Garethx

Yes. It looks authentic enough.

I think the "Troy Johnson" side is a bit better than the "Eric Lomax" side, but am I alone in wondering if this 45 would have had anything like the scene longevity it has had through being covered up? I'd go so far as to say that no-one on the 60s Northern scene would be interested in the least if this record had been allowed to stand or fall on musical merit, without the hype. Wishy-washy seventies pop-soul: nothing more or less.

This isn't a 45 that turns up for sale much. And it's pretty good.

The plot thickens... I've just dug the record out of deep storage, and it's on a completely different label to the one on your avatar, but seems to have the same label number, 304... I've had this since the early 80s. Is it a bootleg? I can't think of any reason off the top of my head for someone to counterfeit this disc. Can anyone shed any light on this?

I've had one of these for a long time. It's very early female soul, with coy teenage vocals and piano triplets. Don't expect an unknown Northern monster. Not to everyone's taste. PS Hope you didn't pay too much for it.

Stuart: a better bet for wing tips might be Alden or Allen Edmonds. Proper shell cordovan (so called because the leather comes from a shell-shaped piece of the cow's hide) and still made in the USA. You can order them online from www.allenedmonds.com The ones you want are called MacNeil. More expensive than the ones you mention but worth every penny. You can also buy them from John Rushden shoes in London. Alden only have a couple of shops left now, but they make great shoes that unfortunately no-one seems to want to wear these days. Florsheim make their shoes in Costa Rica now and the quality is not what it was. Sorry if this all sounds pretentious, but shoes are important to some people...

I think Kenni Lewis creeps into this list. It may have been around for a bit longer than five years but it's a sound I always associate with Scenesville at the Notre Dame hall: that would date it from late 2000. Have to agree that it's one of the few records mentioned in this thread that's good enough to have been massive at any time on the scene, not just a cult record. I think this comment applies to the Martha Jean Love cover-up too.

As an aside to Mark's query I wonder some of the mega oldies would be embraced if they were unknowns and being spun for the first time today: Sam Williams: yes; Melvin Davis: maybe (it never really took off nationally the first time, perhaps because it was genuinely rare); Arin Demain: I'd have to say "I don't know"; despite the fact that it's a very instant record (and one of the first of the northern classics to imbed itself in my brain) it's not really the kind of sound that's getting spun anywhere now by newies deejays. Perhaps this 45 is a bit too "teenage" in its outlook and very few northern fans are teenagers any more. What do others think? I'd be interested to know.

Has anyone heard the version of "It's All Over" by Little Beaver & The Frank Williams Rocketeers on Lloyd? Even better to my ears.

This is a poor 45. Anyone who owns one should feel slightly sheepish. Those currently looking for one should be certified.

The colour does look wrong, but that could just be the photograph. An original should be a deeper amber; this looks too yellow, but could just be overexposure of the image. A lot of copies of this are water damaged, but there are probably more that aren't.

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Personally think the Herman Davis is a much better record.

I've always had a soft spot for male singers who sounded like (good) female soul singers. The greatest example of this I can think of is the mighty Carl Hall. Hall was credited on his early Mercury records as "Carl Henry Hall" to stop radio deejays calling him "Carol Hall". If you listen to sides such as his "Who's Gonna Love Me" (the flip of "What About You" on Columbia) it's easy to imagine you're listening to a Shirley Brown or Judy Clay rather than a male vocalist. A great many of Roger Hatcher's records exhibit this quality too. Bobby Marchan was a professional drag-act on the black club and concert circuit in the 50s and 60s. He was far more famous in this capacity than as an R&B singer, and his soul records were seen as a strange sideline to his primary career.

Do we have a lottery winner in our midst?

I've put this up on ebay. Here's the link... https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...AMESE%3AIT&rd=1 For those who don't know it, it's a very good record, and I'm sure a lot of you would really enjoy it. TIA for any interest.

Chuck Strong on Invasion is from 1982 according to the label. I don't know which one was recorded first, but I would lean towards Gwen McCrae. Don't think the Gwen McCrae version got a US single release: it's on the "On My Way" album, with "Keep The Fires Burning." Gwen's version was released on both 7 and 12" in the UK on the back of that track's success; both DI and KTFB were really big records in both the mainstream and underground clubs of the day. Chuck Strong's version didn't come to the UK via the major importers, so didn't get the same exposure. I'm sure if it did it would have been massive. Each version of "Doin' It" is terrific in their own right. Both still sound really fresh, giving lie to the theory that much 1980s soul sounds hideously dated. These are both fantastically cleanly produced soul records, played by great musicians and sung by great soul singers.

Strange. CM doesn't list a label number for it. Is it the other side of "Improve"? anyone got an issue copy of that?

"Angel Baby" on Atco is DARRELL BANKS.

For sale: Tip Watkin "You Deserve The Right To Be Called Father" / "Family Man" (Flower) Scorching Chicago crossover with a message. I am reliably informed this got limited spins at Stafford. Labels have slight water damage to the "Family Man" side. Each one I've seen is like this. Playing surface on both sides is Mint Minus. Minimum bid £100 (seen at twice this price on a couple of lists recently).

There's something about the Eddie Whitehead 45 that has always left me cold. In a club it can sound awesome, but at home it sadly underperforms. I don't think the guy's voice is strong enough to carry such a track, and the melody is distinctly odd in any case. I know you've said you've thought about it a lot, Baz, but please think again: Al Scott is one of the all time best rarities.

This is certainly one of those 45s that sound a lot better out loud than at home. Not worth the money people are paying for it at the moment.

Dan, you give me more credit than I deserve. Here's a soundfile for those who haven't heard it. Would welcome any feedback from those who are new to this track.

Thanks for clarifying this Christian. I know the Japanese one went unsold once, and was watching it until nearly the bitter end when it was re-listed, and it was still bidless. On reflection the rice was about right. This has never really been a cheap record (apart from your friend's good fortune, that is). Anyway, I musn't go over the top in praising this record too much, that would merely be pretentious.

Billy, the link to the Japanese seller is gone, it was more than six months ago. The Impressions track it shares a similarity to is "I'm The One Who Loves You", also done in fine style by Jerry Butler on VeeJay. I personally think the Jesse James is by far the best of any of these records, and I'd love a copy too. I think I'm correct in saying it's the last release on Shirley, hence its rarity.