Album of the Week // 25-29 October

After the lockdown success of For The Love of You, Sam Don has delivered a second volume, which arguably goes deeper and betters the first edition.

The album features 12 cover versions of well-known and lesser known boogie, disco, soul and in the case of the Simply Red cover, a bonafide pop classic.

Some of the artists featured went on to have (and in some cases, are still having) a successful career, whereas some others released one or two tracks before fading into obscurity.

What is common is that for the most part, these records were originally recorded in London and in the middle part of the 80s, with many of the artists still living here. One such artist is Pete Campbell, a Tottenham based singer who is still touring the country and with a large fan base outside of the UK, including Brazil.

Like many lovers rock originals, the chosen material for the cover versions are about love and love lost, with the exception being Bobby Womack’s strange tale of berating his friend for allowing him to be around his wife on ‘I Wish He Didn’t Trust Me So Much’

Whilst these versions never bothered the charts like the stars they covered, they would often be heard at house parties or blues dances.

And why the chosen compilation title? Well, going digging for these cover versions, Sam kept on seeing different versions of the Isley Brothers classic ‘For The Love of You’. Watch out for a forthcoming instagram post that details the digging stories behind the compilation.