The Groove - Love (Is Getting Better)

[Guest Dante]

The Groove - Love (Is Getting Better) (Wand)

I was re-visitng the Magic Touch Kent compilation and this was a nice surprise. Don't know how I didn't noticed it before. You know how this is...

So I did the usual browsing to see if it was within my budget but ended a bit puzzled. Manship's 4th Ed. quotes 30 quid, then there's two copies on eBay, one 100 (VG++) bucks and one for 44 (something like VG or VG-). Then on popsike there's a VG++ copy from 2005 at 105 dollars, and another one, M-, from a couple of months ago, that went for 56 dollars.

What do you guys think it's a fair price?

Also, I haven't found any copies of the 20th release, is it rarer?

Thanks in advance.

[Guest]

The Groove - Love (Is Getting Better) (Wand)

I was re-visitng the Magic Touch Kent compilation and this was a nice surprise. Don't know how I didn't noticed it before. You know how this is...

So I did the usual browsing to see if it was within my budget but ended a bit puzzled. Manship's 4th Ed. quotes 30 quid, then there's two copies on eBay, one 100 (VG++) bucks and one for 44 (something like VG or VG-). Then on popsike there's a VG++ copy from 2005 at 105 dollars, and another one, M-, from a couple of months ago, that went for 56 dollars.

What do you guys think it's a fair price?

Also, I haven't found any copies of the 20th release, is it rarer?

Thanks in advance.

20th century copys are more common Dante in my opinion

[Guest Dante]

20th century copys are more common Dante in my opinion

I'd thought that also, being a bigger label. Still there's no trace of them on eBay nor popsike. Even more puzzling or it's just the lack of sleep getting to me?

[Guest rosies dad]

I love this record. i've had it for awhile and i always keep it in my box of stuff that i listen to often.. any bio info on these guys? i dont know anything about them.

jacob

[Pete S]

Dante £30 is the correct price, either label

[Guest Dante]

Thanks Pete, Ken and Steve

[Guest]

Agree with Pete on price of this one......and happy to sell my Wand issue if anybody wants it.it's VG+ vinyl is glossy and it plays brilliantly but there's a bit of wear on the labels and an area of white flecks in the vinyl on the Love side, looks like possibly paint flecks or residue from a marker pen, they don't affect play at all. Oh and title has been underlined in red felt tip, only on 'Love' though. £25 including postage etc

[purist]

I love this record. i've had it for awhile and i always keep it in my box of stuff that i listen to often.. any bio info on these guys? i dont know anything about them.

jacob

I was told they were an Australian group, who along with a couple of other acts from down under were taken to the USA to record with experienced soul producers and musicians. This was pre internet days when info was a lot more sketchy, but one of the other acts was a female singer who did some credible Northern styled cover version of things like Hesitations etc, but whose name escapes me ( think Mick Holdsworth had one of her 45's for sale recently?)

The photo I saw was reminiscent of the Magnificent Men and other sharp suited garage soul bands of the 60's, but as I said this was years ago and they could have been mixed up with some other group of the same name. I do remember finding something on the net a few years back which was a series of reviews of them playing the teen dances to great applause...

sorry can't be more positive with this info, but as no one else had tried to answer thought I'd share what little I knew, no matter how sketchy

[Ady Pountain]

I have had contact with one of the band members. They are a US group and has an interesting career including backing Christine Cooper on her Parkway recordings but the guy didn't remember "Heartaches Away My Boy" but did remember "Good Looks (They Don't Count)"!

[Guest]

Not these then ?

the groove - you are the one i love -

[boba]

I was told they were an Australian group, who along with a couple of other acts from down under were taken to the USA to record with experienced soul producers and musicians. This was pre internet days when info was a lot more sketchy, but one of the other acts was a female singer who did some credible Northern styled cover version of things like Hesitations etc, but whose name escapes me ( think Mick Holdsworth had one of her 45's for sale recently?)

