Soul Bowl Soul Packs

[Sheep]

Who bought soul bowl packs back in 75/76 £10 a hundred , had wade flemmings in it JEANETTE, which cost 10p, at the time, now who knows.

SHEEP

[Blake H]

Bought a Florida labels pack and got a Purple Mundi !!

BH

[soulfulsaint]

....got a Wade Flemons and in the Florida packs a Lew Kirton 'Heaven In Afternoon'....

[Soul Shrews]

Mid eighties got a Ringleaders "Baby what has happened....."

[Sheep]

Mid eighties got a Ringleaders "Baby what has happened....."

Nice one. Still would be nice to hear from anyone who who bought a soul bowl soul pack for £10 , I bought 3 and ended up with 3 wade flemmings amongst other things. John Andersen, if you read this, please confirm you had hundreds of these.?

SHEEP

[Soul Shrews]

Yes Sheep agree we NEED J Anderson on here!

[Bitchdj]

i bought soul packs from pat brady in the early 80's...most of em had a wade flemmons or two inside ......fink they were £25 for a 100 count soul pack...jeanette pah common as muck....

cookie

[Tfk]

i bought soul packs from pat brady in the early 80's...most of em had a wade flemmons or two inside ......fink they were £25 for a 100 count soul pack...jeanette pah common as muck....

cookie

Forget the 100 45s for &10-first soul pack i ordered from John was 100 45s for £7-ordered from Portland Street -Kings Lynn-£1 postage 6p a 45,got some mega tunes,i can remember recieving my first soul pack and being fascinated with the records and labels that i had never seen before,

[Guest]

had Ty Karim "Lighten up" in every pack I bought from Soul Bowl

Manship joined the trend -not really mulitple copies just things he could not sell because they were obscure

kendra Sprotswood on tuff springs to mind, troy keyes you told your story etc

loads of great records via Soul Bowl the start of the Tape Swopper scene I think

[45cellar]

had Ty Karim "Lighten up" in every pack I bought from Soul Bowl

Manship joined the trend -not really mulitple copies just things he could not sell because they were obscure

kendra Sprotswood on tuff springs to mind, troy keyes you told your story etc

loads of great records via Soul Bowl the start of the Tape Swopper scene I think

The Soul Pack that I bought was 100 for £3

It still had quite a few rare items in. I remember 2 copies of The Fabulous Dimensions - 1 RED, 1 YELLOW

There were also funk rarities etc.

I would estimate that quite a large amount of what we have, came through Soul Bowl, one way or another.

One of the times I visited Soul Bowl someone was just listening to and about to purchase Little Joe Roman - When You're Lonesome - Tuff DEMO.

I looked through the Okeh Stuff and found Multiples of Major Lance Demos - You Don't Want Me No More, Ain't No Soul. The Artistics - Purple Vinyl, Sandra Philips,,, Pic Covers you name it.

The list goes on;

As I was looking through John said to me, listen to these two.

The Silhouettes - Not Me Baby - Goodway & The Steinways You've Been Leading Me On - Oliver Issue

Instantly fell in love with both and snapped them up.

I even got the Steinways DEMO from the Soul Bowl list a year or so later.

There was just so much there, I bought what I could afford at the time which took a large amount of my wages, as I recall.

I still remember the weekly list, the phone calls, the wait for the post to arrive a few days later.

Happy Days.

Incidently, I can't remember the exact year but the first list that I ever got from them they were Groove City records.

[soulfulsaint]

Incidently, I can't remember the exact year but the first list that I ever got from them they were Groove City records.

Good memory it was Groove City Records Kings Lynn. But rare soul Scots can go further back to John Anderson's lists in Scotland. He originally operated from his mum's house in southside of Glasgow and got a lot of rarities via Black GI's at the Holy Loch naval base where the US submarines were docked. He moved to Kings Lynn to team up with a guy whose name I've now forgotton and the Groove City partnership folded. John set up Soul Bowl first in Portland Street, Kings Lynn and then the glorious barn full of lucious sounds. There a good feature on Soul Bowl at David Meikle's www.soulfuldetroit.com ....

[45cellar]

Good memory it was Groove City Records Kings Lynn. But rare soul Scots can go further back to John Anderson's lists in Scotland. He originally operated from his mum's house in southside of Glasgow and got a lot of rarities via Black GI's at the Holy Loch naval base where the US submarines were docked. He moved to Kings Lynn to team up with a guy whose name I've now forgotton and the Groove City partnership folded. John set up Soul Bowl first in Portland Street, Kings Lynn and then the glorious barn full of lucious sounds. There a good feature on Soul Bowl at David Meikle's www.soulfuldetroit.com ....

I have just had a look at www.soulfuldetroit.com

Although I have been on the site before, there appears to be a lot more articles there.

Either way it's all good stuff thanks.

It got me thinking, I know that America is vast but I wonder what percentage of vinyl has made it across the water to Europe etc

From finding my first import in 1969 Chuck Jackson on Motown and thinking WOW thats different - my collection has exploded to include mainly U.S.A. Imports.

