Sean Hampsey

The old Rotherham ender Millie Jackson "Ask Me What You Want".

I heard Brian Rae finish off with it at an early Clifton Hall and when I took over continued the tradition.

Never heard it played out elsewhere since though.

Always thought The Artistics "I'm Gonna Miss You" was the perfect ender for the "Old Farts" Herringthorpe gigs, some years back and only recently realised how perfect "It'll Never Be The Same Again" by Fifth Dimension on Soul City would be for an ender.

Appropriate and Poignant.

Sean Hampsey

I always recommend Oscar Weathers' "You Wants To Play" (Top and Bottom) to anyone looking for a remarkable record at a remarkably small price.

Top Tip Tony.

I often play this in the 'Lounge' at Yarmouth. Out here on UK Mojo 2092-006, but still a great cheapie deepie on either label!

Sean Hampsey

Right, Lunch over with!

More Deepie Cheapies!

Sam Dees - The Show Must Go On

Bobby Patterson - If He Hadn't Slipped Up And Got Caught

Otis Clay - That's How It Is

Levert - I'm Still

Barbara & The Browns - I Dont Want To Have To Wait

Controllers - We Dont

ZZ Hill - This Time They Told The Truth

Bobby Patterson - Right Place, Wrong Time

Luther Ingram - Love Aint Gonna Run Me Away

Wilson Pickettt - I've Come A Long Way

Eddie & Ernie - I'm going For Myself

LJ Reynolds - Let One Hurt Do

James Carr - These Aint Raindrops

Dramatics - In The Rain

Timmy Thomas - What Can I Tell Her

David Ruffin - Common Man

Lady Margo - Stop By

Vera Powell - I Didn't Know How Happy I Could Be

Dells - I Touched A Dream

Truth - Come Back Home

Sammy Jones - You've Got To Show Me

Tommy Tate - School Of Life

Blue Notes - This Time Will Be Different

...And the greatest Deep Soul record in the history of the Universe...

Bobby McClure - To Get What You Got

All can be had for under a tenner.

Happy Hunting.

Sean Hampsey

Can anyone recommend some others please? Ten quid or under?

Bessie Banks "Try To Leave Me If You Can"

Debbie Taylor "I Dont Wanna Leave You"

Shirley Brown "It's Worth A Whipping"

Margie Alexander "Keep On Searching"

All indispensable

More to come. Lunch is calling!

Sean Hampsey

Actually got Bet you never thought . flip was ok too but cant think what it was?

(without digging it out what was it ? do you remember)

It's the flip to "Baby That's Love"

Sean Hampsey

What, even over this version ??

Definately Darren.

Never could stand Marvin G singing standards!

But Marvin Junior... that's another story!

Sean

It's been cropping up a lot lately.

Looks good and sounds good... but only works on Explorer, Not on Mozilla - Firefox, Safari etc.

Sean Hampsey

'Up In The Streets Of Harlem' (Atlantic)........quality Northern mid-tempo!

Oh yes!

Just beat me to it!

Awesome atmospheric number with a great uptempo flip in "You Can't Love Them All"

A similar (but earlier) track to "Up In The Streets" is "I'll Take You Home" from 1963.

Favourite ballad though is "I Don't Want To Go On Without You" (Flip of "Boardwalk) with Charlie Thomas on lead.

Superb!

Sean Hampsey

Normally goes for about £20.00.

Bargain too!

Did you mean 'Snowy's Record shop in Rotherham?

Since moved to Doncaster.

Cheers

Sean Hampsey

Sorry if i done many new topics like this. But last one for me so far is Aretha Franklin does anyone know of Northern tracks she made cause honestly i never seem to hear of it. Which to me seems rather strange

Apart from "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream" try:

"Cry Like A Baby" Columbia

"I Can't See Myself Leaving You" Atlantic

"When I Think about You" Atlantic

"I Needed You Baby" Atlantic (Almighty Fire LP)

"Integrity" Arista

All top drawer dancers!

Sean Hampsey

I prefer the Tom Jones version of "It's Not Unusual" compared to the Impressions.

Phil.

Whereas I much prefer the Dells!

Sean Hampsey

And much as I LOVE Otis Clay.. I used to cringe at his take on "Turn Back The Hands Of Time,

Jee, I thought for one minute you were gonna diss Yazz

Superb Simon.... as ever!

Time for bed... with smile well and truly on!

Sean

Gawd, what a question!

For me, Gene has always been up there with Willie Tee as the guy with the slickest repertoire ever to grace our dancefloors.

But.. it's got to be......... the immortal....

Nothing Can Stop Me

Though I adore pretty much everything by him (even the later 20th Century material).

N. Soul wise....... I Can Take Care........After the Laughter..... I Won't Need You....... all irresistible

Off the dancefloor.... got to be 'To Be A Lover' 'I Fooled You This Time' and 'To Choose' for me.

Just love him.

Sean Hampsey

Agree on all points Tony.

Gwen's version is a far better Soul record... but since theVK version is much rarer, something else takes over in the mind of the 'collector'.

It's a form of 'Sex Appeal' that anyone other than a rare soul 'collector' or 'DJ' wouldn't recognise!

It's also one of the problems in the UK Soul scene, these days, and an endemic part of the Northern scene.

I remember hearing the Bay Bros "What Does It Take" played out some years ago, and just thinking....But Why?

I mean... if you want to play a 'version' the Buddy Miles 45 is far superior (though none can touch Junior)

Same thing happened when I first heard the Spyders "I Can Take Care Of Myself" and the Bellboys "I Don't Wanna Lose You".

