Maxine Nightingale had an unexpected international smash with 1975's "Right Back Where We Started From," a joyous hybrid of Northern soul and
Elton John pop razzle-dazzle. It wasn't the only single of the era to strike this blend of retro form and modern production, as RPM's surprisingly exhaustive 2020 collection Right Back Where We Started From: Female Pop & Soul in 70s Britain shows. This triple-disc set rounds up hits, obscurities, cult favorites, and other cultural detritus from British female singers of various levels of fame, creating a wild portrait of a vividly colorful decade. A fair chunk of this compilation is firmly within the wheelhouse created by "Right Back Where We Started From," the single that is easily the best-known track here. That's enjoyable in its own right, but things start to get weird on the third disc, which collects such near-camp covers as
Eartha Kitt's overheated reading of
Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man,"
Carol Hunter's breathy Dr. Pepper commercial,
Yvonne Elliman turning
the Who's "I Can't Explain" into a glammy stomp, and
Blonde on Blonde pushing
Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" headfirst into a glitter ball. These cuts aren't quite soul, but they do evoke the 1970s as powerfully as the
Maxine Nightingale hit and help make this collection a trip. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine