Eddie Parker – I’m Gone / Crying Clown 45 (Awake / Kent) 7″ Vinyl

Regarded as the epitome of Northern Soul by many aficionados, ‘I’m Gone’, by Detroit’s Eddie Parker, captures the adrenalin and anger of a busted relationship and he tells of his determination to start again – elsewhere. The pulsating rhythm matches that anger and producer Jack Ashford, one of Motown’s key Funk Brothers, utilises his percussive know-how to produce such a vital track.

The flip ‘Crying Clown’ is musically and thematically miles away – with heartbreak and sorrow to the fore over a beautiful ballad backing. These are two of the greatest soul recordings from the 1960s. – Ace Records