Chalky

Press Release: Various We Got A Sweet Thing Going On Volume 2 SJCD 5011 Release Date: Monday 25th July 2016 “We Got A Sweet Thing Going On” volume 2 carries on where volume 1 left off. Eighteen great tracks which all showcase the group harmony sound, well almost! We’ve thrown a curve ball into the mix on this occasion with the inclusion of an instrumental “Merry-Go-Round Of Love” one of three previously unissued tracks out of the four featured from the Milwaukee group the Final Chapter. As with the previous compilation a solo artist has crept in to rub shoulders with the group ensembles. Gary, Indiana’s very own Mr Wilton Crump who performs both sides of his mellifluous solitary 45 single “Think It Through” and “Give Your Love To Me” released on his own Olive Branch label. Solo artist or group if it sounds right then it feels right. The Motorcity is heavily represented on this compilation with three acts from legendary producer Richard ‘Popcorn’ Wylie’s Soul Hawk stable. Firstly by The Mighty Lovers, with their highly sort after “Ain’t Gonna Run No More”(previously issued on a Soul Junction45, SJ1002). The Mighty Lovers voices can also be heard although un-credited as backing vocalists on all of Jimmy ‘Soul ‘Clarks Soul Hawk sides as well as providing the rhythmic hand clapping on his “If I Only Knew Then (What I Know Now)”. The second of Popcorn’s acts featured is Eric & The Vikings with their harmonious million seller, “Vibrations (Made Us Fall In Love)”, followed by The New Holidays with their currently popular “Maybe So, Maybe No” .Aldo featuring it’s excellent flipside, a great cover version of Jimmy ‘Soul’ Clark’s previously mentioned “If I Knew Then”. Fellow Detroiters The 21ST have all three of their recordings made for Joe Terrell’s Joy label featured, “I Just Can’t Forget Your Name” released twice with two different flipsides “The Sun Came Out” and “I Just Can’t Forget Your Name” all featuring Willie Jones later of the group ‘McArthur’ on lead vocals and label production credits that feature some of the motorcity’s finest. The final Detroit act is Energy MC2 with their previously unissued sweet soul outing “Juliane”. MC2 began their performing career as a energetic bunch of kids under the name of ‘Congressional Funk’ who by their mid teens had become The Soulful Hounds who not only recorded “Why Did You Leave Me Girl” for Ernest Burt’s Magic City label but would feature on many of, Mad Dog & The Pups and Sweet Geraldine’s Magic City releases. Later some of the band members joining Ray Parker Jr in forming the band ‘Raydio’ while some of the other members becoming part of the band for ‘Parlete’(part of the P-Funk family) helping George Clinton land the Mothership! N.B.(Two further previously unissued Energy MC2 songs are due for a vinyl 45 release later in the year, catalogue number SJ536). The Windy City is represented by The Five Crowns with their local hit “Just A Part Of Life” and both sides of it’s follow up release “Beating Of My Heart”/Got To Be My Baby” unusual in the fact that it is two different songs recorded with both using the same backing track!, all three songs were composed by Chicago wordsmith’s Gerald Dickerson and Charles Boyd and produced by former Trends (ABC) group member, Emmett Garner Jr. The final inclusion comes from the Atlanta, GA group, ‘The Combinations’ with their high desirable 45 rarity “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” recorded for the vanity Kimtone label in 1968 under the tutelage of Veteran producer Tee Fletcher. With the recently discovered revelation that some of the members of The Combinations actually went on to become part of the group ‘The M.V.P’s’( Most Valuable Players) who recorded the Northern Soul anthem for Buddah Records “Turning MY Heart Beat Up” 1 - Mighty Lovers Ain't Gonna Run No More Soulhawk 1007 (1968) 2:16 2 - The 21st I Just Can't Forget Your Name Joy 672 (1972) 2:40 3 - The Final Chapter This Time I'm Gonna Stay (2016) Previously Unissued 4:28 4 - Wilton Crump Think It Through Olive Branch 101 (1975) 3:13 5 - New Holidays If I Only Know Soulhawk 1008 (1969) 2:30 6 - Five Crown Beating Of My Heart Five-O 504 (1969) 2:55 7 - The Final Chapter Now I Know New World 8006 (1980) 4:05 8 - The 21st The Thought Of Me Losing You Joy 672 (1972) 3:19 9 - Eric And The Vikings Vibrations (Made us Fall In