Books

Northern Soul – An Illustrated History by Elaine Constantine and Gareth Sweeney

Northern Soul - An Illustrated History by Elaine Constantine and Gareth Sweeney
Northern Soul – An Illustrated History by Elaine Constantine and Gareth Sweeney
Note that I independently write and research everything in this article. But it may contain affiliate links.

Remember the Northern Soul movie that has been talked about for months, even years? Well, it looks to have an accompanying book, namely Northern Soul – An Illustrated History by Elaine Constantine and Gareth Sweeney.

To be fair, the movie looks like it is being done properly, as opposed to being rushed out to jump on a bandwagon. We’ll be thankful of that when Elaine Constantine’s movie finally makes its way to the big screen.

That’s likely to be around September, when this book is scheduled for release. Although it is available to pre-order now if you fancy getting your name down.

Here is the official write-up:

‘Music changes lives, music creates culture, music moves the soul.’

In the 1970s, a form of dance music took a feverish hold on the UK, finding its heart in the north of England. The music of 1960s-70s black American soul singers combined with distinctive dance styles to create what became known as northern soul. The movement tapped into a yearning for individual expression in northern working-class teenagers, and exploded into a cultural phenomenon that influenced a generation of DJs, songwriters and designers for decades to come. Northern Soul, a new film by acclaimed photographer and director Elaine Constantine, brings to life the scene for a whole new generation of 16 to 24-year-olds as well as longstanding soul fans.

This vivid tie-in book by Constantine and Gareth Sweeney is a vivid celebration of all things about the culture, featuring the former’s unmistakeable photography; immersed in the energy of the teenage dancers. Alongside this will be archival photography and oral histories from real 1970s soul fans, histories of the clubs, and top ten features etc.

This book has the double pull of being a unique souvenir for fans of the film, but also being an authentic document for followers of the northern soul scene, who have lived and breathed it their entire lives: it’s simply the most dynamic, vital book on the subject ever.

The shelf date is 5th September and the price of the 224-page book is £20.

Find out more at the Amazon website

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