Barry White - You're The First. The Last, My Everything

Released in the winter of 1974, this classic soul record was massive in the UK charts. Barry was just having solo success after the hits he produced with the Love Unlimited Orchestra. The song original was based on a previously unheard country track by Peter Radcliffe. Barry changed the lyrics and the title, set it to a disco beat and classic single is made.

The single got to number 2 in America and did better here in the UK and got to number 1 for 2 weeks just before Christmas 1974, which Mud's Lonely This Christmas knocked it off the top for the converted Christmas number 1.

Aretha Franklin - Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)

This gem of a soul single was released in 1973 and sold over a million copies in the states and got to number 3 on the BIllboard chart but for some reason didn't get a UK release until 1974. The song was co written by Stevie Wonder in 1967 but he never released it himself until 1977. A song of someone waiting for their lover to return back to them, has the unmistakable notes of Aretha over it and it reached number 26 here but has become one of Aretha's most well known tracks.

To be honest, I'm not a huge Aretha Franklin fan, I think she wails and screeches too much for me, but on this track and another one of my Faves, Don't Play That Song, are tracks I still often play.

Randy Crawford - One Day I'll Fly Away

Randy Crawford was probably known before this as the vocalist on a disco smash Street Life by the Crusaders. More known as a jazz singer, Randy released this soul hitting single in September 1980 in the UK. Such a smash, it raced up to Number 2 in late September and became her biggest hit single. strangely I don't think this single did anything in her native America but did really well in Europe too. She had another couple of hits with Rainy Night in Georgia and You Might Need Somebody after the success of One Night with further minor hits but had a further hit later in the 80's with Almaz.

Here's the single