Love) Soulhawk 1009 (1970) 2:37 10 - The Final Chapter I'm Coming To Rescue You (2016) Previously Unissued 3:51 11 - Five Crowns Got To be My Baby Five-O 504 (1969) 3:01 12 - The 21st The Sun Came Out Joy 672 (1972) 2:33 13 - The Final Chapter Merry-Go-Round Of Love (2016) Previously Unissued 14 - The Combinations I'm Gonna Make You Love Me Kimtone 1001 (1968) 2:04 15 - Five Crowns Just A Part of Life Five-O 503 (1969) 2:55 16 - Energy MC2 Julaine (2016) Previously Unissued 17 - New Holidays Maybe So Maybe No Soulhawk 1008 (1969) 3:01 18 - Wilton Crump Give Your Love To Me Olive Branch 101 (1975) 4:01 Words by Dave Welding. To Purchase visit Soul Junction at http://www.souljunctionrecords.co.uk/SJCD5011.html Also available from other good stockists listed on the above page in the links down the right. For further information please contact Soul Junction at: Tel: +44 (0)121 602 8115 or E-mail: sales @souljunctionrecords.co.uk Listen via Promo Clip SJCD5011-Promo.mp3

This release is the second CD to focus on the labels owned by Al Sears, a renowned saxophonist of the 40’s and 50’s. The first CD was way back in 2002. This compilation has been a long time coming and continues were the first left off. Here we have unreleased masters, demos, flips sides of the previously featured 45s and more. Without spoiling the reading of the liner notes a brief bit of background may be needed. Al, after writing the hit “Castle Rock” in the early 50’s set up two publishing firms, the first one named after taking the first two letters of his and his wife Ruth’s Christian names, the other was named after his daughter Sylvia. With his publishing flourishing and he himself producing it was only natural labels were to follow. The first was Gator in 1960 with four releases. Serock was next located in 1650 Broadway next door to Scepter who distributed the label. This was then replaced by Arock, which in turn was replaced by Sylvia. The music recorded by Sears followed no set pattern and covered various styles, from Group Harmony to R&B to Soul. Preview Player from Juno Records The Corvairs kick off the CD with “Love Is Such A Good Thing” . This is the flip to “A Victim Of Her Charms” which featured on the first CD. An excellent male group double sider with this side just edging it for me. Stirling McGee follows with the flip to “Keep On” which was popular in the UK some years ago at some venue in Wigan. “Get In My Arms Little Girlie” is again for me the better side than “Keep on” and we are treated to a remix from the master tapes and have the added bonus of a missing 21 seconds added. Gene Burks it appears had a very brief recording and just two releases for Arock. Again we have another remixed flip in “Take My Hand”, a more up-tempo and catchy dancer than the top side and one of my favourites of this release. Tutti Hill is a strange one. “When The Going Gets Rough” should have been the flip to “He’s A Lover” but all copies of the 45 despite being correctly labeled played “Baby Take It Slow” something all the anoraks had missed. So we have the first ever release of “When The Going Gets Rough” an excellent soulful mid pacer again better than its intended topside. Joan Moody featured on the first compilation with three tracks including her Northern Soul classic “We Must Be Doing Something Right”. This time she pitches in with two tracks, the first “I Can’t Stay Away” which until last year was still unreleased and saw the light of day on a Kent 45, here it receives its first outing on a CD. “Music To My Ears’, similar to “I Can’t Stay Away” was on Joan’s fourth 45 release for Sylvia. Gary & Gary’s “I’m Leaving For Parts Unknown” has seen plenty of turntable action here in the UK over the years in particular during the mid 1980s. The duo are actually Gary Klyvert and Carl Gould who had replaced Garrett Saunders who went on to record solo releases for Sears. The Diplomats were the most recorded act for the stable of labels and here we have “I Really Love You”, a Van McCoy song and previously unreleased until it saw the light of day on a Kent Anniversary 45 and a CD dedicated to the group. The aforementioned Garrett Saunders features with two tracks. One being another flip, this time to “A Day Or Two”. “Easier Said than Done” an excellent soulful mid-tempo offering. The other is previously unissued and unfinished. I Keep Coming Back For More” is a sparsely backed soul number, basically a piano and Garrett in a similar vein to “A Day Or Two”. Another unreleased number from who it is believed Freddie Solomon is “I Don’t Care”. Again the backing is basic instrument wise and with a bit of femme backing it does get your foot tapping and does grow on you after a listen or two. Ansler Montell is next with “Chained Am I”. Again originally unreleased it is recorded in the style of the Chain Gang songs of the day but instead of working on the chain gangs he is chained to his love. Detroit and a Mike Hanks production gives us Vivain Collians with “Hey Officer” see her pleading with a Police Officer to let her man go who has been naughty. Theola Kilgore gives a great soulful performance with “This Is My Prayer”. Here we are treated to the unedited take. Sinner Strong is next with “Nobody But Me” from 1963 it has a choral backing giving it a gospel influence. The great Van McCoy, a staff writer at Sylvia gives a great vocal performance on “It Ain’t No Big Thing”. It was the only release on Rockway and is an excellent dancer with some female greats supplying backing vocals, Cisssuy Houston, Dee Dee Warwick, Sylvia Shemwell and Estelle Brown no less. The 45 has had some turntable action here in the UK over the years, mainly by collectors rather than the regular DJs. McCoy also features on the DC Playboys “You Were All I Need”. Two mid 60’s R&B recording follow, Billy Washington with “I Wanna Come In” an dChet “poison” Ivy with “Something Else”. Marie Knight with Junior Lewis backing/answering Marie on “Nothing In The World”. Initially released on Okeh we have here the demo version. Junior Lewis also chips in with two recordings of his own. “It Won’t Work Out” and “Where Are you”, both previously unreleased. The first another piano backed vocal, possibly another demo whilst the second is a more typical Big City New York ballad. Another demo is next. “Did You Hear” was performed by Don Covay. It is a shame this wasn’t finished and released as it is a very soulful number although it did see the light of day via Barry Seidel but I can’t say I have heard that version. Big Wheel whilst in the main featured Detroit artists and productions was in fact a New York label and one of the owners was an executive at Sylvia. Discovered amongst the Sylvia tapes was the mistitled recording of “Kindness, Love and Misunderstanding” which was found a release via Eddie King on Big Wheel. The CD closes with one of my all time favourite male group harmony 45s. The Larks (the Philly group) with “For The Love Of Money” is a firm favourite of mine and was featured on the first compilation. Here we are treated to the excellent flip side, “Another Sleepless Night”, another fine example of male group harmony. Although many of the tracks may not be familiar with many we are still treated to a strong compilation of varying styles that I would give a strong three out of five, possibly three and a half. For the anoraks we have the usual excellent liner notes courtesy of Ady Croasdell packed with plenty information, photos and label scans. Chalky July 2016 Video Look Track Listing: 01 Love Is Such A Good Thing - The Corvairs 02 Get In My Arms Little Girlie - Sterling Magee 03 Take My Hand - Gene Burks 04 When The Going Gets Rough - Tutti Hill 05 I Can't Stay Away - Joan Moody 06 I'm Leavin' (For Parts Unknown) - Gary & Gary 07 I Really Love You - The Diplomats 08 I Keep Comin' Back For More - Garrett Saunders 09 I Don't Care - Freddie Solomon 10 Chained Am I - Ansler Montell 11 Hey Officer - Vivian Collins 12 This Is My Prayer - Theola Kilgore 13 Nobody But Me - Sinner Strong 14 It Ain't No Big Thing - Van McCoy 15 You Were All I Needed - The D.C. Playboys 16 Music To My Ears - Joan Moody 17 I Wanna Come In - Billy Washington 18 Something Else - Chet "Poison" Ivey & His Fabulous Avengers 19 Nothing In The World - Marie Knight with Junior Lewis 20 Easier Said Than Done - Garrett Saunders 21 It Won't Work Out - Junior Lewis 22 Where You Are - Junior Lewis 23 Did You Hear - Don Covay 24 Kindness, Love And Understanding - Eddie King 25 Another Sleepless Night - The Larks Purchase options, release notes and more images are available via http://acerecords.co.uk/the-arock-serock-sylvia-soul-story-continued The Arock Serock Sylvia: Soul Story Continued Kent Cat: CDKEND 453