Frank Beverly - Which was played 1st, Gamble or Sassy

[Bo Diddley]

Frank Beverly - If That's What You Wanted.

Can anybody confirm which label the first copies to be played in the UK were on?

I was one of the hundreds of people who bought a Sassy copy in the 70's when Neil Rushton (I'm pretty sure) imported a load. Mine was from Pep's shop. However, I'm curious as to which label the initial copies discovered were on and played. I assume it was either Sassy or Gamble and not that blue Greek one!

Also, who/when/where was it first played.

Cheers,

KB

[Tomangoes]

Gamble was the first label i saw it on....not that that helps..

And just to cheeky...anybody know when 'because of my heart'  was first played?

I first heard it on a comp lp about 81?

Ed

[Solidsoul]

22 minutes ago, Bo Diddley said:

Frank Beverly - If That's What You Wanted.

 

I was one of the hundreds of people who bought a Sassy copy in the 70's when Neil Rushton (I'm pretty sure) imported a load. Mine was from Pep's shop. However, I'm curious as to which label the initial copies discovered were on and played. I assume it was either Sassy or Gamble and not that blue Greek one!

 

I bought my original Sassy copy from that mid 1970's find. 

The story I heard is 500 original copies were bought from the producer Billy Jackson's own stock.. 

I can't help with what label it was first played on within the Northern Scene, but it must have been played in the US on Sassy first, being the first label.

Edited May 27, 2021 by D9 KTF

[Rick Cooper]

Fairly sure Ian Levine was the first to play this at the Mecca. He had it as one of his advertised titles you could only hear at Blackpool. His copy was on Gamble as were all the other copies , including my worn one. The Sassy copies turned up later when Neil got the unsold stock from Billy Jackson.

The Greek issue looks so good but no idea when this turned up. 

Ed, I think Because Of My Heart was around 76-78 but at that time it wasn't played much. Ian Levine may have had it but didn't fit the direction he was going.

[Tomangoes]

8 minutes ago, Rick Cooper said:

Fairly sure Ian Levine was the first to play this at the Mecca. He had it as one of his advertised titles you could only hear at Blackpool. His copy was on Gamble as were all the other copies , including my worn one. The Sassy copies turned up later when Neil got the unsold stock from Billy Jackson.

The Greek issue looks so good but no idea when this turned up. 

Ed, I think Because Of My Heart was around 76-78 but at that time it wasn't played much. Ian Levine may have had it but didn't fit the direction he was going.

Cheers.

When I told a mate about this ' because of my heart'  record I'd just heard...he said it was quite well known but super rare...so that explains not knowing it a little bit.

FB has done well since those early days.

Ed

[Blackpoolsoul]

28 minutes ago, Rick Cooper said:

Fairly sure Ian Levine was the first to play this at the Mecca. He had it as one of his advertised titles you could only hear at Blackpool. His copy was on Gamble as were all the other copies , including my worn one. The Sassy copies turned up later when Neil got the unsold stock from Billy Jackson.

The Greek issue looks so good but no idea when this turned up. 

Ed, I think Because Of My Heart was around 76-78 but at that time it wasn't played much. Ian Levine may have had it but didn't fit the direction he was going.

Good thread here

 

[Blackpoolsoul]

2 hours ago, Rick Cooper said:

Fairly sure Ian Levine was the first to play this at the Mecca. He had it as one of his advertised titles you could only hear at Blackpool. His copy was on Gamble as were all the other copies , including my worn one. The Sassy copies turned up later when Neil got the unsold stock from Billy Jackson.

The Greek issue looks so good but no idea when this turned up. 

Ed, I think Because Of My Heart was around 76-78 but at that time it wasn't played much. Ian Levine may have had it but didn't fit the direction he was going.

I wonder if this cutting is related

[Bo Diddley]

3 hours ago, Rick Cooper said:

Fairly sure Ian Levine was the first to play this at the Mecca. He had it as one of his advertised titles you could only hear at Blackpool. His copy was on Gamble as were all the other copies , including my worn one. The Sassy copies turned up later when Neil got the unsold stock from Billy Jackson.

