Lillie Bryant Meet Me Half Way (Monarch Test Press)

[Rick Scott]

What is known about this 7"Single ? Who put it out ? We know not Legit !

Thought to be our old friend Simon Sousan 

Thanks in advance to the very knowledgable peeps on here.

One you certainly don't seem to see about or for sale.

 

[Mark W]

Done at the same time as the Tayster boot I believe.

Remember seeing it on the front cover of Shades of Soul and thinking it was rare soul treasure, but not the case as it turns out!

[Godzilla]

Pretty certain it hit the UK a while before any Tayster boot…

[Chalky]

Done by Soussan before the boot/reissue.  The reissue isn’t a monarch press is it?  There was a previous topic on here were it was said the monarch one was shelved when the red ones appeared?

[Godzilla]

Thanks for confirming Chalky.

I remember that the Monarch ones were pretty expensive when they popped up too. 

[Theothertosspot]

"Remember seeing it on the front cover of Shades of Soul and thinking it was rare soul treasure, but not the case as it turns out!"

Issue 17 

That one belonged to Carl Fortnum

The same copy as pictured above in Mark W post

Edited February 22, 2023 by Theothertosspot
Added text

[Andy Rix]

13 hours ago, Mark W said:

Done at the same time as the Tayster boot I believe.

Remember seeing it on the front cover of Shades of Soul and thinking it was rare soul treasure, but not the case as it turns out!

That looks like John Vincent's writing

[Rick Scott]

I bought my copy years before the Tayster Boots apeared Probably Mid to late 70's and the writing on mine although not exactly the same you can tell was written  by the same person, only differences mine has the Date 12/10/65 written in ink as well in the ID although it was released in 1967

In the run out of the side with written info on the label  there's a scratched out number 100133-x or the x could be1 with a scratch through it and a taster number TS 6016 (1258)

the other side with no hand writing has TS 6016 (1257)

Mama being the official A side too is a bit of a give away

[Chalky]

49 minutes ago, Rick Scott said:

I bought my copy years before the Tayster Boots apeared Probably Mid to late 70's and the writing on mine although not exactly the same you can tell was written  by the same person, only differences mine has the Date 12/10/65 written in ink as well in the ID although it was released in 1967

In the run out of the side with written info on the label  there's a scratched out number 100133-x or the x could be1 with a scratch through it and a taster number TS 6016 (1258)

the other side with no hand writing has TS 6016 (1257)

Mama being the official A side too is a bit of a give away

The delta number of 100133 puts the press at mid 1976.  X denotes the flip.

Edited February 22, 2023 by Chalky

[Theothertosspot]

Shades of Soul Issue 17 front cover with Monarch Test Press of Lillie Bryant. 

Carl Fortnums copy at the time.  

Looks like the same copy in Mark W post.

 

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by Theothertosspot

[Mgm 1251]

11 hours ago, Theothertosspot said:

"Remember seeing it on the front cover of Shades of Soul and thinking it was rare soul treasure, but not the case as it turns out!"

Issue 17 

That one belonged to Carl Fortnum

The same copy as pictured above in Mark W post

So was the one that Carl Fortnum put up on SOS an ‘original’....?....and I see those that MarkW and Chalky have put up on this thread are the same lable,but with a different forename...Lily/Lillie,are they from the same batch I wonder..?

 

[Theothertosspot]

3 minutes ago, Mgm 1251 said:

So was the one that Carl Fortnum put up on SOS an ‘original’....?....and I see those that MarkW and Chalky have put up on this thread are the same lable,but with a different forename...Lily/Lillie,are they from the same batch I wonder..?

 

As I posted earlier the one Mark W posted and that on issue 17 SOS look remarkably one and the same, unlike the one posted by Chalky.

As you note Lily/Lillie spelling.

There is a note in SOS that the Carl Fortnum copy had been around a long time and at one time JM had it for sale @ £8.

[Rich B]

Jimmy Wensiora gave me his copy when he sold up (late 80's?), and to the best of my recollection it didn't have any writing on - it looks like various owners  of these copies have  written on them themselves. I always assumed it was a test for one of those 70's Monarch boots that ended up being shelved.

Edited February 22, 2023 by Rich B

[Robbk]

20 hours ago, Theothertosspot said:

Shades of Soul Issue 17 front cover with Monarch Test Press of Lillie Bryant. 

Carl Fortnums copy at the time.  

Looks like the same copy in Mark W post.

 

 

Was The Lillie Bryant shown on this "Shades Of Soul" Detroit-themed issue in error, because, at that time it was rumoured that Bryant was a Detroit artist, because her Tayster record was still being covered up, and it was not known that she was a n East Coast artist , who recorded for Tayster Records on The East Coast, as Tayster was a New York label?  It never sounded like a Detroit recording to me, and all the credits are East Coast people.  Or, is there some documented Detroit connection I know nothing about?

[Mark W]

23 hours ago, Theothertosspot said:

As I posted earlier the one Mark W posted and that on issue 17 SOS look remarkably one and the same, unlike the one posted by Chalky.

As you note Lily/Lillie spelling.

There is a note in SOS that the Carl Fortnum copy had been around a long time and at one time JM had it for sale @ £8.

That one I’ve got is the SOS copy, it came from Out-A-Site but is just the boot same as the others mentioned.

it was among a collection I bought from a mate early 90s. 
 

Just a pity he hadn’t bought something else featured on that SOS front cover instead!!!

[Vanda]

I have a Monarch Test Press of Meet Me Half Way, it was purchased in record bar at Wigan Casino, still in very good condition.

 

[Sunnysoul]

On 24/02/2023 at 04:15, Robbk said:

Was The Lillie Bryant shown on this "Shades Of Soul" Detroit-themed issue in error, because, at that time it was rumoured that Bryant was a Detroit artist, because her Tayster record was still being covered up, and it was not known that she was a n East Coast artist , who recorded for Tayster Records on The East Coast, as Tayster was a New York label?  It never sounded like a Detroit recording to me, and all the credits are East Coast people.  Or, is there some documented Detroit connection I know nothing about?

The Discogs entry states : 

"Founded in Harlem, New York by Jack Taylor, a purported gangster, it initially operated as a soul and R&B label from 1957 to 1972, primarily in New York, but also in Detroit, Michigan after OC Tolbert joined the label during the late 1960s."

[Geeselad]

Think I remember Dave Evison saying, he got one for his birthday from Soussan at Wigan, on his radio show years ago.