightnin' Slim - I Ain't Got No Money

09 Selena - Como La Flor

10 Johnny Cash - I Walk The Line

11 Flaco Jimenez - Ay Te Dejo En San Antonio

12 Vicente Fernandez - Que Bonito Amor

13 Grupo Fantasma - Cumbia De Los Pajaritos

14 Four Tops - Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got)

15 Isley Brothers - This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You)

16 Ritchie Valens - La Bamba

17 Asleep At The Wheel - Boogie Back To Texas

18 Blake Shelton - Austin

19 Cornell Hurd Band - Texas Me

20 Buddy Holly & The Crickets - That'll Be The Day

21 Sir Douglas Quintet - She's About A Mover

Origin: Texas
Tempo: Slow to mid
Dance Style: Two step, swing, line dance, polka
Musical Influences: Country, Tex-Mex,Cumbia, Soul, R&B
Cultural Context: Strong Texan culture mixed with a little Mexican. There is no singular Texas sound. Rather, there is a shared Texas musical spirit, one characterized by taking chances, trying new ideas, melding your neighbor's music with your own, all united by an attitude of "Why not?"

vs Northern Soul

I had to skip a day, yesterday (since it was so important of a day), but now you get this fourth in the "vs" series that compares Belgian Popcorn, Carolina Beach, Lowrider, Northern Soul and Texas Soul has the playlist of Northern Soul. You'll notice that these first four have tons of compilations out there, with hundreds of songs available. Northern Soul perhaps most of all and I did not include many of the "hits" (no Gloria Jones here) even though they are great songs. Just trying to get a specifically Northern Soul feel in this pick. This is a style that came from a British music scene that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, focusing on high-energy, rare American soul records, often played at a faster tempo. Like the others, it's got a whole record collector feel about the scene.

vs Northern Soul

01 James & Bobby Purify - I'm Your Puppet

02 Jackson 5 - I'll Be There

03 The Carltons - I'm A Man

04 Dusty Springfield - I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten

05 The Dells - I Need You

06 The Shangri-Las - Right Now And Not Later

07 Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive

08 The Delfonics - You'll Get Enough

09 Lou Christie - I'm Gonna Make You Mine

10 Helene Smith - Thrills And Chills

11 The Spencer Davis Group - I'm a Man

12 Yvonne Baker - You Didn't Say a Word

13 Frank Wilson - Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)

14 Shirley Ellis - Soul Time

15 Lou Pride - I'm Com'un Home in the Morn'un

16 Bobby Lewis - Tossin' And Turnin'

17 Dobie Gray - Out on the Floor

18 Little Anthony and the Imperials - Better Use Your Head

19 The Vel-Vets - I Got to Find Me Somebody

20 The Contours - Do You Love Me

Origin: Northern England, 1960s–1970s.
Tempo: Fast tempo, energetic.
Dance Style: Acrobatic solo dancing.
Musical Influences: Rare American soul and R&B records, often obscure.
Cultural Context: Focused on rare groove collecting and high-energy dancing. Venues like Wigan Casino were iconic. The scene was fueled by a strong collector culture.

vs Lowrider

This is number three of the vs series picks. Lowrider music. A music style from the United States (mostly the west coast, California), associated with car culture, featuring a deep, rhythmic bassline and a slow, sultry feel. Lots of doo wop and oldies. I was loosely associated (frequent guest DJ) on a program called Radio Aztlan that had three components which the middle section was probably closest to Lowrider. The first section was Mexican rancheras, conjuntos etc and the last section was freestyle. I usually guested on the first two sections. Escucha. All three are incorporated a little in Lowrider, the first also in Texas Soul (coming up), but mostly the middle. Lots of dedications! (BTW, if you like the band War, check out this site - I got to post there.)

vs Lowrider

01 Billy Stewart - Sitting In The Park

02 Smokey Robinson - Cruisin'

03 El Chicano - Sabor A Mi

04 Selena - La Carcacha

05 Ruben And The Jets - Dedicated To The One I Love

06 Santo & Johnny - Sleepwalk

07 Los Lobos - Cumbia Raza (English Version)

08 L.E.D. - Ridin' Low

09 Dicky Doo & The Don'ts - Click-Clack

10 Rene & Rene - Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero

11 Tower Of Power - You're Still A Young Man

12 Dr. Loco's Rockin' Jalapeño Band - Chile Pie

13 The Penguins - Earth Angel

14 Marvin & Johnny - Cherry Pie

15 Blue Magic - Sideshow

16 The Chi-Lites - Have You Seen Her

17 War - Low Rider

18 Ritchie Valens - La Bamba

Origin: Southwest United States, particularly among Chicano communities, 1970s–1980s.
Tempo: Mid-tempo, often with a strong bassline.
Dance Style: Smooth, low, and slow, often associated with car culture.
Musical Influences: Funk, soul, Latin jazz, and doo-wop. Often features orchestral arrangements and romantic themes.
Cultural Context: Closely tied to lowrider car culture and Chicano pride. The music often evokes nostalgia and romance (not directly covered in context, but inferred from general knowledge). Also has ties to prison culture.

