Dave Thorley

It was a big tune for a while and got played all over the place, heard it at Wigan, Early Ritz Alledayers, Yate, Locarno..........

Hi Malc I though Cleethorpes, nice little tune. In fact had a casette back in the 70's from Steve Smith of Cleethorpes tunes and I'm sure it was on that.

Hi Ian I've got one as well, but it must be packed at the moment in storage. Dave

Record buying trip in Ireland me thinks

Or his!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was thinking more about the process, with such a large record inventry. Buy them, hell no.

But if you bought this and had the money to do so, you wouldn't ship them. You get wharehouseing in the US and process them there. For a lot less than $700K+ you could set up a very nice business, with people working for you on the processing, or move out there yourself.

But they had some involvement with the re-issue on this occassion

On this one point we do agree, quality song writing is a failing art. Great dance track but 'You can do it if you put your back into it' sums up the poor state of song writing. This is one area where Hip Hop and modern R&B is to blame. People falling over themselves to applaude poor song writing skills. So new writers and artists don't try cuz the bench mark is so low.

I don't have rose tinted glasses and I know it's hard for these guys. But I do speak to Larry at Ecko and Manny at Coastal on a regular basis and they do see a future. But it has taken a time for them to get connected to new sales/distribution channels and this includes the use of download, internet sites etc. But the things you outline are not unique to Soul Music it is a general problem for the entire music industry. As for quality, there have always been good and bad, there was lots of siht made back then as well. But some in the UK view things from a norrow view and want everything to sound like yesterday, it never will. Even if recordings are made with full instrumentation, real time recording sessions etc etc. Studio equipment is different, studios are built differently, so the sound can never be the same. But lets all be very British about this 'It's over, the end is nie, it will never be the same again' Back in the late 70's early 80's people on this scene used to say the same thing, funny thing is the records they used to sight as examples of the change are the very records now filling the floors at many venues. We may not have wax records or tunes that sound like 1968 in the future, but I'm sure we will still have good vocal black music, that makes us get up on the floor.

I agree urban is where US black music is now in the US and it does sell well. Over the last few years there have been lots of great stuff coming out, both old school and new. Those that say there isn't just aren't hearing it or looking hard enough. Ebony Evans, Angie Stone, Wilson Meadows, JXL, Chicago Steppers Collective, Carla Cook, Butch Williams, Zell, Jeff Hendrick, Groove Monster, L Young, C-Smooth, James Ray, D.L. Wilson, Angela Johnson the list is endless Just check out this site https://www.soultracks.com/

Even more bizaar when you it was Little Beaver and Betty Wright that help produce and play on the Joss Stone LP.

A nice part of the world in daylight, but at night

I was once asked if I was interested in a collection larger than this in the Atlanta area. From what I understand that one is still up for sale, trouble was that you had to sign a legal convenant not to break it up. Oh and I didn't have the asking price

Good. I'll see the lead singer in a few weeks I'll ask him the story.

Have you check out the picture of him at his workstation, he has, as well as the 2 screens, a mini TV. Must be to watch the ball games while he works. Also a mirror, so he can check his hair from time to time and photo's of the family incase he forgets what they look like upstairs!!!!!!!!!!

He looks like the kind of guy that has it all on a data base, only comes out of his basement to get food or go to record fairs

He we go guys, ends in next few days get your check books out and you can make the man in the picture a happy man. https://cgi.ebay.com/The-Worlds-Greatest-Mu...1QQcmdZViewItem

Sent you an email mate Dave

I understand your comments. But my experience while traveling round the US is that yes a fair bit of 'traditional' soul is still being made. Not in the same volume as before, as just with here the youth of america have moved on. Many small labels are still producing great music, Coastal Records in Atlanta, Ecko in Memphis, R.A.W-Birmingham, Wilbe-Atlanta, Senator Jones Organisation, Malaco, Holland Brothers the list goes on and on. The problem is more that we don't get to hear as much as we did as they have dropped outside the major distribution channels. Most are run by old timers who didn't keep pace with the changes in distribution and promotion, so much of their out put is now only locally heard. Over the last few years they have found it harder and harder to get their stuff distributed or even get air play. The politics surrounding US radio play has made it a closed shop to many of them, dominated by the majors. Early this year we started a side of our business called Plug & Play to help independants get their stuff out to DJ's and columnists over here. Over the last few years many people I know have asked if we can help with contacts in europe. The first thing we helped with was the 12" from Ebony Evans, through Coastal Records. They were very pleased with the feed back they got from our mail out. Now we can't do much to dent the wall of indiffrence in the U.S. or here, but we thought we would try. Lastly if you regularly go on sites like EMS Forum, or sales sites like CDBaby or Soul Tracks you will be amazed how much is really out there. But you won't find it in your local HMV. Soul Music in the U.S. is alive, but a bit of a sickly child that needs our help. Dave

Sadly they all seem to know what it's worth over here I first meet Jeff Beckman back in the early 80's and when I went to see him he reeled off just about every major dealer and collector in the UK. Many had beat a path to his door before me. But some years later he did sell me the first copy of Bad Weather Inc, to come over here. When it took off over here we went round about four collectors in New York and got a copy from each. Most of them had had it from almost a new release.

This was a Re-issue and was sold in the US. The record had been indemand with US soul harmony collectors long before it was indemand over here. Many of the 60's/70's Doo Wop collectors over there started collecting soul harmony records as a natural progression. Guys like Jeff Beckman had major collection with many of the rarest northern tunes in, way back then and many the UK still hadn't discovered. It always amazes me that people over here think we discovered everything first. Although they have a completely different scene over there, there have been many major collectors of rare soul in the states as long as there have been here. Infact many UK dealers as early as the 70's knew these guys and would visit them to find new tunes.

The Gold one was a legal re-issue by the guys in the group in agreement with Popcorn Wylie, from which they got the proceeds. This recent one is a bootleg and the guys in the group are getting nothing from it's issue.

Oh yes and in the events section on here