"I Can’t Move No Mountains"

[Guest randy]

"I Can’t Move No Mountains"

Such an interesting song composed by Michael Gately & Robert John of Raindrops & Sunshine fame. Like all good songs it stands up to multiple interpretations.  I first came across the Margie Joseph version of this song which is a popular 70’s spin on the UK Northern & Modern soul scene fabulous lyrics and sweeping changes in pace and tempo.

 

Here are the various recordings of the song I have come across let me know if there are some more.

 

Blood Sweet & Tears Columbia December 1973

Started out as an LP track on their New Blood LP release earlier in 1972 and later scheduled for release in December but I have only ever found WDJ promos of this 45 so may have never commercially released. Interesting but more left field interpretation of the song but still worth a listen.

LISTEN!

 

Sophisticates Janus December 1972

Released in December 1972 it may be the original recording as Michael Gately was a solo artist on Janus at the time. Produced by Carla Thomas and arranged by H B Barnum this production sounds way ahead of its time in a more complex modern soul vibe possibly my favourite version.

 

Little is known about the Sophisticates but possible the same group who recorded the storming Northern dancer “Back Up Baby” on Sonny Records.

LISTEN!!

 

Free Movement Columbia 1973

Great emotionally charged male and female duo version with nice flute getting plays.

LISTEN!!

 

James Last LP track 1975

Even a semi instrumental Latin tinged electronic boogie James Last version which appears on his Well Kept Secret LP from 1975 well worth a listen.

LISTEN!!

 

Margie Joseph Atlantic 1975

Maybe the best and most well known version that is played regularly on the UK Modern Soul scene.

LISTEN!!

 

Crack of Dawn Epic 1976

One of the least known versions from this Jamaican group based in Canada, tucked a way on the flip side of the stock copy of one of their Epic single.

LISTEN!!

 

Sharon Whitbread UK Pye 1976

UK only release apparently uptempo version never actually heard her version so can’t really comment.

 

Shirley Brown Arista 1978

Fantastic pacey dance version with great strings produced by Eugene Record of Ch-lites fame in 1978.

LISTEN!!

 

Laura Vane & Vipertones 2012

Modern day outing from 2012 not bad

LISTEN!!

 

Cheers PAUL

[Daddy Bones]

Blood Sweat & Tears is the original, it came out in 1972.

[Billy Jo Jim Bob]

There is another version I know of but I can’t remember right now. I’ll have a dig around in the boxes and post it up.

[Daddy Bones]

Forgot to say - GREAT RESEARCH! Love this song and wasn't aware of a few you've posted. THANKS!

[Tlscapital]

Stock of Blood, Sweat & tears. Issued 5 December 1972 as a 7" so the first version that got issued. Makes sense to be a 'pop' thing fit first.

Sophisticates on Janus entry on Billboard January 27 1973 so second in place for release. Same group as on Mutt, Sonny, Underground Sounds... Them girls are great !

My favorite version too. Extra 'edge' no others have. Discovered while crate digging before I ever heard it. One of those musical find moments so it had that extra flavor to it...

 

[Stateside]

Revelation does it for me with Phillip Ballou and Arnold McCuller.

 

[Daddy Bones]

2 hours ago, Tlscapital said:

Stock of Blood, Sweat & tears. Issued 5 December 1972 as a 7" so the first version that got issued. Makes sense to be a 'pop' thing fit first.

Sophisticates on Janus entry on Billboard January 27 1973 so second in place for release. Same group as on Mutt, Sonny, Underground Sounds... Them girls are great !

My favorite version too. Extra 'edge' no others have. Discovered while crate digging before I ever heard it. One of those musical find moments so it had that extra flavor to it...

 

The Sophisticates on Sonny and Underground Sounds are definitey the same act, but I doubt that they're also the group on Mutt. You don't get many Californian acts going to record in Inkster, MI. Can you authenticate that? I'm not sure if the Janus act is also a separate group!

I was pulling apart the messy Discogs entry today and there were six different acts all piled in there! I've created new variants for several, but I've left the soul entries as they are for now. However, I suspect we have two or three different acts here.

