Blues Busters... The Neverending Saga

[Sebastian]

From earlier I have "Wide Awake In A Dream" on the Soul label credited to Phillip James (The Blues Busters), but I recently picked up a copy on the BRA label (#602) credited to The Blues Busters. I know that it also exists credited to Phillip James on BRA (#201), but I don't personally have that one. I'm trying to decide on which copy to sell and which to keep, so does anyone know which was the first issue for this tune?

It's also strange that there is another Blues Busters 45 issued as BRA 602 as well, "Happy Man" b/w "My Girl".

Edited October 12, 2007 by Sebastian

[Soul-slider]

Well, it's titled as Philip James on the UK Island 45.

The Bra numbers tell the story really, #201 Philip James ...#602 Blues Busters.

Personally I'd keep the Philip James on Soul.

[Sebastian]

Well, it's titled as Philip James on the UK Island 45.

The Bra numbers tell the story really, #201 Philip James ...#602 Blues Busters.

Personally I'd keep the Philip James on Soul.

The UK Island 45 being credited to Phillip James is a good tip.

The BRA discography is a mess though, and higher release number doesn't necesarily have to mean that it's a later release in this particular case.

But I agree with you and will most likely keep the SOUL label release.

Here's an updated BRA discography:

BRA 001 - Lloyd & Glen - Minnie Skirts & Go Go Boots / A Good Man

BRA 201 - Phillip James - Wide Awake In A Dream / ?

BRA 502 - Blues Busters with Byron Lee - How Sweet It Is / I Had A Dream Last Night

BRA 503 - Blues Busters - Wide Awake In A Dream / My Girl

BRA 503 - Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - Your No Good / Behold

BRA 506 - Blue Busters - Can't Believe You're Gone / Soon You'll Be Gone

BRA 602 - Blues Busters - Happy Man / My Girl

BRA 602 - Blues Busters - Wide Awake In A Dream / Wings Of A Dove

BRA 901 - Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - the record / Hang On Sloopy

BRA 904 - L. Perkins - Sandra / No Love No Money

BRA 1101 - Witches And The Warlock - Behind Locked Doors (vocal) / (instrumental)

BRA 2011 - Ken Boothe - I Don't Want To See You Cry / ?

BRA 201? - Blues Busters - I Won't Let You Go / Love Me Forever

Edited October 12, 2007 by Sebastian

[Soul-slider]

The UK Island 45 being credited to Phillip James is a good tip.

The BRA discography is a mess though, and higher release number doesn't necesarily have to mean that it's a later release in this particular case.

But I agree with you and will most likely keep the SOUL label release.

Here's an updated BRA discography:

BRA 001 - Lloyd & Glen - Minnie Skirts & Go Go Boots / A Good Man

BRA 201 - Phillip James - Wide Awake In A Dream / ?

BRA 502 - Blues Busters with Byron Lee - How Sweet It Is / I Had A Dream Last Night

BRA 503 - Blues Busters - Wide Awake In A Dream / My Girl

BRA 503 - Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - Your No Good / Behold

BRA 506 - Blue Busters - Can't Believe You're Gone / Soon You'll Be Gone

BRA 602 - Blues Busters - Happy Man / My Girl

BRA 602 - Blues Busters - Wide Awake In A Dream / Wings Of A Dove

BRA 901 - Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - the record / Hang On Sloopy

BRA 904 - L. Perkins - Sandra / No Love No Money

BRA 1101 - Witches And The Warlock - Behind Locked Doors (vocal) / (instrumental)

BRA 2011 - Ken Boothe - I Don't Want To See You Cry / ?

BRA 201? - Blues Busters - I Won't Let You Go / Love Me Forever

Nice one on the Bra listings!

Mostly soul sounds by the looks of it, the 001 (Llyod & Glen) is a cracking R&B tune!

I see they had some mileage out of WAIAD...it's also released #503!!!!

Edited October 12, 2007 by Soul-Slider

[Jnixon]

BRA 902 SOUL BROTHERS FT DENZIL LANG - SKILMY / BO BO

[Tiberius]

Also Wirl WLS-1032 as Blues Busters - Wide Awake In A Dream / Behold...........sound quality is usually abysmal on this one.

SOUL 2001? The Blues Busters - Wide Awake In A Dream / Wings Of A Dove.

As I remember the SOUL releases have decent sound quality.