And much as I LOVE Otis Clay.. I used to cringe at his take on "Turn Back The Hands Of Time, equally so with Mack Simmons "Turning Point" whilst Tyrone (at No 1 in the US R&B charts) would never have got a look in over here!

It's the 'Sex Appeal' that does it.

Provides variety I guess, but yes, those with 'ears' can tell which version is 'best' just by listening... rather than referring to the price guides.

Sean Hampsey

a nice track, but it's a demo on monument. Not know much about it.

It came out twice on Sound Stage 7 in the USA with different flipsides, one being "Misty Blue" and the other (the original) a superb midtempo tune called "When" (issued in the UK on Monument in 1970).

The "When" side always went down well at my local in the early 70's and (I think) was a 100 Club spin in the early 80's.

Worth seeking out for this particular flip as it's a great record!

Sean Hampsey

How is Gary S... is he still dealing .. What a Perm he had , ( good mates with Poke if I remember rightly)

Cheers

Simon

Gary sold up about 8 years ago due to illness. Most of his stock went to Anglo American. He was / is a great guy and from being a young lad was always really into the music. His Black Knight record list is sorely missed.

Worked for John Anderson for a while, hence his association with Poke (another great lad!).

I was one of the privileged who had access to his old warehouse, in darkest Neepsend. Often every bit as rewarding as some of my trips to the US of A... and at certain hours of the day just as risky!

Sean Hampsey

ok its time to apply the pressure, come on down rob wigley and tell us about the "lets have a few days off looking for records, lets go to hawaii girls and have some fun". this was rob and his mate to there lovely wives/girlfriend.sunken ships or what...

This was Rob Wigley & Andy "TATS" Taylor.

I'd been in Honolulu in September 1988 and came across an amazing shop called "Jellys Records" in a shady part of town. The shop closed at 8.00pm but not before I bought a stack of decent Northern 45's for a dollar apiece. As I was at the counter counting out the 50 Bucks the guy told me that the next day they were having a 'Sidewalk Sale' the next morning (before the Sun came round the front of the shop) and they were putting all the stuff from the basement on the Shop front for 10 for a dollar... (thats 10 cents each!!).

I was there for 7.30am and went through around 10,000 boxed 45's before noon, netting over 200 records for just over $20.00 (about £12!!!!).

In there were a handful of Joannie Sommers "Dont Pity Me" two of which I sold to Rob Wigley at Thorne and a few months after he bugged me to tell him more about Jellys.

Needless to say, Rob & Tats decided to hit it a few months later but (as I 'd cleaned it out) they came up with very little.

Might be worth a revisit though, 18 years later, just in case they've an overstocked basement ...and need to have another Sidewalk Sale!

Need to get Rob on here and he'll verify the Tony & Tyrone thread mentioned earlier... and I'll let him tell you about the time in Washington when we were almost run out of town by a gang who wanted to know why we were on 'There Mutha Fcuk'n Street!'

Were it not for the fact that the shop owner was, well lets say, well connected, we were pretty much dead meat.

Sean Hampsey

How many labels called 'Mainstream' have there been?

When did they run from and what were their significant releases?

Sarah Vaughan "I Need You More Than Ever Now" is my fave Mainstream 45.

Simply Gorgeous!

Sean Hampsey

It was an excellent night. A number of us travelled over from Peterborough. Also interviewed Popcorn Wylie at Hinckley for Blackbeat.

Al Kent was one of the friendliest guys you could meet a real gentle giant.

I was with you that night Steve.

I remember Al Kent telling us that Norma Toney (the writer "N. Toney" on tons of great records) was his wife.

Blew me away!

Sean Hampsey

is it obscure or collected on other scenes?

Yes.

Collectors of Carolina Based Tex Mex Geriatric Midget Music are big fans of his stuff!

Sean

Was also issued on Silver Fox 4, as by "Baby Al and the Capps" . They were from North Carolina, which means that any Tex-Mex influence is probably just coincidental!

TONE

Hi Tony,

I've got the "Baby Al" 45 as a Silver Fox W/D ("Grab Your Partner").

"Little Al" or "Baby Al" was Al McLaurin who, given his name, sounds more like a Scot than a Spaniard.... but the record was actually a minor hit in.... Spain... of all places... much like the Rocky Roberts I mentioned earlier.

Sean Hampsey

Have you heard stuff by Casino Royale on Key-Loc? Very similar sounding.

No, any good? Sounds like a James Bond theme tune tribute band!

Yes, it's good stuff alright.

Think, Rocky Roberts & The Airedales on a midtempo fingersnapper! Or a cool sounding Sunny & The Sunliners.

Great version of "Diamonds Are Forever"

Priceless.

Sean

Thanks Sean.

Is it a fortune? How many pesos?

No idea Simon.

It does turn up though from time to time, so shouldn't be too many!

Have you heard stuff by Casino Royale on Key-Loc? Very similar sounding.

Cheers

Sean

Half a track, no track list; anyone got any ideas?

thanks

"Laugh Now Boy" by Little Al & The Maxidynes on Shell

Possibly.

Sounds quite Tex Mex to me!

Sean Hampsey

I was given a present by the late Dave Godin. It was a Tamla Motown Appreciation Society Speicial Release Promo featuring all the Motown Greats.

I was given the same present by Dave... and my copy, after all these years, I'm pleased to say, is still MINT, complete with the original Blue Paper sleeve.

As a matter of interest, the A side came out on CD earlier this year (or back end of last!).

As for the broken record... my copy of the Natural Four "I Thought You Were Mine" on ABC issue arrived from the states in two pieces over 25 years ago. I taped up the flip with Black Insulating tape and have played it out ever since!

Who says you can't mend a broken heart?

Sean Hampsey