Revilot 208 Jackey Beavers I Need My Baby. Why so rare?

[Guest]

I have always really liked the brilliant double sided  “I Need My Baby/ A Love That Never Grows Cold” by Jackey Beavers on Revilot 208.  But it is really rare and hard to find!

Most of the other Revilots around this release number are relatively easy to get, does any one know why this one is so hard, when it’s one of the very best on the label?

Edited April 20, 2018 by Guest

[Kegsy]

No airplay, therefore no national release ?

[Rick Cooper]

22 hours ago, Kegsy said:

No airplay, therefore no national release ?

Kegsy,  are you sure about this. 

Looking through Record World I found it listed in the Radio Exposure Chart for 12th and 19th August 1967. So it got some radio play but I couldn't find much action following this. I'd suggest it got a few plays managed to sell most of it's small initial pressing but didn't take off, so Revilot didn't press up more copies. Also the label had a hit at this time with the Parliaments I Wanna Testify, which would have been their priority.

If it hadn't sold anything it probably would have been in the deleted stocks sold off by the label.

Another possibility is Revilot and Jackey Beavers not getting on so they didn't try to push the record even after limited radio plays. No follow up record could be because of this.

Anyway I don't think we'll ever know for sure why it's so rare .

The Record World link here, look for the page that is turned sideways

 

https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Record-World/60s/67/RW-1967-08-19.pdf

P.S.    Anyone with a few hours to spare might like to look through other Record World issues to find the most obscure record to get reviewed. Dena Barnes and Epitome of Sound are a couple that had a good write up.

Rick

 

 

[Kegsy]

39 minutes ago, Rick Cooper said:

Kegsy,  are you sure about this. 

Looking through Record World I found it listed in the Radio Exposure Chart for 12th and 19th August 1967. So it got some radio play but I couldn't find much action following this. I'd suggest it got a few plays managed to sell most of it's small initial pressing but didn't take off, so Revilot didn't press up more copies. Also the label had a hit at this time with the Parliaments I Wanna Testify, which would have been their priority.

If it hadn't sold anything it probably would have been in the deleted stocks sold off by the label.

Another possibility is Revilot and Jackey Beavers not getting on so they didn't try to push the record even after limited radio plays. No follow up record could be because of this.

Rick

 

 

No I'm not sure about anything which is why I used a "?". We know grey revilots were local Detroit issues and the pink ones were nationally distributed. Which is probably why Hit And Run is much rarer than both Darrell Banks as there are no pink ones. So maybe when the multi-coloured label came into being they still just pressed an initial run for the Detroit market. If the exposure in Record World was only one or two Detroit DJs then it it would not have been released nationally. I'm just logically speculating.

[Chalky]

The airplay was one station 90 miles from Detroit?  The exposure was brief.  I guess it had other minor plays on other local stations but I would also imagine the amount of records released locally not to mention nationally at the time was huge and maybe it just got lost amongst them all?  Promotion or lack of it was probably a factor too?

[Rick Cooper]

20 minutes ago, chalky said:

The airplay was one station 90 miles from Detroit?  The exposure was brief.  I guess it had other minor plays on other local stations but I would also imagine the amount of records released locally not to mention nationally at the time was huge and maybe it just got lost amongst them all?  Promotion or lack of it was probably a factor too?

Yes, that's what I was getting at. A few radio plays resulting in some sales but not breaking in other areas so not worth pressing enough to service national ,or East coast, distributors. The point I was trying to make is rare records, such as this one, may have sold a fair amount but not enough for a record company to promote it further. If it hadn't sold it would probably be more common.

Edited April 21, 2018 by Rick Cooper

[Julianb]

My copy is signed by Jackey. The story I was told was that this copy ( and others) were given away at a car dealership trying to promote the record. I assume the owner was a pal of Jackey's.

The SWONS?

[Ted Massey]

When I got back to collecting in 1984 I was told there had been ab25 count box discovered among over other releases. Anyway I got mine of Ian Clarke probably 1986/7 he had 2 at £60 each 

[Joesoap]

I do love it and it's a great northern soul record but its a bit thin / sparse/ muffled-sounding production-wise, without much of a hook and the vocal's a bit mumbly in parts.  Can't imagine it would have stood out enough to get played on the radio (or would have sounded much cop over a transistor radio).

