Soul Packs.....remember Them?

[pikeys dog]

The drill holes were deliberately put through the records so when they came into the uk, they had to be sold as damaged

goods therefore could not be sold at the full price. hope that clears up problem for you kev.

Tony Warot.

I'd dispute that.

They were put into records in the States to prevent a scam with 'Sale Or Return' deals with One Stop record dealers.

A lot of styrene 45s cracked when drilled, so they were stamped with gold paint - check out ABC/Tangerine 45s of the period.

[Mrtag]

Too Good To Be True-Harvey Scales ,an exclusive at the Apollo,Longton `75/`76`/77.My memory is crap.

Len Jewell on Pzazz.

Apple and the Three Oranges on Sagittarius and 97 other pieces of landfill!

Soul packs make up a lot of the playlists of "underplayed" soul nights-True or False?

True

[Guest Dave Turner]

I'd dispute that.

They were put into records in the States to prevent a scam with 'Sale Or Return' deals with One Stop record dealers.

A lot of styrene 45s cracked when drilled, so they were stamped with gold paint - check out ABC/Tangerine 45s of the period.

That's what I've always believed as well. Also the LP covers cut with a band saw near one of the corners.

[Guest TrimmTrab]

Richard Domar packs..........loads of the One Derful 45's,Ernie Marbray-Aint Nobodys business (multiple copies),Gene Woodbury- Thats Not Half Bad (multiple copies),Sugar Billy-Sugar Pie,Boss 4-Walkin By, Contenders-You Gotta Do,loads of Ric Tic stuff,loads of the Destiny reissue stuff and loads of what people now call "rare soul". Southern bluesy things ....and loads of copies of Otis Clay-Showplace along with the entire Alvin Cash and The Registers output . There were also loads of records with the name Hicky written on them in biro.

I bought 2 or 3 of those from Richard Domar, he was from Wolverhampton wasn't he?? And yeah, remember having 2 or 3 copies of Innersection, sold one for £50 and another for £200 so didn't do too bad out of them really. The best one of the lot had to be Charles Johnson "Never had a love so good" on an Alston demo. I often found that they were full of 70s and 80s records rather than 60s ones. Rod Dearlove still does them for £60 for 100.

[Seano]

What I loved about buying soul packs was the range of music. Yes, there’d be some stuff you thought was rubbish, but the great thing was the slow burn of the sounds that you knew were good but didn’t sound right, or the thrill of the occasional well known sound. The exception to this was one of my first packs, of 40 records that were all bootlegs. I’d guess known and popular sounds only counted for about 10% of the records at best in general, but personally I don’t see that as a bad thing at all.

You quickly zeroed in on Soul Bowl as the source of the most consistently good stuff, and the task of sifting through that exciting package as soon as it arrived included making a pile of the ones you already knew, the ones you thought should be interesting, and all the others. The great thing about those last two groups was that if you didn’t know the record anyway, then you didn’t know which side to try - so it really encouraged that mentality of checking both sides of the record and often discovering some brilliant ‘B’ sides.

Of the ones some people have already mentioned I got these over the years in soul packs:

Carlena Weaver - Jealousy on Audel

Erine Marbray - Ain’t nobody’s business on Wee

Young Folk - Lonely Girl on Mar-V-Lus

Jimmy Robbins - I just can’t please you on Jerhart

Ethics - Standing in the darkness on Vent

Darrow Fletcher - What good am I without you on Jacklyn (along with Infatuation and What have I got now, and My judgement day on Groovy)

SoulfulTwins - I can’t let you go on Sable

A couple more worth mentioning...

Pat and the Blenders - Just because on Fast Eddie (the more common release)

Brief Encounter - Human on Sound Plus

Sean

[Smudger]

Bought Blues and Soul Packs and got some great records in them'

Also bought one from Anglo American (T. Brown) i was a good customer at the time (2000) £35 for 100 got some really good stuff in it,and left half in the box and put in loft,looked at it last year and found some more gems.

Also had one from Gary at Black Knight records when he was selling up with some decent records in.

so all in all a good experience with soul packs.

[Codfromderby]

On a simlar note what about fairground records,you could end up with Carlena Weaver Jealousy Audel

yep mine came from from a" uk a duk" stall in derby 76ish, no cover, inside the jacket survived the pissed walk home, now in my flight case and treasured,

other soul pack/junk shop

circle of heartbreaks-betty wright

dont hurt me no more-sign of the times

hungry for love-milton floyd

bad conditions- loyd price (im sure at the time i thought this was brill, not heard it for years)

[Rick Cooper]

Ed Balbier ,the US owner of Global Records told me the hole in singles was done to allow unsold and returns to be sold off cheaply. The record company didn't have to pay royalties etc on these. If distributors still had unsold stock billed at full price they could return them even after drilled copies had been shipped. LPs had the sleeve corner cut or a saw cut in the edge . This was done when the LPs were packed in 25 count boxes.

The fraud/Mafia thing was with LPs pressed up and cut when not overstock . John LaMont of ''House of Sounds'' in Philly got sent down for this.

So far no one has mentioned anything good in Global Records soul packs. That is because they were complete crap and I should know as I had to make them up. The only title that may have slipped through was Lee Andrews ''Iv'e Had It'' as I found one copy in a box of Soul Survivors single, also on Crimson, that was going in the packs. Someone at Crimson in the US must have had an off day and got one or two mixed up.

