Instrumentals of 1974

[Guest]

This is a follow on from the Carmel Strings thread in the LAYB section. In that thread, I asked a question, two or three times, and have not had an answer. Maybe opening it up to a wider audience on AATS will help.

OK, here goes. I have VERY distinct and vivid memories of an instrumental to "Just Walk In My Shoes" being played in the early days at the Casino.  Main ballroom, probably early to late summer '74. Similar time to the Carmel Strings. Does ANYONE else remember this? It was only played for a week or two, and then seemingly consigned to the bin, never to be reactivated. A pretty good version, very similar to the actual G.Knight backing track. 

Now, I recall that at about this time, the sheer volume of instrumentals being played was probably the highest the scene had ever known, so most folks memories may well be a bit "scratchy" (See what I did there?). But I do definitely remember it. Possibly off one of those cheapo Sounds Superb/MFP/Starline type LPs? Many other instros played about that time, including, one of the Incredibles "There's nothing else to say". Loads that seems to get played for a couple of weeks, then never again. Was Simon S involved in these?

No, this wasnt a dream. 

No, neither was it just my fevered imagination as a result of a particularly ferocious comedown.

And no, although I apparently had a reputation for overindulging to legendary standards, its wasn't down to excessive amounts of Durophet, Drinamyl, or Filon.

Come on, someone out there must remember it!

[Mark S]

Sat here trying to remember can imagine it and it sounds great but dont know if it existed or not in real life . 

74 was a great year for instumentals though and some ridiculus stuff got played I have vague recolections of the music from a Gordons gin advert getting a play at the Casino and folks sitting down .  Then conversly there were sublime tracks Thumb a ride for one the sax break just oozes soul , shame that they are out of favour could just have one last go at chucking myself around to Dave Mitchell and the screamers 

 

Edited June 4, 2018 by Mark S

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Mark S said:

Sat here trying to remember can imagine it and it sounds great but dont know if it existed or not in real life . 

74 was a great year for instumentals though and some ridiculus stuff got played I have vague recolections of the music from a Gordons gin advert getting a play at the Casino and folks sitting down .  Then conversly there were sublime tracks Thumb a ride for one the sax break just oozes soul , shame that they are out of favour could just have one last go at chucking myself around to Dave Mitchell and the screamers 

I'm absolutely convinced that it existed, was played, and I not only danced to it, but actually sang the sodding words as it was playing! 

You're right in that masses of instrumental tracks were played, some went on to be classics, but many others disappeared without trace. 

Funny how Thumb a ride was still a big sound then, fully two years after first filling a dance floor. 

[Autumnstoned]

Can't really help but there are good versions by Billy Davis and The Magnificent Men. Maybe someone had access to an acetate of just the instrumental track of either of these. Both versions give the Funk Brothers a run for their money. Well maybe just the Mag Men.

Edited June 4, 2018 by autumnstoned

[Twoshoes]

27 minutes ago, Joey said:

.

Come on, someone out there must remember it!

I for one hope you're right Joey I love a good instrumental and wouldn't mind hearing this one, hope someone can shed some light on it. We've had two quite large thread on Instrumentals on here but that one never came up as far as I can remember.

[Guest]

Deffo neither of those versions. The acetate angle is very interesting, and plausible, as my memory tells me that the track itself was VERY similar to what the Funk Bros laid down to back GK&tP. As I mentioned previously, maybe Soussain had something to do with it???? 

Come on, someone must be able to put me out of my misery on this. It's been doing my head in for years. 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Twoshoes said:

I for one hope you're right Joey I love a good instrumental and wouldn't mind hearing this one, hope someone can shed some light on it. We've had two quite large thread on Instrumentals on here but that one never came up as far as I can remember.

Instrumentals were such a massive part of the scene in those early days. I'm positive about the JWIMS track. I know that Gladys's vocal was most definitely NOT played in the main room in 74, and have VERY STRONG memories of singing the words whilst dancing there. Maybe it was one of the many tunes only played for one or two weeks, then completely forgotten about in the tumult which followed?