[Garethx]

Is it 'rare' at all though? I would argue that Jackey Beavers on Revolit is not a rare record in the true sense of the word—i.e. known from a handful of copies, seldom for sale. Yes, it's always been expensive but that doesn't mean rare or even scarce.

Since Ebay started there have been dozens, maybe hundreds of copies through there. Even a mint copy in late 2016 which was a freebie thrown in with a press photo of Jackey for a Buy It Now of $35!

[Chalky]

3 hours ago, garethx said:

Is it 'rare' at all though? I would argue that Jackey Beavers on Revolit is not a rare record in the true sense of the word—i.e. known from a handful of copies, seldom for sale. Yes, it's always been expensive but that doesn't mean rare or even scarce.

Since Ebay started there have been dozens, maybe hundreds of copies through there. Even a mint copy in late 2016 which was a freebie thrown in with a press photo of Jackey for a Buy It Now of $35!

The guy who threw it in as a freebie had a couple maybe more. He didn’t make the same mistake twice though. $25 I think the photo sold for, with the free 45 😳

[Rick Cooper]

3 hours ago, garethx said:

Is it 'rare' at all though? I would argue that Jackey Beavers on Revolit is not a rare record in the true sense of the word—i.e. known from a handful of copies, seldom for sale. Yes, it's always been expensive but that doesn't mean rare or even scarce.

Since Ebay started there have been dozens, maybe hundreds of copies through there. Even a mint copy in late 2016 which was a freebie thrown in with a press photo of Jackey for a Buy It Now of $35!

The original post from Solidsoul was comparing the rarity of Jackey Beavers to other Revilot records , which it certainly is.  Even compared to any record on any label I'd rate it as rare. Back in the 1970s it wasn't even listed in the label listing for Revilot as no copies were owned by UK collectors. When it turned up in the 1980s it was always rated as a hard record to find and in demand from collectors, even if it wasn't one for the masses. If a record could only be called rare if there was only a handful of copies known, Manship would have to tone down his OTT descriptions.

The last one sold on Discogs was June 2016, not sure about ebay but dozens is still fairly rare. 

Finally if it wasn't rare Julian B wouldn't still have it. 

Rick  

[Robbk]

8 hours ago, Rick Cooper said:

The original post from Solidsoul was comparing the rarity of Jackey Beavers to other Revilot records , which it certainly is.  Even compared to any record on any label I'd rate it as rare. Back in the 1970s it wasn't even listed in the label listing for Revilot as no copies were owned by UK collectors. When it turned up in the 1980s it was always rated as a hard record to find and in demand from collectors, even if it wasn't one for the masses. If a record could only be called rare if there was only a handful of copies known, Manship would have to tone down his OTT descriptions.

The last one sold on Discogs was June 2016, not sure about ebay but dozens is still fairly rare. 

Finally if it wasn't rare Julian B wouldn't still have it. 

Rick  

I was located in both L.A. and Chicago when Revilot 208 was "released".  I never saw it, and I looked through literally millions of 45s.  I listened to Soul stations KGFJ in L.A., and WVON in Chicago.  It got NO airplay on either station.  I had friends in record shops in both cities, and worked in South L.A.'s Dolphin's of Hollywood, which had ALL the Soul records that existed in L.A. (all that got to California).  If Revilot 208 came to California at all, I'd have seen it and known about it.  It never got to Chicago.  It must have had a very small single pressing, only locally in Detroit, and then nothing more.  I used to drive to Detroit one Saturday a month to look for records in the bargain bins of Soul/R&B record shops, thrift stores, junk stores, and discount stores that rad 45 record dump sales.  I never saw the record once- Not even in any of my Detroit record collector friends' collections!  Believe me, it always was, and IS a dead rare record.  Those few around were probably all found later, from insiders, who grabbed them from Solid Hitbound's stock.  That record never got into shops outside Detroit.  And if it got into shops there, there were only a few handful, if that.