Rick

[Tomangoes]

Amongst the crap, there were some great looking labels.......... ABET, PERCEPTION, SSSINT.

Bradleys record shop had a short period when they had stuff like Frank Dell, and Free Angela (Dickie Wonder) LPS at daft prices, heaven knows where they sourced them.

Another small Doncaster record shop had hundreds of original US motown/Tamla singles at 50p like wonderful one, This heart of mine, Marvin Gaye.

Again, no idea where they got thm from or who they thought they would sell them to in 1979!

Ed

[Guest dcsoxford]

Never ever got anything,

And I know I've mentioned it before but, a good friend of mine got a Contempo/ Blues& Soul one with the Del Larks in it, just as Levine was telling everybody he had the only copy

Tony

I bought a couple of Contempo 100 packs advertised in Blues and Soul in the early 70's

some known gems but lot of early 60's stuff that you wouldn't give house room at the time,

but tastes change over 40 odd years and anyone with abandoned packs should replay them,

I had The Falcons - "I'm a Fool" in them and had forgotten it until Maz pulled it out one night.

Also I kept the cardboard envelopes that they came in, which were franked with the Contempo logo,

Gave them to Jon Willis a couple of years ago because after 45 years he considered them 'Memorabilia'

Funny old world,,,

Del.

[Guest Shax]

I used to send of for soul packs advertised in Black Echoes paper, wait with anticipation at recieveing them. I recently went through my Northern collection of which most are the more commercial Northern I was into as a 14/15 year old, I now have a more mature ear and appreciate these records as great Soul sounds. I have googled many of the records I recieved in the Soul packs and they include

The next In Line - Hoagy Lands - Laurie Label

I Feel a Thrill Coming On - The Secrets - Demo Omen Records

Somebodys Been sleeping - 100% Proof Aged In Soul - Hot Wax

Theres Got To Be An Answer - Tyrone Davis - Dakar

Find A Quiet Place - Melvin Davis - Wheel City

Too Much Of a Good Thing - The Ambassadors - Pee Vee

Who you Gonna Turn To - Benny Sigler - Phil LA Of SoulNot My Girl - John Hampton - Demo Dottys From Detroit

Im Losing You - The New People - All Star

I Wish I Was - Eddie Garrigan - Fontana

I Dont Like It - Tommy Bush - RIKA

We Together Baby - Smokey and The Bears - Demo Dove

Im getting Tired/Lost without Your Love - The Carlettes - Bobby Robinson Productions

Dont turn me Loose - The Newbeats - Demo Hickory

Lost In A World Of A Dream - The Sharpettes/The Staircases - Sound City

Never Gonna Leave You - Frankie and Johnny - Demo Hickory

Rock Me - Phil Lowman - Palos

Am I The Same Girl - Barbara Acklin - Brunswick

Keep On Running Away - Bits N Pieces - Nasco

Sho Bout To Drive Me Wild - Al Robinson - Pulsar

Can anyone advise me on these records as I have seen a price of £300 The Ambassadors on Pee Vee ??

Thanks

Shax - new Member

[Guest martyn]

I used to send of for soul packs advertised in Black Echoes paper, wait with anticipation at recieveing them. I recently went through my Northern collection of which most are the more commercial Northern I was into as a 14/15 year old, I now have a more mature ear and appreciate these records as great Soul sounds. I have googled many of the records I recieved in the Soul packs and they include

The next In Line - Hoagy Lands - Laurie Label

I Feel a Thrill Coming On - The Secrets - Demo Omen Records

Somebodys Been sleeping - 100% Proof Aged In Soul - Hot Wax

Theres Got To Be An Answer - Tyrone Davis - Dakar

Find A Quiet Place - Melvin Davis - Wheel City

Too Much Of a Good Thing - The Ambassadors - Pee Vee

Who you Gonna Turn To - Benny Sigler - Phil LA Of SoulNot My Girl - John Hampton - Demo Dottys From Detroit

Im Losing You - The New People - All Star

I Wish I Was - Eddie Garrigan - Fontana

I Dont Like It - Tommy Bush - RIKA

We Together Baby - Smokey and The Bears - Demo Dove

Im getting Tired/Lost without Your Love - The Carlettes - Bobby Robinson Productions

Dont turn me Loose - The Newbeats - Demo Hickory

Lost In A World Of A Dream - The Sharpettes/The Staircases - Sound City

Never Gonna Leave You - Frankie and Johnny - Demo Hickory

Rock Me - Phil Lowman - Palos

Am I The Same Girl - Barbara Acklin - Brunswick

Keep On Running Away - Bits N Pieces - Nasco

Sho Bout To Drive Me Wild - Al Robinson - Pulsar

Can anyone advise me on these records as I have seen a price of £300 The Ambassadors on Pee Vee ??

Thanks

Shax - new Member

Mate, the advise you get in this forum won't differ to the sdvise you have had in 'Look At Your Box'. All the records you list sound like they are either 70s boots or easy originals,As for The Ambassadors,yes, its quite an in demand tune but if its a boot its only gonna be worth a tenner............Dont give up the day job as they say

[Guest Shax]

Thanks for the info - new to the site so posted on the wrong forum first.

love the music so not woried about value - curious more than anything

[Hill868]

Had a few soul packs in the 79's / early 80's, best thing i've kept from a pack from back then is Rhonda Davis on Duke, probably got rid of some slower things that would not have been in vogue then (but would a few years later).