Edited July 12, 2023 by Daddy Bones

[Tlscapital]

3 hours ago, Daddy Bones said:

The Sophisticates on Sonny and Underground Sounds are definitey the same act, but I doubt that they're also the group on Mutt. You don't get many Californian acts going to record in Inkster, MI. Can you authenticate that? I'm not sure if the Janus act is also a separate group!

I was pulling apart the messy Discogs entry today and there were six different acts all piled in there! I've created new variants for several, but I've left the soul entries as they are for now. However, I suspect we have two or three different acts here.

Yeah you're right. I went up too fast here. Not my best day as with all that went a bit hectic and so I enact in a 'rush' along with all that went on. Not how I like to do things. So yes the Sonny and Underground are the same group for sure.

Not knowing for fact who are the Mutt or the Janus Sophisticates. The Inkster still predates them others IMO and could have evolved and moved out to greater landscapes but who are we to speculate on that ? Or maybe not all the same.

Now the Janus Sophisticates sessions could also be Californian too in regard of Ron Carson involvement. While H.B. Barnum went all over the place but did a lot of Cal work. As for Art Freeman and Carla Thomas I can't say if they flew...

But again this is totally hypothetic as speculative. As my ears don't hear much of a Cali "flow" there. And to be honest I would have bet more some kind of a Philly thing (especially for the B-side) but 7T's sound can be very fooling IME.

So as you rightfully corrected me (although asking if I knew any better but none the wiser) it would be safer for the moment to consider that the Mutt, Janus and evidently the early Viva release to be different acts until we know better. 

[Daddy Bones]

14 hours ago, Tlscapital said:

Yeah you're right. I went up too fast here. Not my best day as with all that went a bit hectic and so I enact in a 'rush' along with all that went on. Not how I like to do things. So yes the Sonny and Underground are the same group for sure.

Not knowing for fact who are the Mutt or the Janus Sophisticates. The Inkster still predates them others IMO and could have evolved and moved out to greater landscapes but who are we to speculate on that ? Or maybe not all the same.

Now the Janus Sophisticates sessions could also be Californian too in regard of Ron Carson involvement. While H.B. Barnum went all over the place but did a lot of Cal work. As for Art Freeman and Carla Thomas I can't say if they flew...

But again this is totally hypothetic as speculative. As my ears don't hear much of a Cali "flow" there. And to be honest I would have bet more some kind of a Philly thing (especially for the B-side) but 7T's sound can be very fooling IME.

So as you rightfully corrected me (although asking if I knew any better but none the wiser) it would be safer for the moment to consider that the Mutt, Janus and evidently the early Viva release to be different acts until we know better. 

IMO, the Mutt group are unique. I would put their release around 1968 as the cat number falls in with other Mutt releases around that time. The Sonny/Underground Sounds are slightly earlier as far as I know. The Janus one remains a mystery though!

[Thinksmart]

Also a great Dionne Warwick Modern Soul version from album with Then Came You

 

[Stateside]

37 minutes ago, Thinksmart said:

Also a great Dionne Warwick Modern Soul version from album with Then Came You

Different Song to "I can't move no mountains" but a great record nonetheless.

 

[Daddy Bones]

53 minutes ago, Thinksmart said:

Also a great Dionne Warwick Modern Soul version from album with Then Came You

 

Also available on WB 7" but it's a different song altogether! Not a cover of what we're discussing.

[The Yank]

Here's another one for the list circa October of 1973 - 

[Thinksmart]

Ah, yes - mixing up my mountain titled songs. Had pressed send before reflecting!

[Diamondjim]

Love The Sophisticates take on this song....& if you pick it up on an issue you get the fabulous slowie on the flipside

Caged Bird....don't be put off by the title....all be it the issues are a little more difficult to come by 

[Billy Jo Jim Bob]

25 minutes ago, Diamondjim said:

Love The Sophisticates take on this song....& if you pick it up on an issue you get the fabulous slowie on the flipside

Caged Bird....don't be put off by the title....all be it the issues are a little more difficult to come by 

Thats the one I was thinking of Mick but couldn't remember the artist. Its an age thing. 

