Billy Woods about to go on sale

[Jim G]

JM posted on Facebook the record below, I think it is to go to auction soon

Edited September 2, 2016 by jim g
typo

[Kev Cane]

Yes, he put it on Instagram aswell

[Guest Ivor Jones]

Now, that would make ME happy !

What a record.

[Guest]

If I remember correctly, it was a big record for Richard Searling back in the Wigan days!

I bought the white label bootleg when it was first pressed in the mid 70's.  Always been very rare on original.

The original thats going up for auction looks in really nice condition, if the clean label is anything to go by!

Edited September 3, 2016 by Guest

[Frankie Crocker]

I've got the white label bootleg and I'm thinking of colouring it in. Great record. I recall reading about an original copy that was mistakenly sold as a bootleg...ouch. Another auction that will be watched with great interest.

[Winsford Soul]

Tune. As good as it gets. imho.

Steve

[Kegsy]

I can see this thread is seriously going to piss off those of us that had this back in the day and sold it for next to f*ck all, compared to today's prices.

[Mike Lofthouse]

Levine surely?

 

[Jim G]

It is the real deal mint- condition. Last time JM had one he took off sale when bids reached circa £7k as it turned ipout the seller was  sending in false bids. This one is in better Nick. £10k anyone?

[Peter99]

I know fcuk all but had this down as a Cleethorpes Pier spin.

And yes - it's a great record.

 

Edited September 2, 2016 by Peter99

[Jim G]

It's live on JM auction now, let the battle commence for those with deep pockets 

[Chris Turnbull]

Why is it so rare? Well known label, Van McCoy,etc 

[Chalky]

I remember John Anderson telling us the story of how he found this...the studio engineer (I think) had a box and John took what he could get on his finger, the rest skipped along with everything else from the studio I believe.

[Kegsy]

1 hour ago, Chris Turnbull said:

Why is it so rare? Well known label, Van McCoy,etc 

Don't know, but what copies there were came through Soul Bowl, as far as I can remember. I don't think anybody at the time thought this would stay rare for very long given the label etc., but it certainly did.

[Chalky]

1 hour ago, Kegsy said:

Don't know, but what copies there were came through Soul Bowl, as far as I can remember. I don't think anybody at the time thought this would stay rare for very long given the label etc., but it certainly did.

I know John said he took what he could get on his finger but wasn't the label being shut down, everything in the skip etc? The engineer had a box of these (25).....some alcohol had been consumed during the conversation

[Kegsy]

It's certainly an odd one, as just about every other number around 213, Decisions, Presidents, Bill Withers etc. were available by the boatload on Bradford Market. I think Sussex survived til about 75 or early 76, which would make the time line wrong for the label closure, as the record was played long before that.

Edited September 3, 2016 by Kegsy

[Rick Scott]

11 hours ago, Peter99 said:

I know fcuk all but had this down as a Cleethorpes Pier spin.

And yes - it's a great record.

 

Dead right!!! Was definitely a Cleethorpes Pier spin, missed out on this when on my regular trips down to see John at Soul Bowl at the time when he got the first few in (I think he had about 8 copies , may be wrong) but i remember him saying don't worry though will be getting some more copies, and you have to remember this would have been a very recent/new release at the time but as we realise this didn't happen and when it did turn up for sale was mostly from the first batch found by John re-circulating..Rick 

[Jim G]

8 copies in Soul Bowl. JM and other top DJ'd got it. Played at the big venues. Allegedly only 2 copies seen the 1970's find. This is one rare record. would love to know who is selling and where they got it. That must be the story!

[Frankie Crocker]

Now heading north of 3K within minutes of being posted on the web site. Clearly this is a record that isn't going to turn up in bulk any time soon, so this copy may be from a pressing plant employee, label owner or group member QED. If anyone wants to get rid of their clapped out 'decorative' object, I would be delighted to cover postage costs so I can frame it for the wall.

[Chalky]

Wigan as well as Cleethorpes.  Richard says he played it on the way back from Soul Bowl after collecting it in Kettering on a Friday night.

[Chalky]

2 hours ago, Kegsy said:

It's certainly an odd one, as just about every other number around 213, Decisions, Presidents, Bill Withers etc. were available by the boatload on Bradford Market. I think Sussex survived til about 75 or early 76, which would make the time line wrong for the label closure, as the record was played long before that.

