Roburt

Vel and his band in action in a TV studio ... www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBg5buqLBrc Vel on stage with LIFE in the 80's ...

They could even buy a copy of the new edition of 'Soul Up North' and read the article all about Vel Lewis's long & successful musical career. A more recent outing by Vel ... www.youtube.com/watch?v=az1VcT0usT4

Some of the tracks on that date from the later half of the 70's (76 & 78) ... so those are the 45's that OLDIES had in abundance. The label was beginning to struggle from around 1978 and went bust in 1981. I think it was during that period that OLDIES started buying up loads of their old stock.

Back in the day (70's / 80's) you could get many mint TK label 45's in TK sleeves from OLDIES for 10p each NOW ... guys are asking £2.50 just for an empty TK 45 sleeve ... TK Records Original Company Sleeve 45rpm 7inch Record 7" disc vinyl | eBay www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325470768794?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=7101533165274578&mkcid=2&itemid=325470768794&targetid=4584826055637456&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=412354546&mkgroupid=1299623041023876&rlsatarget=pla-4584826055637456&abcId=9300541&merchantid=87779&msclkid=d16d478bdf9d133f7ae0239b84902f11 Topping even that ... you can now buy packs of reproduction TK 45 sleeves .... go figure.

Vel Lewis (of the Futures & Life) on the front cover ...

From south of the border ...

Oldies Unlimited had many contacts in the record biz but I don't believe Soul Bowl was ever one of them. As I stated earlier, they bought up 100,000's of deleted UK 45's, bundled many of the 'excess copy' items up in batches & swopped them with US and European counterparts. You could always get loads of great Italian / Spanish pressed soul 45's from them and these had the added advantage of coming in picture sleeves. They were also the main (only in some cases) source for copies of UK based indie label soul. I believe I'm correct in saying that just about every copy of Donnie Elberts "Are You Ready, Willing & Able" on UK Echo that's now doing the rounds came from Oldies.

An old ITV News piece on Oldies, showing the ladies making up their 45 packs ... piece says they had stock in 1981 of 2.5 million records in 4 separate warehouses ... I think his main office area was in an old working men's club he'd taken over. ATV Today: 30.11.1981: Oldies Unlimited | MACE Archive www.macearchive.org/films/atv-today-30111981-oldies-unlimited

Lots of other early mod / soul clubs of course that played our sort of music. London got in on the act from around 1963/64 with lots of allnighters in venues every week there. But loads of venues in Yorkshire & Lancs were in on the act too -- not all could host niters but they'd book the same soul acts as the niter venues. Liverpool, Nelson, Bolton, Leeds, Hull, Bradford, Huddersfield & the like all had their own good clubs. Wigan Casino even ran soul nites way before the 70's ...

Back in the late 70's & thru the 80's, much of the TK catalogue was largely ignored by many UK soul fans (too disco-y). But if you check TK label 45's now you find that many are now going for really good prices -- to NS, Modern Soul, funk, boogie & disco fans. Back then, the best place to buy packs of soul 45's was always Soul Bowl, but other places were also worth a look. Oldies Unlimited of Telford used to buy in bulk from UK, US & European record companies, distributors, warehouses. Many times, they'd buy up 1000's of UK singles and end up packaging many of them up & trading them for similar sized packages with their US & European counterparts. I guess this is how they ended up with literally thousand upon thousands of old TK 70's 45s. However they came by them, their staff would package them up & sell them off in soul packs -- 100 for £10 (plus in smaller pack numbers too). An Oldies pack was always worth a punt, though at the time a lot of the TK singles weren't too well received. But times changed and many of them are now highly collectable. I used to buy their packs (a couple of times a year at least), but as time passed you'd end up getting many of the same TK 45's as you'd received in earlier packs. I got up the courage to ring the owner up a couple of times to ask if his current 'soul packs' were now formed with newer bought 45's, rather than the same old stuff. He must have got irritated with me as one time he said .. LOOK, the girls just pick up stuff off the table in front of them till they've got 100 and then ram em into a pack to send out. If you want, come down here & I'll lock you in the chapel where all the old stock is dumped. So off I went (with a mate in tow) and we spent all day locked in, sorting thru 1000's of 45's and picking out the stuff we liked or that looked promising. He then let us out, looked at what we'd picked out & charged us a reasonable sum. I recall opening multiple boxes of 25 singles, all the same record and throwing them back or pulling a couple out to add to my pile. Lots proved to be real disappointments (we found loads of boxes of Mary Loves "Turn Me, Turn Me, Turn Me" and took a couple each). But lots proved to be decent buys and I just wish I'd asked to repeat the experience in one of his other old buildings. Is their a list anywhere (without going right thru one of the soul single valuation guides) of current TK label singles that are now collectable ? -- not just the obvious stuff but 45's from the likes of Raw Soul Express, Jimmy Bo Horne, Facts of Life, Controllers, Greg Diamond, David Hudson, Timmy Thomas, Joe Thomas, Clarence Reid, J P Robinson, etc.

Following on from the King Mojo, Nite Owl, Twisted Wheel, Up The Junction and other such venues.

Seems Mable John was working there in 1965 ... she got to know Al Bell of WUST radio. He was recruited by Stax and a few months later, he signed her to Stax.

The Show Stoppers 45 wasn't a pop hit in the US (not even a national R&B chart hit), whereas it was on the UK pop charts (March 68 & Feb 71). . Their 45 did really well on lots of US R&B radio stns but at different times (on some) due to it being from a new start-up indie label -- hence not enough sales / radio plays everywhere at the same time, so not on the national R&B chart . They came to the UK for promo & TV purposes and then to tour here. BUT, as their hit came at the time that the 'fake groups' scam was at it's height (spring / summer 68), I seem to recall a NY group touring here on one occasion as a 'fake' version of the group.

Columbus, Ohio -- July 67 ... # 31

An ad from 67 ...

Not BG's dealings in the US but his UK / European dealings in 1963 ... Reading between the lines here, when CBS took over Oriole, it seems Motown product could just as easily ended up reaching us via Decca instead of EMI ...

The group in the UK ...

1965 & he was DJing in person & doing spots on the radio .. has his home town run a celebration festival yet ?

A bit from the time Irv was @ Motown .. October 65 ...

I contacted Sidney Barnes & he says he can't even ever remember meeting Irv -- BUT HE DID SAY, his memory isn't good anymore. He said George is the guy to ask as he still has a great memory.

Robb, I don't think you were wrong about Maltese having NY connections ...

Jumping ahead in time for it's 3rd UK release ... but anyone know why Thelma Houston's "Jumping Jack Flash" got 3 separate UK 45 releases ... I never knew there was any real demand for the track amongst UK soulies.

A couple more Golden World related bits ...

Jay Boy was of course a President Records label. President had been releasing soul stuff for quite a while, having hits with soul 45's and had the rights to quite a few US label's product. I'm not sure if they had someone on staff who had knowledge of the early NS scene or if a staffer just bought copies of B&S mag and read the relevant sections. Of course Jay Boy wasn't initially set up (in 68) to release NS product. But after President signed the Invitations (fake Drifters) to a UK record deal in 1970, they immediately put out a string of NS related 45's. So, obviously someone in the company was aware of demand for UK soul club dancers from British fans.

The start of 68 ... Edwin Starr not even getting a mention as a Motown act, but new signing Chuck Jackson even gets a picture slot (though it seems he was only ever treated as a 2nd tier act by the company) .. + another mention for Irv Biegel and his own label (Maltese) from Dec 65 ....