[Chalky]

12 hours ago, Rick Cooper said:

The original post from Solidsoul was comparing the rarity of Jackey Beavers to other Revilot records , which it certainly is.  Even compared to any record on any label I'd rate it as rare. Back in the 1970s it wasn't even listed in the label listing for Revilot as no copies were owned by UK collectors. When it turned up in the 1980s it was always rated as a hard record to find and in demand from collectors, even if it wasn't one for the masses. If a record could only be called rare if there was only a handful of copies known, Manship would have to tone down his OTT descriptions.

The last one sold on Discogs was June 2016, not sure about ebay but dozens is still fairly rare. 

Finally if it wasn't rare Julian B wouldn't still have it. 

Rick  

Two this year alone on ebay, Feb £1050 and march £550. I would imagine most who have this and were selling would use other methods rather than discogs?

[Garethx]

I would hazard a guess that the reason this 45 never got out of the distributors or even pressing plant in 1967 could be something to do with the huge success of the preceding release. The Parliaments' I Wanna Testify was a Hot 100 hit and huge R&B smash. When a small label has a big seller it can create logistical and cashflow problems. Money earmarked for getting the Beavers 45 pressed, distributed and plugged might have had to go towards satisfying demand for the Parliaments release which would have dominated the Revilot office in the middle of 1967. 

[Dave Pinch]

22 hours ago, garethx said:

Is it 'rare' at all though? I would argue that Jackey Beavers on Revolit is not a rare record in the true sense of the word—i.e. known from a handful of copies, seldom for sale. Yes, it's always been expensive but that doesn't mean rare or even scarce.

Since Ebay started there have been dozens, maybe hundreds of copies through there. Even a mint copy in late 2016 which was a freebie thrown in with a press photo of Jackey for a Buy It Now of $35!

I would agree with Gareth.. Defo been derarified by ebay and beat up copies do turn up.. 

[Dave Pinch]

18 hours ago, Rick Cooper said:

The original post from Solidsoul was comparing the rarity of Jackey Beavers to other Revilot records , which it certainly is.  Even compared to any record on any label I'd rate it as rare. Back in the 1970s it wasn't even listed in the label listing for Revilot as no copies were owned by UK collectors. When it turned up in the 1980s it was always rated as a hard record to find and in demand from collectors, even if it wasn't one for the masses. If a record could only be called rare if there was only a handful of copies known, Manship would have to tone down his OTT descriptions.

The last one sold on Discogs was June 2016, not sure about ebay but dozens is still fairly rare. 

Finally if it wasn't rare Julian B wouldn't still have it. 

Rick  

Been 2 up for sale in last week.. Decent copies too

[Robbk]

As I stated above, that record was just not seen in the shops in mid 1967.  I think that a small stock of them were "discovered" in later times (after 1980) (maybe by a NS Brit) from whoever from Revilot "inherited" them (perhaps Don Davis?), and then entered the NS market.  We North Americans never saw them.  I'd like to hear from a Detroiter from that period, to see if he saw any.  Ron Murphy is no longer with us.  Maybe someone should ask Cappy (if any of you have contact with him).  I'd ask on Soulful Detroit.  But. it seems that none of the old record collectors post there anymore.  Sadly, I seem to be the only one.

[Rick Cooper]

A copy just gone on Manship's auction . Currently at £15 so I'll give it a go at £30 , that should do it.  ( only joking )

https://www.raresoulman.co.uk/jackey-beavers-love-that-never-grows-old-i-need-my-baby-revilot-rv-208.html

 

Edited April 26, 2018 by Rick Cooper

[Wheelsville1]

On 26/04/2018 at 12:45, garethx said:

I would hazard a guess that the reason this 45 never got out of the distributors or even pressing plant in 1967 could be something to do with the huge success of the preceding release. The Parliaments' I Wanna Testify was a Hot 100 hit and huge R&B smash. When a small label has a big seller it can create logistical and cashflow problems. Money earmarked for getting the Beavers 45 pressed, distributed and plugged might have had to go towards satisfying demand for the Parliaments release which would have dominated the Revilot office in the middle of 1967. 

