Roburt

Another Billboard upload ...........

I know that the title track itself isn't the reason that Bobby T's Prelude album was released on CD and its also not the track that still has people chasing copies of the original LP, but it is still a decent uptempo offering. I have it on Italian 7" (c/w "Is Something Wrong With You"). My question is (probably one for the dealers) .......... was this track released anywhere else on 45 ??

Yep, that's how I do it, exactly as Sebastion says. It was the way I got a copy of this ad for a show in Florida on 12th October 1969. By then Archie was out of the military & back in the USA ...............

Atlantic licensed Archie Bell's "Tighten Up" around Xmas 1967. They pressed up promo 45's with "Dog Eat Dog" as the A side in early January. These were sent out to US radio stations in mid & late January. The first 'issue' version of the 45 was in the shops / with magazine reviewers in the first week of February 1968. The 45 "Tighten Up" entered the US Billboard Top 100 chart (at No. 43) on 6th April 1968. So it took around 3 months for the Atlantic 45 to make the national charts. See the Billboard 6th April 68 Soul Chart below (with insert of 45 review from same mag early Feb 68)........

The Apollo seats / seated 1500 folks.

Been written about loads of times in the past but just in case u don't know this ......... Archie Bell "Tighten Up" 45 was initially put out with this cut as the B side. A radio DJ flipped it over (weeks after the 45 had been sent out I seem to recall) & the track took off. Soon, other radio jocks in different cities were playing it & the song became a big hit. Only trouble was ........ by then ........ Archie had been called up & was overseas serving his country. Atlantic needed an album to exploit the success of 45 & not enough AB&Dr cuts were in the Ovide cupboard. So they assembled various Ovide guys & a few extra AB&Dr's tracks were made. These were sent off to Atlantic & the LP was released. Meanwhile Archie was trying to get leave to get back to the US to promote his record -- no way were the military cooperating. Not being in the US to promote his hit, loads of fake Archies went on the road & made money performing the song. Archie even got to hear (with his army buddies) "Tighten Up" on AFN radio & told them "Hey, that's me" .. of course it is they said, not believing him !!! Eventually Atlantic pulled some strings & he was able to get back to New York / Philly to cut some new stuff for follow-up 45's. These were released & a few more were hits (3 or 4). But by the time he got out of the services, he had lost loads of 'maximum earning' time and the fact that the 'real' AB&Dr's hadn't been able to tour to promote their hits meant they never really were able to cash in on their early success. The group did last for many years, had loads more hits & got to establish themselves as a credible 'live act' but would have been much bigger if they could have 'gotten out there' playing major US venues many months earlier.

The Kenny Carter on Renee is a blinding piece of vinyl !!

If a reissue company (Numero & / or Kent would be best) snagged the Way Out catalogue, they'd also get access to Way Out's later releases. These were put out on the Jenesis & SoJamm labels.

Dante Carfagna has just about every Cleveland soul 45 documented on his site ........ https://www.ohiosoulrecordings.com/

Chicago's Numero Group seem to have a fair slice of old Cleveland soul product sewn up. They bought up the Boddie Records / Studio output last year and have already issued quite a few tasty items ........ see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWGHiotuycM. We have already had a few rare 45's, some previously unissued tracks, the Mod Squad demo LP (this group grew / changed to become Sly, Slick & Wicked) and in the very near future they are issuing the COMPLETE Lou Ragland record collection (all the tracks EVER released on Lou + Lou & Hot Chocolate's live album & a couple of unreleased things). The only extensive catalogue that they have yet to land is the Way Out (& associated labls) output. That really is the prize as only about a 1/3 of what the organisation recorded ever escaped on vinyl. In the Way Out vaults there are certainly more Lou Ragland related cuts plus numerous tracks from the Sensations, Bobby Wade, Soul Notes, Fred Toles, the Occasions, Exceptional Three & many more.

I don't remember getting this caliber of record review in the Dony Free Press back in the day. I'll even forgive the reviewer for assuming Chris Bartley was a female as he had the good taste to select a few decent cuts to write about.

Bet you could have bought Nella's 45 here ......... .... I only live up the road from Wallingford . Unfortunately, its Wallingford, Oxfordshire I live near, not THIS Wallingford.

Poor old Nella, seems everyone was getting her 'stage name' wrong. Kenny Hamber was around on the same club circuit scene as Nella back in 64 / 65. ........ Kenny knew both Della ... whoops NELLA and her mother, By all accounts it was Nella's mum that hooked Arthur Conley up with Harold Holt & Band .......this leading to the ensembles 45 on Ru-Jac ....... that Otis Redding got to hear ... thus getting Arthur signed up with Jotis Records ... which led to "Sweet Soul Music" eventually being released. ............ Ain't life funny at times !!!!! BTW, Kenny H also tells me that Harold Holt & Band had two resident singers at the same time around 1964 ......... Arthur Conley & Nella Dodds !!!

What Nella looked like as a 14 yr old ......

Yes, I spelt deliberate wrongly ... BUT then ..... I meant to, so thats alright !!! Guess the guy that wrote this piece wasn't too happy when he read the title they had attached to his efforts .....

The same sort of thing was also happening in Baltimore (& just about every other big city across the US). In Baltimore, DC & the like, new 'municipal' arenas were opening up for soul acts. Some clubs saw what was coming & tried to go upmarket. Places such as the Club Venus (purpose built in a new shopping centre development) competed with the bigger venues for a few years but were eventually priced out of business ......

Bob, Yes the scene changed a lot in the late 60's. The top acts were demanding bigger fees & better conditions ( improved travel, hotels, food, etc) and non-chitlin circuit venues were booking soul artists into 'new' (to soul acts) venues. Groups such as Sly & F.St., Curtis Mayfield, Baby Huey & Babysitters, Temptations, Voices of East Harlem, Bill Withers, Chambers Bros, B B King & more were joining the college & rock venue circuits. The old chitlin venues just couldn't keep up. In New York, the venues open to soul acts changed drastically ..........

Cheers

726 - Peggy Gaines - More / My Funny Valentine - 1969 Guess "My Funny Valentine" is her version of the old standard. ..... BUT ... Peggy Gaines on Caravelle ........

The following Sundays at Carr's Beach .........

While back at the Royal it was ...........

And who was on at Carr's Beach that same day ..........

The package on at the Civic Centre on August 14th ........

Bet that topic heading caught your attention didn't it !!! It has to count as just about the most unusual Soul Source thread heading, but there is a grain of truth in it. The top venues on the 1960's Chitlin Circuit were 6 theatres in major American cities. These were .......... The Royal Theatre in Baltimore The Regal in Chicago The Fox Theatre in Detroit The Uptown Theatre in Philly The Howard Theater in Washington DC ... & finally ... The 'flagship' Apollo Theater in Harlem All these theatres hosted 7 night long soul reviews throughout the 1960's (after having done the same with R&B, blues, doowop & jazz packages in the 1950's). All were going strong (although all were also a bit 'long in the tooth' by the 1960's) and were hosting live shows on a regular basis into 1966. When live shows weren't on offer, all these venues fell back into showing movies until the next package traveled through. The first to suffer was Baltimore's Royal Theatre. The venue had seen better days but it was really the rise of alternate venues in the city (& surrounding area) that proved its biggest downfall. The last 'review' to play the Royal pitched up in mid July 1966 (Wilson Pickett topped the bill with Dee Dee Warwick, the Vontastics & Cash McCall also featuring). The next big package to hit Baltimore arrived a few weeks later (Sunday August 14th). This time, the review (Miracles, Tommy Hunt, Shorty Long, Kim Weston, Manhattans, Walter Jackson, the Intruders & Howard Tate) didn't play the Royal but were hosted at the Civic Centre. At Carrs Beach (just down the road) on that same Sunday, the James Brown ensemble (JB + Bobby Byrd, Vicki Anderson, James Crawford, etc) were playing. The follwing Sundays at Carrs Beach the likes of the Impressions, Manhattans, Jamo Thomas, the Mad Lads, Eddie Day, Barbara Mason & Robert Parker were the live attractions. Who was entertaining the folk back at the Royal Theatre; well Dr. Who & the Daleks were on for the week (in the UK made movie). So, yes in a way it was Dr. Who & the Daleks that helped trigger the rot setting in for the top six chitlin circuit theatres. The Royal was the first to go as a live music venue but the others soon followed (the Royal still showed movies for a few more years but finally closed & was pulled down in 1971). The Regal in Chicago closed in 1970 & was pulled down in 1973. The Fox Theatre in Detroit was only hosting the odd live show by 1970. It was only able to remain open in the 1970's by programming Blaxplotation, martial arts & horror films The Uptown Theatre in Philly suffered in a similar way. Gang fights & drugs became common place in the area surrounding the theatre in the late 60's / early 70's. In 1972, Georgie Woods stopped promoting soul shows at the venue & that was the end of live soul reviews playing the place. It closed down in 1978 and was converted into a church in the 80's. The Howard Theater in Washington never really recovered from the 1968 riots and closed down initially in 1970. It had a few false dawns in the mid to late 70's. However it closed again in 1980 & has just reopened after years of neglect. The 'flagship' Apollo Theater in Harlem hung on into the early 70's but the shows were a shadow of those held there in the 50's / 60's. Even this place was converted into a movie theatre in 1975. The last review to play the Royal ..........

I think its the Sensations 'Sensational Lost Cuts' LP, released in 1971 -- but only one copy was pressed up & I have that.