A. Michael & Raymond - Man Without A Woman
B. Derek And Ray - Interplay
All Time Northern Soul Classics - Two fabulous sides
MICHAEL “CRAZY” CAMPBELL and RAYMOND MONETTE first caught our attention as singer/songwriters Mike & Ray on their debut 45 “If Only You Knew”, recorded in Detroit in 1966. A year later they struck gold, well at least in Wigan, with their self-penned, Northern Soul anthem “Man Without A Woman” featured here. A name change to The Abstract Reality found them on Shelly Harris’ Sport label with “Love Burns Like A Fire Inside”. The pair teamed up with Bob Babbitt and Andrew Smith to form the psych band Scorpion and released one, eponymous album for Tower Records. Mike went on to become a Hollywood actor scoring parts in Beverly Hills Cop and Total Recall and now lives with his family in Wyoming selling cars. Ray joined the Motown group Rare Earth with whom he still performs today.
Our chosen B-side features the monumental instrumental “Interplay” written and performed by the unlikely soul duo Derek Smith and Ray Cohen.