[Micksmix]

Remember this instrumental of the supremes classic, getting some hammer around the same time

 

 

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, micksmix said:

Remember this instrumental of the supremes classic, getting some hammer around the same time

 

 

Yep, remember it as though it was yesterday. Definitely the same time period. 

[Stateside]

This took me years to find out what it was. Then some kind soul on here enlightened me.

Same backing track as The Detroit Emeralds

Played at Wigan in 74' and covered up as the New York Strings I think.

Kev

[Paul R]

On 04/06/2018 at 20:08, autumnstoned said:

Can't really help but there are good versions by Billy Davis and The Magnificent Men. Maybe someone had access to an acetate of just the instrumental track of either of these. Both versions give the Funk Brothers a run for their money. Well maybe just the Mag Men.

There was also the Gary Glenn & the Soul Set version played around the same time, but still not an instrumental!

I remember Leon Young Glad All Over being played almost every other record around that time. It died a death after a couple of weeks though.

And what about all those awful Simon Soussan synthesized efforts They Say, I've got Something good etc.

[Guest]

30 minutes ago, Paul r said:

There was also the Gary Glenn & the Soul Set version played around the same time, but still not an instrumental!

I remember Leon Young Glad All Over being played almost every other record around that time. It died a death after a couple of weeks though.

And what about all those awful Simon Soussan synthesized efforts They Say, I've got Something good etc.

Definitely not the Gary Glenn thing.

Yeah, Glad All Over seemed to disappear without trace, thankfully fairly quickly! The Soussain efforts were truly awful. Less said about them the better. So many truly fantastic instrumentals between 71 and the end of 74 though. Just wish there was another person out there who remembered that JWIMS tune. As with Glad All Over, it was only played once or twice, then never heard of again. It's REALLY beginning to bug me!

[Guest]

I'm probably the only person who actually remembers this . I was in my 'patchouli' and 'spiritual' phase. You'd be hard pushed to say this is anything to do with soul music but this thread reminded me of it.

I recall the instrumental being played a couple of times probably on the wireless though.

[Guest]

Oh dear - for all Palace and Tangerine fans on this website - You'll be the only people interested

Edited June 26, 2018 by Firecrest

[Guest]

The 45 was released in 1974 although this is an edited version of an album cut.

[Guest]

On 04/06/2018 at 20:08, autumnstoned said:

Can't really help but there are good versions by Billy Davis and The Magnificent Men. Maybe someone had access to an acetate of just the instrumental track of either of these. Both versions give the Funk Brothers a run for their money. Well maybe just the Mag Men.

There's a boot on Counsel listed by The Magnificents. Could the flip be the instrumental Joey remembered?

[Steve S 60]

I know it's definitely not this....

 

 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Steve S 60 said:

I know it's definitely not this....

 

 

Thanks. You just scarred me for f***ing life

[Steve S 60]

2 minutes ago, Joey said:

Thanks. You just scarred me for f***ing life

You're welcome.  The search continues.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Steve S 60 said:

You're welcome.  The search continues.

[Steve S 60]

On 04/06/2018 at 20:13, Joey said:

Deffo neither of those versions. The acetate angle is very interesting, and plausible, as my memory tells me that the track itself was VERY similar to what the Funk Bros laid down to back GK&tP. As I mentioned previously, maybe Soussain had something to do with it???? 

Come on, someone must be able to put me out of my misery on this. It's been doing my head in for years. 

Soussan produced a vocal version of JWIMS by Charisma and the Fantasy Orchestra, but that was late 70's.  I won't post it up as you probably haven't recovered from my earlier post.

[Benji]

8 hours ago, Firecrest said:

I recall the instrumental being played a couple of times probably on the wireless though.

I love the claim on the album sleeve "Kung Fu Fighting and other great love songs". Never knew Kung Fu was about love....