Personally I think you are spot on with your conclusion,when a record stands out as being far more scarce on a label than other recordings,it is usaly one of two reasons.Either it’s because it’s next to one that was a Hit as in this case or because it’s the last on the label when the label is winding up or has gone bust. 

[Frankie Crocker]

Looking at Popsike, the numbers suggest this is a scarce record but not really rare. The condition of those on Popsike indicate plenty went into circulation but few mint unplayed copies actually survived. Maybe only small numbers were pressed up because the calibre of the composition was less catchy than other offerings on the label. Whilst we might revere the sound today, it would have been overshadowed by the Motown/Tamla/Gordy/Soul/VIP stable of labels that dominated the airwaves. Other records on the label suffered a similar fate - the Parliaments ‘Don’t Be Sore At Me’ is a nice, happy, catchy song that was largely overlooked then and now.

[The Yank]

With J.J. Barnes and the Parliaments flying up the charts, I think the company decided

to promote those two releases and the Jackie Beavers 45 got lost in the shuffle.

[Wheelsville1]

3 minutes ago, the yank said:

With J.J. Barnes and the Parliaments flying up the charts, I think the company decided

to promote those two releases and the Jackie Beavers 45 got lost in the shuffle.

Spot on as mentioned earlier,try getting hold of Kim Weston A little more love on us Tamla.Once again this was shelved to concentrate on a Marvin Gaye Hit. 

[Joesoap]

On 26/04/2018 at 14:41, RobbK said:

As I stated above, that record was just not seen in the shops in mid 1967.  I think that a small stock of them were "discovered" in later times (after 1980) (maybe by a NS Brit) from whoever from Revilot "inherited" them (perhaps Don Davis?), and then entered the NS market.  We North Americans never saw them.  I'd like to hear from a Detroiter from that period, to see if he saw any.  Ron Murphy is no longer with us.  Maybe someone should ask Cappy (if any of you have contact with him).  I'd ask on Soulful Detroit.  But. it seems that none of the old record collectors post there anymore.  Sadly, I seem to be the only one.

Did US record shops generally have 45s out on display to browse through, then? In most UK shops selling records, they'd have the LP sleeves out in the shop to browse through but if you wanted a single you had to go up to the counter to ask for it. They'd have them all filed behind the counter and go and look for it.  I think this is an overlooked reason, in UK at least, why so many releases slipped through the net. Unless you'd heard it on the radio or read about it, you didn't know what was available. 

[The Yank]

It depended on what record store you shopped at. Some had the records out in the open- others had a list at the counter and you would tell 

them what 45 you wanted. 

[Joesoap]

2 minutes ago, the yank said:

It depended on what record store you shopped at. Some had the records out in the open- others had a list at the counter and you would tell 

them what 45 you wanted. 

Wow! The US was waaaay ahead then. We didn't even get a list!

(..Thinking back about the provincial UK record shops of my youth in the 70s, they were usually staffed by Charles Shaar Murray / Mick Farren lookalikes who would just sneer at some kid coming in asking for things they'd never heard of. Lol! No wonder those shops all went out of business!)

[Angus]

Ref jackey beavers....I think its a hard record to pick up in good nick....yep plenty of copies go through on ebay but how many are without defects...most are vg+ at best!!!

Two great sides but are there are that many solid vg++/ex copies out there?-mr manship has auctioned a few and they all had pops etc....tricky record to get hold for collectors who want top condition records!!!

Was this a late wigan spin from Richard?If so must have raised a few eyebrows as certainly I need my baby aint four beats to the bar!!Two great sides never the less!!!

Edited April 27, 2018 by angus
x

[Wheelsville1]

7 minutes ago, angus said:

Ref jackey beavers....I think its a hard record to pick up in good nick....yep plenty of copies go through on ebay but how many are without defects...most are vg+ at best!!!

Two great sides but are there are that many solid vg++/ex copies out there?-mr manship has auctioned a few and they all had pops etc....tricky record to get hold for collectors who want top condition records!!!