The Greek issue looks so good but no idea when this turned up. 

Ed, I think Because Of My Heart was around 76-78 but at that time it wasn't played much. Ian Levine may have had it but didn't fit the direction he was going.

Thanks for all the replies so far. And thanks Rick for your info.

I think the Gamble one is more difficult to get. However, all those Sassy copies that were available as easily as the latest boots, made it feel more common. I read somewhere that Neil bought back about 500! Paid between £3 and £5 for mine. There must be loads about in dormant collections mingled in with loads of bootlegs.

I've just checked and I bought mine on 20th October 1978 (in those days I used to write that sort of stuff on the sleeve!)

Edited May 27, 2021 by Bo Diddley

[Chalky]

Sassy was first, local label.  A distribution deal was done with Gamble thats why Billy Jackson still had all the Sassy stock.  Think it was nearer a 1000 that Neil eventually got, 800 initially?

Which was first in the Uk dunno, thought it was Curtis not Levine as well?

Edited May 27, 2021 by Chalky

[Rick Cooper]

1 hour ago, Chalky said:

Sassy was first, local label.  A distribution deal was done with Gamble thats why Billy Jackson still had all the Sassy stock.  Think it was nearer a 1000 that Neil eventually got, 800 initially?

Which was first in the Uk dunno, thought it was Curtis not Levine as well?

You're probably right about Colin Curtis playing it. I may have assumed that because it was advertised as a Mecca spin Ian had it. The Gamble copy I had could have been Colin's as he would sometimes sell things after they had passed their prime. It certainly had been hammered.

[Blackpoolsoul]

22 minutes ago, Rick Cooper said:

You're probably right about Colin Curtis playing it. I may have assumed that because it was advertised as a Mecca spin Ian had it. The Gamble copy I had could have been Colin's as he would sometimes sell things after they had passed their prime. It certainly had been hammered.

Probs another find in Bradford Market 

[Span]

I've no idea if my Sassy copy was part of those 500/800/1000 ? from Neil rushton, bought mine from a lad from London in approx 1978/79 for a fiver.

I still have it and it's always been one of my top five .

[Tomangoes]

12 hours ago, D9 KTF said:

I bought my original Sassy copy from that mid 1970's find. 

The story I heard is 500 original copies were bought from the producer Billy Jackson's own stock.. 

I can't help with what label it was first played on within the Northern Scene, but it must have been played in the US on Sassy first, being the first label.

This suggests Sassy was never actually released for sale on the local label...so a good chance the first copy to be played was gamble.

Ed

 

 

[Tlscapital]

Remember vividly hearing for the first time the "string" version on 'love (your pain goes deeper)' play out... Shocked and in disbelief I never knew about that "horrible" mix difference with the all Gamble the pressings (USA, Italy...) out there.

Seing that all the Sassy 1002 stock copies were shelved back as part of the lease deal with Gamble I now get why the promo is seen as much rarer by the Brits who got the whole Sassy 1002 NOS stash by the seventies sourced directly from Billy Jackson.

But what about Sassy 1002-2 ? Was this release with 'If that's what you wanted' as the 'A' side and 'love' renamed 'this is just a 'B' side' an actual third release ? Judging by the poor promotion Gamble gave to promote Frank's masterpieces that could very well be.

[Mick Holdsworth]

2 hours ago, Tlscapital said:

But what about Sassy 1002-2 ? Was this release with 'If that's what you wanted' as the 'A' side and 'love' renamed 'this is just a 'B' side' an actual third release ? Judging by the poor promotion Gamble gave to promote Frank's masterpieces that could very well be.

The B side of the  1002-2 is a different track altogether, some instrumental that didn't even get a proper title, hence 'This Is Just A "B" Side'. I don't know why the second press was done, maybe Neil can add more info.

[Tlscapital]

1 minute ago, Mick Holdsworth said:

The B side of the  1002-2 is a different track altogether, some instrumental that didn't even get a proper title, hence 'This Is Just A "B" Side'. I don't know why the second press was done, maybe Neil can add more info.

OK thank you for clarifying that. Got mislead by some YT imagery at one time I believe since I never got to hear an actual copy...