[Jim G]

the album you might be remembering could be this one

https://www.discogs.com/The-Detroit-Sound-Introducing-The-Detroit-Sound/release/3966771

Tears of a Clown got played locally

 

[Rick Cooper]

On 04/06/2018 at 19:40, Joey said:

This is a follow on from the Carmel Strings thread in the LAYB section. In that thread, I asked a question, two or three times, and have not had an answer. Maybe opening it up to a wider audience on AATS will help.

OK, here goes. I have VERY distinct and vivid memories of an instrumental to "Just Walk In My Shoes" being played in the early days at the Casino.  Main ballroom, probably early to late summer '74. Similar time to the Carmel Strings. Does ANYONE else remember this? It was only played for a week or two, and then seemingly consigned to the bin, never to be reactivated. A pretty good version, very similar to the actual G.Knight backing track. 

Now, I recall that at about this time, the sheer volume of instrumentals being played was probably the highest the scene had ever known, so most folks memories may well be a bit "scratchy" (See what I did there?). But I do definitely remember it. Possibly off one of those cheapo Sounds Superb/MFP/Starline type LPs? Many other instros played about that time, including, one of the Incredibles "There's nothing else to say". Loads that seems to get played for a couple of weeks, then never again. Was Simon S involved in these?

No, this wasnt a dream. 

No, neither was it just my fevered imagination as a result of a particularly ferocious comedown.

And no, although I apparently had a reputation for overindulging to legendary standards, its wasn't down to excessive amounts of Durophet, Drinamyl, or Filon.

Come on, someone out there must remember it!

You're right about the number of instrumentals with loads of them coming from Simon Soussan. I remembered one of his sales lists that he put out having 7 or 8 exclusive instrumentals that he was asking offers for. However when I found it Just Walk In My Shoes was not one of them, but I also found an ad for Wigan from April 1974 that claimed to have a load of instrumentals but again no JWIMS. 

Around about this time I seem to remember Soussan came to the UK and did a spot at Wigan that mainly consisted of his custom made instrumentals. From what I've heard this didn't go down too well and most tracks were never heard of again. It could be that JWIMS was one of those that were never played again. I think Pete Smith has quite a lot of recordings from Wigan so he may have the one with Soussan DJing.

From the list of instrumentals I only remember a few, does anyone know if the others were all Soussan's. 

  Rick

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, Rick Cooper said:

You're right about the number of instrumentals with loads of them coming from Simon Soussan. I remembered one of his sales lists that he put out having 7 or 8 exclusive instrumentals that he was asking offers for. However when I found it Just Walk In My Shoes was not one of them, but I also found an ad for Wigan from April 1974 that claimed to have a load of instrumentals but again no JWIMS. 

Around about this time I seem to remember Soussan came to the UK and did a spot at Wigan that mainly consisted of his custom made instrumentals. From what I've heard this didn't go down too well and most tracks were never heard of again. It could be that JWIMS was one of those that were never played again. I think Pete Smith has quite a lot of recordings from Wigan so he may have the one with Soussan DJing.

From the list of instrumentals I only remember a few, does anyone know if the others were all Soussan's. 

  Rick

Thanks for that Rick. I do remember the ad you've so kindly retrieved, but couldn't recall exactly which sounds had been listed. In fact, you are absolutely correct in that many of them only got one, maybe two plays, and were then consigned to history. Certainly by the summer of 74 none of them were getting plays. Soussan? A lot to answer for methinks, but I can't say for sure that all the ones in the ad were his. I do remember that the majority were actually pretty good, and comparable to the actual backing tracks. Wasn't the Billy Harner "what about the music" instrumental actually issued at some point, or was that just the B side on a boot? Cant remember. Long time ago!

The JWIMS track is vividly embedded in my memory. I can distinctly remember dancing to it, and singing the words, much to the amusement of two girls dancing nearby. It is most likely as you say, in that Soussan was probably responsible for it, and it was just luck that I happen to remember hearing its one and only play.

Oh well, the quest continues I suppose!

Thanks again!