Was this a late wigan spin from Richard?If so must have raised a few eyebrows as certainly I need my baby aint four beats to the bar!!Two great sides never the less!!!

Another theory whilst on the subject,did Don Davis promote Steve Mancha Friday Night more than Jackey Beavers. 

[Dave Pinch]

well it followed the parliaments i wanna testify ( rv 207) which was a top 20 pop hit in the usa so revilot would have put all their resources into that

jackey beavers would probably have been withdrawn after the initial batch sold out so they could concentrate on the parliaments 45

the parliaments dont be sore at me was relegated to the b side. the a side all your goodies are gone did chart around the number  70 mark on the pop charts

Edited April 27, 2018 by dave pinch

[Dave Pinch]

2 hours ago, Wheelsville1 said:

Another theory whilst on the subject,did Don Davis promote Steve Mancha Friday Night more than Jackey Beavers. 

theres about 9 months inbetween the release dates..nov 1966 for steve and aug 1967 for jackey

[Chalky]

11 hours ago, dave pinch said:

well it followed the parliaments i wanna testify ( rv 207) which was a top 20 pop hit in the usa so revilot would have put all their resources into that

jackey beavers would probably have been withdrawn after the initial batch sold out so they could concentrate on the parliaments 45

the parliaments dont be sore at me was relegated to the b side. the a side all your goodies are gone did chart around the number  70 mark on the pop charts

I don't buy into the theory of putting resources into the Parliaments and practically scrapping a release?

I would imagine the label would have simply deferred the release until The Parliaments was on the slide.  With the money coming in from a hit would have meant more money to focus on the next release?  A hit would practically look after itself with money for the next pressing run and distribution.  

Also you would think with a hit on their books they would have momentum and would want to carry on with the success of the previous release.  I know they were pressed at same time or not far apart but that probably made sense from a business point of view and also demand for the pressing plants would probably have been high at that time.

Jackey Beavers was a different sound altogether from the Parliaments and probably didn't register locally with the Djs and with the stores so no more money would have been put in to it and the company moved on to the next release.

Edited April 28, 2018 by chalky

[Frankie Crocker]

I agree Chalky. More to do with the sound and the buying public. Back then, record players were somewhat crude so a sound like this would not stand out as catchy. Today, our appreciation of the Detroit Sound, acceptance of slower tempo and Jackey’s gritty vocals make this a record to hunt down.

[Wheelsville1]

29 minutes ago, chalky said:

I don't buy into the theory of putting resources into the Parliaments and practically scrapping a release?

I would imagine the label would have simply deferred the release until The Parliaments was on the slide.  With the money coming in from a hit would have meant more money to focus on the next release?  A hit would practically look after itself with money for the next pressing run and distribution.  

Also you would think with a hit on their books they would have momentum and would want to carry on with the success of the previous release.  I know they were pressed at same time or not far apart but that probably made sense from a business point of view and also demand for the pressing plants would probably have been high at that time.

Jackey Beavers was a different sound altogether from the Parliaments and probably didn't register locally with the Djs and with the stores so no more money would have been put in to it and the company moved on to the next release.

Hi chalky,when Dave uses the word resources,this can mean as much about time and effort rather than finances.I agree with you about the two sounds being totally different and by that time I think Jackey Beavers would be seen as being dated.As you know,it would only be a year later when it was the start of what we all call crossover. 

[Chalky]

1 hour ago, Wheelsville1 said:

Hi chalky,when Dave uses the word resources,this can mean as much about time and effort rather than finances.I agree with you about the two sounds being totally different and by that time I think Jackey Beavers would be seen as being dated.As you know,it would only be a year later when it was the start of what we all call crossover. 

I agree with what you say about resources but a hit would take care of itself, an order from distributors, an order to the the pressing plant for another press and then shipping (I know it isn't quite as simple as that though).  I doubt they would go to the trouble for a small label trying to compete with Motown to record and press a record only to dump it because of a hit with the previous release. Surely you would do all you could to try and ride that hit with the next release?  

