Sean Hampsey

Posted twice. Computer's got hiccups!

Thanks all for the messages, texts, phone calls and pm's that have come 'flooding' in. It's been a tough 24 hours but you've helped me a great deal. Just started on the LP's. Bloody things are worse than the 45's. Sleeves just coming apart and collapsing in my hands. Thinking about buying an iPod and going digital! Onward and upward! And sincere thanks again to all. Sean

Thanks for that. When I bought the House I was assured that the Basement was fully 'Tanked'... but i guess it only takes a pin prick when the water table rises to penetrate the floor & walls. The floor is tiled throughout and it's superbly decked out and finished, so you wouldn't have thought in a million years there'd ever be a problem with 'Rising Damp', but this weather has been freekish to say the least. Must crack on. Sean

Managed to get a couple of hours on the settee. Thanks so much for the messages. Here's a couple of snaps of the cellar flooding and the start of the clean up / dry up operation where I took over the kitchen as command HQ (not been in there before ). Getting it in perspective, it's like a bloody war zone around here for a lot of poor buggers. Thousands have no electricity, tap water, drainage etc. Not good. My kids live less than 2 miles from Ulley Dam which is in a serious position. They're safe, but a lot of people's homes wont be and the next 48 hours will be critical for thousands of people in parts of Sheffield and Rotherham. Sean

A week last Friday (remember the day... the rain came) my 'Cellar Of Soul' was flooded with about 6" of water. I was up all night (until 11.00am Sat morning) trying to rescue whatever was on the floor (my play boxes full of 45's, piles af albums, 1,500 CD's) cardboard boxes full of magazines going back to early B&S, Record Lists, my complete works of Richard Allen etc. Man that I am, I never shed a tear, for fear of raising the water level, but it's been a torrid 10 days or so, trying to extract each piece of vinyl from the sleeve, dry each label with soft tissue, hanging LP covers all over the house on makeshift washing lines trying to dry them out. We're talking about 2-3,000 45's and LP's under water! I contacted my Insurance Co (where the records are well covered within the contents insurance) and they advised me to leave well alone (not to rescue anymore) and wait until they could get the Loss Adjuster out to assess the damage and potential loss. A further few thousand 45's and a couple of thousand LP's were left down there (above water level) and eventually the water subsided. They told me they couldn't get out until... this coming Thursday (because of the volume of such tragedies) and despite the fact I told em that this was no ordinary cellar full of crap......... (it was MY cellar full of crap)............ they still couldn't prioritise the visit. Well, if you saw the news or live near me (S. Yorks / N. Derbyshire), you know what happened last night. Sho' nuff it came again... deeper than before (or deep as you like and then some!!!) I've just spent the last 6 hours trying to salvage the balance. Soul Destroying... Well, the guy from the Insurance Co is due on Thursday. Now, I've saved most of my Soul records by spending the week cleaning and drying them (and on the upside, found loads of stuff I didn't know I had ) but I've still several boxes that I've just not been able to get to and a few thousand 60's & 70's Pop records, most on UK demos, that are just sitting in the middle of the floor in 6" of water. Main question is, anyone out there work in Home Insurance can explain (since I've rescued most of my rarer Soul records) would there be any loss attached to these since a few of them have spent a few hours under water and how could this be valued (de-valued)? Secondly, anyone out there work in Home Insurance can explain how I would go about valuing all the stuff that's still down there with all the labels floating about around them... or is the onus on them to do that? Thirdly... any other advice from anyone with similar experience, in particular regarding Records & CD's, very much appreciated. Got an hour to do at Shane's new gig in Sheffield this Friday night. Expect 60 minutes of whatever I've been able to salvage. Oh, and any requests for "Wade in The Water" on the night will be treated with absolute contempt! Mods... anyone... if this is in the wrong place please move it. Many thanks Sean

Agree Bob. Sounds exactly like Syl and how he would have handled it to me. Sean

Hi Adam, John Benson has a rare Jap LP with Syl Johnson on "All I Need Is Someone Like You" (?) with same backing as Nate Evans. Is that the one you mean? Sean

Pretty sure I've got Syl Johnson singing Main Squeeze on a Hi label 45, Bob, but it's a different backing track to Nate Evans on Twinight, from memory. Sean

That's right mate. The Guy in the shop locked us in the basement for the entire day. We were down there for hours dreading he'd go home without freeing us! I swapped you a Checkmates "All Alone" Demo for it... so think I did OK there. Also picked up my Differences "Five Minutes" on Monca out of that huge pile. Think we did OK for a dollar apiece! Sean

SS is set as my Home Page. I probably refreshed it a thousand times. Actually got some work done inbetween times though!