Having a root round Steve G says the label went bust for the first time when this was recorded...the engineer hadn't been paid and kept around 200 records.  John A took 8 of them, the rest...who knows, certainly a few copies made there way over but the rest who knows?  Might still be sat in that box somewhere waiting to be found! 

[Mike Lofthouse]

Was it really played at Wigan and Cleethorpes before Levine at the Mecca?

[Epic]

2 minutes ago, Mike Lofthouse said:

Was it really played at Wigan and Cleethorpes before Levine at the Mecca?

No !!

 

[Mike Lofthouse]

Just now, epic said:

No !!

 

that was my recollection......but history continues to be rewritten when it comes to Ian....

[Kegsy]

5 minutes ago, Mike Lofthouse said:

Was it really played at Wigan and Cleethorpes before Levine at the Mecca?

 

2 minutes ago, epic said:

No !!

 

Seconded, definate Mecca play before anywhere else.

[Ernie Andrews]

Theres bound to be a few more in record station archives but where is the question?

[Tom C]

Popsike shows that in 2007 a copy in decent shape went up for sale on ebay and sold for $5750. The text says that it originally belonged to a record company rep so you'd think there was a few more out there amongst the ex-sales force and radio stations.

[Steve G]

19 hours ago, chalky said:

Having a root round Steve G says the label went bust for the first time when this was recorded...the engineer hadn't been paid and kept around 200 records.  John A took 8 of them, the rest...who knows, certainly a few copies made there way over but the rest who knows?  Might still be sat in that box somewhere waiting to be found! 

Yes remember him telling a few of us that at Cleethorpes one year. He left the engineer and went on the bus to Philly, thinking that if he needed to he could always go back and get the rest. But I think (I cannot remember this bit as the red wine had kicked in by then) when he did the copies had gone. 

The label going "bust" is the mystery bit, it might just be that the engineer wasn't paid, or it might be that it was re-financed, since Sussex kept going long after this 45. 

Edited September 4, 2016 by Steve G

[Steve G]

17 hours ago, Ernie Andrews said:

Theres bound to be a few more in record station archives but where is the question?

Why? That assumes it was actually put out, rather than pressed and withdrawn before the promo men got their hands on it.

 

[Chalky]

11 minutes ago, Steve G said:

Yes remember him telling a few of us that at Cleethorpes one year. He left the engineer and went on the bus to Philly, thinking that if he needed to he could always go back and get the rest. But I think (I cannot remember this bit as the red wine had kicked in by then) when he did the copies had gone. 

The label going "bust" is the mystery bit, it might just be that the engineer wasn't paid, or it might be that it was re-financed, since Sussex kept going long after this 45. 

I was there Steve but my memory not as good....I'd had more than are beers  I do remember him saying he took a finger full and that he could/would go back for the others.

[Chris L]

Can anybody post a link to the auction ?

[Kegsy]

28 minutes ago, Steve G said:

Yes remember him telling a few of us that at Cleethorpes one year. He left the engineer and went on the bus to Philly, thinking that if he needed to he could always go back and get the rest. But I think (I cannot remember this bit as the red wine had kicked in by then) when he did the copies had gone. 

The label going "bust" is the mystery bit, it might just be that the engineer wasn't paid, or it might be that it was re-financed, since Sussex kept going long after this 45. 

It begs the question when this meeting took place. Was the record already known or did J.A. hear and like it. If the record was already known/big, then why leave any copies behind, unless of course the engineer wouldn't part with them. It also begs the question, if the record wasn't already known, why go anywhere near Sussex records as there is little else of interest to the rare soul collector, on the label.

Edited September 4, 2016 by Kegsy

[Sjclement]

Any double sided demo's of the A side ever turn up?

[Louise]

17 minutes ago, Kegsy said:

It begs the question when this meeting took place. Was the record already known or did J.A. hear and like it. If the record was already known/big, then why leave any copies behind, unless of course the engineer wouldn't part with them. It also begs the question, if the record wasn't already known, why go anywhere near Sussex records as there is little else of interest to the rare soul collector, on the label.

Wasn't the Decisions "I Can't Forget About You" a popular tune around that time ?

Dave

[Kegsy]

1 minute ago, Louise said:

Wasn't the Decisions "I Can't Forget About You" a popular tune around that time ?

