To me Georgie Fame is one of the most influential voices in white soul music, along with the likes of Steve Marriott his voice is silky smooth and draws the listener in immediately lulling them into musical heaven. I was first made aware of Georgie Fame through my Nan, she's the generation who grew up with the'Big Band' phenomenon of the 50's. She loves swing and I regularly go round and see her, listening to the sounds of Sinatra and Davis Jr among others. So I hear 'Yeh, Yeh' for the first time and again modernism turns my whole world upside down, it was an influential moment in my music listening life. It was nearly as effective as when I fist heard The Jam. 'Yeh, Yeh' has a real groove to it and is one you can dance to. I've used it throughout many of my sets and it goes down a storm. Fast forward to September 2015 and my Georgie Fame obsession is growing rapidly. Thanks to a good mate of mine Mr Johnny Chandler I am the proud owner of the Georgie Fame 'The Whole World's Shaking' CD Boxset ,released by Universal Music, and it's safe to say it's quality! 'The Whole World's Shaking' is the complete recordings 1963-66. It features 5 CD's with expanded editions of the albums; 'Rhythm and Blue at The Flamingo', 'Fame At Last', 'Sweet Things' and 'Sound Venture'. The fifth disc is 'Bend a Little' which is a collection of rarities, B-Sides and Outtakes and is certainly one to be listened to! The boxset also includes a series of postcards which are perfect for your modernist bedroom and a book which talks in depth about the man himself. This boxset is a great bit of kit and pays tribute to one of the pioneers of Modernism.
The boxset includes a lot of top tunes but here's my Georgie Fame top 5:
1. 'Yeh, Yeh'
An absolute classic, ask anyone about Mr Fame and this will no doubt be one of your first talking points. A song which will get the floor moving and will kickstart a good night! Perfect to chuck on in between some northern and RnB.
2. 'In the Meantime'
Filled with soul and groove, 'In the Meantime' is absolutely perfect in every single way!If I was in a band I'd walk onstage to this belter of a track. Jazz and RnB intertwined to create a soulful masterpiece. Georgies's vocal is spot on here and sounds sublime, the trumpets are crisp and the overall sound is smooth. Great track!
3. 'Telegram'
Guaranteed to get people foot tapping, 'Telegram' is another stomper. You can imagine this getting played at The Flamingo and all the faces grooving to it! Every track of Georgie's I listen to his vocal just seems to get better and better. He truly is one of the most influential people in real RnB.
4. 'Get On The Right Track, Baby'
Smooth and enticing 'Get On The Right Track, Baby' is sublime. The musical arrangement and production go hand in hand and deliver a quality tune. With a quick tempo and sharp lyrics this track has all you need to start your set.
5. 'Pink Champagne'
With a slightly more swing feeling 'Pink Champagne' takes influences from a few different genres for sure! Another cool track that is perfect when you're getting ready for a big night. It's songs like these that give me inspiration with my clobber just look at the sleeve of 'Fame at Last'! Cool even in 2015 Georgie Fame is quality, get listening!
