Here's a great seventeen track northern soul set that will whet anyone's appetite this summer.

Opening with a blinding version by Jimmy Ruffin of Edwin Starr's' He Who Picks A Rose' which is given the ultimate Motown treatment and a song that is set to continue to be very popular across the northern soul spectrum. Click here to listen to it.

Frank Wilson's mega rarity 'Do I Love You' follows next and anyone who hasn't heard or danced to this masterpiece must have ben living on another planet for the last ten years. This song alone (by one of Motown's legendary songwriters) has attracted more attention than any other song on the scene since it's original US release back in the sixties. Track three is another slice of Motown magic as the excellent '6x6' by Earl Van Dyke finally gets a UK release on CD, although the flip side to the 45 (All For You) can now be found on other recent CD compilations. Once again this organ and brass led instrumental reminds us of days gone by when 100 mph dance tunes ruled the roost.

Dee Dee Warwick is a name that excites the soul connoisseur and her in-demand Mercury 45 'Worth Every Tear I Cry' which still has a firm following at northern venues where each play is guaranteed to fill any dancefloor. I remember only to well that this song was one of the most requested on my former Sunday Soul Club radio show in the nineties. She was one of the great names of soul sadly ruined by drugs and alcohol and very little has been heard of her after the early seventies.

Tony Clarke's 'Landslide' must have one of the most exciting drum roll intro's in history (only HB Barnum's classic comes anywhere near it) and probably remains Wigan casino's most famous song of that era. A perfect tempo makes this classic a real pleasure to dance to and possibly one of the greatest northern soul sides to come out of the Chess stable.

More from the Motown stable again with the legendary Contours and their ultimate dancer 'Baby Hit and Run' keeps the feet moving and whilst the band recorded many songs for the label only a handful can really be classed as special. This is certainly one of those songs. The unsung hero's of Motown must surely be the Originals (formerly the Voicemasters) who first recorded for the label back in '66' and then again in 1971 - 1973 where they recorded a couple of superb Marvin Gaye written singles. 'Suspicion' is a previously unreleased discovery from the vaults and was widely distributed across the scene on a white label 7" around six years ago. This is the second time this song has received an official UK CD release inside twelve months. Perfect tempo and an immaculate production that leaves you wondering why it was never released at the time. I do hope that Universal will now seriously look at issuing the fabulous 'California Sunset' Lp on CD in the near future.

Bobby Hebb is a familiar name to soul fans and his big dancer 'Love Love Love' needs no introduction and is another fine example of souls great dance music at it's very best. Edwin Starr is always guaranteed to pop up on any worthy compilation and his Detroit dancer 'Backstreet' is featured here showing that the legendary US label Ric-Tic will never be forgotten. A dance track of the highest order, and Edwin's voice never fails to excite.

The famous Twisted Wheel nightclub in Manchester in the sixties played host to many a great artist and were responsible for discovering and playing the best n sixties soul. The Flamingos with 'Boogaloo Party' was one such song that was played to death on almost every night the club was open and was a guaranteed floor filler everytime.

Finally, soul legend Don Covay has his 1974 issue 'It's Better To Have'  featured as the closing track. Talk about saving the best for last. This tune was adopted by the northern soul scene as a 'modern' track at a time when the scene was going through a split into the oldies v modern songs. This was a Wigan and Blackpool Mecca track and is one of those you either love or hate - there's no in-between with it. A modern bouncy track that will have you tapping your feet in seconds.

Seventeen great songs of which the only criticism is that a number of them can be easily found on other CD's, and the Frank Wilson/Contours/Originals/Edwin Starr songs are on other recently issued sets. Don't let that put you off though as the Cd as a whole is a cracking collection of connoisseur items that you will want on CD.

Personal rating 9/10

Tracklisting;

Jimmy Ruffin - He Who Picks A Rose
Frank Wilson - Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)
Earl Van Dyke - 6 x 6
Terry Callier - Look At Me Now
The Supremes - Stormy
Al Kent - The Way You've Been Acting Lately (Vocal Version)
Dee Dee Warwick - Worth Every Tear I Cry
The Charades - Key To My Happiness
Sisters Love - Learning To Trust My Man
Tony Clarke - Landslide
The Contours - Baby Hit And Run
The Originals - Suspicion
Jerry Butler - Moody Woman
Bobby Hebb - Love Love Love
Edwin Starr - Backstreet
The Flamingos - Boogaloo Party
Don Covay - It's Better To Have (And Don't Need)