I still t think it is the lack of interest locally with both Djs and the buying public.  As Frankie says late 1967 it would have been somewhat dated and maybe too slow given the changing times.

Edited April 28, 2018 by chalky

[Dylan]

The copies out there in bad shape seem a bit at odds with the fact it didnt get played at the time.  Or just badly stored transported and deteriorated over time?

 

wouldn't there just have been a box of ex copies sat somewhere and more clean copies around now ?

 

its a great record.

 

 

[Steve Foran]

18 hours ago, angus said:

Ref jackey beavers....I think its a hard record to pick up in good nick....yep plenty of copies go through on ebay but how many are without defects...most are vg+ at best!!!

Two great sides but are there are that many solid vg++/ex copies out there?-mr manship has auctioned a few and they all had pops etc....tricky record to get hold for collectors who want top condition records!!!

Was this a late wigan spin from Richard?If so must have raised a few eyebrows as certainly I need my baby aint four beats to the bar!!Two great sides never the less!!!

Yes it was a Richard spin at WC. Around 1980  from memory. Much around a similar time to his Chris Bartley I go out of my mind and Mr Soul / Al Scott What happened to yesterday . For my money 3 Top class tunes all mid tempo. Lucky me owns 2 of them after years of wanting.  

[Frankie Crocker]

3 hours ago, dylan said:

The copies out there in bad shape seem a bit at odds with the fact it didnt get played at the time.  Or just badly stored transported and deteriorated over time?

 

wouldn't there just have been a box of ex copies sat somewhere and more clean copies around now ?

 

its a great record.

 

 

I don’t own this record, but other multicoloured Revilot records I do have, were pressed on styrene. This material is notorious for its fragility and cracks easily. Styrene also suffers from the wear and tear of a heavy tone arm and worn stylus, so after a few plays, the dreaded hiss develops. Paper labels spoil more easily than moulded ones. I guess more than a few copies were disposed of for these reasons.

[Dylan]

2 minutes ago, FRANKIE CROCKER said:

I don’t own this record, but other multicoloured Revilot records I do have, were pressed on styrene. This material is notorious for its fragility and cracks easily. Styrene also suffers from the wear and tear of a heavy tone arm and worn stylus, so after a few plays, the dreaded hiss develops. Paper labels spoil more easily than moulded ones. I guess more than a few copies were disposed of for these reasons.

That would explain things.

 

i did a quick check on popsike after my comment and saw it was styrene.

[Rick Cooper]

Quite an interesting initial post and some fascinating replies but I'm not sure the original question has been addressed. To use the old cliche of an inept and out of touch record label and artist releasing a record to an indifferent public whose tastes are for a different style, only for us Brits with our superior taste to rescue the record from oblivion seems patronising and arrogant even if it maybe sometimes close to the mark.

Looking at the facts mentioned so far for Revilot 208 I think a different picture emerges.

The record was listed  on the playlist of at least one radio station from a small sample in the Record World radio chart. The station was in Lansing, ninety miles from Detroit. Lansing is the state capital of Michigan but I don't know anything about it's record scene , maybe @RobbK or @the yank could let us know.

There was some promotion done, going by the signed copies given away at the car dealership.

A 25 count box was found in the 80s from the unsold stocks.

The record was not in the bargain bins of record shops and totally unknown to Robb or other US and UK  collectors for many years.

Most of the copies offered for sale over the last years have not been in good condition and look played.

Revilot were having success with the Parliaments record RV 207.

I've done a little more digging around for anything else but found only negatives. Billboard magazine didn't mention it around the same time the radio station in Lansing listed it. However, just as matter of interest in four weeks Billboard had RnB chart tips for Jerry Cook, Adventurers, Seven Souls,Victors,  Frank Dell and Leon Haywood- Baby Reconsider. They didn't chart but at least got a mention.

From a few record sales and wants list I have from 1972-7 , Martin Kopell, who was constantly buying Detroit titles didn't have it for sale and Bob Foster and another Detroit collector in Sweden both had it on their wants lists but only as a missing number.

The Detroit Free Press newspaper mentions Revilot but you have to pay to see the whole page. The bit that is visible seems to be about either Darrell Banks or The Parliaments. 