The photo I saw was reminiscent of the Magnificent Men and other sharp suited garage soul bands of the 60's, but as I said this was years ago and they could have been mixed up with some other group of the same name. I do remember finding something on the net a few years back which was a series of reviews of them playing the teen dances to great applause...

sorry can't be more positive with this info, but as no one else had tried to answer thought I'd share what little I knew, no matter how sketchy

I'm pretty sure they are from new york, my friend in new york talked to one of them, I have a photo somewhere. i have more history somewhere in some notes, they are connected to another group also from new york.

[Ian Dewhirst]

I'm pretty sure they are from new york, my friend in new york talked to one of them, I have a photo somewhere. i have more history somewhere in some notes, they are connected to another group also from new york.

Yep, that sounds right. The production company is Super-K aka Kasenetz-Katz who scored with a lot of bubblegum hits in the late 60's - remember "Quick Joey Small" by the Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus or "Simon Says" - 1910 Fruitgum Co anyone?.

Some more info here:-

https://www.answers.com/topic/kasenetz-katz

Ian D

[purist]

found this - Hi, my name is Iggy Cossentino* and this is the story about how our group "THE TIP TOPS" began. Our roots began in Canarsie Brooklyn during the 60's. I first starting hanging out with my friend Milty Fields. Milty already had a group known as the "Matadoors". It was through Milty that I met Phil Rosen. Phil had a brother named Lenny, and after awhile I learned that Lenny could sing. Lenny and I would hang around and practice singing, like most singers in our neighborhood, and we learned how to hit some good harmonies together. When Lenny left our group we were very happy that Milty choose to join us. His vocals and his love of music and his experiences added to our groups sound. Again thru Milty I met another singer, and he was Frankie Graziano. Frankie would come to visit me at my home in Canarsie and he showed us some songs he thought we would be interested in. We'd like to thank Frankie for his help with our groups endeavors. We often used my backyard to practice these songs. It wasn't too long after that another singer came to visit me and his name was Vinny. With Vinny we were beginning to develop a halfway decent group with good harmony. Now we needed a lead singer.

Through some friends I was introduced to James Arnea. He agreed to join our group. So now our sound was really beginning to evolve into something very exciting. As time went by Vinny left the group and we needed a replacement, and that's when Paul DeRogatis joined our group. Now we were cooking, cause Paul with his high tenor vocals helped to pull our sound together and I knew we had finally struck on that something "special" going on, because he really helped to make a difference. The next thing we needed was a bass singer and as luck would have it I was approached by Joey Nicosia, who just happened to be walking past my house one day. We started talking and he said he was looking for a group to sing with and I said we were looking for a bass singer. Well, that was that. We now we had a "full sound" with exceptional harmony. We did some gigs at the 5000 Club and met a group there called, "The Tip Toppers", who today are known as "The Invitations". Gary Gant, the lead singer of this group became a very close personal friend of ours and he would often come to our rehearsals and give us advice. He would even take the time to teach us our routine steps for our songs.

Through various groups along the way we met someone who was signed with Bill Ramal and Marty Wilson. I am not sure of the spelling of his name but I think it was Ragen. He set up an audition with Bill Ramal for us. We were given a song called, "Super Soul" to learn. We rehearsed it for weeks in James' basement.

When we were ready we went back to NYC to Bill Ramal to record it. After we finished the song , Bill said we needed to do another song for the flip side of the record. We didn't have one. John McNamara pulled out a song and said, "Go and rehearse this song and do it fast"! So we did. We rehearsed it for about 1 hour and then we went in to record it. When it was finished we went back home to Brooklyn. The next day I received a phone call and was told that they were going to use "RAMA LAMA" as the "A" side. Imagine that! The song we only rehearsed for 1 hour. Well that had to be our lucky day because as it turned out that was the song that was a Hit for us and put us on the charts. To this day they love this song and we love the memories of rehearsing it , recording it and performing it ,and all of those days not too long ago.

