never seen a 5 stairsteps 45 are they rare ?

[Sceneman]

and how rare ?

has anyone have one in their collection?

 

[Mal C]

no not rare, but they are very very very good!

they did loads of tracks, plus an lLp, which 45 do you have, what label? 

[Guest]

A top b-side IMO

 

[Mark B]

Just look on discogs 

[davidwapples]

The ones on windy c can be picked up for under 20 pounds, some under 10.

All worth having

[Kenb]

i think perhaps the OP means as credited to 5 Stairsteps...not just Five Stairsteps

Edited November 26, 2022 by Kenb

[Sceneman]

DESPITE BEING ON CURTIS MAYFIELD  lable they didnt go so well

think its was bad management and weird name for the band

5 STAIRSTEPS NOT A GOOD NAME  FOR A BAND

https://soulstrutter.blogspot.com/2021/02/rip-james-burke-five-stairsteps.html

 

[Sceneman]

looking for a copy     of this

Edited November 28, 2022 by Sceneman

[Mal C]

You have great taste sir! easy record to pick up, should not take long to get one...

In terms of not going so good, we should state their tracks got released in multiple territories, so they were not without sucess, they are not house hold names like Curtis Mayfield maybe, but to their audience in the early seventies they were big, they appeared on Soul Train, and although I dont know how many records they sold, I'm sure their sales were not shabby...

To prove a point, here they are looking brilliant down under...

[David Meikle]

1 hour ago, Sceneman said:

DESPITE BEING ON CURTIS MAYFIELD  lable they didnt go so well

think its was bad management and weird name for the band

5 STAIRSTEPS NOT A GOOD NAME  FOR A BAND

https://soulstrutter.blogspot.com/2021/02/rip-james-burke-five-stairsteps.html

 

https://www.discogs.com/search/?q=5+stairsteps&type=all&type=

Bad management? Didn’t do so well? NARSA award for best R&B group in 1967.

 

Edited November 28, 2022 by David Meikle

[Chalky]

Never seen a 5 Stairsteps 45?  A particular 45 or any of their 45s?  

Is this a serious topic?  Million selling 45s, several R&B chart hits and pop as well.  A collector diggin' through boxes surely cannot have failed to see one of their 45s, they are mostly pretty common.

[Carty]

5 Stairsteps   "Playgirls Love " Windy C .  Best  fiver you will ever spend .

[Chalky]

42 minutes ago, Carty said:

5 Stairsteps   "Playgirls Love " Windy C .  Best  fiver you will ever spend .

"Ain't Gonna Stop" too

[Sceneman]

yes its serious i doubt if the 5 ever made  it to the uk i dont recall em on  tv shows or clubs ,they were big in  america where there was a big buying public but west indians in uk were mostly  interested in calypso regaae ska and dub ..

uk buyers were more intrested in the uk bands and hendrix ,captain beefheart and dylan at the time of issue of the 5stairsteps 45s which were limited in london record shops as they didnt keep much in stock you had to order records and no commercial radio stations to give them air play

 

there was also a slump in sales of soul in the 70s and mods were selling their soul collections

i recall buying tamla and stateside demos in portobello road  for 30 pence off stalls in the road

as nobody wanted soul vinyl.. but never saw any stairsteps records 

[Sutty]

O-o-h Child sold 200,000 copies in the UK in 1970

[Mal C]

36 minutes ago, Sutty said:

O-o-h Child sold 200,000 copies in the UK in 1970

Not shoddy at all....  Wonder if Bob Abrahamian ever spoke to any of the group on his show, I'll check,  but I can’t imagine that he wouldn't have, unless they weren't around to speak to...

Sceneman, it was a strange thread or question to ask, but I'd rather speak about this group over John Ovenchips latest auction price... I can afford their records; his I'd have to coff up a lung for.

 

[Geeselad]

41 minutes ago, Sutty said:

O-o-h Child sold 200,000 copies in the UK in 1970

It's had a revival via use on a marvel soundtrack. For many young kids, movies and games are a prime introduction to oldies. 

