Soul II Soul
Encyclopedia
Soul II Soul are a British
group
that was created in London
in 1988. They are best known for their 1989 UK
chart-topper and U.S. Top 5 hit, "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)".
, playing records at house and street parties (where their clothing style, dubbed "Funki Dred," started a line of clothing). Founded by Jazzie B
and featuring a changing roster of other musician
s - notably Nellee Hooper
, Simon Law
, Phillip 'Daddae
' Harvey and Caron Wheeler
- Soul II Soul's experiments in music-making of their own resulted in the dub plate
"Fairplay," which secured them a recording contract
with Virgin Records
.
Their first singles
in 1988 failed to make the UK
Top 40, but the group went on to commercial success in 1989 with the singles "Keep on Movin'
" and "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)", which topped the UK Singles Chart
for four weeks, and was the fifth best-selling single in the UK that year. Both tracks, which featured Wheeler on vocals, were taken from their debut album Club Classics Vol. One which reached number 1 in the UK Albums Chart
and was certified triple platinum
by the British Phonographic Industry
. In July 1989, the British
music magazine, NME
, reported that Soul II Soul had to pull out of their scheduled live appearance on BBC Television
's Top of the Pops
programme
, following a dispute with the programme's producer
.
The group also had some success in the United States
, where "Back To Life" reached the Top 10 and was certified platinum, and the album (renamed as Keep On Moving for the US market) reached the Top 20 and sold over two million copies. The group also won two Grammy Award
s; Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals for "Back To Life", and Best R&B Instrumental for "African Dance".
Their follow-up album, Vol. II: 1990 - A New Decade
, yielded two Top 10 hits, "Get A Life" and "A Dream's A Dream", the latter featuring vocals by Victoria Wilson James. This album also reached number 1, and was certified platinum by the BPI, and reached the Top 30 in the US where it was certified gold. In April 1990, Soul II Soul got three US Soul Train
awards. The band had one more Top 10 in 1992 with "Joy", taken from their third album Vol. III: Just Right, which itself peaked at number 3 and was certified gold by the BPI. However, by this time the band's commercial success was in decline.
Their greatest hits
compilation album
, Volume IV: The Singles 88-93, was released in late 1993 and peaked at number 10. Soul II Soul reached Volume V of their series of albums for Virgin in 1995, which peaked at number 13. They then moved to Island Records
and released two more albums in 1997, Volume VI Time for Change and the remix album @REMIX.or.jp, but these failed to chart. The group then virtually disbanded for some years, but reformed for various live dates in the 2000s.
In 2002, Doreen Waddell
, a former singer with Soul II Soul living in Hove
, died after being hit by three cars while fleeing from a shoplifting incident. The 36-year-old, who left a 4-year-old son, sang some lead vocals on Soul II Soul's 1989 Club Classics Vol. One album.
The daughter of former member Melissa Bell, Alexandra Burke
, was the winner of the 2008 series of the UK television talent contest The X Factor
and has since gone on to a successful music career of her own. On 2 December 2008, a radio programme about Soul II Soul was broadcast on BBC Radio 4
.
The Soul II Soul Sound System featuring Caron Wheeler toured Australia
nationally in February 2009. They played the Playground Weekender Festival near Sydney
, New South Wales
. Soul II Soul performed live at the Yasalam free concerts in conjunction with the 2009 Formula 1TM Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
celebrations in October 2009.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
that was created in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1988. They are best known for their 1989 UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
chart-topper and U.S. Top 5 hit, "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)".
Career
The group initially attracted attention as a sound systemSound system (DJ)
A sound system is a group of DJs and engineers contributing and working together as one, playing and producing music.-Origin:The sound system concept originated in the 1950s in Kingston, Jamaica. DJs would load up a truck with a generator, turntables, and huge speakers to set up street parties...
