Gear Fab Records continues its
Souls Inc. story with the release of
Volume 2. Originally a singles band from Kentucky,
Soul Inc. was formed in 1965 when guitarist
Wayne Young and drummer
Marvin Maxwell secured a place on
Dick Clark's
Caravan of Stars tour prior to even forming a band. The two hired some musicians and backed up the likes of
Lou Christi,
Reparata & the Delrons, and others. On the second
Dick Clark tour,
Soul Inc. opened as a stand-alone band and quickly became a favorite of many of the top acts of the day, including
Paul Revere & the Raiders. Over the following months,
Soul Inc. built a reputation for themselves and began recording singles. The band recorded songs for the
Rondo,
Star Records,
Boss and
Counterpart labels, and became one of the most popular acts in Kentucky.
Volume 1 of the
Soul Inc. story collected 20 of the band's singles recorded between 1965 and 1969.
Volume 2 now continues that story with an additional 16 tracks that were not on
Volume 1, and features one song from the next incarnation of the band (known as
the Elysian Field, not to be confused with the dream-pop band or the black-metal band named
Elysian Fields). The music ranged from
Beatles-influenced pop, garage rock, and surf-styled instrumentals to
Motown soul and psychedelic rock. Throughout their entire career the band was constantly experimenting and progressing as the times changed.
Soul Inc. split in 1969, with three members forming
the Elysian Field while
Wayne Young kept the
Soul Inc. moniker and continued the band for a short time with various lineups. Sadly, by the end of 1969,
Soul Inc. was no more. In 1999,
Young reunited with the original band members and recorded a new
Soul Inc. album. The sound quality on this CD is for the most part excellent, and is taken from master tapes where possible. With the release of this second compilation of
Soul Inc.'s singles, the band's musical history has finally been completely documented. ~ Keith Pettipas