[Modernsoulsucks]

1 hour ago, Sceneman said:

yes its serious i doubt if the 5 ever made  it to the uk i dont recall em on  tv shows or clubs ,they were big in  america where there was a big buying public but west indians in uk were mostly  interested in calypso regaae ska and dub ..

uk buyers were more intrested in the uk bands and hendrix ,captain beefheart and dylan at the time of issue of the 5stairsteps 45s which were limited in london record shops as they didnt keep much in stock you had to order records and no commercial radio stations to give them air play

 

there was also a slump in sales of soul in the 70s and mods were selling their soul collections

i recall buying tamla and stateside demos in portobello road  for 30 pence off stalls in the road

as nobody wanted soul vinyl.. but never saw any stairsteps records 

Sutty beat me to it but "Ooh Child" was around in many shops around the Manchester area and sold well, albeit 200,000 seems a lot. I'd imagine it was featured in B&S at the time so soul fans were aware of it.

I take your point it was not in every shop especially those that stuck to the charts.

I lived in London from sept '72 to March '73 and like you Portabello Rd was a great place to find UK Northern for peanuts. In fact you couldn't help not find 45s down there. They were everywhere.

I once got off the Tube to go to a record shop in Bethnal Green [run by Paul I think] that had been recommended to me by a guy I met at Terry Davis's Wheatsheaf pub night and called in a newsagent for some fags and there was a box of UK demos on the counter for 20p and more in the back.

My take on the amount of stuff lying around down there was that the record companies were down there so unsold stock or promotion guys dumping unused/surplus copies rather than a mod sell-off. Everything I bought looked minty or unplayed.

Edited November 29, 2022 by Modernsoulsucks

[Shinehead]

1 hour ago, Sceneman said:

yes its serious i doubt if the 5 ever made  it to the uk i dont recall em on  tv shows or clubs ,they were big in  america where there was a big buying public but west indians in uk were mostly  interested in calypso regaae ska and dub ..

uk buyers were more intrested in the uk bands and hendrix ,captain beefheart and dylan at the time of issue of the 5stairsteps 45s which were limited in london record shops as they didnt keep much in stock you had to order records and no commercial radio stations to give them air play

 

there was also a slump in sales of soul in the 70s and mods were selling their soul collections

i recall buying tamla and stateside demos in portobello road  for 30 pence off stalls in the road

as nobody wanted soul vinyl.. but never saw any stairsteps records 

I might be missing the point but if us soul lovers were waiting for UK releases we would have no collections of note.

UK issues were secondary to most people.

 

[Kenb]

35 minutes ago, Mal C said:

Not shoddy at all....  Wonder if Bob Abrahamian ever spoke to any of the group on his show, I'll check,  but I can’t imagine that he wouldn't have, unless they weren't around to speak to...

Sceneman, it was a strange thread or question to ask, but I'd rather speak about this group over John Ovenchips latest auction price... I can afford their records; his I'd have to coff up a lung for.

 

http://sittinginthepark.com/interviews/fivestairsteps-6-14-2009.mp3

Edited November 29, 2022 by Kenb

[Mal C]

2 hours ago, Kenb said:

http://sittinginthepark.com/interviews/fivestairsteps-6-14-2009.mp3

Gregory Fowler

[Eddie Hubbard]

This Stairsteps album is great if you collect LP’s as well as 45’s ….

[Pigeon Thing]

4 hours ago, Geeselad said:

It's had a revival via use on a marvel soundtrack. For many young kids, movies and games are a prime introduction to oldies. 

...its also in a major scene in "Boyz in the hood" from 1991...

[Godzilla]

There were 2 or 3 titles in quantity on Olham Market around 75/76. Unplayed stock in co sleeves. I used to take copies of I Ain't Gonna Rest to Wigan and recommend it as an uptempo blind buy.

[Guest]

This is nice from their 1976 'Second Resurrection' album on George Harrison's Dark Horse label. It's just been re released and is hugely under rated IMO. I have another version of 'Pasado' by The Pockets. I think this is the original.

