Garethx

Was the Sonny Daye 45 released more than once on Power?

I wouldn't put the Emmitt Long as a mid '70s record. It sounds late '60s to me. Found a small number of these from a source in Ohio a few years ago. Don't know how they ended up there, as I have been told it's from the Bronx. The vendor knew that they were valuable, but I still got a pretty good deal on them. It was a hard one to sell over the years, and I could have done with a release on CD to help things along! Fantastic record, though.

On my last visit to Plinston Connie Laverne on GSF packed the floor for Butch in the main room, while Richard Caiton's "I'd Like To Get Near You" (recorded in about 1969) did likewise in The Ghetto for Mick Smith. I personally think the placing of fences around what a deejay can and cannot play is entirely unhelpful. Great records from all eras can work in any set as long as they are used skilfully. And I include new releases in this comment. There are probably more records with the right feel for northern rooms being released now than at any time in the last twenty years. Seventies recordings have been an accepted part of the Northern Soul thing for over thirty years. I genuinely think that the people who question the use of the 1970s records on the scene are in a tiny minority. Granted, the seventies sounds might not be everyone's personal preference, but to make the main hall 60s only can only be a step in the wrong direction.

Col. I think you're being generous to say the above comments are "almost meaningless"!

The definitive version of this is on the "Betty Wright Live!" album. It hits a groove that the studio version just can't match. By the way, this was sampled by Color Me Badd for their crap number one pop single "I Wanna Sex You Up" some time in the nineties. The High Voltage album also features an inferior version of Belita Woods great Moira 45 "That's When I'll Stop Loving You." In fact Betty seemed to like to record quite a few Billy Kennedy songs over the years. I've always liked her version of his "Give Me Back My Man": an electrifying seventies dancer.

Is everybody on here familiar with the Anita Harris "summer season" urban legend?

I asked Dean Parrish about the Steeplechase record at Cleethorpes a couple of summers back. He said that he recorded an entire albums worth of vocals for them which remained unissued, and that he considered these tracks the best of his career.

Dave Flynn acquired a number of copies of the Nancy Butts 45 "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (an eighties issue of a previously unreleased late 60s track) from the label owner's daughter who by the 80s was living somewhere in Essex.

There is definitely some connection between the Flaming Arrow / Crow set up and Essex.

The Volt copy of "Try To Leave Me If You Can" is usually priced at about £40 these days (demo or issue, it doesn't seem to make much difference from a price point of view) but, as Girth says, is not as easy to find as that price might suggest. I've personally seen more copies on Quality with "The Best..." on the other side than on Volt in the last couple of years.

How much are you thinking of spending...

Some great choices here already. A couple of observations: Aretha Franklin is cruelly under-rated by the 'soul scene' if you ask me; forget many of the more well-known hit songs (many of which are fantastic), listen to material like "I'm Your Speed" from Almighty Fire and tell me this woman cannot sing. Also, I think for the first four or five years at least of her Atlantic career, the label steered her away from pop excess and cut her on material which deliberately and tastefully showcased both her incredible voice and unique piano playing. They were in it for the long haul, and made tons of amazing records. Brenda Lee Eager is a simply sensational singer. I've raved about her on here before. Along with Shirley Brown her output provides a masterclass in terms of soul-singing in a 'technical' sense (if there can be such a thing). Bettye Swann had a wonderfully expressive voice. I feel that she was let down by her material quite often, but when she sang truly great songs like (her own composition) "My Heart Is Closed For The Season" on Capitol, George Jackson's "Living A Lie" on Fame, or "Time To Say Goodbye" on Atlantic, she was an awe-inspiring vocalist. Lolleata Holloway has few peers when it comes to power: check out "I'll Be Gone" from the Cry To Me album or the wonderful, unissued (until a 100 Club Anniversary 45) "This Man's Arms": spellbinding. In terms of conveying emotion, Denise LaSalle at her best takes some catching and made some phenomenal records, a comment which applies to Candi Staton, Sugar Pie DeSanto and Maxine Brown. A singer I must mention as a personal favourite is Kim Tolliver. She made numerous super 45s, but for me her foremost moment on wax is "I'm Losing The Feeling" from her Chess album: this must be in the best three records I've ever heard, and is a shattering, genre-defining example of SOUL.

Could understand this money being asked for the issue copy, with the sublime "Try To Leave Me If You Can" on the flip, but not for the double sided deejay copy.

It's Stereo/Mono of Part I.

I think "I Love Music" is one of the greatest records ever made, and perhaps one of the most influential (would House have existed without it?). There is a vinyl promo in the US, but no issue. The vinyl tastes pretty good BTW.

I'm with Billy Freemantle and Sweeney on this one. I sometimes wonder what people actually take from the music they listen to: to classify Joss Stone as any kind of Soul singer is surely a crass disservice to truly soulful performers of both past and present. Her career is testimony to skillful music business handling in A&R and marketing terms; no more or less than that. It frankly makes my blood boil that some contributors to this forum laud Joss Stone while they would run a proverbial mile from any genuinely soulful newly-released 'product' (I use the term reluctantly) by the likes of Jeff Floyd or indeed Ms Stone's erstwhile mentor/producer Betty Wright.

To me, Milt Matthews was a fantastic and underrated soulman. Check out "Oh Lord, You've Got To Help Me" on Catalyst and "When Kids Rule The World" on Bryan; both class slowies with interesting instrumentation and tons of anguished wailing.

The original of Clydene Jackson is on Ray Charles' Crossover label. It's an album track only. The lp is entitled "Fresh." This was a classic 'cut-out' album for much of the 80s and 90s. I think I lost count of the amount of times I saw this album in deletion-racks over the years before I bought a copy. I would say £100 is far too much to pay for it. Check websites of European dealers who sell jazz and funk. They seem to be unswayed by Northern Soul interest and price the record at a far more realistic 30-50.

Lou Jackson on Spring is Lou Johnson? Don't think I've ever heard that rumour... strange record. I should really like it, but don't. I think the coy backing vocals completely ruin it. Having said that, Lou's singing is excellent, whoever he is. It's a tough record to price. Maybe £200+ these days, although I can't say I've heard it out anywhere for a number of years.

It's interesting to bear in mind that the artists aren't necessarily the best guardians of their old material. Remember reading an interview in Voices with Sam Dees where he became aware for the first time of the release of the SSS Int. single. When he was played it, he hated it and stated that he wished to re-record it when the opportunity arose. The result is the catastrophe I mentioned above. By god, it sucks!

The cut on the Pen Pad lp "Secret Admirer" is genuinely horrible. Avoid. Like the plague.

Probably not. A daft offer might prove difficult to ignore.

Yes, Billy, I still have it.

Richard Searling played the 100 Club in the early 90s, and played "Teasing You Again." It sounded brilliant and really stood out in his set. I'd never heard of it before and asked him about it. He said it was a one-off. I was talking to Ady C outside in the morning and mentioned the Willie Tee one-off to him and he said "I'm sure I've got one of those somewhere." I asked him how much he wanted for it and he asked me to make him an offer. I had £90 in my pocket and offered him that. To my surprise he accepted it. Cheers Ady.

What's the current value of "Teasing You Again" and "I Peeped..."? Must say I love all of these records, particularly "Hole Card."