Garethx

Marva Whitney was indeed married for some time to Forte owner/producer Ellis Taylor. As Mike says her "Nothing I'd Rather Be" has basically the same backing track, although it sounds cleaned up and/or re-recorded. This was also re-released as the MWT Express on Forte. Ellis Taylor sure liked this this backing track as that's at least five versions on the same label. There may be more!

Red or yellow label Mark? I prefer the red label one as I think the organ adds a lot and the vocal is even more intense but the yellow label version is also a fine record in its own right. It's a shame in some ways that a lot of the Forte stock turned up in one hit a few years ago as people in certain quarters have got a bit blase about some of the releases. If this was still rare people would be thinking of it as a holy grail: fantastic raw ghetto soul. In a similar vein the Lee Harris "I've Got To Have Someone's Love" on the same label is also a great, brooding midtempo record. Harris recorded the original version of "Don't Let Our Love..." on Forte and some people prefer his, but I think it lacks the atmosphere of Gene Williams reading of the song.

I'd say £60-75 for a nice copy these days. The other side, "Checkin' Out" sounds really great now.

Nashville TN.

Very interesting Gene. I'd say the Twirl tie-in is conclusive and the Michigan location helps as well. It would appear to be the same woman. Cheers.

Many thanks Gene, but I'm not sure if this answers the question as there seems to be some conjecture as to whether Bobbie Smith on Big Top is the same artist as the girl on American Arts.

Needs must, Dylan. About to make an offer on Ady Lupton's Black Lace cover-up.

Superb record.

I agree Pete. It was a collector's cheapie by the time of late Wigan, not really played out until a few years after this. One of the first Stafford records to spread nationwide, helped no doubt by the fact that it's a fairly common 45. The red demo looks good, but to me nothing matches the mystique of the black American Arts issues. Has anyone aver tracked Bobbie Smith down and is there any substance to the rumour that she was a white artist?

Scans added:

If the seller is John Anderson I stand corrected, although I would be interested to know what the starting price was. The reason I was suspicious is that several friends have owned dubs of this record (funnily enough with Audiodisc labels) which is notoriously difficult on original release.

I'd say it's not an original.

For sale: WILLY McDOUGAL DON'T TURN AWAY/ I CAN'T WAIT KINARD 2318 M- SOLD Monster R&B dancer backed with one of the most intense deep soul screamers ever recorded. Record is in immaculate condition, black/silver labels are clean. Comes in an attractive Mutual Record Co. Distribution sleeve. I accept Paypal and cashiers cheques. TIA for any interest, gareth

TNT sounds a bit odd these days, but the flip, Linda's original version of "Fugitive From Love" is one of the greatest soul records ever made in my opinion.

The administration fee seems excessive but it helps to see it in the context of a bigger picture. As I stated above customs authorities worldwide are having to claw back revenue from so-called 'non-business' international transactions. The sheer volume of domestic e-business (i.e. auction trade between non-VAT registered users) is having a hugely detrimental effect on tax revenues. Already there are dire warnings for high street retailers in the face of ebay for the Christmas period: the gap in their seasonal trade planning will largely be filled by what are in essence non-taxable goods. I can't access more recent figures but even as long ago as 2006 it was calculated that if ebay were a country its' notional 'GDP' would make it the thirteenth largest world economy. I suspect that even accounting for the recent global financial crisis this figure would have grown in the interim. The internet has begun to challenge established models in global trade, a good thing in some respects (niche products thriving within markets which are now global, for instance) but in areas where international trade circumvents taxation through duty huge holes have been blown in government coffers throughout the developed world: enough to cause real alarm. In the light of such circumstances the behaviour of HMC&E would seem logical if arbitrary: you're all certainly right for wondering why some packages slip through while others are clobbered for duty, handling fees and VAT. My guess is that it is going to get worse.

I've mentioned this on here before but I once tried to swap Earl White Jr. with Tim Brown for a copy of Arthur Freeman on Jumbo, which was a rare record at the time (this was at least a decade before a couple of boxes of the Jumbo single turned up in California). I'm sure Tim won't mind me reminding him that he stated "It's a good record and a scarce record, but no-one is ever going to want a copy of Earl White Jr." I'd be interested to know just how widely EWJ was collected at the time it emerged: I don't remember it actually being listed by Soul Bowl but they definitely had copies which were circulated to their 'elite' customer base (the Simon Murrays of this world!). Mine came from Rod Dearlove when he started the Voices list a few years later and would have cost about £50. Pure speculation but I'm guessing a few dozen copies in the UK from around 1983 onwards. Like John says an OK record, the ending of which ruins it a bit. There are dozens of Malaco productions from the time on the main label and labels like Chimneyville which knock it into a cocked hat.

Swings and roundabouts I'm afraid. We've all had it relatively easy for too long but it's important to remember that insurance and handling charges can be a two-way street. The amount of trade done over the internet is now vast and the customs and excise system is gradually coming to terms with the amount of revenue it is losing in many of these transactions. No-one enjoys paying taxes but if these are the regulations it's up to us as mature participants in a democracy to make decisions as to whether shopping this way is the right thing to do for us personally. If you dislike paying import duty, VAT etc. it's probably best to stick to buying records in cash from UK sources. I wonder if anyone has been in the position of trying to make an insurance claim on a missing/mishandled international package where a very expensive item has had its value deliberately understated on the invoice? On one occasion I paid for a 45 with a four figure value in dollars to be sent expedited, insured and registered (all the bells and whistles really). The record was missing in the bowels of both the US and UK postal services/UK customs system for weeks and despite the level of trackability asked for, was to all intents and purposes untraceable. When I eventually received the package there was evidence of it having been held at two different Parcelforce depots in the UK, several local Post Offices and having been sent back across the Atlantic once as 'undelivered'. I had paid the seller approaching fifty dollars for the full level of postal insurance and stated explicitly that I wanted the full value to be written on the customs declaration. The declaration in fact read "used record, value $10". Had the thing never turned up (as I feared for weeks) this is the amount I would have been able to claim back, nothing more and nothing less.

I'm quite a fan of Melvin Sparks' "Git Ya Some" but have to admit it won't be to everyone's taste.

*EDIT*. You're right about Frankie Kay & Johnny Scott on International Artists being KT Oslin and Scott Holzman but these are not the same duo as the one under discussion here. The F&J singles on Houston's International Artists label are folk rock/garage. The Frankie & Johnny 45 on Hickory states "A DECLON PRODUCTION" which I always assumed to be shorthand for Decca, London. The fact that the song is published by Acuff Rose is interesting though: I wonder if there are indeed other, Nashville-originated versions. A magnificent record. I have blown my soul police credentials twice in the last week by declaring a love for Custer's Last Band and now this. No matter, as to paraphrase a very wise man "if you don't like this you don't like music."

Soulful Twins is a bit too polite for me.

Can You Win is a big sound at the moment Mark. Not really a typical Volt dancer for the time, but a great small production shuffler none the less. An outside production originally on the Paradox label.

Aha. Thanks for refreshing our memories about this Bob. So the last theory was that it was possibly writer Earl Randle's guide vocal pressed as the regular Nate Evans single. Listening to the soundfile again I have to say I prefer it to the more common Nate Evans version.

There are two different mixes on the same number. Opinion was that there might even be a different vocalist on the 'other' version. The variant version is very rare but does exist: there's a topic here on it somewhere and soundfiles were posted. For me personally the Syl Johnson Japanese lp cut using the same backing track is an even better record.

Ronnie Miller is also available on Polydor. Deejay copies just featuring the ballad are around at very reasonable prices. Nancy Butts' "One Man At A Time" is also great seventies deep soul.

Jimmy Braswell on Jar-Val is a great record: the ballad side is smoother than the Gene/King sides but still of very high quality, and the uptempo flip is pumping Southern Soul which is eminently playable. Used to be a cheap quantity item at Anglo American, Soul Bowl etc. back in the mists of time, so shouldn't be too difficult to turn up, although the price is rising. Some good points raised throughout the topic and some great information from Brian, Andy & Phil in amongst all the other stuff.