[Stuart Bower]

Who bought soul bowl packs back in 75/76 £10 a hundred , had wade flemmings in it JEANETTE, which cost 10p, at the time, now who knows.

SHEEP

I used to buy soul packs in Rotherham in the seventies. just down the road from Strads opposite the tailors.-- £5 for 10..Got some goodies like Jack Montgomery-Don`t Turn Your Back On Me-Barracuda and Emanons Orchestra- Bird Walkin`-All Brothers to name a few, but (imo) the majority of the sounds in the soul packs were not so good. But for 50p each you can`t really grumble I suppose.

[Guest Perry]

Used to work in a shop a couple of streets up from Soul Bowl from '74 onwards. I would wait outside Soul Bowl on list days ( Thursdays I think) at 8.30 for John to arrive, in an old Vauxhall Viva with his wife Marisa driving, so I could get the records I wanted, before he got in and answered the phone. He usually looked really pissed off to see me there, he was a miserable sod even then unless you caught him in a good mood, even though you were spending good money with him. Bought loads of stuff off him including;

Volumes...Same old feeling....listed as flipside...trouble i've seen...£1

Steinways....£1

Garnet Mimms....Looking for you £2

Marsha Gee...£2

Sandy Wynns....Simco..£2

Adams Apples...Don't take it out...issue £25...,.he let me pay for this weekly as I only earn't £13 a week,

shortly after it was released on British so I swapped it with Poke for a UK C.Checker...You just don't know.Anyway there were many more which I can;t remember at present. Happy days.

[Sheep]

Used to work in a shop a couple of streets up from Soul Bowl from '74 onwards. I would wait outside Soul Bowl on list days ( Thursdays I think) at 8.30 for John to arrive, in an old Vauxhall Viva with his wife Marisa driving, so I could get the records I wanted, before he got in and answered the phone. He usually looked really pissed off to see me there, he was a miserable sod even then unless you caught him in a good mood, even though you were spending good money with him. Bought loads of stuff off him including;

Volumes...Same old feeling....listed as flipside...trouble i've seen...£1

Steinways....£1

Garnet Mimms....Looking for you £2

Marsha Gee...£2

Sandy Wynns....Simco..£2

Adams Apples...Don't take it out...issue £25...,.he let me pay for this weekly as I only earn't £13 a week,

shortly after it was released on British so I swapped it with Poke for a UK C.Checker...You just don't know.Anyway there were many more which I can;t remember at present. Happy days.

Brilliant, great story.CIRCA 1974 .I used to get my list sent to work, so I could get on the phone from work in the hope of getting the nice items. I sometimes over extended on the money side! as I only earned £12 a week, did ask John to hold for me occasionaly and yes sometimes it took me 2-3 weeks to get the money together, but he was always ok with this, thanks John.

There is a story where I was in soul bowl and had a copy of billy woods in my hand for £8, which i won't go into.

SHEEP

[Ted Massey]

I remeber in 1984 just before had the first mobile getting his list at around 7.30 in the morning and number 14 took my eye so stopped at Strensham services and phoned him at around 8.20 he answered i asked if No 14 was available took what seemed like an age to say yes what was it? Eddie Daye - guess who loves you -Shrine £75.i had 3 phone calls on the night offering me double, what heaven

[45cellar]

I remeber in 1984 just before had the first mobile getting his list at around 7.30 in the morning and number 14 took my eye so stopped at Strensham services and phoned him at around 8.20 he answered i asked if No 14 was available took what seemed like an age to say yes what was it? Eddie Daye - guess who loves you -Shrine £75.i had 3 phone calls on the night offering me double, what heaven

I don't think there were many records that didn't appear over the years on the Soul Bowl list.

Even British rarities from time to time were listed. As I've said before, most of my wages went on records, I never found anywhere else to compare to Soul Bowl.

I did find other places though. One that comes to mind was a local dealer opening Soul Packs in the 1970's - Packs of 10 in polythene, so obviously you could only see 2 records before opening.

I don't know where he got them from but one time when I went the guy was just opening the packs and putting them in the racks for sale.

I was busy lookig through the racks and found about half a dozen copies of Touch of Venus - Sandy Wynns on Champion DEMO

Believe it or not I only bought one copy, I could kick myself now but what happened next made up for it.

What should he find but 2 copies of Freddie Chavez DEMO's and a Luther Ingram DEMO.

I have never moved so fast in my life, someone else in the shop got one copy of Freddie Chavez and I got the other one plus the Luther Ingram DEMO.

I didn't want to go home until I checked every record in the record racks and every Soul Pack was opened.

I scoured the shop but found nothing else on that scale - talk about being in the right place at the right time.

Edited January 16, 2006 by 45cellar

[Guest]

The Ivorys -PleaseStay-Dispenza were also regulars in JA's soul packs.

[Steve G]

The Ivorys -PleaseStay-Dispenza were also regulars in JA's soul packs.

John also tells me he had some of this on Wand as well - wonder where they went?

The problem at the time was there was so much stuff we couldn't afford to buy them all so had to pick and choose. Many of the things vanished, and have rarely if ever resurfaced.

