Genre: soul
Rating: 4 stars ****
Title: Burning Soul!
Company: Rave
Catalog: RMG 1232
Year: 1967
Country/State: Durban, South Africa
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: minor ring and edge wear; original mono pressing; lots of light marks, but plays without interruption
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 5069
Price: $150.00
You have to admire a band like The Flames. An exceptionally talented outfit, the fact they were a non-white group (most of the members were of East Indian extraction), trying to make the big time in apartheid-era South Africa makes them even more special.
Produced by Grahame Beggs, 1967's "Burning Soul" was an amazing soul album. Although heavy on outside covers, the 12 performances were every bit as good as releases by some of America's best known acts. Moreover, introducing then 16 year old Blondie Chaplin as the band's new lead singer and guitarist certainly didn't hurt the proceedings, nor did the band's growing technical proficiency (or Art Heatlie's first rate horn arrangements). Chaplin simply added a brand new dimension to the band's sound. His smooth and versatile falsetto proving perfectly suited to the band's soul and rock repertoire, easily bouncing between the silky smooth 'You Got It Made' (where he recalled John Fogerty !!!) to the band's freak out Hendrix cover ('Purple Haze'). Other highlights included the heartfelt 'Don't Make Your Children Pay', a killer cover of 'Land Of A Thousand Dances' and 'Blue Colour'. The fact that four guys from Durban, South Africa could generate this much soul was amazing! Elsewhere Rave tapped the album for the single ' Don't Make Your Children Pay' b/w 'Purple Haze' (Rave catalog number R-309).
"Burning
Soul!" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) You Got It Made (Dave Porter - Isaac Hayes) - 2:32
2.) Don't Fight It (Wilson Pickett - Steve Cropper) - 2:58
3.) Don't Make Your Children Pay (Joe Tex) - 3:15
4.) Stop Look And Listen (A. Cooke) - 2:21
5.) Tell It Like It Is (Davis - Diamond) - 3:00
6.) Land Of A Thousand Dances (Chris Kenner) - 2:28
(side
2)
1.) Knock On Wood (Eddie Floyd
- Steve Cropper) - 2:36
2.) Hold On I'm Coming (Dave Porter - Isaac Hayes) - 2:36
3.) When Something's Wrong With My Baby (Dave Porter - Isaac Hayes) - 3:29
4.) Something You've Got (Chris Kenner) - 2:45
5.) Blue Colour (R. Shorter) - 2:39
6.) Purple Haze (Jimi Hendrix) - 3:54
For anyone interested, there's a great Flames website at: