Robby Lawson - Other 45S?

[Amsterdam Russ]

Got hold of three tracks on acetate, one of which is called "I have searched", the flip to Lawson's "Burning sensation" on Kyser. That sounds like a different take/arrangement from the only clip I could find of the track, which was a snippet in the iTunes store.

 

Soundfile anyone?

 

On the flip of the "I have searched" acetate is a dancer titled "Poet". On another, single-sided disc is a sweet soul number called "Love ain't the same anymore".

 

Anyone tell me what label they came out on?

 

Thanks. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sebastian]

Is the "Love Ain't..." track a version of this tune by The Del Capris called "Our Love (It Ain't The Same No More)"? It's written by Paul Kyser.

 

Edited January 29, 2014 by Sebastian

[Amsterdam Russ]

Eureka! It's not a version of the Del Capris - it is the Del Capris. Thanks for the swift ID, Sebastian 

 

One down, one to go...

[Amsterdam Russ]

Here are pics of both sides of the 'Robby Lawson' disc. 

 

As mentioned, one side has the track "I have searched", which is the flip to "Burning Sensation". The other side has a track with the title "Poet".

 

 

"Poet" is a nice dance track although the lyrics are a bit cheesy in places. Is it by Robby Lawson, did it get released - and if so, on what label?

 

All info appreciated. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jocko]

I hope you didn't buy them of Paul Kyser for money..........

[Amsterdam Russ]

I hope you didn't buy them of Paul Kyser for money..........

 

I paid with magic jumping beans, but it wasn't to Mr Kyser… 

[Soul Shrews]

Russell, there was an interview with Paul Kyser in Tracks To Your Mind magazine which covered most of Robbie's Lawsons output. Cant check right now but Will do early next week

Cheers Paul

[Mick Holdsworth]

I have a recording (mp3) of "The Poet" It's great mid tempo track. I've had it about 3 years now, doesn't sound like it was recorded from an acetate, also the file was marked "remix edit", suggesting proper tapes were available. Haven't checked, but it could have been something for a CD comp, or future release.

 

Cheers

Mick

 

Update.

Just checked and, as I suspected, in November 2011 it was released as a digital download CD Album with both 3:15 and 2:44 versions. The song, is credited to Renee White. I wonder if Renee White is Robby Lawson under a different name, as the voice sounds exactly the same.

Here's a link to an Australian site with clips etc. Includes tracks by Superlatives, Dynamic Beltones etc. The other song you mentioned, "Love Ain't The Same Anymore", could be one of the other tracks on the CD Album.

https://now.jbhifi.com.au/Album/1099_886788296275

This CD download is also available on Amazon, Itunes etc.


It's also available as a CD Single (on eBay)- Might be just the one track, details are scarce. Quite expensive too at about £12

Mick

Edited February 6, 2014 by Mick Holdsworth

[Amsterdam Russ]

That's really interesting. Thanks a lot, Mick.

 

That's the song all right.

 

So Renee White and Robby Lawson could be the same person. One thing though, Renee is a girl's name (Rene being the masculine version, of course). That makes me think that someone's made a cock-up either in the cataloguing or elsewhere. Alternatively, perhaps it should have been credited as Rene rather than Renee. That though begs the question of why Robby Lawson would want to change his performing name.

 

To add to the possible mystery, the song on the flip of the acetate, "I have searched" is not the same song or singer as features on that cd comp. They've got the same words, but the arrangements are totally different. And, listening to the snippets, the singer of "I have searched" on the CD comp doesn't sound like the same person singing "Poet" or even "Burning Sensation" on the same disc.

 

However, relative to the acetate, the singer of "Poet" is the same person singing the version of "I have searched" on the flipside - and that person is the same as the one singing "Poet" on the CD comp.

 

So, if Renee White is Robby Lawson, then who's that singing the version of "I have searched" on the CD comp — because it sure doesn't sound like either singer — and is that the same version as appears on the Kyser 45?

 

Confused? I am...

 

Perhaps I might put up a sound clip of both of the acetate tracks side by side and see if a more discerning ear can offer some insight.

 

 

 

[Amsterdam Russ]

Ok, so here are two snippets of Robby Lawson "I have searched".

 

This is the snippet from the CD comp linked to by Mick. Does this sound like the Robby Lawson/Renee White who sings the "Poet" on the same CD comp? It doesn't to me.

