Florida Rarity

[Soulfulsolutions]

Fabulous Soul Masters – I can’t see nobody / Funky thing – Tener 1034 Ex OFFERS

Vinyl is excellent with some light marks, a couple of light pops, but otherwise a superb play.  Labels clean.  Minimum offer is £2000.  I'll run this until 7pm on Wed 26 April unless I get an offer I can't refuse in between. 

What I know…….  Virtually unknown Northern dancer surrounded by greatness and obscurity in equal measure.  Penned by Robin & Barry Gibb this 1967 release was the flip to their first US / UK chart entry, setting them on their road to greatness.  In 1969 Nina Simone, our sultry soul sister accentuated the Bee Gees melancholy production with soulful tones, itself worth a listen.

In contrast this version of “I Can’t see nobody” is a gripping up-tempo dancer launched on a fanfare of brass and delicate drum roll, carried by imploring vocals, rasping horns and a frantic sax finale.  Backed by a superb heavyweight funk instrumental, this 45 will bridge the gap between rooms.

Eric T. Schabacker was at the heart of Orlando’s music industry, the founder member of his own band “The Starfires” and Tener Enterprises, the stable for the Tener, Hype and Immunity record labels.  Paul Sindab’s 100mph “You dropped your candy in the sand” on Hype is a rare excursion into the soul genre from this trio of labels.  Understandable as the relatively bulky Tener catalogue immerses itself in a muddle of musical styles ranging from garage through psych, punk, funk to gospel. 

Practically every fraternity, sorority, college, university, high school and youth centre in Florida was hiring talent from Bee Jay Booking Agency (and eventual Recording Studio) who coordinated the tour schedules of the label’s artists.  Schabacker ventured into several one-off labels over the years, the best known are probably Dove (Dolly Gilmore), Memphis Express (Backlash) and the eponymous Chocolate Balloon Company. 

“The Fabulous Soul Masters” recorded what appears to be the last numbered release on the Tener label in 69 and whilst the Bee Jay Studio team thought this Bee Gees cover would be more popular, the WLOF Radio Station in Orlando went for the official A side “Funky thing” because they used instrumentals as music beds to get them to the news.

Other than the sax player Edward Hayes Jr, little is known about the band and its lead, and only one other release to speak of on an un-named private press titled “Funk for the Duke”, which is also rare. 

I don’t DJ so I can’t be messing with covering it up, maybe it already is as I am sure someone will know it, someone always does!  Personally, I am aware of only 1 other copy with a US collector so it’s ripe for activation and time to rise from obscurity.

  Fabulous Soul Masters - I can't see nobody.mp3

  Fabulous Soul Masters - Funky thing.mp3

Cheers, Lee