So from these facts it could be that the record got radio plays and sales outside Detroit. Someone, Revilot or Jackey Beavers, did some promotion by giving copies away.The copies given away would probably not have been looked after or even kept. This resulted in all of the initial pressing never going to the usual bargain bins for unsold stock, only one 25 box left untouched at Revilot. It was totally unknown until the 1980s  and is still a rare record. On a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is so rare that it only exists as a label listing  to 1 for Wade Flemons -Jeanette "rare" it has slipped from 10 to maybe 6 or 7. It is likely that the copies coming up for sale now have been bought and sold a few times so not as common as it seems just by counting ebay sales. The copies coming new to the market could be from mum and dads pile of old records in the old folks cellar and in a poor state.

Jackie Beavers didn't have a follow up on Revilot so perhaps they weren't 100% behind Jackie or he wasn't happy with them. Anyway the rarity of the record is probably down to a number of facts that are unique to it and not the usual reasons for other records.

Rick

[Chalky]

It is almost certain it made the stores.  One comment here from someone who bought it in reply to a youtube clip...

Quote

It was 1967 and I was at Fort Custer Job Corps Center in Battlecreek, Michigan when this song came out. I was having girlfriend trouble with this chick back home in Cincinnati. To make a long story short, I took a weekend leave and went home to Cincinnati and took [ I Need My Baby ] with me, no one here had heard it. We played that record till the grooves turned white. Iwas [ humping ] this chick inckey Battlecreek named Delores...I wonder what happtened to her. and Jackey Beavers?

 

[Chalky]

@Rick Cooper There was tracks left in the can at Revilot.  Just a few months later though he was recording for Grandland and not so long after his own label Jaber.

 

[Robbk]

Look at the map of Michigan.  Battle Creek, where Jackey was stationed, is in the far southwest, far away from The Detroit Metro area.  Lansing is in the south central part of the state, also a fair distance outside of The Detroit Area.  The fact that Detroit radio stations didn't play Jackey's song, but a Lansing station DID, tells me that Jackey was doing his own promotion, and that the Lansing DJ probably knew him from his Lansing gigs.  I don't remember him appearing in Detroit venues after "Johnny & Jackey" split up.  I don't think Revilot put more than the slightest marketing push behind Jackey's record.  The probably ran a small pressing run for just Detroit.  And when it didn't sell well, and they couldn't get regular local airplay, they dropped promoting it.  I'd bet that Jackey gave away, or sold copies at his gigs in Lansing.  And THAT and poor storage conditions resulted in the many "beat" copies showing up.  

I didn't know what Revilot 208 was until about 1970, when I first saw a company list of scheduled releases.  So, I did place it on my wants list then.  But, I stopped circulating my wants list in about 1977.  And the stored stock wasn't discovered until about 1980.  

 

[Chalky]

25 minutes ago, RobbK said:

Look at the map of Michigan.  Battle Creek, where Jackey was stationed, is in the far southwest, far away from The Detroit Metro area.  Lansing is in the south central part of the state, also a fair distance outside of The Detroit Area.  The fact that Detroit radio stations didn't play Jackey's song, but a Lansing station DID, tells me that Jackey was doing his own promotion, and that the Lansing DJ probably knew him from his Lansing gigs.  I don't remember him appearing in Detroit venues after "Johnny & Jackey" split up.  I don't think Revilot put more than the slightest marketing push behind Jackey's record.  The probably ran a small pressing run for just Detroit.  And when it didn't sell well, and they couldn't get regular local airplay, they dropped promoting it.  I'd bet that Jackey gave away, or sold copies at his gigs in Lansing.  And THAT and poor storage conditions resulted in the many "beat" copies showing up.  

I didn't know what Revilot 208 was until about 1970, when I first saw a company list of scheduled releases.  So, I did place it on my wants list then.  But, I stopped circulating my wants list in about 1977.  And the stored stock wasn't discovered until about 1980.  