 

https://soundcloud.com/harveysoulfinger/robby-lawson-i-have-searched

 

This is the snippet from the acetate. It's a different version from the clip above. To me this does sound like the Robby Lawson/Renee White who's singing the "Poet" track on the CD comp - and that's the same version on the acetate.

 

https://soundcloud.com/harveysoulfinger/robby-lawson-i-have-searched-1

 

The most obvious answer is that one is Robby Lawson and the other isn't. Perhaps Renee White isn't Robby Lawson at all. To help matters can someone confirm which version of "I have searched" is on the flip to the "Burning Sensation" 45?

 

All thoughts welcomed!

 

 

[Mick Holdsworth]

Hi Russell,

 

Actually, just listening to the two clips above, the CD seems to be in a lower key, and the acetate in a higher key. Other than that I think whey are the same singer, and even the same recording, both sounding like the lead singer on "I Still Love You" by the Superlatives, which simply cannot be a coincidence (It may, of course be a comparison that has been considered before, or even confirmed / denied - can't check into that, but someone may know more about that).

 

Could do with a hearing a clip of the vinyl "as released" version, see if this lines up with either of the above two.

 

Yes, I also thought the "Renee White" tag was a mistake as it was a female name, or, as you say, just a typo on the name Rene. Shame it's not a physical CD album as the sleeve notes may have shed more light on this. I doubt if the CD Single would help.

 

Cheers

Mick

[Amsterdam Russ]

I downloaded "I have searched" from iTunes. Two files are available there, one of which is from the CD Comp. Both the digital versions are the same as each other (the one featured on the CD Comp is obviously taken from disc because you can hear number clicks and pops, and the sound quality is not as good).

 

Although the digital version & acetate may sound alike from the samples here (with you suggesting that one is a faster/higher version of the other), they are completely different tracks. They have completely different arrangements and it is a different singer. That's immediately obvious if you have the complete songs to hand.

 

So, if the digital versions are the same as appear on the Robby Lawson 45, then it seems likely that the acetate version is by someone else. That someone else is definitely the same singer as can be heard on the song "Poet" (where both the digital and acetate versions are the same), and that points us back to the mysterious Renee White.

 

So, if Renee White isn't Robby Lawson, who is he? Or is it a case of will the real Robby Lawson please stand up?

Edited February 7, 2014 by Russell Gilbert

[Benji]

Russell, how about contacting Tim Ashibende? He did the interview with Paul Kyser for TRACKS TO YOUR MIND back in the 90s. Maybe he knows more about Robby's background?

[Amsterdam Russ]

Russell, how about contacting Tim Ashibende? He did the interview with Paul Kyser for TRACKS TO YOUR MIND back in the 90s. Maybe he knows more about Robby's background?

 

That's a thought, Benji.

 

I'm going record hunting with Paul (Soul Shrews) tomorrow and he's bringing along the issue of the Tracks to your mind magazine with the Paul Kyser interview in it. We'll have a read of that over a good curry in Amsterdam. 

 

I did send an email to Paul Kyser using the email address he gave out when he was posting here a few years back, but I've no idea if that's still active, and I haven't had a reply.

 

What might be useful is to find out who put together the CD comp. Whoever is behind that should know more about the tracks and who Renee White is (and isn't).

[boba]

i saw those acetates go for next to nothing.

 

i assumed the "our love" track was really the del capris song, the seller even sold a copy of the del capris.

[Amsterdam Russ]

i saw those acetates go for next to nothing.

 

i assumed the "our love" track was really the del capris song, the seller even sold a copy of the del capris.

 

 

A-ha! I assume you didn't read the thread from the beginning and so missed Sebastian's crucial post.

 

You witnessed the acetates go for next to nothing? Out of interest, why did you not think them worth bidding on?

[boba]

A-ha! I assume you didn't read the thread from the beginning and so missed Sebastian's crucial post.

 

You witnessed the acetates go for next to nothing? Out of interest, why did you not think them worth bidding on?

 

no i didn't miss it, i was saying sebastian confirmed my assumption. i didn't even care enough to bid blind on the acetates, one had a huge mark on it. i don't care that much about acetates unless they're chicago or some killer group thing.

 

the seller actually had two copies of the del capris (ultra rare and killer sweet soul 45), I bought one to resell and then noticed that my existing copy had pink print and the new copy had green print so (being the obsessive collector I am) couldn't sell it and now have two del capris 45s.