[Guest Netspeaky]

Who bought soul bowl packs back in 75/76 £10 a hundred , had wade flemmings in it JEANETTE, which cost 10p, at the time, now who knows.

SHEEP

Got mine around same time, sold it for 50p at Morecambe in the 80's, and then I had to do a hard sell on the buyer, as it was a nothing record at the time.

[Simon M]

I had a few packs of Soul Bowl early eighties , and I lost count of the trips I made up there .. Plenty of coffee , free lunch and cigarettes from Mr Anderson ( great times indeed) Always remember a visit early 1984 and a young Jonathan Moore was there buying up the obsure Funk and 70's for rare groove nights . Im sure he had an Otis Clay "the only way is up" in his pack , when we compared our hauls on the train back to London .

Simon

BTW .. Innersection , now at £500 plus was in a pack

Edited January 17, 2006 by Simon M

[pete mattock]

Bought a Florida labels pack and got a Purple Mundi !!

BH

[pete mattock]

Snap Blake Purple Mundi

[Paul R]

I think as Groove City he used to put a small advert in Record Mirror each week and just list one record as in stock. I bought a Funky Sisters when it was a big play at the time, about a quid or maybe 2.

 

Paul

[Soulboyrecords]

I bought 3 soul bowl packs in the 70's. £15 each as I remember incl postage! I got a dickie wonder sound of soul demo among many other crackers. Happy days. :0)  

[Rich B]

Dealt with JA for many years and bought many packs from Soul Bowl - got sick of the sight of Wade Flemons! My favourite soul pack memory is when a buddy (Dave Bala) bought a pack and we sifted through it and identified tracks we thought were particularly noteworthy.

 

At Cleethorpes Pier that same night a dj (possibly 'Frank' - possibly not) played a tune and when announcing it said something like "Ian Levine's most wanted record at the moment" (or similar) we look at each other and say "Crikey, it's that Robert Thomas record!" yep, "Salvation" for 10p - offered a tenner for it that night - got another in the next pack!

[Jem Britttin]

Yes remember me and a mate combining paper round money saving up and buying them regularly 1976/77 my Mum flipped out in the end and Dad threw loads of records out as they were piled up in my bedroom, heaven knows what got chucked but i do remember getting 'Tough Girl' Billy Arnell in one because of the distinctive label. We put it on the 'shite' pile as we both thought it sounded like it was recorded underwater  only to hear it at St Ives a few months later, remember looking at each other and simultaneously saying 'that was that record by marine boy we had wasn't it'

 

In truth think there is a touch misty nostalgia about the packs, remember there always seemed to be a very small pile graded 'good record' smallish one 'very average' and a large one'crap' however enviable times by today's standards where everybody is outbidding each other to pay huge amounts for the latest buzz record. There was still a lot to be discovered and found back then, unfortunately me and my mate probably helped keep some rare, because shock horror we actually threw some away  but records in general were considered disposable back then, not the 'hallowed objects' they are now. Great thread btw 

 

[Seano]

Soul Bowl was definitely one of the top quality soul packs that I bought. Black Knight was another, and I got several others before Soul Bowl, including one that was pretty much all boots. In those early days (mid/late 70's I suppose) I preferred that as I was trying to get hold of records I really liked but didn't really know what was what (not sure I'm any the wiser now).

 

I wrote about them in Shades of Soul back in the '80s and I've posted copies of issues from 1 to 7 so far on a few threads in 'All About the Soul'. The relevant articles looking at what was in the specific pack at the time are in issues 3 and 5.

[Dayo]

I wonder who started the concept of soul packs?

 

The first one i got was from FL Moore, 1971, but I think maybe Contempo had been doing them for longer...

[Rob Wigley]

Happy Days !

[Len]

Bought mine from Soul Bowl, and still have a shelf load to go through ('again again'!) As times have changed I am forever finding 'new' stuff in there. I remember sorting out a load of 'modern sh*te' (or so I thought at the time) into a plastic carrier bag to give away, this plastic bag went to Tony Parker, then on to Dave Vanner, then Cliff Steele, and back to me with about half gone........Gawd only knows what my 'poison' was their 'meat' back then - I don't wanna know either!

 

Pretty sure most on that shelf is still rubbish, but I do love 'wading' through every so often - It's strange, some sound so good after a nighter.......and back on that shelf they go by Wednesday  

 

Soul Packs - Great memories  

 

Len  

Edited May 5, 2015 by LEN

[Theothertosspot]

Don't you get it. temptation and all that. we want what we can't have then only to find it was there in the first place.

Do not chase for records that are being played, either take a step in front or two behind to rebrand.

Foresight is a wonderful but annoying thing is things can go wrong.

No help I know but just to keep thread going.

R E Gards TOTP

Edited May 5, 2015 by theothertosspot

[Len]

Tastes change over time. I was actually surprised there was so much modern sounding stuff in there, and remember thinking it was a bit of a rip off!  

 

I didn't like anything that remotely sounded Modern back then - I do now  

 

All the best,

 

Len  

[Fuzzj]

got a soul pack with linda jones you hit me like tnt issue on blue cat.