Chucks

[Garswood]

17 hours ago, Thinksmart said:

Also a great Dionne Warwick Modern Soul version from album with Then Came You

 

That’s a cover of love unlimited, different song altogether

[Tlscapital]

19 hours ago, Daddy Bones said:

IMO, the Mutt group are unique. I would put their release around 1968 as the cat number falls in with other Mutt releases around that time. The Sonny/Underground Sounds are slightly earlier as far as I know. The Janus one remains a mystery though!

Just been checking (first time 4 me) the Mutt discography and open-sourced 'comments' on 45Cat.com and can now tell you that the Sophisticates on Mutt is early to mid 1967. I seriously doubt it to be hazardous or even less erroneous as the following release by garage band the Ruins is seriously documented in length by protagonists interviews.

Listening to the singings (no proof of much FWIW but part of the 'hints') and indeed the Cali Sophisticates on Sonny and Underground Sound are different in every way. So the Mutt Michigan act is likely as you inclined 'unique'. Still to my ears and eyes the Sonny 1001 and following Underground Sound 1002 of the Cali girls sounds rather early 7T's.

But Cali progressive's rep and approach can be misleading some. Although on the Underground Sound label the date 1967 appears as Copyright. But what does that mean ? Is it for the label's name like some did ? For such a one-off sole release for the label it is rather odd to do something like that. Who knows what lead them to do that in the first place...

[Dave Pinch]

Shame that Paul is no longer on here to read all this

[Carole P]

Laura Vane & The Vipertones-I can't move no mountains-Unique 2012

[Tlscapital]

30 minutes ago, Dave Pinch said:

Shame that Paul is no longer on here to read all this

Paul Who ?

[Dave Pinch]

Paul Seward.. known him years lives about 2 miles from me. He submitted this topic 6 years ago.. no one commented at the time

Edited July 14, 2023 by Dave Pinch

[Daddy Bones]

5 hours ago, Tlscapital said:

Just been checking (first time 4 me) the Mutt discography and open-sourced 'comments' on 45Cat.com and can now tell you that the Sophisticates on Mutt is early to mid 1967. I seriously doubt it to be hazardous or even less erroneous as the following release by garage band the Ruins is seriously documented in length by protagonists interviews.

Listening to the singings (no proof of much FWIW but part of the 'hints') and indeed the Cali Sophisticates on Sonny and Underground Sound are different in every way. So the Mutt Michigan act is likely as you inclined 'unique'. Still to my ears and eyes the Sonny 1001 and following Underground Sound 1002 of the Cali girls sounds rather early 7T's.

But Cali progressive's rep and approach can be misleading some. Although on the Underground Sound label the date 1967 appears as Copyright. But what does that mean ? Is it for the label's name like some did ? For such a one-off sole release for the label it is rather odd to do something like that. Who knows what lead them to do that in the first place...

I guess we're getting off-topic a little, but the Sonny/UGS records are definitely late 1960s. "I Really Hope You Do" was published by BMI in January 1968 (entry EU32776) and was covered in the December of that year by Friends of Distinction, a group with whom songwriter Anita Poree had a clear relationship. So, you're correct that the UGS label's © date of 1967 is too early for the record's actual release, but not by much. I suspect that the company was incorporateed just before this pressing. It's even possible that Sonny 1001 and Underground Sounds 1002 are sequential releases across two label names!

[Tlscapital]

5 hours ago, Dave Pinch said:

Paul Seward.. known him years lives about 2 miles from me. He submitted this topic 6 years ago.. no one commented at the time

He's 'Guest randy' then. Thanks for that 

[Dave Pinch]

10 minutes ago, Tlscapital said:

He's 'Guest randy' then. Thanks for that 

ye was on here as Randy but threw in the towel a couple or 3 years back.. we were pretty tight at one time but dont speak much now...  a difference in musical direction and policy