Softiques - Bash'ful/two kinds of boys - Sheldon

https://www.juno.co.uk/artists/The+Softiques/

Just picked this up for the great vocal but am curious as to whether it's a legit reissue or a boot.

Anyone know?

Edited December 10, 200915 yr by Samson

  On 09/12/2009 at 18:48, Samson said:

Softiques - Bash'ful/two kinds of boys - Sheldon

Just picked this up for the great vocal but am curious as to whether it's a legit reissue or a boot.

Anyone know?

Anyone?

BTW - Anyone not familiar with this one should scope "two kinds of boys". Vocals are just perfect IMHO.

  On 09/12/2009 at 23:00, Samson said:

Anyone?

BTW - Anyone not familiar with this one should scope "two kinds of boys". Vocals are just perfect IMHO.

How does one "scope"?

I think scoping boys is illegal in the UK.

  On 09/12/2009 at 18:48, Samson said:

Softiques - Bash'ful/two kinds of boys - Sheldon

Just picked this up for the great vocal but am curious as to whether it's a legit reissue or a boot.

Anyone know?

this is real release. are you posting just to brag you got this? none of the group members have a copy of this by the way.

  On 10/12/2009 at 01:08, boba said:

this is real release. are you posting just to brag you got this? none of the group members have a copy of this by the way.

Why would I be bragging about a $7 dollar reissue? If any of the group members want it they can buy from one of the numberous record stores selling it. Am I missing something here?

  On 09/12/2009 at 23:09, johnmcc said:

How does one "scope"?

I think scoping boys is illegal in the UK.

Hah! I don't know how one would scope a sound? I've always had a habit of using the wrong word and I keep getting worse with age.

...as far as scoping boys...I know nothing of the sort and do not recomend it.

  On 10/12/2009 at 01:47, Samson said:

Why would I be bragging about a $7 dollar reissue? If any of the group members want it they can buy from one of the numberous record stores selling it. Am I missing something here?

I didn't know it was bootlegged, if it was, it is very recent, I haven't seen it around but I don't get out enough. I didn't see your link in your original post.

Edited December 10, 200915 yr by boba

  On 10/12/2009 at 03:53, boba said:

I didn't know it was bootlegged, if it was, it is very recent, I haven't seen it around but I don't get out enough. But you posted without any details about your record to differentiate about whether it was legit or not which is why I didn't understand why you were posting.

the best part is that they spelled "curtis mccormack" wrong on the bootleg, what idiots. Anyone know who did this and if they are interested in paying the singers?

Edited December 10, 200915 yr by boba

  On 09/12/2009 at 18:48, Samson said:

Softiques - Bash'ful/two kinds of boys - Sheldon

https://www.juno.co.u.../The+Softiques/

Just picked this up for the great vocal but am curious as to whether it's a legit reissue or a boot.

Anyone know?

just to clarify now that you've clarified on your question and I see what you're talking about -- 100% bootleg.

  On 10/12/2009 at 03:53, boba said:

I didn't know it was bootlegged, if it was, it is very recent, I haven't seen it around but I don't get out enough. I didn't see your link in your original post.

I added the link after you replied. I realized it was a confusing post with out a picture of the record. Thanks for the reply. I kind of suspected it to be a boot which is why I posted it. Great song....just wish it was a legit copy.

Clearly, the recent pressing's version with the chopped of ending of "Two Kinds of Boys" was taken off an acetate left at Sheldon's recording studio, in case McCormack would be successful using the small run of DJ copies to shop his record to a "real" record company.  Sheldon didn't really have a commercial record label.  They mainly recorded mastered records, and cut demo acetates or vinyl demos.  I was shocked to see that they pressed up commercial-looking DJ issues with a colour label for McCormack.  I rather doubt that the press run was more than 100 (2 boxes of 50), probably only 50.  They are dead rare.  I don't think they got any airplay.  I didn't hear them played on WBEE, WVON, or WNYR.  And from Bob's (May he rest in peace) comments, I assume that the girls never even knew the DJ issues were pressed up.  They probably knew only about a couple demo acetates McCormack got, to shop the record to a real record company.  Betty Berry (Crawford), lead singer on "Bashful" went on to hook up with Ruth Moore, to be in a couple later groups (Destiny and Coffee).  Gloria Lewis, (Lead on "Two Kinds of Boys") left the business when she became pregnant, and the group broke up.  "Two Kinds of Boys" is a super mid '60s Chicago Soul Sound, which is right up there in quality with lots of Curtis Mayfield's and Carl Davis' best, and deserved a better fate.  Too bad The Girls didn't get any money from their 2009-present sales.

