Frankie Crocker

Many thanks for your continued interest Chalky - I’ll endeavour to respond to the points raised below. There is a list of Archer records pressed online. It is not complete as it excludes Eddie Parker. Despite being the first record pressing plant in Detroit, it was small and unable to produce the gargantuan quantities of records the city generated. Archer is still operating today at full capacity with a waiting list for specialist vinyl projects into the near future. The Four Tracks on Mandingo typifies its output - a minor local label pressed in such a small quantity that future rarity was assured. I suspect Jack Ashford placed a minimum order for Eddie Parker, as then, as is the case now, unit costs of production were restrictive to the small entrepreneur, especially so when the label was not an established one with cash in the bank. We have established Mack Evans in Nashville took the master tape and cut the lacquer. The matrix number on Eddie Parker includes a 95 - this is because Archer had Nashville Matrix Account Number 95; the account number was assigned by Nashville Record Productions (NRP) but the number 95 appears to be related with Nashville Matrix, the plating facility. To quote your own words Chalky, ‘Nashville Phono Matrix was a plating company - they did plates forSouthern Plastics, Archer and others’ (Soul Source 30/10/12). Nashville Matrix took the metal blanks from Matrix of Nashville and turned them into master discs using Mack Evans handiwork. For the record, Nashville Record Productions were based at 469 Chestnut Street, Nashville Matrix was based at 457 Chestnut Street and opposite United Record Pressing at 457 Chestnut Street. URP was known as Southern Plastics until 1971 - it makes sense to assume Eddie Parker records were pressed here until further information to the contrary surfaces. For the Archer plant to press up a quantity of Eddie Parker records without an Archer stamp stretches the bounds of implausibility so we must accept the bulk of the release was produced by another factory elsewhere. Gonna hold it there to keep the thread manageable but there’s more to add later…

Correct Chalky. Archer pressed a tiny number of Northern Soul records on local labels, but as a small business, it could not handle large contracts so Motown went elsewhere for bulk record pressing. The link between Detroit and Nashville was a strong one with the latter producing Motown masters and record pressings. Jack Ashford as a Motown percussionist on hundreds of records may well have travelled to Nashville with the house band, stayed in the Motown Suite and become acquainted with Mack Evans - you could ask him this perhaps - whatever the details, Jack chose to send his master tape to Mack Evans for the lacquer to be cut for the master discs. There was a finite number of record pressing plants in the 1960’s, the table below shows many of them but it is not complete. If you ignore the west coast plants and those owned by the majors, there are only a few near Detroit and Nashville pressing vinyl as opposed to styrene. Until somebody can state categorically that Eddie Parker was pressed in New Jersey or Indiana, I’m happy to go with the logical location of Nashville. We may never know for certain but the principles of external economies of scale applied in this case suggest Nashville rather than somewhere further afield without strong links to Detroit.

Only sent back to Archer, the first and only pressing plant in the city at the time. Soul Source contributors have mentioned the large quantity that went to Soul Bowl. Some were reputedly sent to Selectadisc in Nottingham. As already mentioned above, the factory paperwork has not surfaced so it becomes necessary to make inferences. For a sales rep to drive three times from Nashville to Washington DC early in 1969, dropping off Eddie Parker (and other records) at every other record store and radio station suggests there was a large number of records pressed. The fact the record was being given a sustained promotional shove suggests the record wholesaler had given the rep a big kick up the backside, possibly prompted by Jack Ashford getting on the phone to speed things up. Whatever the numbers, Archer demos and issues have turned up in smaller quantities than the non-Archer ‘tiny’ WME pressing, the so called ‘second issue’, but probably the bulk order made by Jack Ashford. The question now arises, what do we make of the non-Archer ‘large’ WME pressing that Manship confirms as genuine - was this the second issue, pressed at a third record factory or made on a second machine at United Record Pressing in Nashville? Maybe the full story will never be known but we’re working on it.

One is virtually too small to photograph - the comments made by Pete Smith and Ted Massey on August 29th 2012 and Richard Searling on September 2nd 2012 confirm this. The other on Soul Source shows up quite clearly.

