Hi,

I've been offered opportunity to interview Rico from the Ballads on Saturday and have only heard/ know 2 tracks by the Ballads.. 'I can't see your love' and have heard a BIT of 'A Fool'. If anyone can please help by sending me an MP3 of any Ballads tracks other than 'I can't see your love', I would be most grateful.. going to the 100 anniversary so will buy you a pint there, or when I see you!

BTW I am asking this ONLY for research purpose to listen so I can ask relevant questions and will not be using the MP3's to make CD's / send to anyone else, convert into anything, etc..

Also ANY information on the band, e.g. who played what, influences, history, etc, all useful.. sources of anything other than what's already on the net (the same info seems to appear on all the sites referencing them) will be referenced/ credited.

Thank you.

Michele

  On 02/09/2009 at 23:20, Catfish said:

Hi,

I've been offered opportunity to interview Rico from the Ballads on Saturday and have only heard/ know 2 tracks by the Ballads.. 'I can't see your love' and have heard a BIT of 'A Fool'. If anyone can please help by sending me an MP3 of any Ballads tracks other than 'I can't see your love', I would be most grateful.. going to the 100 anniversary so will buy you a pint there, or when I see you!

BTW I am asking this ONLY for research purpose to listen so I can ask relevant questions and will not be using the MP3's to make CD's / send to anyone else, convert into anything, etc..

Also ANY information on the band, e.g. who played what, influences, history, etc, all useful.. sources of anything other than what's already on the net (the same info seems to appear on all the sites referencing them) will be referenced/ credited.

Thank you.

Michele

Hi Michele,

I have

Confessing A Feeling

I Love You, Yeah

The Gift Of Love

This Is Magic

Treat Me Like Your Woman

Some nice stuff from a good group. Lucky you to get to talk yo them!

Will upload them this evening and PM you a link.

RossyBoy

Edited September 3, 200915 yr by RossyBoy

  On 03/09/2009 at 08:17, RossyBoy said:

Hi Michele,

I have

Confessing A Feeling

I Love You, Yeah

The Gift Of Love

This Is Magic

Treat Me Like Your Woman

Some nice stuff from a good group. Lucky you to get to talk yo them!

Will upload them this evening and PM you a link.

RossyBoy

Hi,

Thank you, this is great! I have had another search on refosoul (leaving out 'The'!) and a couple of the above are already on there; 'This is Magic' and 'Gift of Love'- the others will all be new on there, I think, and I would love to hear them!

Cheers, will check them out later at home, let me know when you've uploaded..

Michele

x

Don't forget Butterfli' or their Japanese album which has a goodtrack or two on it

Here's some more info...............

Group line up : Rico Thompson (lead), Nathan Robertson, Jon Foster, Lesley La Palma

65

I Can't See Your Love / Part 2 - Wee

66

I Can't See Your Love / Part 2 - Vee Jay

67

God Bless Our Love / ? - Soul Trip

Right Track/ Part 2 - Soul Trip (as The Fabulous Ballads)

68

My Baby Knows How To Treat Her Man / God Bless Our Love - Soul Trip

My Baby Knows How To Treat Her Man / God Bless Our Love - Venture

You're The One / I Love You, Yeah - Venture

Goodnight My Love / Hey Diddle Diddle - Venture

69

The Gift Of Love / I Wish I Knew - Venture

72

Baby I'm For Real / Dizzy World - Kimberly

73

Wait / ? - Happy Fox

75

Loving You Isn't Enough / I'm Gonna Show You How To Do The Bump - Music City

Confessing The Feeling / Butterfly - Music City

Confessing The Feeling / Butterfli - Balja

76

Wait / Your Love - Balja

82

Treat Me Like Your Woman / Don't Touch That Dial - Soul Beat..........Chris Page joined the line up on this

85

Three Times / Your Love - Balja

I Wish I Knew is totally awesome..........see if you can get Rico to sing a few lines... ...it would be good to find out if Leon Ware was ever involved in the line up too.

Good luck with your interview

Hi, again, Michele,

Uploading now so will PM you link shortly - have included "Bless Our Love" also.