Edited October 8, 2012 by tiberius

[Simsy]

BRA 506 - Blue Busters - Can't Believe You're Gone / Soon You'll Be Gone

What's an up to date value for this?

[Jnixon]

What's an up to date value for this?

id be interested to know as i have one if anyone needs one

[Guest sharmo 1]

I've got a black soul and a yellow one never seen the blue one before I'd keep that one also on soul great version of the Record by blues busters regards Simon.

[Simsy]

id be interested to know as i have one if anyone needs one

Soul Source member Monique (Sue) had one for sale on here, a good while back. Will see if I can find the thread.

Ahh.. offers..

Monique, on Jul 27 2007, 07:14 PM, said:

Up for offers

Can't Believe You're Gone - The Blues Brothers - BRA- M-

Edited October 9, 2012 by Simsy

[Guest sharmo 1]

Also Wirl WLS-1032 as Blues Busters - Wide Awake In A Dream / Behold...........sound quality is usually abysmal on this one.

SOUL 2001? The Blues Busters - Wide Awake In A Dream / Wings Of A Dove.

As I remember the SOUL releases have decent sound quality.

Quite right tiberius the sound quality on the soul releases are very good IF you can find a clean copie !!! regards Simon.

[Gene-r]

Soul Source member Monique (Sue) had one for sale on here, a good while back. Will see if I can find the thread.

I seem to remember a coupla three hundred quid.

I'm pretty sure Des Parker let one go a lot, lot cheaper over the past year on here.

[Simsy]

I'm pretty sure Des Parker let one go a lot, lot cheaper over the past year on here.

Worth knowing, thanks Gene.

[Simsy]

[Tiberius]

Quite right tiberius the sound quality on the soul releases are very good IF you can find a clean copie !!! regards Simon.

You're right, they are often pretty wiped out........still likely to sound better than the Wirl copy tho! (Does anything play clean on Wirl?) At least on the Wirl 45 you have Behold on the flip, which I always prefered to the alternative flip sides on the other labels.

[Pete S]

You're right, they are often pretty wiped out........still likely to sound better than the Wirl copy tho! (Does anything play clean on Wirl?) At least on the Wirl 45 you have Behold on the flip, which I always prefered to the alternative flip sides on the other labels.

Bit harsh that, I've got and have had a lot of records on Wirl and the sound quality is absolutely spot on, I had two beautiful Jackie Edwards 45's on Wirl recently and they were fantastic.

As a footnote to this, I've had Wide Awake In A Dream on Soul but with red vinyl...or was it yellow vinyl...anyway it was coloured vinyl...or was it on Soul or BRA

[Gene-r]

Bit harsh that, I've got and have had a lot of records on Wirl and the sound quality is absolutely spot on, I had two beautiful Jackie Edwards 45's on Wirl recently and they were fantastic.

As a footnote to this, I've had Wide Awake In A Dream on Soul but with red vinyl...or was it yellow vinyl...anyway it was coloured vinyl...or was it on Soul or BRA

Pete, I know it came out on yellow / green vinyl on Jamaican Soul (the one with "Wings Of A Dove" on the flip) - Ady Potts was selling his copy a long time ago. Not sure about a coloured vinyl BRA release though

Edited October 10, 2012 by Gene-R

[Pete S]

Pete, I know it came out on yellow / green vinyl on Jamaican Soul (the one with "Wings Of A Dove" on the flip) - Ady Potts was selling his copy a long time ago. Not sure about a coloured vinyl BRA release though

Must be Soul then - it was really thick vinyl, but it was cracked, wonder what happened to it...

[dthedrug]

HI ALL

IT has been over 40 years that I first heard the classic "wide awake in a dream" by Philip James (BLUES BUSTERS), On a series of LPs put out b TROJAN RECORDS, The LPs kept the tradition that ISLAND RECORDS were famous for, bringing obscure Jamaican records to the UK,,

Back in 1968, the first REGGAE records become very popular with both black & white kids, in areas of the UK where the black immigrants from the WEST INDIES first settled, REGGAE music was the new dance that come out of KINGSTON, picked up on in LONDON straight away by ISLAND & PAMA,

PAMA RECORDS being more in touch with youth culture than ISLAND RECORDS, Who were more interested in their new PINK LABEL, PAMA played their Ace card with LAURAL AIKEN, and promoted the new sound at the young,

Meanwhile TROJAN released the true JA product, and quite early on, TROJAN reissued the classic SKA RECORDINGS on 3 lps, and it is on TROJAN TTL 15 INDEPENDENT JAMAICA, track 2 side 2, that "WIDE AWAKE IN A DREAM" by the Maytals to be continued in 3 hours DAVE K

[Pete S]

Dave I know you're going to mention "Ride Your Donkey" and "Guns Of Navarone" lp's but there's another one which should be mentioned, "You Left Me Standing" which is a fantastic compilation of material originally released on the Rio label and just as important as the other three comps, in my opinion.

