Roburt

I know that the first intentional NS comp LP was put out by Pye here in the mid 70's ... but I would suggest that before that a few comp LP's had escaped in the US that would (if they were 70's releases) be classed as releases aimed at the NS market. Here's my tip as a probable 1st NS comp album ... compiled by Philly / New Jersey radio / TV DJ Jerry Blavat. It was released in late 67 and featured 20 tracks in all, of them I'd say 16 would count as NS cuts -- The Jerry Blavat TV Song Storybook (no label identified on the record or album sleeve but 95% certain a product of the Lost Nite label / Crimson Records). Jerry was part owner of these record companies, so it makes sense that 'his' LP would be put out by them. As Crimson were releasing new product by the likes of Lee Andrews & the Hearts, Soul Survivors, Damon Fox, Brothers Two, Chuck Trois & the like at the time, he obviously was aiming his product at teenager dancers who loved soul stuff.

Didn't manage to get up to Palm Beach Gardens to see Joey Gilmore perform ... BUT ... the venue must be a decent place as .... The PGA Arts Centre is the PROFESSIONAL GOLFERS ASSOC ART CENTRE and Palm Beach Gardens is just about as expensive as Boca Raton as all the top sportsmen / women have pads there (all the golfers & the likes of the Williams sisters). It might be a hang out for the rich but it don't make it that safe ... as many sportmens homes are empty a lot of the time (& full of expensive goodies), PBG's is a top spot for burglaries ... Venus Williams place was done while we were there & the robbers took $1000's worth of stuff.

Pye Records had the top 45 equipment & acetate / test pressing team in the UK in the 60's. They could adjust the track (if an LP take or a non- club balanced US effort) to maximise how the cut would sound on the radio / dance floor (boosting the base & other little tricks). I too would guess that they're from the 60's and not 70's efforts. There's a UK test pressing of a Linda Carr track she cut for DCP in 65 (which would also have made it an EMI release here, probably on United Artists if EMI had proceeded). That was also made by the Pye Records team. If you want to know more about Linda Carr & her career, you might try buying the next edition of SOUL UP NORTH mag. Now, TALL PIMPLE, you got anymore questions ???

STRANGE SMALL WORLD ... as we either hitched, caught the train or got a lift down to the Owl from Donny. If we hitched, we went past Clumber Park to Notts & then onto Leicester. If we caught the train, it was via Sheffield. Must have been in the club on the same night at least once .... ALSO, went on to live in Worksop from late 70's.

Curtis on Jools BBC2 show ...

He toured all over & was famous for his high energy stage act ... at one venue, he'd throw a chair through a window ... at another, jump up on the bar (sending glasses / bottles flying) & sing from up there ...

Anuda off the new album ... Anti need to put "Need Your Love" out on a 45 ...

He also plays gigs in Europe quite a lot, in fact he's playing live in London in a few days time.

This guy's been around for the last few years, BUT HIS NEW TRACK has been playlisted on Radio 2 ... I like it a lot ...

John (the writer of the Florida Soul book) has informed folk that Wayne Cochran has passed away. John did a chapter on Wayne in his book. Wayne was a pastor at a Ft Lauderdale church.

My choice would to have been in the Stax studio when Booker T & the guys laid down "Green Onions" .... a throwaway B side at the time, made up & cut quickly on the spot in a few minutes.

I went to the MIAMI BOOK FAIR yesterday & attended the Florida Soul book presentation. Along with the author, the panel consisted of the great Jackie Moore, Timmy Thomas, Willie Clarke, Helene Smith & Marlon Johnson (co-director of Deep City documentary). It was a fun meeting, though not enough people attended it. All the artists present talked about events in their careers (that are discussed in the book). Timmy Thomas did a bit of a new song he's cut and Jackie was so happy I knew "Both Ends Against The Middle", we sang a short duet on it. As well as the book presentations, there are loads of cool stalls selling cheap books, magazines, postcards, prints, posters, etc. ALSO stuff for kids and food lovers (a marquee where chefs were doing presentations, cooking food, etc) and numerous food stalls selling every type of cuisine. There was also a music stage on one of the (closed) streets and I got to see a reggae / funk band perform plus (after dark) a jazzy blues outfit. No idea who they were but both outfits were decent. Pity the artists at the book presentation didn't go up on stage and sing a short set.