The record was almost certainly pressed in Nashville as Detroit master tapes were sent there regularly for mastering and mass production, probably at United Record Pressing, formerly known as United Plastics. This plant was particularly popular with Motown artists - indeed, it had a ‘Motown Suite’ where artists could stay when in Nashville. Mack Evans spent his working life in Nashville so was well connected and a key figure in the music business - it would make no sense for an Eddie Parker master disc to be sent to a pressing plant in say Chicago when there was such a strong link between Nashville and Detroit. Copies of the WME record have surfaced in Washington DC, Pittsburgh and Chicago. Whilst this is not the whole of the USA, it is roughly half of the country and certainly the main market for 60’s soul music. The Billy Sha-Rae Soul Congress Band who played the backing track hailed from Pittsburgh, so unsurprisingly, copies of Love You Baby have turned up in Pennsylvania. I have two of the three copies left by a sales rep with a Maryland DJ hence my particular interest in the record. Nashville being fairly central, was an ideal location to press records for a large eastern market and of course had the record wholesale and distribution network in place. For a sales rep to visit a Maryland DJ three times in several months confirms there was a large quantity of records pressed for sale, pretty much confirming that Jack Ashford had huge confidence in his Eddie Parker record. The big question is, when was the large quantity of WME non Archer records pressed before being moved to the wholesaler for promotion and widespread retailing. Without a doubt, Jack Ashford place a small order with the Archer pressing plant, being seen to support local business and presumably accessing the Detroit radio stations - he also placed a large order for Eddie Parker records at a major pressing plant, probably in Nashville being the music centre it was at that time in 1968-69.

No. Several Soul Sourcers have struggled to describe the microscopic configuration whilst the other is very prominent in the run-out. They are totally different WME inscriptions.

That’s what I’ve been mulling over - two pressings at roughly the same time or one shortly after the other. The Archer pressing plant was small and probably working to full capacity in 1968. Motown regularly sent master tapes to Nashville for lacquer cutting, master disc production and record pressing - I suspect the Eddie Parker master tape went to Nashville as part of a larger job lot. We don’t know how many master discs were derived from Mack Evans’ lacquer but at least one went back up to Archer in Detroit and others were used in Nashville to press a pretty large quantity for national distribution. If anyone has copies of Love You Baby with radio station date stamps on, that would be very useful in pinning down the production dates. To return to the original question, I’m also wondering if it was one of the Nashville master discs that was used to press the uneven Archer stamped bootleg QED?

Spot on Chalky. Jack Ashford was the main driver behind the enterprise. He had huge confidence in Eddie Parker so it would have been him that placed the orders for the Archer and Nashville pressings - plus of course it was his label and production. Maybe you could check in with Jack again sometime and ask what quantities were pressed up and when. Sure, it would be great if the factory job sheets were still in existence and someone had access to them as this would enlighten us considerably - any record sleuths in Detroit and Nashville who could shed some light on this?

There’s still much to be written on the subject and I’m working on it. There are several Eddie Parker threads on Soul Source, all of which are worth a read. To pique your interest, there seems to be two variants of the WME etching; one is minuscule and barely decipherable to the naked eye, the other quite large and easily read. Jack Ashford has no recollection of the circumstances surrounding the Archer press but we do know that that Lorraine Chandler verified the non-Archer stamped records as bona-fide second issues. Readers may be intrigued to know that the master tape went from Detroit to Nashville for Mack Evans to cut the lacquer to make the master disk - this went to the Archer plant to produce white demos and issues over-stamped with the even Archer mark BUT issues were pressed in larger numbers in Nashville… Mack Evans has passed on so it is not possible to ascertain the date of his handiwork but it was put to use in both Detroit and Nashville late 1968/early 1969. Mack Evans was a master at his trade so the WME pressing is of a superb quality- I have not had an Archer stamped copy in my hands or on the deck to make a full comparison yet but intend to in the years ahead.

A quantity turned up about a year ago. Finder sold a few at intervals then passed a quantity to carolinasoul. These have been dripped out at 2-3 month intervals. No telling how many were in the original hoard or how many have gone as Second Chance offers. Potential buyers should now be aware of what’s been happening and can bide their time - the best copies went early on and more recent copies have been less than mint. You could say the same about the Saints on Wig Wam. One on Manship’s auction at present but other copies have been offered recently. Definitely no longer the rarity it was in the 90’s when Butch was spinning the only copy around. Ward Burton on Panther also comes to mind. Goes to show there are still small stashes of rare records in the USA, but if anybody wants one, they may have to pay over the odds and see the price drop months down the road.

Even stamped Archer demo or issue would be perfect but not the uneven Archer stamped bootleg. The WME stamped records are legitimate second issues. The WME was scribed by Warren McCleallan Evans who cut the lacquer in a Nashville studio. Manship Price Guide #7 rates Archer and WME stamped records with three figure values but these are well out of date by now. True Archer stamped records are rare whilst WME records are more plentiful suggesting they were the bulk order produced in Nashville. As of yet, exact dates of the Archer pressed records in Detroit are not known - neither are the exact dates of the Nashville WME discs. It is universally assumed that the Archer pressed records came first for the local Detroit market with the Nashville records coming later for a more national distribution. Given the shortage of first edition Archer records, DJ’s would be advised to spin the WME variant as it was made in the USA early on in 1969.

Trying to keep an open mind, this thread has got me really confused. I always thought Modern Soul emanated from the 1980’s and amounted to rare disco inspired tunes with a high soul quotient and danceable quality. Some of the tunes mentioned above were termed ‘Newies’ back in the 70’s, recently produced records that followed on nicely from the classic years 1966-69; nowadays, they are lumped under the broad heading of ‘Crossover’, still largely made up of traditional instruments but with a bit of electronic music creeping in. I recall going to a 100 Club Modern Allnighter 25-30 years ago. The sounds were totally unfamiliar and not enjoyable so I left after a few hours of suffering. There were no tunes like the Montclairs, Lou Pride, Carstairs etc. Ady C seemed to stage only one of these damp squib affairs and apologetically said the event was put on as followers had no other venues to go to. So perhaps someone could define Modern Soul for us. Is it mainly electronic dance music from the 80’s onwards or what? Does it overlap with House Music? Apologies for sounding such a klutz on the topic but I need enlightening.

Spot on. Vintage years for the nostalgic. Rare 60’s and 70’s tunes, latest discoveries, one-offs, rarest of the rare. Dance floor code followed by all. Folks from all over the country. Sales boxes on the tables full of records you want nowadays. Dress code was smart, presentable, casual, informal and still is. Packed dance floor, good dancers, both ladies and gents. A few new onlookers but barely noticeable. Back then, an underground scene, members only, most folk still on the young side. The 100 Club will long be remembered in the same way as The Wheel, Torch, Wigan, Blackpool etc…you can’t beat a good dose of nostalgia looking back on the scene.

Congratulations on posting one of the most condescending opinions ever seen on Soul-Source, a forum ostensibly for those wishing to share their appreciation of soul music and the soul scene down the decades. The main cause of rising record prices is wannabe-deejays hell-bent on filling their hot-boxes with sounds that have become increasingly scarce. As an old soul-boy, I have insufficient income to buy records but the joy of reading about the soul scene in the 70’s makes up for this

Great to see a young crowd out enjoying themselves. Good music and some dancers who know their stuff. The clip answers one of the questions currently posed on Soul-Source - this is the future, a dedicated promoter, appreciative audience, suitable venue and plenty to drink. No pensioners in evidence, so young deejays and dancers can relax without concerns for dress-code, dance-floor code, OVO etc. The music will endure for ever at places like this. Grass-roots venues catering for mainly locals will draw others in from afar given a chance to succeed. Well done Peckham for flying the flag…

There were other records that brought the tempo down roundabout the same time - Kenny Smith, Bobby Hutton, Dena Barnes but to name a few. Ann Sexton before this phase. The Carstairs are often quoted to be the definitive game-changer but there was a whole raft of newies being plugged at the same time such as Lloyd Michaels, Spooky & Sue, Southside Movement etc. James Fountain was one of many groundbreaking sounds at a time of diversifying influences before disco and funk really took a hold.

Spotted your record for sale on eBay - much interest in it so you should do well. Great track and wanted by many in the UK and Europe. Well done on this rare find.

Cheers. It’s no trouble at all. Like many Soul-Sourcers, I look forward to 6.00 pm on Wednesdays. Oddly enough, I have only ever won one of John Manship’s auction records but have done a few deals with him down the decades. He runs a fully transparent auction and deserves much credit for this.

A few odd results here. Saxie Russell well down on previous value. Sunny & The Sunliners well up and about time too for this good sound. Too many set-sale items to list here… Hy-Tones value a PB for this item but well worth the outlay. Chubby Checker down a bit. Maybe folks are tiring of shelling out big bucks for sounds that are widely available ?

Hope this helps…

Machine Gun album was released 1974. The Zoo was one of the tracks, massive at Wigan’s 1st annivesary.

I’m surprised to learn there’s a cluster of bars playing Northern Soul in Turkey - perhaps this is what the future looks like. The cat’s been out of the bag a while now with NS events in Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Sweden to name but a few European countries - clearly the spread of NS continues and given that it is ultra-catchy dance music, it will always have its supporters. Given the finite supply of original vinyl, CD’s and new issues, it’s hardly surprising the music is being streamed via the internet or played on DIY CD’s etc. The future looks rather watered down with the further proliferation of small venues in bars, pubs, clubs etc with the occasional larger event catering for more committed enthusiasts. To some extent, this validates the high quality of the sounds we hold dear and have enjoyed for decades. With the decline of the contemporary music business, NS can be taken advantage of to fill the void. Look out for pop-up eateries and bars playing piped NS music coming to a place near you…

Some BIG numbers there… Bob And Fred WOW…Gerri Granger HUGE…plus a few set-sales records as usual.

Comedy Gold. Actually two of a kind as I’ve got one… Probably another 50 out there too.

Thanks for posting. Hard to believe the figure for Rita and The Tiaras, good record though it is. Thought the Wooden Nickels might fetch more. John should be pleased overall with this evening’s takings.