Here's what I have on The Ballads

From Berkeley, California

Personnel: Nathan Robertson, John Foster, Rico Thompson, Lesley La Palma, Stan Harris

The Ballads hit big in 1968 with "Bless Our Love" (Venture 615) a Chi-Town classic which was written by Billy Butler (brother of Jerry Butler) and was a hit for Gene Chandler in 1964. The Ballad's sultry version of "Bless Our Love" stayed on the R&B tracks for 12 weeks, peaking at No. 8. In Los Angeles the Ballads did a little better climbing to No. 4 on the soul chart at radio station KGFJ. Friends since the late fifties Foster and Harris met while attending Burbank Junior High School – soon after they started singing together as The Holidays. They were joined by Oakland High friends La Palma and Robertson and later by Rico Thompson who was from Delano, California. The group started recording in 1965 as The Fabulous Ballads. By the time the Venture single hit the streets it had been around for about a year. It was first released as Bay View 1142 in 1967, then on the Soul Trip label.

(courtesy of Ruben Molina)

RossyBoy

Edited September 3, 200915 yr by RossyBoy

Here you go, Michele,

Thought I'd just post the link here in since a few others seem to be interested .....

  On 03/09/2009 at 12:58, Wrongcrowd said:

I Wish I Knew is totally awesome..........see if you can get Rico to sing a few lines... ...it would be good to find out if Leon Ware was ever involved in the line up too.

Good luck with your interview

Agree Cliff on "I wish I knew" - also worth mentioning this side has Butterflies in the lyrics as well, so an obvious question is why the obsession with butterflies in their songs......

  On 03/09/2009 at 19:52, Steve G said:

Agree Cliff on "I wish I knew" - also worth mentioning this side has Butterflies in the lyrics as well, so an obvious question is why the obsession with butterflies in their songs......

"butterfly" is just a remake of "wish I knew", it's the same song.

  On 03/09/2009 at 18:42, RossyBoy said:

 

Thanks, got the zip thing you sent me link for, sorted! Great clips, lovely quality, as it's allowed me to save them I'm goin to port my laptop along with and can play tracks as conversational 'oil'. Fantastic, thanks!

Mx

Have a list of questions, a head fairly full of Ballads ephemera and an important date at 8pm- better go and make the sandwiches!

Thanks heaps to all for your help- it's been invaluable- couldn't have done this without y'all. xx

Michele

'This is magic'...isn't this a different bunch of chaps?

Regardless, it is an AWESOME (and rare) slab of Northern Soul...pure class...sophisticated...tight male group harmonies etc etc...yes I kinda like this one!

(Hi Michelle...long time )

  On 05/09/2009 at 15:10, Flynny said:

'This is magic'...isn't this a different bunch of chaps?

Regardless, it is an AWESOME (and rare) slab of Northern Soul...pure class...sophisticated...tight male group harmonies etc etc...yes I kinda like this one!

Hi, Flynny,

Wasn't paying attention (rap my own knuckles!) - this one is actually out of Philadelphia. I suppose

Ballads was a common enough name for groups across the country (...he said as a feeble excuse...).

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it and I'm sure Michele has been put right by now!?!

RossyBoy

  On 06/09/2009 at 00:02, RossyBoy said:

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it

Sure do enjoy it...as did my fellow collectors when I played it out last weekend

(Thanks to fellow Soul-Sourcer NEV for selling me a copy not too long ago )

Mission accomplished Michele.

What a great guy Rico was last night and how much did he enjoy his visit to 100 Club afterwards!

Looking forward to reading the interview and seeing the new photo's from way back in the very near future.

Ray x

  On 02/09/2009 at 23:20, Catfish said:

Hi,

I've been offered opportunity to interview Rico from the Ballads on Saturday and have only heard/ know 2 tracks by the Ballads.. 'I can't see your love' and have heard a BIT of 'A Fool'. If anyone can please help by sending me an MP3 of any Ballads tracks other than 'I can't see your love', I would be most grateful.. going to the 100 anniversary so will buy you a pint there, or when I see you!

BTW I am asking this ONLY for research purpose to listen so I can ask relevant questions and will not be using the MP3's to make CD's / send to anyone else, convert into anything, etc..

Also ANY information on the band, e.g. who played what, influences, history, etc, all useful.. sources of anything other than what's already on the net (the same info seems to appear on all the sites referencing them) will be referenced/ credited.

Thank you.

Michele

HI

I will put a batch on refosoul