[Simsy]

Dave I know you're going to mention "Ride Your Donkey" and "Guns Of Navarone" lp's but there's another one which should be mentioned, "You Left Me Standing" which is a fantastic compilation of material originally released on the Rio label and just as important as the other three comps, in my opinion.

Pete, would you have a view on a price for the 'can't believe you're gone' track?

[Ben Summers]

Pete, I know it came out on yellow / green vinyl on Jamaican Soul (the one with "Wings Of A Dove" on the flip) - Ady Potts was selling his copy a long time ago. Not sure about a coloured vinyl BRA release though

Red. At least, I have a Soul one with red vinyl. (And a black vinyl one too - happy to part with either.)

[Pete S]

Pete, would you have a view on a price for the 'can't believe you're gone' track?

I don't have a clue mate sorry!

[Gene-r]

Must be Soul then - it was really thick vinyl, but it was cracked, wonder what happened to it...

Sure that wasn't Ady's old copy? His had a tight crack running through it as well. Unless that was a flaw which was characteristic with most of the colour vinyl pressings of that particular single.

Edited October 10, 2012 by Gene-R

[Gene-r]

HI ALL

IT has been over 40 years that I first heard the classic "wide awake in a dream" by Philip James (BLUES BUSTERS), On a series of LPs put out b TROJAN RECORDS, The LPs kept the tradition that ISLAND RECORDS were famous for, bringing obscure Jamaican records to the UK,,

Back in 1968, the first REGGAE records become very popular with both black & white kids, in areas of the UK where the black immigrants from the WEST INDIES first settled, REGGAE music was the new dance that come out of KINGSTON, picked up on in LONDON straight away by ISLAND & PAMA,

PAMA RECORDS being more in touch with youth culture than ISLAND RECORDS, Who were more interested in their new PINK LABEL, PAMA played their Ace card with LAURAL AIKEN, and promoted the new sound at the young,

Meanwhile TROJAN released the true JA product, and quite early on, TROJAN reissued the classic SKA RECORDINGS on 3 lps, and it is on TROJAN TTL 15 INDEPENDENT JAMAICA, track 2 side 2, that "WIDE AWAKE IN A DREAM" by the Maytals to be continued in 3 hours DAVE K

In the next exciting instalment, Dave teaches the rest of the forum members how to suck eggs.................

Edited October 10, 2012 by Gene-R

[dthedrug]

HI ALL ..I will deal with GENE later! the point I was going to raise may seem poultry to some, but of interest to others?

On the sleeve of TTL 15 "WIDE AWAKE IN A DREAM" is credited to the MAYTELS, whose name is used rightly as the A side of the island WI 219 45 "TELL ME THE REASON" This 45 has always been a much wanted side with SKA Collectors, and with the BLUESBUSTERS on the B side being in demand on the RARE SOUL SCENE, with poor sales, this has become a high price 45,

However for me it was many years later that i become aware that it was the BLUES BUSTER PHILIP JAMES.

The BEHOLD LP on ISLAND ILP-923 is an excellent must have LP,

The JA SOUL release is the original issue, and there are several color vinyl copies to get green yellow red, i have had,

BRA is a WIRL reissue label from the 1960s with some excellent records on it, are the records worth more on BRA? Who knows, but I would say a colored original on SOUL is worth more, and the UK ISLAND COPY much rarer and much wanted,

PS,, GENE would you please explain why you have retorted to highlight my full name on this site?? and your comment on sucking eggs? be constructive and please reply,

AS ALWAYS DAVE K

[Tiberius]

Bit harsh that, I've got and have had a lot of records on Wirl and the sound quality is absolutely spot on, I had two beautiful Jackie Edwards 45's on Wirl recently and they were fantastic.

