Soul Excitement - Stay Together / Smile

Year Released: 1970
Label: Black Rock Records (U.S.)
Genre: Funk / Northern Soul

Description:
An ultra-rare funk 7″ coveted by collectors, “Stay Together” by The Soul Excitement is a hard-hitting, horn-laced anthem that perfectly captures the raw, independent soul sound emerging from regional U.S. labels in the early ’70s. Driven by deep bass, tight drums, and impassioned vocals, it’s a song about unity and resilience — equal parts message and movement.

The B-side, “Smile,” contrasts the intensity with a more melodic groove, radiating positivity through shimmering keys and heartfelt harmony.

Though the group never broke nationally, “Stay Together” became a Northern Soul floor-filler and later a sample source for rare-groove producers in the ’90s and early 2000s — with snippets of its rhythm guitar and horn stabs appearing in underground UK breaks and modern funk remixes. Original pressings on Black Rock are now extremely hard to find, often fetching three-figure prices among collectors of deep funk 45s.