 

Edited November 30, 2022 by Dukeofburgundy

[Steviehay]

bit off the subject ..but..i dropped this in the queen vic at presswhatin a few years ago to...whose this??? probably the best fiver you'd spend on a so soulful record anywhere..back to the topic 5 stairsteps or five staisteps none are rare as far as i know 

 

 

Edited November 30, 2022 by Steviehay

[Sutty]

This was a popular rare groove track from the same LP that came out on a 7 with Pasado as the a-side, prob the 2 best tracks on the album

 

Edited November 30, 2022 by Sutty
…

[Tlscapital]

Their Windy-C are all fabulous double siders young days "cheap as chips" pick-up records that have not shaded all those years on and 'don't waste your time' is evidently tremendous in my book. When I heard the Shametts version I had to giggle... But it's rare I was told. Yeah so what ? Another rare record I do not need to look out for. Good that. And thumbs up to you Stevie for such a classy spin ! 

Their Custom follow up 45's are OK-ish but begin lack the edges they had before while at Windy-C and their Buddha's session with few exceptions embark on a journey of trendy 'POP' like it was back then in the hippy days... Not my thang. Much later I picked me up their LP as the Stairsteps '2nd resurrection' and instantly fell in love with their subtle 'modern groove' hymn 'Pasado'. Still love it a lot.

[Sceneman]

a look on discogs shows mostly US pressings and just 1 or 2 uk pressings so thats why i never saw any on my rounds in london but london record shops were not good anyway for soul45s around the 70s

tobias goody had the stall in portobelo road he usually had a good selection of soul 45s for peanuts

surpringly DJ demo copies that had been sold .but what DJ i dunno

and then he   had a shop at worlds end in chelsea but after that i dont know where he went ..for imports i used to  use  ernies in nashvile and colony stores in NY where i   had a mate sending me good stuff but never any 5 stairsteps.... but i had to pay import tax on them

 

[Chalky]

2 hours ago, Sceneman said:

a look on discogs shows mostly US pressings and just 1 or 2 uk pressings so thats why i never saw any on my rounds in london but london record shops were not good anyway for soul45s around the 70s

tobias goody had the stall in portobelo road he usually had a good selection of soul 45s for peanuts

surpringly DJ demo copies that had been sold .but what DJ i dunno

and then he   had a shop at worlds end in chelsea but after that i dont know where he went ..for imports i used to  use  ernies in nashvile and colony stores in NY where i   had a mate sending me good stuff but never any 5 stairsteps.... but i had to pay import tax on them

 

Is it UK or US you've never seen or both?  Your opening post simply said never seen a 5 Stairsteps records which most are pretty common.

[Kev Cane]

Also check out, Burke Family, Under your spell, Cobblestone, another absolute gem that won't break the bank 

Kev 

[Wayoutgirl]

Bought this for next to nothing but love it 

[Benji]

Have no idea where this topic is heading for. @Sceneman says he's never seen a 5 Stairsteps 45 before. A number of members say there are countless of 45s. Then @Sceneman says he hadn't seen any 50 years ago at London record stalls to prove his point????????

[Richard]

On 29/11/2022 at 12:13, Modernsoulsucks said:

Sutty beat me to it but "Ooh Child" was around in many shops around the Manchester area and sold well, albeit 200,000 seems a lot. I'd imagine it was featured in B&S at the time so soul fans were aware of it.

I take your point it was not in every shop especially those that stuck to the charts.

I lived in London from sept '72 to March '73 and like you Portabello Rd was a great place to find UK Northern for peanuts. In fact you couldn't help not find 45s down there. They were everywhere.

I once got off the Tube to go to a record shop in Bethnal Green [run by Paul I think] that had been recommended to me by a guy I met at Terry Davis's Wheatsheaf pub night and called in a newsagent for some fags and there was a box of UK demos on the counter for 20p and more in the back.

My take on the amount of stuff lying around down there was that the record companies were down there so unsold stock or promotion guys dumping unused/surplus copies rather than a mod sell-off. Everything I bought looked minty or unplayed.

That’s the Cambridge Heath Road shop, spent a great deal of my teens in there

Was still going until shutdown in the early 2000s

Edited December 2, 2022 by Richard

[Amsterdam Russ]

Blimey, I recall a record shop in the middle of Leather Lane around 1984. That must have been it. <Digressing>I moved from Maidstone to London as a very naive 19-year-old in 1984 to be with my then girlfriend who’d started at uni. My first job was in a tiny shop at the end of Leather Lane with a company that sold office equipment and supplies and was called A and L Business Machines (say it fast a few times!!).</Ends>

[Modernsoulsucks]

7 hours ago, Richard said:

That’s the Cambridge Heath Road shop, spent a great deal of my teens in there

Was still going until shutdown in the early 2000s

To be honest Richard it was 50 years ago so details are now hazy although I can remember some of the 45s I found in that newsagent.