 

58 miles between the two towns Robb, not too far really.  About the same again to Detroit isn't it?  I agree with what you say, no local action or support and company simply moved on.  As the company moved on so did Jackey.

Edited April 28, 2018 by chalky

[Chalky]

BTW from what I can see this had plays by Richard late 79 into 80.  I presume it came via John Anderson at Soul Bowl?

[Garethx]

I think everyone raises some interesting points and I go along with a fair amount of the comments from Rick and Robb. Thing to bear in mind about Jackey Beavers was that he wasn't really a Detroit artist in the strictest sense. His own thing was pretty much contained in Western Michigan and his modus operandi seemed to be recording and releasing his own Jaber product—either under his own name or that of his touring concern and associated acts—and then leasing it where he could to other, national companies as he did not long after Revilot 208, with Mainstream in NYC and Sound Stage 7 in Nashville. 

"I Need My Baby" / "A Love"… is an unusual release for Jackey Beavers in that he did not generate the songs or tracks himself. Obviously there's the Steve Mancha cut from six months earlier and we know from the Groovesville archives that several artists tried different approaches with the INMB backing track, even down to Don Davis using it for Carla Thomas some years later when he had moved to Stax. Maybe it was done as a favour on the part of both sides and 'promoted' half-heartedly in that spirit. 

I think I maybe overstated its 'non-rare' status in my first post. Obviously it's always been pretty difficult to find. I assume John Anderson could tell us more about finding the initial quantity which turned up. 

 

[Baz Atkinson]

I need my baby was a late casino spin covered as Mel Brit, memory bit foggy but don’t think it was covered for long. Was always a tough one to get mint imho but as said lots of knackered ones have turned up over the years. 

Cant say if it was a John Anderson find but certainly in with that batch of killas that got spun late 79 ! 

[Wheelsville1]

2 minutes ago, garethx said:

I think everyone raises some interesting points and I go along with a fair amount of the comments from Rick and Robb. Thing to bear in mind about Jackey Beavers was that he wasn't really a Detroit artist in the strictest sense. His own thing was pretty much contained in Western Michigan and his modus operandi seemed to be recording and releasing his own Jaber product—either under his own name or that of his touring concern and associated acts—and then leasing it where he could to other, national companies as he did not long after Revilot 208, with Mainstream in NYC and Sound Stage 7 in Nashville. 

"I Need My Baby" / "A Love"… is an unusual release for Jackey Beavers in that he did not generate the songs or tracks himself. Obviously there's the Steve Mancha cut from six months earlier and we know from the Groovesville archives that several artists tried different approaches with the INMB backing track, even down to Don Davis using it for Carla Thomas some years later when he had moved to Stax. Maybe it was done as a favour on the part of both sides and 'promoted' half-heartedly in that spirit. 

I think I maybe overstated its 'non-rare' status in my first post. Obviously it's always been pretty difficult to find. I assume John Anderson could tell us more about finding the initial quantity which turned up. 

 

No doubt John found them in the same way as he found Melvin Davis-Find a quite place,some years earlier.I remember discussing FAQP with Melvin himself,he said there were 500 copies pressed and it simply didn’t sell. 

[The Yank]

2 hours ago, chalky said:

It is almost certain it made the stores.  One comment here from someone who bought it in reply to a youtube clip...

 

   I wouldn't believe every comment that's posted on youtube. If you pick "Stop And Get Ahold Of Myself" by Carole Waller,

she comments that she wrote both sides of her single (Including "Stop..." ). Since Gladys Knight's version came out before 

Carole's, it would be a bit of a stretch to go back in time and write "Stop..." before Van McCoy did. 

[Chalky]

10 hours ago, the yank said:

   I wouldn't believe every comment that's posted on youtube. If you pick "Stop And Get Ahold Of Myself" by Carole Waller,

she comments that she wrote both sides of her single (Including "Stop..." ). Since Gladys Knight's version came out before 

Carole's, it would be a bit of a stretch to go back in time and write "Stop..." before Van McCoy did. 

I'm not one of those who believe because it is on the internet it must be true but this comment was from someone who had no involvement, one who simply bought the record, he had no claims about his involvement to make.