More old bits about Felice ....

Ideally the show would have started a few years earlier (to have caught soul's golden years) but it was great for 70's groups & singers (O'Jays, Dells, Dramatics & many more). There were loads of great local (& some national) music shows before it BUT unfortunately (unlike Soul Train) most of that footage has been lost as it wasn't deemed worthy of retention at the time).

The 3 versions from 67/68 of "I Feel Love Coming On" .... Lori Hampton was working with Bob Keene as late as October 68. By then, Felice had enjoyed 2 US 45's on Kent and cut further tracks for the label with Eddie Grant in the UK. The Bunny's from the Playboy Club in London also cut a version, as did Rusty Greenfield (think that was a UK 'Embassy type cheap LP' track originally -- which was then released in Germany) and a French singer also cut a version of the song.

So Julian Covay lives in Oxford & has a studio in his back garden ... I'll have to find out where & call round (being from the area) ...

More bits on US artists & their records getting foreign exposure. Why a record company in racist apartheid ruled South Africa thought Bobby Bland & other Duke records would sell there is beyond me, but they obviously did ... though I believe Percy Sledge's records sold well there & the likes of C L Blast toured there and even recorded there (an LP & 45's that were not released anywhere else). Sam Baker's UK / Euro tour came about a bit by accident as Stax wanted extra Stax acts on that tour (Eddie Floyd & another on this package headed by Sam & Dave with Percy Sledge & Arthur Conley also on it) .... it seems that other Stax acts had existing gigs to honour in the US ... so Sam Baker & Linda Carr ended up on the tour (and both got releases to tie in with the tour).

I'm Gonna Miss You.

Another one I like (& seeing as I'm in Florida, quite appropriate) .....

Lots of stuff that was quite soulful in the middle of the disco era was dismissed at the time (coz the instrumentation sounded too much like stuff getting mainstream disco / radio play. With the passage of time, some sounds have dated whilst others seem fresher now than then . Here's two (one being a slow dancer) I like ... from Marva Hicks ....

A few more bits on foreign record & soul happenings (including Lebanon) ...

Thanks for that. I went to see a show @ the Saville ---- Garnett Mimms & Jimi Hendrix ... though we walked out before Hendrix had finished his act (not to our liking, playin the guitar between his legs, throwing it on the floor & setting fire to it, no really decent songs) .... most Sunday night concerts (when Epstein was running it) would have one or more of the Beatles in attendance (in a private box).

With regard to her upsetting DJ's ..... it's said that when she went on radio stn visits to help promote her Mustang releases, she acted very high-handed, was bad mannered and basically 'upset the DJ's' she had interviews with. So, after she'd left the stn, they refused to play any of her records again .... not something that's gonna please the guys back at your record company. So "I Feel Love Coming On" was never released by Mustang in the US and they allowed her to sign with Kent Records. Her version of the song (a Barry White composition) was produced by Barry White, so he must have been mad to stop one of his own songs being released. The Linda Carr version of the song followed about 6 to 8 months later (in April 68), did escape in the US and both sides of this Ranwood 45 featured Barry White written songs ... although I have no idea if he was actually directly involved with Linda's version, it seems he had some input (hence her cutting 2 of his songs to form her 1st Ranwood 45 -- Ranwood being run by Randy Wood of Mira / Mirwood Records)..

Matt, I mentioned your night in the other recent NY soul thread.

I've been to the building that housed the Esquire, but many years later when it was another club (it's just round the corner from Sheff Midland Stn). It was a bit Ironic, but a Mojo revival night in the 80's was staged there. Stringfellow attended, Geno Washington was the live act & Searling was pencilled in to be the DJ -- but being midweek, he couldn't get over the hills in time, so another Radio Hallam DJ took his place. I was a Mojo goer, Mojo fans rarely attended the Esquire & vice versa. Esquire was a jazz & then blues club that 'ran out of legs' around 1965. The Mojo became the top Sheffield club shortly after opening (which was just after the above piece was written). If an act that Esquire clubbers wanted to see was on at the Mojo AND the Wheel, many would go see them @ the Wheel rather than the Mojo (such was the rivalry).