Leon Haywood - Baby Reconsider
Added: Jan 9, 2009
From: IanLevine
Duration: 2:35
Leon Haywood has had an enormous and varied career, but this one song, "Baby Reconsider", has earned its place in history for being the very first record to turn the Mod Soul scene in the North of England in the late 1960s, into a Rare Soul scene, which became known as Northern Soul. This record, on the Fat Fish label, with its classic sixties Motown sound, and its throaty Marvin Gaye type vocal, was so rare and so prized, that people would travel 200 miles on a Saturday night in 1969 and 1970, to the Twisted Wheel in Manchester, just to hear it. Thus the brinkmanship of rare soul and valuable records was born. And of course, when I embarked upon the epic journey of making The Strange World Of Northern Soul DVD set, I just HAD to re-record it, and have Leon filmed. Soul/funk journeyman Leon Haywood periodically dented the charts in the 1970s with hits that tapped into the grooves and musical hooks of the day's trends. An accomplished songwriter and arranger, Haywood never pretended to be an innovator, and his hits are cheerful derivations of '70s midtempo funk and romantic ballads, usually embellished by smooth string charts. His best material recalled the late-'60s/early-'70s Motown sound; on the slower material in particular, his vocals bore a resemblance to those of Marvin Gaye. Haywood's roots extend way further back than the '70s; he toured and recorded with R&B saxophonist Big Jay McNeely's band (which also backed Sam Cooke on the road) in the early '60s. In the mid-'60s, he had his first chart entry with "She's with Her Other Love" on Imperial. In 1967, he had a solid R&B hit (and small pop one) with "It's Got to Be Mellow," whose commercial soul sound betrayed his Motown influence. He didn't come into his own as a solo artist until the mid-'70s, when he had big R&B hits with "Strokin'," "Come and Get Yourself Some," and "Keep It in the Family." His biggest single, "I Want'A Do Something Freaky to You" (with orgasmic female gasps and moans that made it pretty clear what "freaky" really meant), crossed over to the Top Twenty pop listings. The discoish "Don't Push It Don't Force It" was his biggest splash, making #2 R&B in 1980. After the mid-'80s, he eased out of the record business into business ventures; in the 1990s, he produced blues albums by Jimmy McCracklin and others on his own EveJim label. But we will always love him best for this one wonderful song.
Channel: Music
Rating: 4.76 (21 ratings) Views: 13131' favoriteCount='45 Comments: 20
fajams23 Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - is that really him? what is he doing now?
jacqui4elvis Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - brilliant, what a fantastic song and great to see the leon singing
down2earth2006 Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - haha this is great
docludi Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - One of the greatest Soul singles of all time. This sends the tears of joy straight to my eyes with memories of the Twisted Wheel.
Discoboy1974 Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - Hi, I'm Søren from Denmark. I hope that people who like this music will join up to receive "Reaching For The Best - The IAN LEVINE Newsletter". I'm doing a regular e-mail newsletter for people who are fans of Ian Levine's music, just like myself. If you too are a genuine fan of his productions, and you love seeing these videos, then send me a message with your e-mail address and I'll add you to the list. It's all free, it's with Ian's full co-operation, so please join in!
hybeed Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - THATS MY COUSIN SING BOY
dofibar Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - i still have this record that i bought down the wheel 1n around 1969
IanLevine Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - Is that Docker ????If so, why didn't you say ???
dofibar Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - sorry ian my name is mac from Darlington,went down the wheel from 1967 to 1971
Medic83301 Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - He was at Motown ? WOW !
IanLevine Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - No he wasn't.
VinylRecords60 Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - Any Leon Haywood fans here realise that the lyrics to "Baby Reconsider" and "Not While You're Standing Here" are the same! This is an ultimate northern soul track! I just bought Leon's first LP (Mellow Mellow) on Galaxy and this track was on it! It sounds like The Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud To Beg". Any of you ever hear "Ain't No Use"?
modifiedcontent Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - So this guy is really Leon Haywood? :-)So cool!
IanLevine Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - Of course he is. I'm Ian Levine, and they're all authentic 100%. That was the whole point of The Strange World Of Northern Soul. We tracked down the real people.
eornad Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - i can't believe I Puked On My Car has more views than this!
IanLevine Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - Which proves there's no accounting for taste.
blackstonei23 Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - I remeber Leon very well.He could play some organ!I remember him doing his thing down in Long Beach a hundred years ago.Talent night-anyone else remember that? Wow!
VinylRecords60 Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - From the obscure "Mellow, Mellow" LP on Galaxy!
theresacoots Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - love his voice!!
docludi Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - What wouldn't I give to have this moment in time at the Wheel gain.
maherho Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - hi did kieth misull pay £25 for this record in 1970 to bring it to the torch i think a lot of money thena great record . but not the best to dance to in those days. regards jimmy liddy
IanLevine Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - My abiding memory of the first time I stepped foot in the Wheel was seeing everyone dancing to this, clapping on every off-beat. And it carried over into Blackpool Mecca too. So it was THE best to dance to in those days, I beg to differ. It was THE floorfiller every time.
gittahfiend Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - his old ass could of wore a hat.
cher01y Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - Great Song ....Great Voice...just luvving it!Thks for posting this on youtube
krystolfan Says:
Jan 9, 2009 - In all my years of video collecting, I don't think I've ever come across a performance of Leon. Nice to see the man in action...thanks for producing this, Ian!