“Soul Deep” (live) by The Style Council
originally from the Album, Our Favourite Shop (1985)
Welcome back to Weller Wednesday – where we celebrate, listen to, and learn about All Things Weller. This week we turn our attention to The Style Council, or for this performance, The Council Collective, and the live track to “Soul Deep”.
In December 1984, Weller put together a charity ensemble called the Council Collective to make a record, “Soul Deep”, initially to raise money for striking miners and subsequently also for the family of David Wilkie. In spite of the song’s political content, it picked up BBC Radio 1 airplay and was performed on Top of the Pops. (from Wikipedia)
The Council Collective was a Charity spin-off Group who performed the extended version of “Soul Deep” live on Channel 4’s “The Tube”, in December of 1984. It was recorded and released to raise funds and awareness for the striking miners of 1984.
The Single featured Paul Weller, Mick Talbot, Dee C. Lee, Jimmy Ruffin, Junior Giscombe, Dizzy Hites, and Vaughan Toulouse. These were Artists from The Style Council, as well as from Animal Nightlife and Heaven 17.
The Single was described, as follows:
“The Aim of this record was to raise money for the Striking Miners and their families before Xmas but obviously in the light of the tragic and disgusting event in South Wales resulting in the murder of a Cab driver, some of the monies will also go now, to the widow of the man. We do support the miners’ strike but we do not support violence. It helps no one and only creates further division amongst people. This record is about Solidarity or more to the point – getting it back! If the miners lose the strike, the consequence will be felt by all the working classes. That is why it is so important to support it. But violence will only lead to defeat – as all violence ultimately does.”
The Miners’ Strike of 1984-1985 in the UK was a major industrial action to shut down the British coal industry in an attempt to prevent colliery closures. It was led by Arthur Scargill of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) against the National Coal Board (NCB), a government agency. Opposition to the strike was led by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who called Scargill “the enemy within.”[1] The NUM was divided over the action and many mineworkers, especially in the English Midlands, worked through the dispute. Few major trade unions supported the NUM, primarily because of the absence of a vote at a national level. Violent confrontations between flying pickets and police characterized the year-long strike, which ended in a decisive victory for the Conservative government and led to the closure of most of Britain’s collieries. (from Wikipedia)
“Soul Deep” (12″ Version) by The Council Collective
Hope you enjoy this Week’s Weller Wednesday feature and that you come back next week to see what’s up next from Paul Weller. Feel free to share your thoughts, and Weller requests in the comments below.