 

actually almost all copies of the del capris 45s i've seen have had some sort of heat damage or been some crappy pressing or something, like playing poorly. the one i got with green print played great and said "good copy" on it and had the name of some schenectady promoter on it. this is just a guess, but I think the pink print ones were pressed, messed up somehow and dumped -- then the green print ones were pressed but it was too late. that might explain the rarity of this title relative to other kyser '70s titles. i don't think he's gonna come back here and confirm... the deadwax on the two presses matched so the same plates were used.

[boba]

I just listened to the manship pink press clip above, even though you can see that record is spotless (and it's the cleanest pink press one I've heard), there is surface noise. The green print one plays perfect. Maybe it was just recycled vinyl, but it's sort of cool that there's two presses of the del capris with the same plates but one sounds much better and is much rarer.

[Amsterdam Russ]

You're right about the Del Capris acetate - it's trashed, but for less than 18 bucks, and not knowing the actual ID of the track or artist, it was worth a bid. Likewise with the 2nd disc, it was worth a punt . That there was so little interest in it was surprising, and I certainly didn't expect to get it for the price I did.

 

Even better, after much argument with the seller over the mailing costs, I managed to get a 10 buck refund into the bargain. 

 

Still looking for a soundfile of the "Burning Sensation" flip that's taken directly from the Kyser disc. Surely someone on here must have the 45...

[Amsterdam Russ]

Thanks to Paul (Soul Shrews) for the loan of not just the copy of Tracks to your MInd magazine, but also a pressing of "Burning Sensation"/"I Have Searched".

 

Listening to the disc confirms that the acetate version of "I have searched" is not the same one that appears on the Robby Lawson 45. This is confirmed in the magazine by Paul Kyser, who states:

 

"'I Have Searched' is just a pretty song. I re-recorded that by someone else but the record never came out, nothing happened to it..."

 

The label on the acetate is for Broadway Recording Studios, and in the first part of the magazine interviewee Earl Morgan, a colleague of Paul Kyser, states that they did use these studios occasionally, which were part of what is known as the Ed Sullivan Theater.

 

So, according to the Sweet Soul CD, both "I Have Searched" and the dance track "Poet" are sung by someone called Renee White. Who this is appears to be a mystery.

 

I mentioned that it could be useful to find out who put out that CD. After a bit of checking online it came as no real surprise to learn that it was in fact put out by Paul Kyser himself. Perhaps time to drop him another email.

Edited February 9, 2014 by Russell Gilbert

[Guest]

Here are pics of both sides of the 'Robby Lawson' disc.

Interesting...I've got a Broadway 10" acetate with no singer credits and a different label design...will check the address tomorrow.

It's a fabulous big production Teddy Randazzo style beat ballad,,,will give another listen to the vocal when checking the label address.

[Guest]

 Interesting...VERY interesting

 

So, checked out my Broadway acetate...different design to yours, Russell, but same address, so most probably the same outfit...now for the twist! I also took that link to listen to the download compilation Mick posted up...one of the tracks is credited to "Nickie"...the artist (or writer?) on my acetate has the name "Nicky" on it...coincidence may be!?! (The other name on the label is Pat Jacques, a famous NYC audio engineer/producer.)

Edited February 11, 2014 by Flynny

[Amsterdam Russ]

 Interesting...VERY interesting

 

So, checked out my Broadway acetate...different design to yours, Russell, but same address, so most probably the same outfit...now for the twist! I also took that link to listen to the download compilation Mick posted up...one of the tracks is credited to "Nickie"...the artist (or writer?) on my acetate has the name "Nicky" on it...coincidence may be!?! (The other name on the label is Pat Jacques, a famous NYC audio engineer/producer.)

 

In spite of the years between the recordings, do Nicky and Nickie sound alike at all? 

[Guest]

In spite of the years between the recordings, do Nicky and Nickie sound alike at all?

Didn't really do an intensive comparison, and to be honest I always had my acetate down as being a male vocalist! That said, I'm not so sure now...will check tomorrow and report back. (That compilation is a right mixture...would like to see accompanying "sleeve" notes.)

[Guest]

In spite of the years between the recordings, do Nicky and Nickie sound alike at all? 

 

Difficult to say for certain, sorry