vs Carolina Beach

This pick is the second of the vs series. I compared Belgian Popcorn (see yesterday's post) to today's Carolina Beach Music to Lowrider, Northern Soul and Texas Soul (all coming up) by making a playlist of each style and letting you decide. Beach Music is a regional style from the Carolinas (specifically South Carolina and Myrtle Beach), characterized by a mix of R&B, doo-wop, and rock and roll, with a lively, danceable tempo that people dance the Shag to. Listening to both yesterday and today, do you hear the difference? And yet track four on this pick could fit on any of the playlists in this series.

vs Carolina Beach

01 O'Kaysions - Girl Watcher

02 Al Green - Let's Stay Together

03 Stylistics - My Heart

04 Temptations - My Girl

05 O'Jay's - Used To Be My Girl

06 Cornelius Brother & Sister Rose - Too Late To Turn Back Now

07 The Embers - I Love Beach Music

08 Dion - The Wanderer

09 O.C. Smith - Brenda

10 Tams - What Kind Of Fool

11 Drifters - Under The Boardwalk

12 Grand Funk Railroad - Bad Time

13 Mary Wells - My Guy

14 Bruce Channel - Hey Baby

15 Fantastic Shakers - Myrtle Beach Days

16 Chairmen Of The Board & General Johnson - Carolina Girls

17 Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs - Sugar Shack

18 The Foundations - Build Me Up Buttercup

19 Band Of Oz - Shaggin'

20 The Showmen - It Will Stand

Origin: Carolinas, USA, 1950s–1960s.
Tempo: Mid to fast tempo, 4/4 "blues shuffle".
Dance Style: The Carolina Shag.
Musical Influences: R&B, soul, and early rock and roll.
Cultural Context: Developed along the beaches of Myrtle Beach and Carolina Beach. It played a role in breaking racial barriers in music and remains a regional dance favorite.

vs Belgian Popcorn

The vs picks are going to be an experiment, sort of. I looked at the differences and similarities of five different styles of music that were popular, but didn't have clear definitions. So I made a playlist for each and I will let you decide. I'm starting with Belgian Popcorn which started in a club in Belgium. It's characterized by slow, mid-tempo music, featuring R&B, soul, and obscure recordings from the 1950s to 1960s, often played at a slower tempos to accommodate a "slow swing" dance style. Each of these playlists are not the end all be all of the style, but should be representative of that style. BTW, here's another site that has some good popcorn comps that I like.

vs Belgian Popcorn

01 Peggy Lee - Sweetheart

02 Phil Colbert - Who's Got The Action

03 Gerry and The Pacemakers - Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying

04 Brook Benton - Kiddio

05 Mcguire Sisters - Banana Split

06 Jeff Lane - Carmelita

07 Mary Wells - You Beat Me To The Punch

08 Simone Dina - Now I Lay Me Down To Weep

09 Four Aces - Love Is A Many Splendored Thing

10 Major Lance - Crying In The Rain

11 Sammy Davis Jr. - That Old Black Magic

12 Hank Levine & Orchestra - Image (Part 1)

13 Walter Jackson - This World Of Mine

14 Jay Abbott - La Tanya

15 Temptations - The Way You Do The Things You Do

16 Alvin Cash and the Crawlers - Twine Time

17 Dick Baker - Heartless Lover

18 Martha Reeves And The Vandellas - Dancing In The Street

19 Supremes - Come See About Me

20 Little Willie John - Fever

21 Jackie Weaver - The Tingle

22 Millie - My Boy Lollipop

23 Gene Chandler - A Song Called Soul

24 Barney Kessel - TV Commercials

25 Mel Tormé - Comin' Home Baby

Origin: Belgium.
Tempo: Slow-tempo songs aften adusted for speed.
Dance Style: Swing, foxtrot - couples.
Musical Influences: R&B, soul, ska, Broadway, lounge, and obscure 1950s–1960s American and British records.
Cultural Context: Emerged from clubs like De Oude Hoeve (later The Popcorn) and DJs like Gilbert Govaert and Freddy Cousaert. The scene emphasized obscurity and slowed down records for a more atmospheric feel.