Dave

Yes, but it also came out in the UK when released so it was never really that rare.

[Steve G]

51 minutes ago, Kegsy said:

It begs the question when this meeting took place. Was the record already known or did J.A. hear and like it. If the record was already known/big, then why leave any copies behind, unless of course the engineer wouldn't part with them. It also begs the question, if the record wasn't already known, why go anywhere near Sussex records as there is little else of interest to the rare soul collector, on the label.

Does it?

The record was unknown at the time.

John was going to the States every few weeks at this time and picking up new things every day. At the time he was using buses etc. and records were plentiful. There is only so much you can fit in a holdall! Tracking down writers, producers, engineers etc. was all part of the hunt. He was importing soul music, not rare soul music (obviously some of the imports turned out to be rare), so Sussex and people connected with it would have been a perfectly logical stop to make.

 Pick up a few interesting things and move on to the next place.

 

 

 

Edited September 4, 2016 by Steve G

[Louise]

9 minutes ago, Kegsy said:

Yes, but it also came out in the UK when released so it was never really that rare.

Which just proves it's popularity and as a businessman wouldn't John be on the lookout for good sellers ?

We now have 40yrs plus of knowledge to what has turned out to be rare or not rare, hindsight would be a wonderful thing back in the day. You only have to take a look at the article Butch started on Soul Bowl and the prices on the lists attached. Records for a quid that are now fetching 1000's

Who can honestly say they gave a shit about rarity in the 70,'s it was just about collecting the records you liked at the cheapest price possible.

[Kegsy]

4 minutes ago, Louise said:

Which just proves it's popularity and as a businessman wouldn't John be on the lookout for good sellers ?

 

I don't think it was released in the U.K. due to it's popularity as it was 1971 not long after it was released in the States. I remember it being played on A&M as a new release.

I'm not trying to question J.A. and his reasons for whatever he did, I'm trying to establish a time line for it's discovery, it being played and the find from the recording engineer. I think Steve G. has answered the question now as he reckons it was an unknown before J.A. picked up those 8 copies. 

[Sheldonsoul]

Great record to start with but what's with the la la bit towards the end does he run out of lyrics or something ??

[Woodbutcher]

9 hours ago, Chris L said:

Can anybody post a link to the auction ?

https://www.raresoulman.co.uk/auction/11192/let-me-make-you-happy

[Chris L]

20 minutes ago, WoodButcher said:

https://www.raresoulman.co.uk/auction/11192/let-me-make-you-happy

Thanks.....pheww...........price already............

[Woodbutcher]

It hit £3000.00 in about two hours ...

[Julianb]

Only 8 45s on a finger?  John must have small hands!

[Mick Boyle]

I had a chat with JA about this record about two years ago. He said he got a call from Sussex PR man and he had a record that was just the kind of thing that J was looking for. They met but none of them had a record player so J couldn't listen to it - he took a gamble and bought about 8 copies for a dollar each. The PR man said the label was doomed and whatever J didn't buy would go in the dumpster. 

[Tom C]

so we have to assume that Sussex had one PR man to cover the whole of the USA? Maybe that's why they folded but I doubt it.

 

[Chalky]

As Steve said, John told us at Cleethorpes it was an engineer he got the copies from. 

[Kenb]

So (Let me make you happy) there's 6 days to go on JM, and it's at £5,457.00.

Did McCoy/Cobb write it for Billy? What's known about Billy?

 

[Garethx]

Am I alone in finding this record second-rate? If it wasn't for the accident of its rarity it would surely have been consigned to the league of so-so 70s records.

[Gointoagogo]

5 minutes ago, garethx said:

Am I alone in finding this record second-rate? If it wasn't for the accident of its rarity it would surely have been consigned to the league of so-so 70s records.

No you are not alone. I've always considered this to be a pretty average record - nice, but not one I'd ever want even if I could afford it lol.

[Mike Lofthouse]

6 minutes ago, garethx said:

Am I alone in finding this record second-rate? If it wasn't for the accident of its rarity it would surely have been consigned to the league of so-so 70s records.

It always struck me as an unfinished song and performed like a demo with the intention of writing a suitable chorus but they forgot to do so, probably that's why they binned it.  I don't think it would of set the world on fire in the US if it had been released at the time.