We would like to THANK all those who have expressed their interest in" RAMA LAMA" , and in our group! Along the way some of us have performed with other groups, known and unknown and some of us had to serve our country, during that crucial time.

We Sang Under Various "Group" Names , Such As

"The Destinations", "The Hamilton's", "The Tip Tops" and "The Groove"

Each having a "story" behind them

I "TIP" my hat to all the members & friends who helped us during this exciting time in our lives

"TIP TOPS FOREVER"

**** Added By Paul****

As "THE GROOVE" , We Recorded

"THE LIGHT OF LOVE"

AND

"LOVE IS GETTING BETTER",

on

20th Century Fox Records and Then On Wand Records

Here I was given the opportunity of singing the lead on both songs"

I shudda looked on youtube first,d'oh, but still like the sound those aussie r'n'b boys who also used that group name had, bit of info here -https://www.milesago.com/Artists/groove.htm

quite fascinating really, all these teens in far flung countries fidning out about rare soul sounds and wanting to copy them, ah the 60's, a blessed decade, we miss you !

[Ringleader]

there is a female version of "Love (is getting better) and the flip side "light of love" by The Terri Nelson Group on Kama Sutra LP using the same backing tracks - also on LP there is a version of Christine Cooper's 'SOS (heart in distress)" using the same backing

Edited June 4, 2011 by Ringleader

[Guest rosies dad]

great info! Nice to know more about the group.

[Guest Dante]

great info! Nice to know more about the group.

Ditto. And, is it me, or it sounds a bit like a copycat of Just Like The Weather? A great, soulful, copycat, though.

[purist]

there is a female version by "Love (is getting better) and the flip side "light of love" by The Terri Nelson Group on Kama Sutra LP using the same backing tracks - also on LP there is a version of Christine Cooper's 'SOS (heart in distress)" using the same backing

you probably know this already, but just in case.....

Christine Cooper was a member of the Terri Nelson Group,

I used to play it (SOS) from the album, just to be different when I was doing my 'alternative to obvious oldies, but still oldies that sound similar or the same' sets, a few years back, (often the new years events at Broad Lane & other party type doo's, Dora Hall's 123, Dusty's Long After, that type of thing)

( some would say it's more like I played it from the album just because I'm a bit of a dick :-)

and there's every chance they'd be a bit right !!

that album rarely sells for more than a tenner, well worth buying for rare soul fans !

[Ringleader]

you probably know this already, but just in case.....

Christine Cooper was a member of the Terri Nelson Group,

I used to play it (SOS) from the album, just to be different when I was doing my 'alternative to obvious oldies, but still oldies that sound similar or the same' sets, a few years back, (often the new years events at Broad Lane & other party type doo's, Dora Hall's 123, Dusty's Long After, that type of thing)

( some would say it's more like I played it from the album just because I'm a bit of a dick :-)

and there's every chance they'd be a bit right !!

that album rarely sells for more than a tenner, well worth buying for rare soul fans !

I did wonder if Betty Cooper who is listed as a member of the group might in fact be Christine Cooper - I have had the album for 35 years and always loved "LIGB" - didn't know about the Groove's version till I got the Kent LP in the 80s

[Sunnysoul]

Not these then ?

the groove - you are the one i love -

Ken, this Groove sound clip is the Australian group who themselves were a blue - eyed soul group.

I contacted one of their members here in Oz some years ago and he confirmed that they were not related to the US group mentioned in this thread who recorded "Love Its Getting Better".

Some Aussie artists of course went to the US to record, notably Lynne Randell with Strangerr In My Arms.

The Aussie artist mentioned earlier in this thread who recorded a version of the Willie Kendricks / Hesitations tune "You Can't Bypass This Love" was Marcie Jones.

She later went on to record a version of the Velvelettes "These Things Will Keep Me Loving You" !