{"title":"Edwin Starr","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEdwin Starr was an American soul vocalist born on January 21, 1942 in Nashville, Tennessee. He is best known for his powerful interpretation of the Vietnam War protest song \"War,\" which became a timeless anthem. Sadly, he passed away on April 2, 2003 in Bramcote, Nottinghamshire, England.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStarr's music resonates with fans who appreciate soulful sounds and meaningful lyrics. His unique style has influenced many artists including *The Elgins*, *Jr. Walker \u0026amp; The All Stars*, *Jimmy Ruffin*, and *The Contours*. Other notable performers inspired by Starr include *Martha Reeves \u0026amp; The Vandellas*, *The Miracles*, and *Gladys Knight \u0026amp; The Pips*.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith a discography that spans several decades, Edwin Starr's contributions to the music industry continue to be celebrated today. Fans of soul music will find solace in his captivating vocals and timeless melodies.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"25-miles-4yk5lg","title":"25 Miles","description":"\u003cp\u003eEdwin Starr's second album is an embarrassment of riches, soaring lyricism mated to a pounding, emphatic beat that won't let the listener go. Released in April 1969, 25 Miles was actually comprised, in part, of single sides, some going back as far as 1967, but was a more unified body of music than the preceding \u003ci\u003eSoul Master\u003c\/i\u003e LP. It embraced many of the changes that started to overtake Motown Records for the better as the 1960s came to a close, and it got a lot of what it did just right. The topical ballad \"I'm Still a Struggling Man,\" though it didn't do that well as a single, featured one of Starr's most moving vocal performances, and in its lyric was the distant precursor to the musical\/social vision that would burst forward full-force on Marvin Gaye's \u003ci\u003eWhat's Going On\u003c\/i\u003e -- it's still a love song, but is laced with bitter images and a social awareness that makes it all the more poignant. Aside from jewels like that, and the killer Starr original \"24 Hours (To Find My Baby),\" the album is also one of Starr's most rewarding vocal showcases, from the rough-hewn passion of \"Backyard Lovin' Man,\" across the tender vulnerability of \"If My Heart Could Tell the Story,\" to the soaring falsetto he generates on \"He Who Picks a Rose\"; the latter should have made great singles, as could the soaring, lushly produced \"Soul City (Open Your Arms to Me).\" Indeed, a good three-quarters of this LP could have been perfectly acceptable for AM airplay, so consider the album a gift in terms of accessibility and pop craftsmanship in a soul setting, as much now as then -- even the updating of \"You Beat Me to the Punch,\" which gives it a whole new sound. Surprisingly, Norman Whitfield only produced a pair of cuts on this album, and the more startling of them is the gospel-flavoured Whitfield\/Barrett Strong number \"Gonna Keep on Tryin' Till I Win Your Love,\" which is a delightful throwback to the sound of Sam Cooke; it makes a good pairing with \"Pretty Little Angel,\" a Clarence Paul\/Stevie Wonder\/Mike Valvano copyright (and another lost potential single), and they flow right into \"If My Heart Could Tell the Story.\" The whole record is a keeper, and one of the finer under-regarded albums in the late-'60s Motown library. Allmusic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Motown","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50445863944523,"sku":"2168130","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/product_id._dea6c0b9_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727047893"},{"product_id":"soul-master-expanded-edition","title":"Soul Master - Expanded Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003eDebut album from the late, great Edwin Starr, expertly remastered and complete with extensive liner notes and several bonus tracks. Essential listening for all R\u0026amp;B, Soul and Funk fans.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eClassic ‘60s Motown sounds with mid to up-tempo songs either swinging, shuffling or stomping their way to a rapid and satisfying conclusion (only one track is over three minutes). Featuring Starr’s rough-hewn vocal chops interpreting lyrics by Motown greats Smokey Robinson and Norman Whitfield among others, adding real weight to the recordings.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEdwin Starr is best remembered for his rasping Vietnam protest song ‘War’ from 1970. His early recordings for Detroit’s Ric-Tic Records immediately gained chart success before Berry Gordy bought out Starr’s contract in 1967 and took him and his music to Motown.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSoul Master\u003c\/i\u003e was Starr’s debut album and was released on Motown’s Gordy imprint in 1968. With soul music in the ‘60s, and especially with Motown, the emphasis was on singles, so the album did not chart but does boast a number of R\u0026amp;B hits. These include the aforementioned ‘Agent Double-O-Soul’ and Starr’s other top ten Ric-Tic release, 1966’s ‘Stop Her On Sight (SOS)’ (R\u0026amp;B #9\/Pop #48\/UK #35), as well as ‘Headline News’ (Pop #84).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Big Break Records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50459108213067,"sku":"1147837","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/2cb0970d-f9a4-4b34-b9f4-8e6afa0d87c7_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727217395"},{"product_id":"real-humdinger-scotts-on-swingers-s-o-s","title":"Real Humdinger \/ Scott's On Swingers (S.O.S.)","description":"\u003cp\u003eWe are talking Holy Grail territory… \u003cstrong\u003eEdwin Starr\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eJJ Barnes\u003c\/strong\u003e were two of the main stars at Ric-Tic, the legendary 1960s Detroit Soul label that ended up being purchased by Motown to take out the competition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eJJ Barnes\u003c\/em\u003e Real Humdinger Ric-Tic 45 is a standout gem from the Motor City’s Soul heyday years and an all time Northern Soul classic. \u003cstrong\u003eEdwin’s\u003c\/strong\u003e Ric-Tic 45s and subsequent gems for Motown made him such a Northern Soul icon that he moved to live in England.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat Anglophile \u003cstrong\u003eEdwin\u003c\/strong\u003e never revealed is that he actually recorded the first version of Real Humdinger for Ric-Tic. It never got released and its very existence was unknown. After painstaking detective work, West Grand found about the recording and have now managed to license it from Universal Music \/ Motown for its debut worldwide release.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNews of the discovery has created huge interest amongst Soul fans globally. As a bonus, the flip side is another “wow find” that had been stuck, also unknown and unloved, in the tape vaults for nearly 60 years. It is a preciously unused alternative take on Scott's on Swingers. The track is in effect an extended jingle for Detroit back in the day star radio DJ Scott Regan based on Edwin’s smash S.O.S (Stop Her On Sight). The released take came out on a limited edition RIC-Tic giveaway single that now commands a £400 price tag.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"West Grand","offers":[{"title":"7\" - Black","offer_id":51826770903371,"sku":"R1776-4563","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/WG0002S-1024x1024_7a443819-fce7-4b25-b48c-bb30715281c5.jpg?v=1752233102"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_cabe3793_thumbnail_4096_ff3005a3-4eaf-4233-9498-acf9f322f4bf.jpg?v=1727047876","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/edwin-starr.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}