# The 10 Best Soul Tracks of All Time Gospel technique moved to secular subject matter, recorded in Detroit and Memphis from the early sixties by house bands who played together every day. The root system almost everything else on this map grew out of. - **Origin:** Detroit and Memphis, 1961 - **Tempo:** 60–130 BPM - **Also known as:** southern soul, motown, deep soul, rhythm and blues - **Tracks:** 10 - **Updated:** 2026-08-29 - **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/genre/soul/ ## The list ### 1. [Marvin Gaye](https://waxonia.com/artist/marvin-gaye/) — [What's Going On](https://waxonia.com/track/marvin-gaye--whats-going-on/) *1971 · Tamla* Motown's biggest star refused to make another Motown record and was proved right within a month. A protest song that sounds like a conversation at a party, and the label's finest hour was the one it tried to prevent. Also on: [The Waxonia Desk — One Subject](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-one-subject/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/). [Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Marvin%20Gaye%20What's%20Going%20On) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=KDK7TiEiMOI) ### 2. [Sam Cooke](https://waxonia.com/artist/sam-cooke/) — [A Change Is Gonna Come](https://waxonia.com/track/sam-cooke--a-change-is-gonna-come/) *1964 · RCA Victor* Cooke heard Blowin' in the Wind and was annoyed that a white folk singer had got there first. The strings are almost unbearable, and no record on this site carries more weight per bar. Also on: [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/). [Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Sam%20Cooke%20A%20Change%20Is%20Gonna%20Come) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=wEBlaMOmKV4) ### 3. [Aretha Franklin](https://waxonia.com/artist/aretha-franklin/) — [Respect](https://waxonia.com/track/aretha-franklin--respect/) *1967 · Atlantic* Otis Redding wrote a song about a man wanting his due; Franklin rearranged it into something else entirely and he conceded the song was hers now. The most complete act of reinterpretation in popular music. Also on: [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/). [Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Aretha%20Franklin%20Respect) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=A134hShx_gw) ### 4. [Otis Redding](https://waxonia.com/artist/otis-redding/) — [Try a Little Tenderness](https://waxonia.com/track/otis-redding--try-a-little-tenderness/) *1966 · Volt* A 1932 ballad taken slowly for two minutes and then dismantled. Redding's final minute is the single best argument that soul is a technique for controlling release, not for avoiding it. Also on: [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/). [Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Otis%20Redding%20Try%20a%20Little%20Tenderness) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=pli44utBOwo) ### 5. [James Brown](https://waxonia.com/artist/james-brown/) — [Papa's Got a Brand New Bag](https://waxonia.com/track/james-brown--papas-got-a-brand-new-bag/) *1965 · King* The hinge. Still recognisably a soul record, already audibly something else — two years from here the horn stabs stop serving the chords and start serving the drummer. [Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/James%20Brown%20Papa's%20Got%20a%20Brand%20New%20Bag) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=rnDEr9R0snU) ### 6. [Martha and the Vandellas](https://waxonia.com/artist/martha-and-the-vandellas/) — [Dancing in the Street](https://waxonia.com/track/martha-and-the-vandellas--dancing-in-the-street/) *1964 · Gordy* A dance record that a summer of civil unrest turned into something the label never intended. Proof that Motown's assembly line was making ammunition without meaning to. [Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Martha%20and%20the%20Vandellas%20Dancing%20in%20the%20Street) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=ilEVETwkNtw) ### 7. [The Miracles](https://waxonia.com/artist/the-miracles/) — [The Tracks of My Tears](https://waxonia.com/track/the-miracles--the-tracks-of-my-tears/) *1965 · Tamla* Smokey Robinson's writing at its most economical — one metaphor, held for three minutes and never over-explained. Dylan reportedly called him America's greatest living poet, and this is the exhibit. Also on: [Sung to Someone](https://waxonia.com/theme/sung-to-someone/). [Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/The%20Miracles%20The%20Tracks%20of%20My%20Tears) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=rNS6D4hSQdA) ### 8. [Sam & Dave](https://waxonia.com/artist/sam-and-dave/) — [Soul Man](https://waxonia.com/track/sam-and-dave--soul-man/) *1967 · Stax* Booker T. and the M.G.'s playing with almost aggressive restraint while two men trade lines over the top. The Memphis answer to Detroit: less orchestration, considerably more room. [Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Sam%20%26%20Dave%20Soul%20Man) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=sbXw4EFioRI) ### 9. [Curtis Mayfield](https://waxonia.com/artist/curtis-mayfield/) — [Move On Up](https://waxonia.com/track/curtis-mayfield--move-on-up/) *1970 · Curtom* Nine minutes of unbroken forward motion, congas and a horn line that never lets up. Mayfield's optimism is the harder thing to write, and this is the most durable example of it. Also on: [The Waxonia Desk — One Subject](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-one-subject/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/). [Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Curtis%20Mayfield%20Move%20On%20Up) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=A9RMr9KuVZo) ### 10. [Bill Withers](https://waxonia.com/artist/bill-withers/) — [Ain't No Sunshine](https://waxonia.com/track/bill-withers--aint-no-sunshine/) *1971 · Sussex* Two minutes, one chord change and twenty-six repetitions of "I know" because Withers had not finished the verse and was told to leave it. The accident is the best part of the record. [Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Bill%20Withers%20Ain't%20No%20Sunshine) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=YuKfiH0Scao) --- Hand-curated by Waxonia. We host no audio; all links point to streaming platforms.