Review: “Rare Singles” by Benjamin Myers – Northern Soul and Second Chances

Pop fandom has always been about communion; the hope that as you look towards the star on stage, you might lock eyes and feel as special to them as they are to you. Usually, of course, that isn’t the case. But Earlon “Bucky” Bronco is not your usual performer, and his new wave of fans might just change his life.

Chicago native Bucky recorded a few incredible soul tracks as a schoolboy in 1967. Supported by tight session musicians, a great voice, and striking good looks, his career seemed destined for greatness. However, after attending a James Brown concert in Detroit the next year, Bucky and his college-age brother Sess were assaulted. Sess was wrongfully imprisoned, and a shattered Bucky turned to prizefighting and drugs, eventually finding solace with the practical and loving Maybellene.

When Maybellene passes away in the 2020s, Bucky spirals into despair. His life becomes a cycle of pain from deteriorating hips and the fleeting relief from his prescription opioids. Then, an unexpected phone call changes everything. An English group of soul enthusiasts wants him to headline a Scarborough soul weekender.

Despite his reservations, Bucky travels to Yorkshire, inadvertently leaving his entire stash of pills on the plane. He meets Dinah, a longtime fan and festival organizer, who views him as a “big old man with a limp that he disguised as an easygoing rolling shamble.” Bucky sees a resolute woman in her fifties with striking green eyes. Can Bucky overcome his pain and withdrawal symptoms to perform his first show in fifty years? Will Dinah leave her oafish husband? Might there be a spark of romance between them?

Myers has been gaining acclaim with works like The Gallows Pole and Cuddy. Rare Singles, though more contemporary, shares a deep sense of place with his previous works. Scarborough, with its bustling seagulls, mostly downbeat residents, and rugged surroundings, looms large in the narrative. As a former music journalist, Myers brings the northern soul scene to life with the passion of a true aficionado.

There are amusing cultural exchanges: Bucky is baffled by cold-water swimming and Bovril but falls in love with roast potatoes. Not all elements are successful; the narrative sometimes awkwardly shifts between different registers. British terms like “queue” and “candy floss” appear in Bucky’s thoughts along with words like “maelstrom” and “substratum,” which clash with his lack of formal education. Some expository dialogue about music, Yorkshire, or chimpanzees mourning their dead can feel as stilted as a Wikipedia entry.

Still, Myers writes with a vivid ease. He captures the ecstasy of opioids (“like sinking in silk”), the struggles of aging, and the “throaty whelp” of Scarborough’s seagulls. The shift in energy as Friday evening arrives, scented with perfume, aftershave, and hot oil rising above the harbor’s fishy base note, is evocative. The immediacy of the novel is often provided by the decent but desperate Bucky, abroad for the first time and detoxing on the anniversary of his wife’s death, metaphorically – and later literally – all at sea.

Ultimately, the book is one of affection and frustration, delighting in its main characters and their passions while lamenting economic and social stagnation. By the end, thanks to determination, the intervention of a fictional rapper named Lil’ Widowmaker, and the power of good music, things start to look up for Dinah and Bucky. Soul music, as Dinah reflects, is “built around the notion that men are bad, and women know them to be bad, yet somehow can’t bring themselves to leave them.” It’s also about pain, loss, and the possibility of redemption. While Rare Singles doesn’t reach the heights of Bucky’s still-pristine voice, it does hit some fine notes.

• Rare Singles by Benjamin Myers is published by Bloomsbury (£18.99).

Source: The Guardian