Newest release from SOUL DIRECTION features a proper soul legend… VAN McCOY and, as importantly, both songs on the upcoming 7” are “previously unreleased”. They are ‘Sing Yeah, Sing’ and ‘Wait Till I Get You In My Arms’.
Here’s the back story. You might know that Van McCoy started in the biz in a doo-wop harmony group The Starlighters. The group made some progress in the 50s but disbanded as group members married or were called up by Uncle Sam. Van, keen on making a living out of music, ended up in New York (via a stint in Philly) and he eventually started making records, some on his own Vando label, though with no real success. Florence Greenberg at Scepter/Wand recognized his potential and signed him up as a writer . From there, he moved to the April Blackwood Music publishing company where his songs were successfully recorded by people like Ruby and the Romantics, Irma Thomas, Nancy Wilson and Barbara Lewis. McCoy, though, still harboured a desire to perform himself and his 1966 Columbia album, ‘Night-time Is Lonely Time’ showed his potential and it’s from this period that the two “previously unreleased” Soul Direction tracks come.
‘Sing yeah, Sing’ first surfaced as an acetate in 1977 after it had been discovered in the Blackwood offices and it became a cult sound when played by various DJs. In truth, it’s a lightweight affair and it clocks in at just under two minutes – that length and the sound quality suggest it’s a demo recording. The more familiar ‘Wait Till I Get You In My Arms’ has a demo quality too. Again this was found as an acetate and at first anoraks who heard it thought it was Chris Bartley, but McCoy’s estate have confirmed that it’s the man himself! The song, of course, was eventually made famous by Major Lance but it’s interesting to have what is essentially the original McCoy take.
Van McCoy, of course, went onto great things – his achievements are too numerous to list here but suffice to say he is a true soul legend taken from us far too soon. He died in 1979 aged just 39 and these two new Soul Direction tacks serve to enrich his legacy.
Find out more @ https://soul-direction.co.uk/. We believe that pre-orders begin tomorrow, 31st March with delivery at the end of April.