, playing records at house and street parties (where their clothing style, dubbed "Funki Dred," started a line of clothing). Founded by Jazzie B
Jazzie B
Trevor Beresford Romeo OBE , better known by his stage name Jazzie B, is a British DJ, music producer, and entrepreneur. He is a founding member of Soul II Soul.-Life and career:...
and featuring a changing roster of other musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s - notably Nellee Hooper
Nellee Hooper
Nellee Hooper is a British producer/remixer/composer best known for his work with Björk, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Sinéad O'Connor, Garbage, Andrea Corr, U2, Sneaker Pimps, Soul II Soul and Massive Attack...
, Simon Law
Simon Law
Simon Law is a former keyboardist and songwriter for Soul II Soul.While Law was with Soul II Soul, the band had a #1 UK hit single with "Back To Life ", where he appeared in one of the song's two music videos, and a Top 10 hit with "Keep On Movin'"...
, Phillip 'Daddae
Daddae
Daddae is the guitarist, percussionist and keyboardist with Soul II Soul. He has been with the group since they formed, and, along with Jazzie B, is one of the last remaining original members of the band. They had a #1 UK hit with "Back To Life ".- References :...
' Harvey and Caron Wheeler
Caron Wheeler
Caron Wheeler is a two-time Grammy Award winning British R&B/soul singer, who gained fame by writing and singing the lead vocals on the two biggest hits for Soul II Soul Caron Wheeler (19 January 1963) is a two-time Grammy Award winning British R&B/soul singer, who gained fame by writing and...
- Soul II Soul's experiments in music-making of their own resulted in the dub plate
Dubplate
A dubplate is an acetate disc – usually 12, 10, or 7 inches in diameter – used in mastering studios for quality control and test recordings before proceeding with the final master, and subsequent pressing of the record to be mass-produced on vinyl. The "dub" in dubplate is an allusion to...
"Fairplay," which secured them a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
.
Their first singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1988 failed to make the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Top 40, but the group went on to commercial success in 1989 with the singles "Keep on Movin'
Keep on Movin' (Soul II Soul song)
"Keep on Movin'" is a song by British R&B band Soul II Soul. It was the second single released from their debut album Club Classics Vol. One, after "Fairplay"...
" and "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)", which topped the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
for four weeks, and was the fifth best-selling single in the UK that year. Both tracks, which featured Wheeler on vocals, were taken from their debut album Club Classics Vol. One which reached number 1 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and was certified triple platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
. In July 1989, the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
music magazine, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, reported that Soul II Soul had to pull out of their scheduled live appearance on BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
's Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
programme
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
, following a dispute with the programme's producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
.
The group also had some success in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where "Back To Life" reached the Top 10 and was certified platinum, and the album (renamed as Keep On Moving for the US market) reached the Top 20 and sold over two million copies. The group also won two Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s; Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals for "Back To Life", and Best R&B Instrumental for "African Dance".
Their follow-up album, Vol. II: 1990 - A New Decade
Vol. II: 1990 - A New Decade
Vol. II: 1990 - A New Decade is a 1990 album by Soul II Soul. The album was #1 in the UK during early 1990. The album contained three UK hits, "Get A Life", which reached #3 , "A Dream's A Dream", which made #6 , and "Missing You", which reached #22 .-Track...
, yielded two Top 10 hits, "Get A Life" and "A Dream's A Dream", the latter featuring vocals by Victoria Wilson James. This album also reached number 1, and was certified platinum by the BPI, and reached the Top 30 in the US where it was certified gold. In April 1990, Soul II Soul got three US Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
awards. The band had one more Top 10 in 1992 with "Joy", taken from their third album Vol. III: Just Right, which itself peaked at number 3 and was certified gold by the BPI. However, by this time the band's commercial success was in decline.
Their greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, Volume IV: The Singles 88-93, was released in late 1993 and peaked at number 10. Soul II Soul reached Volume V of their series of albums for Virgin in 1995, which peaked at number 13. They then moved to Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
and released two more albums in 1997, Volume VI Time for Change and the remix album @REMIX.or.jp, but these failed to chart. The group then virtually disbanded for some years, but reformed for various live dates in the 2000s.
In 2002, Doreen Waddell
Doreen Waddell
Doreen Tess Waddell was a singer who worked with Soul II Soul and The KLF.She was killed on March 1, 2002 in Worthing when being chased from a store where she had been shoplifting; she ran onto the A27, where she was hit by three vehicles, dying instantly at the age of only 36. She left a four...