I'm pretty sure the guy in the record shop was called Paul but then he would have been around his early 20's then and I figured he just worked there. Plumpish, tallish, fair hair ?

Lou Johnson on London was still on the shelf. It was a popular tune up North then at the Pendulem club in Manchester.

I remember the tube station was rather pokey and old. A very small lift with metal grill.

The ad mentions Finsbury and that also rings a small bell.

At the weekend I usually just got the tube to somewhere and walked miles looking for shops and junk/second-hand places, always coming back with good stuff, though one time I was reading on the Tube and got off leaving around 10 45s I'd bought. Lou Johnson and Helena Ferguson UK demos were amongst them.

[Richard]

14 hours ago, Modernsoulsucks said:

I'm pretty sure the guy in the record shop was called Paul but then he would have been around his early 20's then and I figured he just worked there. Plumpish, tallish, fair hair ?

Lou Johnson on London was still on the shelf. It was a popular tune up North then at the Pendulem club in Manchester.

I remember the tube station was rather pokey and old. A very small lift with metal grill.

Paul the owner was an older guy and the business was running since 40s or 50s as my parents use to buy records from his stalls in Whitechapel and Brick Lane markets. Maybe the guy you remember was coincidentally called Paul. His son David also worked in the Cambridge Heath Road shop and carried on running it when Paul passed away. When the shop lease eventually ran out David carried on selling all the old stock online.

Bethnal Green tube station never had a lift but had/has escalators, must be fog of time although Finsbury Park does have a lift

[Modernsoulsucks]

7 hours ago, Richard said:

Paul the owner was an older guy and the business was running since 40s or 50s as my parents use to buy records from his stalls in Whitechapel and Brick Lane markets. Maybe the guy you remember was coincidentally called Paul. His son David also worked in the Cambridge Heath Road shop and carried on running it when Paul passed away. When the shop lease eventually ran out David carried on selling all the old stock online.

Bethnal Green tube station never had a lift but had/has escalators, must be fog of time although Finsbury Park does have a lift

I guess I may have misremembered his name or might be a different place entirely ? "Paul" was a soul but not Northern fan.

In my defence I'm not losing it but sometimes I don't remember at all some instances back in the day that mates do, like Scal on here who gets quite annoyed with me when I don't remember.

Souljer6 on here and myself found a lot of UK demos in Croydon sometime during that period I lived in London. Our recollections of that day vary. 

 

[Richard]

5 hours ago, Modernsoulsucks said:

I guess I may have misremembered his name or might be a different place entirely ? "Paul" was a soul but not Northern fan.

In my defence I'm not losing it but sometimes I don't remember at all some instances back in the day that mates do, like Scal on here who gets quite annoyed with me when I don't remember.

Souljer6 on here and myself found a lot of UK demos in Croydon sometime during that period I lived in London. Our recollections of that day vary. 

 

Sometimes I can’t remember what happened 10 mins ago

[Mr Fred]

On 29/11/2022 at 11:05, Sceneman said:

yes its serious i doubt if the 5 ever made  it to the uk i dont recall em on  tv shows or clubs ,they were big in  america where there was a big buying public but west indians in uk were mostly  interested in calypso regaae ska and dub ..

uk buyers were more intrested in the uk bands and hendrix ,captain beefheart and dylan at the time of issue of the 5stairsteps 45s which were limited in london record shops as they didnt keep much in stock you had to order records and no commercial radio stations to give them air play

 

there was also a slump in sales of soul in the 70s and mods were selling their soul collections

i recall buying tamla and stateside demos in portobello road  for 30 pence off stalls in the road

as nobody wanted soul vinyl.. but never saw any stairsteps records 

A slump of soul sales in the 70's??? I think you are very wrong, more like there was an upsurge of soul in the 70's lots of records were breaking, were probably the best Northern soul years.

 

[Happy Feet]

So many to choose from,  hit or not and even this one sold thousands ,

 

Maybe not in our neighbourhood , but plenty in sales boxes up and down the country, and what a tune !