As a footnote to this, I've had Wide Awake In A Dream on Soul but with red vinyl...or was it yellow vinyl...anyway it was coloured vinyl...or was it on Soul or BRA

OK, you've answered my question. I played my copy of Keep On Running on Wirl, and whilst I wouldn't say it played fantastic it's a damn sight better than the Blues Busters on the label, which always seems to play poorly in my experience, so much so that I gave up trying over the last few years to get a decent sounding copy, after buying several which sounded rough. ( I ended up with a nice looking M- copy which sounds no better than any of the others I owned, which made me wonder if Wirl mastered this one from a poor (vinyl?) source rather than og mastertapes.)

I sold a copy of Keep On Running on ebay last year......that one did have a little more background noise thoughout, although not in bad shape it's fair to say it wasn't close to mint.

Anyway, " a bit harsh" could suggest you don't completely disagree.

The SOUL label 45 is also pressed in blue vinyl.

[dthedrug]

HI ALL ..I will deal with GENE later! the point I was going to raise may seem poultry to some, but of interest to others?

On the sleeve of TTL 15 "WIDE AWAKE IN A DREAM" is credited to the MAYTELS, whose name is used rightly as the A side of the island WI 219 45 "TELL ME THE REASON" This 45 has always been a much wanted side with SKA Collectors, and with the BLUESBUSTERS on the B side being in demand on the RARE SOUL SCENE, with poor sales, this has become a high price 45,

However for me it was many years later that i become aware that it was the BLUES BUSTER PHILIP JAMES.

The BEHOLD LP on ISLAND ILP-923 is an excellent must have LP,

The JA SOUL release is the original issue, and there are several color vinyl copies to get green yellow red, i have had,

BRA is a WIRL reissue label from the 1960s with some excellent records on it, are the records worth more on BRA? Who knows, but I would say a colored original on SOUL is worth more, and the UK ISLAND COPY much rarer and much wanted,

PS,, GENE would you please explain why you have retorted to highlight my full name on this site?? and your comment on sucking eggs? be constructive and please reply,

AS ALWAYS DAVE K

HI ALL...JUST TRIED TO SEND A PM TO GENE, RE:- THE COMENTS HE IS TAKING NO MESSAGES FROM ME, MUST BE MILLWAL??

[Pete S]

OK, you've answered my question. I played my copy of Keep On Running on Wirl, and whilst I wouldn't say it played fantastic it's a damn sight better than the Blues Busters on the label, which always seems to play poorly in my experience, so much so that I gave up trying over the last few years to get a decent sounding copy, after buying several which sounded rough. ( I ended up with a nice looking M- copy which sounds no better than any of the others I owned, which made me wonder if Wirl mastered this one from a poor (vinyl?) source rather than og mastertapes.)

I sold a copy of Keep On Running on ebay last year......that one did have a little more background noise thoughout, although not in bad shape it's fair to say it wasn't close to mint.

Anyway, " a bit harsh" could suggest you don't completely disagree.

The SOUL label 45 is also pressed in blue vinyl.

It's just that Wirl was one of the two biggest record manufacturers in Jamaica in the 60's and they weren't a 'press it in your garden shed' type of outfit - they were state of the art for the time. Anything pressed on coloured vinyl is usually of lesser quality than black vinyl though in my experience.

[Simsy]

I don't have a clue mate sorry!

No bother.

I did find out a copy sold earlier in the year for circa £60.

[dthedrug]

HI ALL...Following on from yesterday, the interruption made, made me forget to make the conclusion to my posting, So here goes Philip James & lloyd Campbell, made some fine records way into the 7T's,

However it is the 1964 sessions recorded at FEDERAL KINGSTON, That gave us the trax on the BEHOLD LP. and it is around this time that both Byron Lee issued his latest LP also the MAYTALS,

Because of this you get Philip James credited or the blues busters & TROJAN 6 years on making the mistake by naming the MAYTAL, As we no all trax are the BLUES BUSTERS with Philip James taking the lead (in a duet is that possible?

So to conclude SOUL is the original label, with the coloured vinyl being more collectible, Byron Lee BRA Label was a 6t's reissue label & has some great records on, the value of the 45s is a hard one as they are rarer but reissues, the original JA BEHOLD LP is SUNSHINE S/LP 002 although you may see it listed as FEDERAL 002, Below I have put the back of the sleeve, for your into, the ISLAND LP & THE DOCTOR BIRD LP are very hard to find and fetch CORN, the UK ISLAND 45 is a must keep or a big sale depending on taste AS ALWAYS DAVE