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Rating: 
Summary: Your companion to the soul music you love.
Review: As a New York-based music fan and writer for the New York Trend, and most recently Goldmine Magazine, I've had the opportunity to meet and write about several classic soul music artists, but I knew their more interesting stories remained untold. In A Touch of Classic Soul, I covered 35 soul singers whose commercial prime came in the early to mid-1970s. Artists like the Delfonics, the Staple Singers, the O'Jays, the Stylistics, Bobby Womack, and the Ohio Players told me fascinating stories and gave a first hand view of their careers. The Chi-Lites told me how their big hit "Have You Seen Her" almost never saw the light of day. I spent well over an hour with the Dells as they took me through more than 40 years of their career. The late Harold Melvin gave me an accurate account of his relationship with Teddy Pendergrass. The Whispers told of how they gave Babyface his first production break. I also learned so much about Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Spinners, Barry White, Al Green, Isaac Hayes, and many others. If you are someone who fondly remembers the soul music from "back in the day," it is my hope that you will enjoy this book. Consider A Touch of Classic Soul to be your companion to the great soul music from the first half of the 1970s and the artists who created it.
Rating: 
Summary: Must have for 70s music fans
Review: I am a music historian with a large collection of music and books. This is easily one of the top 3 or 4 music books I have ever read. What makes this book special is Taylor's in depth examinations of each artist's impact on the era. He understands that Billboard chart positions cannot always be taken at face value, they can be both accurate and misleading. Many authors simply use numbers to tell the artists stories, but Taylor goes beyond this. His explanation of the impact of the first Teddy Pendergrass album is a perfect example. There were only two singles released from that album, but there were at least three more hits that drove the album's sales. This type of info, and more, is given throughout the book. I know alot about this type of music, and I can tell when an author really knows it too. Marc Taylor knows the music, did his homework, and wrote an excellent and informative book. I'm sure volume two is even better.
Rating:
Summary: Must have for 70s music fans
Review: I am a music historian with a large collection of music and books. This is easily one of the top 3 or 4 music books I have ever read. What makes this book special is Taylor's in depth examinations of each artist's impact on the era. He understands that Billboard chart positions cannot always be taken at face value, they can be both accurate and misleading. Many authors simply use numbers to tell the artists stories, but Taylor goes beyond this. His explanation of the impact of the first Teddy Pendergrass album is a perfect example. There were only two singles released from that album, but there were at least three more hits that drove the album's sales. This type of info, and more, is given throughout the book. I know alot about this type of music, and I can tell when an author really knows it too. Marc Taylor knows the music, did his homework, and wrote an excellent and informative book. I'm sure volume two is even better.
Rating:
Summary: A great resource for lovers of Classic Soul music!
Review: Mr. Taylor! This is a real up close and personal interviews and encounters with these guys... that fans of this music genre and the people in it like to know. Tommy webb
Rating:
Summary: A great resource for lovers of Classic Soul music!
Review: Mr. Taylor! This is a real up close and personal interviews and encounters with these guys... that fans of this music genre and the people in it like to know. Tommy webb
Rating: 
Summary: An almost perfect book
Review: This book is like an "Encyclopedia of Soul Music of the 70's", except that, instead of entries, you get a full chapter for each artist or group. It fills an important gap in the bibliography of pop music. The author understandably did not include such big names as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye or the Jackson 5, as these acts had their own biographies published at one time or another. But then, Tavares and The Hues Corporation would have been welcome. We do get the stories of Blue Magic, Chi-Lites, Billy Paul, First Choice, Stylistics, Spinners, Three Degrees, Barry White and many others. I would have given this book five stars if it had included the complete discography for each artist, which would have been invaluable information for collectors. Unfortunately, it doesn't (though the albums are mentioned in the text). Also, in some cases, the biographies you can find in CD booklets seem to be more in-depth. For instance, in the Blue Magic chapter, there is no mention of the fact that their first single, "Spell", was actually recorded by Ted Mills' original group, before Blue Magic was formed. This piece of information can be found on the booklet of the CD "Soulful Spell, The Best of Blue Magic", which Marc E. Taylor could have used for reference. But don't get me wrong: this book may not be perfect, but it is still an excellent addition to anyone's library. It chronicles those good old days when black singers were accompanied by real drums, real strings, real horns... and made music that was real magic!
Rating:
Summary: Very In Depth
Review: this is the kind of Book Every 70's Lover of R&B must have ASAP.very detail&interesting from start to finish.a MUST!A MUST!
Rating:
Summary: Very In Depth
Review: this is the kind of Book Every 70's Lover of R&B must have ASAP.very detail&interesting from start to finish.a MUST!A MUST!
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