Here's the definitive definition or explanation - copied from my previous two posts on the subject a few months ago! The term 'Crossover Soul' was first used over here (in the UK) by Rod Dearlove at Thorne (Canal Tavern) to describe those records produced in the late 60's and early 70's that were neither:- a) Typical 60's style Soul / Motownesque tunes or b ) Typical 70's 'strings n' things' productions. These records had not really gained mass favour on the UK 'Northern' scene as they weren't 'typical' Motown styled 60's sounding records. Nor had they been well received on the 'Modern' scene as they weren't necessarily 'uptempo, new or 'zippy' enough for the modern crowd. These were records produced around that 4-5 year 'crossover' period between the 60's and the 70's. The term 'Crossover Soul' in the UK 'Soul Scene' sense does not refer to music that 'crossed over' from the R&B charts to the mainstream (as in the US sense) nor does it mean records that 'crossed over' from the 'Modern' rooms to the 'Northern' rooms. Typical 'Crossover Soul' records referred to at the time that the phrase was first used in this context (late 80's / Early 90's) would have included:- Bobby Reed "The Time Is Right For Love" Soul Brothers Inc "That Loving Feeling" Frank Lynch "Young Girl" Enchanted Five "Have You Ever" Vivian Copeland "Key In The Mailbox" LJ Reynolds "All I Need" Sandra Wright "Midnight Affair" Ultimates "Girl I've Been Trying To Tell You" Tyrone St German "In A World So Cold" Sy Hightower "I Wonder Why" 100 Proof "Don't You Wake Me" Will Hatcher "You Haven't Seen Nothing Yet" Ray Frazier "These Eyes" None of these had been acknowledged 'Northern' or 'Modern' soul records (wrong tempo and wrong 'sound' for the Northern scene... and far too old for the other). All of the above, though, fitted the 'Crossover Soul' genre and the Thorne crowd's requirements perfectly. In the past 15 or so years (since the phrase was first used to describe records from this period) this 'sound' and type of record has since 'crossed over' to the Northern Scene alerting many people to that rich period of Soul artistry, the late 60's and early 70's... and confusing others as to the definition. Ultimately, though, we have Rod Dearlove to thank for breaking the mould. Sean Hampsey

No, I think that what you thought or heard is pretty accurate Steve. "Make It Happen" was never issued at the same time as "For Real". I don't believe that the solid centre (Test Pressings) were either. But, as I understood it, it was recorded at the same time as "For Real" by all accounts. I always believed that both copies (types) were much later date pressings. As for being pressed up 'under the guidance of' someone in the N. East, I'd say that was highly likely. Sean

Yeh... good idea! Hope it's better shopping weather where you are. Sean

I'm sure yer not wrong Stevie. I didn't think that there were as many as half a dozen solid centres knocking around... and I'm sure there were more than 25 of the Big wholer's... but if that's the case then it's one of the best fivers I've ever spent. I reckon the one on Manship's is most probably one of the '25' wouldn't you? Sean

Actually, Rachel, the term 'Crossover Soul' (in the UK Soul Scene sense) was originally coined entirely about the date... and the sound that emanated from that period... i.e. the 'crossover' period... crossing over from the 60's to the 70's. Sean

Hi Michael, First pressings had solid centres... but there were only a few of those back in the day. Second presses had the big hole, but same label info (as I recall)! I've known and seen the Big hole copy fetch up to £300 in recent times, as it always was a fairly limited press. Not seen a solid centre issue for sale for over many years. Lovely record. Sean

I heard a BG did it! Sean

If you're a Soul fan, either argument (60's is better than 70's or vice versa) seems totally flawed. If the record is 'Soulful' to ones ear or ones emotions, the period in which it was made is irrelevant. The fact is, '60's only' fans are often more interested in the production values of the period than in the 'Soul' content, which is why so many 60's POP records have been accepted by those with more of an ear for that period in music. On the flipside, I find that many 'Modern' fans are equally less interested in the 'SOUL' content than they might be in a more contemporary production. This explains why a great deal of POP DISCO fodder gets programmed in 'Modern' rooms as (to the ear of the fan) it fits the bill. It's a circle that can't be squared, because on the outside of both is the Soul fan who's much more interested in the Vocal, the Lyrics and the true 'Feeling' (or SOULFULNESS) of the track, so production values, styling, era and genre are almost immaterial. I'm just so very glad that I happen to love it all... (well, nearly all) but can well understand why some might be much more prepared to have and feel an appreciation for one over the other. Sean Hampsey

I have the 45. It's a TESE Issue. Pink & Red label. Sean

Loads of 'em Blake (as we can see from John's list) but first one that springs to mind for me is Tyrone Davis "Turn Back the Hands Of Time" backed with the marvellous "I Keep Coming Back". Also, a big fan of Spencer Wiggins "Take Time To Love Your Woman" and the deep as you can go flip "I Can't Be Satisfied". Soul Perfection! Sean

At least 6 aberrations (circled) that, after I enlarged the smaller image. prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are photographs of THE SAME 45! Sean

Dead right Steve. Just mind blowing tunes at the time... and still send shivers down my spine to this day. Sean

And William De Vaughn

T'was me Simon. Dickie even used to announce it as "Sean's Norman Conners" You should have left your tape on mate! But for me.... Richard's finest hour was his Maurice McAllister C/U "Your Love Is Slipping Away" Mr Soul.. "What Happened To Yesterday" Bloody hell. Brings tears to my eyes. I just longed for his spot just to hear that record. Sean

Yup!