# The 7 Best Northern Soul Tracks of All Time

Not a style anyone recorded — a style of listening. Northern English all-nighters from 1970 built a canon out of failed American soul 45s, prizing a fast four-four stomp and obscurity itself as a value.

- **Origin:** Wigan and Manchester, England, 1970
- **Tempo:** 120–140 BPM
- **Also known as:** wigan casino, rare soul, the twisted wheel
- **Tracks:** 7
- **Updated:** 2026-08-31
- **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/genre/northern-soul/

## The list

### 1. [Dobie Gray](https://waxonia.com/artist/dobie-gray/) — [Out on the Floor](https://waxonia.com/track/dobie-gray--out-on-the-floor/)

*1966*

A song about dancing all night that flopped in America and became a commandment in Lancashire. The Wigan anthem, and it sounds like it was written for the room it found.

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Dobie%20Gray%20Out%20on%20the%20Floor) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=ylviFjAM1J0)

### 2. [Frank Wilson](https://waxonia.com/artist/frank-wilson/) — [Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)](https://waxonia.com/track/frank-wilson--do-i-love-you-indeed-i-do/)

*1965*

A Motown producer's one attempt at singing, withdrawn before release. Two copies are known to survive; one sold for a five-figure sum, which is the scene's economics in a sentence.

Also on: [Sung to Someone](https://waxonia.com/theme/sung-to-someone/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Frank%20Wilson%20Do%20I%20Love%20You%20(Indeed%20I%20Do)) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=1OvaglT9EB4)

### 3. [Al Wilson](https://waxonia.com/artist/al-wilson/) — [The Snake](https://waxonia.com/track/al-wilson--the-snake/)

*1968*

A fable about a woman who takes in a snake and is bitten, over a stomping four-four. The Wigan Casino played it every night for years.

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Al%20Wilson%20The%20Snake) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=ULx9k2QkL94)

### 4. [Jimmy Radcliffe](https://waxonia.com/artist/jimmy-radcliffe/) — [Long After Tonight Is Over](https://waxonia.com/track/jimmy-radcliffe--long-after-tonight-is-over/)

*1965*

One of the three records that closed the Casino at eight in the morning, and the most desolate. Nobody who was there talks about it casually.

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Jimmy%20Radcliffe%20Long%20After%20Tonight%20Is%20Over) · [Search YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/search?q=Jimmy%20Radcliffe%20Long%20After%20Tonight%20Is%20Over)

### 5. [Gloria Jones](https://waxonia.com/artist/gloria-jones/) — [Tainted Love](https://waxonia.com/track/gloria-jones--tainted-love/)

*1964*

A B-side nobody bought, resurrected on the Northern circuit, and then turned by Soft Cell into a global synth-pop hit. The original is faster and considerably angrier.

Also on: [Sung to Someone](https://waxonia.com/theme/sung-to-someone/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Gloria%20Jones%20Tainted%20Love) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=WrAPgjcVDOc)

### 6. [Yvonne Baker](https://waxonia.com/artist/yvonne-baker/) — [You Didn't Say a Word](https://waxonia.com/track/yvonne-baker--you-didnt-say-a-word/)

*1966*

Intro, chorus, and no time wasted. Northern soul favoured records that start at full speed, and this is the purest example of the preference.

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Yvonne%20Baker%20You%20Didn't%20Say%20a%20Word) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=IGykz3cIMNE)

### 7. [Tobi Legend](https://waxonia.com/artist/tobi-legend/) — [Time Will Pass You By](https://waxonia.com/track/tobi-legend--time-will-pass-you-by/)

*1968*

The last of the Casino's three closing records. A warning about wasting your youth, played to people who had spent the night doing exactly that.

Also on: [Dancing to Bad News](https://waxonia.com/theme/dancing-to-bad-news/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Tobi%20Legend%20Time%20Will%20Pass%20You%20By) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=F8gejqmgELA)

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