The interview mentioned that Gloria Carver and Valencia Gray were the other 2 members.  I'd like to find out with which other labels McCormack worked, and how General Johnson was involved (as financier and marketer?).  

Edited August 8, 2024Aug 8 by Robbk

I agree “two kinds of boys” is a superb piece of bare bones mid tempo magic,the backing singing is especially nice! A shockingly rare disc as with the condors on Sheldon too! Interestingly I wonder how many know that the condors was released on limelight as jeannie & the gentlemen,same 2 sides with”meet me halfway” being again mid tempo magic,with a superb trumpet break!

  On 08/08/2024 at 18:07, Dobber said:

I agree “two kinds of boys” is a superb piece of bare bones mid tempo magic,the backing singing is especially nice! A shockingly rare disc as with the condors on Sheldon too! Interestingly I wonder how many know that the condors was released on limelight as jeannie & the gentlemen,same 2 sides with”meet me halfway” being again mid tempo magic,with a superb trumpet break!

Thanks Dobber,

Was The Condors on Sheldon issued on a vinyl commercial issue that looks like a real commercial record company label - something like The Softiques' Sheldon DJ copies?  I knew The Condors same recording on Limelight, and as The Condors only on a Sheldon demo acetate.  I have hundreds upon hundreds of US Midwest  (and even some East Coast records) mastered at Sheldon.  And an awful lot of Chicago Area productions were recorded there.  But, to my knowledge, they didn't really operate a commercial record label (unlike many other recording studios who had their own successful record labels, some even operating subsidiary labels, as well.  The Softiques seems to have been an unique, special case.  I've never seen another Sheldon record that were vinyl non demo one-offs, but were actually commercial-looking DJ vinyl pressings.  There was one other Sheldon Records issue with the same coloured label design as The Softiques; but it was just an an advert to promote Sheldon's services, with various 10 seconds snippets of the various music genres they'd recorded.

 

I’ve only seen an actual vinyl copy of condors once! It a was demo “not for sale”

  On 08/08/2024 at 19:27, Dobber said:

Yes, this and ALL other Sheldon Records are just demos, whether on acetate or vinyl.  And they're not even made for distribution to DJs.  The Softiques' was likely a special order, made by McCormack, who didn't want 100 or 200 DJ copies pressed, but only wanted to pay for maybe a box of 25 demos to hand to a few DJs with whom he had some connection or intro, and a few that he or General Johnson could use to promote the record to record companies.  Bob A (may he rest in peace) said that member Betty Berry said that only a few were made.  That's why it is so rare, and only a couple are known.

I must admit both sides of the softiques sounds like it’s early stage demo form,not mixed to well and very sparse for any market,literally one guitar and a bass line,the drums are way back in the mix,if there at all? But this is the beauty of it for me!

the condors is a bit more well produced, and maybe why it got a release on limelight as it sounds on the Sheldon demo?

Apparently, The Softiques backed up John Spears on a Soul record from a tiny label in a farm town in rural Illinois.  Unfortunately I couldn't find an MP4 of it on YouTube.

I was given a cd a few years back with Two Kinds Of Boys on, Listening to the lyrics I  thought when they sang "Just two kinds" that they were singing "testify" (it does sound like it in my defence).

No wonder I couldn't find any info on it for the next year, then a well educated chap put me right. 😄

  On 09/08/2024 at 17:07, Robbk said:

Apparently, The Softiques backed up John Spears on a Soul record from a tiny label in a farm town in rural Illinois.  Unfortunately I couldn't find an MP4 of it on YouTube.

 

https://d1e9ycqe323hkh.cloudfront.net/audio/8c6774cde52c8bb006284756b3647152.mp3

  On 11/08/2024 at 07:35, Sebastian said:

 

https://d1e9ycqe323hkh.cloudfront.net/audio/8c6774cde52c8bb006284756b3647152.mp3

Thanks.  I wondered why downstate, Centralia, in the middle of C&W yodeling country, would producer a Soul record.  This meshes better with The Softiques' members memories of not recording any other songs, or having any releases.  There were no backup singers, so I assume THESE Softiques were Spears' band musicians.  Another of life's coincidences that the C&W record was pressed in Chicago, within no more than a couple years of the Soul group's Sheldon demo.

Edited August 11, 2024Aug 11 by Robbk