, a former singer with Soul II Soul living in Hove
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
, died after being hit by three cars while fleeing from a shoplifting incident. The 36-year-old, who left a 4-year-old son, sang some lead vocals on Soul II Soul's 1989 Club Classics Vol. One album.
The daughter of former member Melissa Bell, Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...
, was the winner of the 2008 series of the UK television talent contest The X Factor
The X Factor (UK series 5)
The fifth UK series of The X Factor was broadcast on ITV in 2008. The series started on 16 August and was won by Alexandra Burke on 13 December, with new judge Cheryl Cole emerging as the winning mentor. Auditions in front of producers were held in April/May, with callbacks in front of the judges...
and has since gone on to a successful music career of her own. On 2 December 2008, a radio programme about Soul II Soul was broadcast on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
.
The Soul II Soul Sound System featuring Caron Wheeler toured Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
nationally in February 2009. They played the Playground Weekender Festival near Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. Soul II Soul performed live at the Yasalam free concerts in conjunction with the 2009 Formula 1TM Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is a Formula One race. It was announced in early 2007 at the Abu Dhabi F1 Festival in the United Arab Emirates...
celebrations in October 2009.
Albums
| Year | Album | UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Club Classics Vol. One/ Keep On Movin | 1 | 14 | 38 |
| 1990 | Vol. II: 1990 - A New Decade Vol. II: 1990 - A New Decade Vol. II: 1990 - A New Decade is a 1990 album by Soul II Soul. The album was #1 in the UK during early 1990. The album contained three UK hits, "Get A Life", which reached #3 , "A Dream's A Dream", which made #6 , and "Missing You", which reached #22 .-Track... |
1 | 21 | 9 |
| 1992 | Volume III Just Right | 3 | 88 | 17 |
| 1993 | Volume IV The Classic Singles 88-93 | 10 | - | - |
| 1995 | Volume V - Believe | 13 | - | - |
| 1997 | Time for Change | - | - | - |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US Dance | [NLD] | ||||
| 1988 | "Fairplay" | 63 | — | — | — | 9 | — | Club Classics Vol. One / Keep On Movin | |
| "Feel Free" | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1989 | "Keep on Movin' Keep on Movin' (Soul II Soul song) "Keep on Movin'" is a song by British R&B band Soul II Soul. It was the second single released from their debut album Club Classics Vol. One, after "Fairplay"... " |
5 | — | 11 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" | 1 | 45 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| "Jazzie's Groove" | — | — | — | 6 | 3 | — | |||
| "Get a Life" | 3 | 38 | 54 | 5 | 9 | 3 | Vol. II: 1990 - A New Decade | ||
| 1990 | "A Dream's a Dream" | 6 | 27 | 85 | 19 | 3 | 10 | ||
| "People" | — | — | — | 44 | 3 | 16 | |||
| "Missing You" | 22 | — | — | 29 | 39 | — | |||
| 1992 | "Joy" | 4 | 41 | — | 14 | — | 15 | Volume III Just Right | |
| "Move Me No Mountain" | 31 | — | — | 33 | 29 | — | |||
| "Just Right" | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1993 | "Wish" | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | Volume IV The Classic Singles 88-93 | |
| 1995 | "Love Enuff" | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | Volume V - Believe | |
| "I Care I Care I Care is the second studio album by Filipino singer Rachelle Ann Go, released in the Philippines on January 10, 2006 by VIVA Records. The album is an immediate follow-up to her successful self-titled debut album. Its singles include "If You Walk Away", the title track, and "Bakit", a promotional... " |
17 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1996 | "Keep on Movin'" (remix) | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album song | |
| 1997 | "Represent" | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | Time for Change | |
| "Pleasure Dome" | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Other appearances
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | "Kiss the Girl Kiss The Girl "Kiss the Girl" is a calypso song from Disney's 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid, composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Howard Ashman. In the film, the song was performed by Samuel E. Wright... " |
Simply Mad About the Mouse |
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart