Pep

Not sure. Probably not.

Hi, Yes Soussan mass-bootlegged this on styrene, with some printed off centre like your photograph. Has yours got PB in the deadwax? I had some of the PB ones in my shop around mid 1976 and am pretty certain they were vinyl, with a very thin white border at the edge. More importantly they had the same orange coloured stripes as genuine originals, while the mass produced styrene bootlegs he did had more yellowish stripes. I had and sold hundreds of those in my shops in 76/77. I only had two/three of the PB ones. He only pressed perhaps 200 each of those.

This is a confusing one! Have a promo of the Bell Sound edition, without any scratching out and matrix ZTSC 97700. It is slightly quieter than the other edition. Not sure which came first chronologically. Labels are reversed but deadwax matrix 97700 matches the one printed on the label, albeit the label says "What Did I Do Wrong"! (I said it was confusing). The other is a regular mauve issue of the Nashville edition, with ZTSC 97699 both in the deadwax and on the label. The #97699 is crossed through on the flip only and replaced by 97700. Accordingly the deadwax Matrix numbers differ on each edition, being 97700 for "DLMOB" on the Bell Sound edition (promo in my case), and 97699 for "DLMOB" on the Nashville mastered edition. So a mastering lab identification cock up at the very minimum! We should rely on Robbk for what he bought and heard on radio in Detroit at the time, so can deduce that the Bell mastered edition was the one chosen for general release. The main differences I can hear are that the Nashville edition is a bit 'softer' sounding with certain instruments and backing vocals slightly more prominent. The Bell Sound edition is a little more trebly with a more prominent lead vocal and sharper beat - so probably more suitable for the NS scene. The greater prominence of EL's vocal was probably the reason it was ultimately chosen for release. Undoubtedly the Bell Sound version was scarcer at the time, but as so often is the case, a UK dealer (John Anderson I believe in this case) found and exported a few of the 'unreleased' Nashville edition. All I recall were new/mint when they landed. Whilst the general release was undoubtedly common in sixties, most will have been binned/wrecked a long time ago. Accordingly they are probably equally scarce now, although I like most prefer the softer/thicker sound of the Nashville edition. Both are brilliant of course, as is the Billy Kennedy version released under the guise of E.Laskey, mainly I guess because no singer was identified on the master tape. It would have been far more interesting and exciting to say it was by Billy Kennedy. Anyway, hope that helps although it could only add to the confusion! Lol.

Yes Sutty I agree, like I said in my last post, it would be the studio/mastering lab engineer who cut the lacquer who added his initials/stamp. Although mastering lab engineers obviously exist, every studio has one. They are arguably the most important person in the recording process. Certainly in my personal experience. Most studios in the UK had a cutting lathe in the 70s and some pressing plants offered a 1/4" to record one-stop service. Accordingly Phil Brown is most likely a studio engineer. Possibly a standalone-lab technician or owner.

The PB counterfeits look very much like the Cattaneo ones, so best guess they were done at the same plant. I assume it was the studio/mastering engineer who added his initials, and he may have had his own studio/lab or Monarch had a lab where they also mastered third party product? Perhaps this Phil Brown had his own pressing plant? After all those famous early Led Zeppelin bootlegs also bore the PB stamp.

Fair enough if the consensus is they're the engineer Phil Brown's initials, although the Soussan counterfeits in question were vinyl not MR styrene - the medium of choice for Soussan's volume product in the mid-seventies. The Soussan counterfeit Mel Britt with the white band was vinyl, although the right colours, whereas the later volume reissue of Mel Britt was styrene, but the wrong colours... replacing the orange with yellow. Some excellent lookalike vinyl bootlegs emanated from the West Coast in the mid-seventies. Most arrived on our shores via the collaboration of Bob Cattaneo and John Anderson.

Most likely something as simple as the RCA Indianapolis pressing plant matrix. Some Hall & Oates 7" releases of the mid-seventies had PB prefixes. Soussan's lookalike bootlegs of 75/76 were designed to fool and the plant was probably chosen as it was one of increasingly few doing vinyl pressings. They were all short-run (perhaps just 100). George Blackwell and the Anderson Brothers were the hardest to tell from originals. Mel Britt probably the easiest, due to a thin white band around the centre hole and (ironically) the fact it was vinyl when the originals were styrene. Happy collecting everyone.

This was showing as available at Juno a couple of days ago? Is it in stock there? If not will it be in August? What about the 'promo' copies? Can't seem to order that edition.

Not a problem. Just trying to help.

Formatting not good on a smartphone!

Condition?

Voltaire's wanted. PM with price and condition.

I have purchased the entire balance of these records and sent a substantial amount to Liam via F&F. I am not now getting any replies to my messages and am quite concerned. I trust these are not still being sold as I have bought and paid for them! Could Liam please get back to me. Regards, Ian Pereira.

Hi Al,will pm.

Will pm.

Hi. My son's interested. Will pm.

A very great loss. One of the founding fathers of our music, and a very fine singer and songwriter. Saddened.

Edwin Starr... probably the best pure dance record ever (impo of course). It could be dangerous dancing to it now, at my age! Gloria Jones (Come Go)... my favourite female vocal NS record ever.

Nice to see a bit of real, unpretentious nostalgia.

Must be a Cats lad with a list like that! Some of the best intros. ever in this list. High Keys and Glories... two of the most uplifting records ever played.

Howard Guyton... Catacombs memories of an ultra-classy tune. Don Varner was one on my H's favourites. She wrote her name in black on the label (fortunately you can't easily see it). Could tell you a great tale about this record. Perhaps another day.