Paul Collis

I enjoyed listening to the thoughts of Booker T and David Porter. Two very interesting characters, still bursting with passion for the music they made.

Also Emile Griffiths was a pro boxer - hence his Going Going Gone on Tangerine, a great record. I read that he killed an opponent in the ring and was never able to come to terms with it.

Popcorn Wylie’s Move over Babe on Carla. I understand it’s a celebration of Hank (Henry) Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s record for most home runs in Major League Baseball.

A few nice titles for sale. Photos attached, all play through well. Postage £3 in UK. Please Pm if interested. Thanks, Paul. Exits - You Got To Have Money - Gemini (Yellow label/Nashville Stamp). EX £150 Lavern Baker/Jimmy Ricks - You're The Boss - Atlantic. EX £25 Edwin Starr - War - Gordy White Demo). EX £10 Four Tops - Ask The Lonely/Where Did You Go - Motown. EX £15 Chuck Corby - Happy Go Lucky - Veep. VG+ £15 Brightlights - Motor City Funk - Silver Fox (White Promo). VG+ £20 Betty Everett - Getting Mighty Crowded - VeeJay. VG+ £15 Major Lance - Hey Little Girl - Okeh. VG+ 10

I declined a ticket offered by my sister, a regular proms attendee. Thought it would be awful. Reading some of the comments on here, I decided to listen to the whole thing on BBC Sounds. On the whole I thought they made a good job of it. Largely faithful to the original recordings and the singers had some talent. The commentary avoided most of the common embarrassments, when the modern media talks about “Northern Soul”. Always liked Stuart Maconie’s work, and this does his reputation no harm. On reflection, I think I probably should have accepted the ticket.

Check out King Errison in the Kiss Kiss lounge in the Bond Movie, Thunderball. Awesome.

And Second City Sound had a decent go at it on Major-Minor. Birmingham group maybe?

Six great tunes for sale. All lovely copies. See scans. UK Postage £3.50 signed for. Paypal F&F: thephillydog@aol.com Thanks, Paul. The Soul City - I Shot For The Moon Mercury WD (NM) £90 Walter Jackson - It's an Uphill Climb to the Bottom - Okeh (NM) £60 Soulful Illusion - To Get Your Love/Searching For Love - Mercury WD (NM) £90 Barbara Mcnair - You're Gonna Love My baby - Motown Issue Styrene (NM) £200 Gladys Knight - Stop and get a Hold of Myself - Maxx Styrene Issue (NM) £200 King Edward - Girls are supposed/Beg Me - Groove (NM) £80

A few nice Motown items for sale. All in EX condition, and play well, unless otherwise indicated. Label Scans attached Postage £2 or £3.50 signed for. Paypal F&F to thephillydog@aol.com Thanks, Paul. Smokey Robinson & Miracles Tears of A Clown Tamla White Demo £20 Kim Weston Take Me In Your Arms Gordy £15 Martha & The Vandellas Nowhere To Run Gordy £25 Miracles Going To A Go-Go Tamla £7 Miracles Mickey's Monkey Tamla £8 Isley Brothers Take some time out for love Tamla (VG+ plays great) £6 Marvin Gaye Can I get a Witness Tamla £8 Four Tops I Got A Feeling/Bernadette Motown £10 Marvin Gaye What's Going On Tamla £8 Junior Walker Tune Up Soul £15 Four Tops Baby I Need Your Loving Motown £12

Check out “Ever since I was a kid” by Fink. Sums it up perfectly.

The one for me is The Crow - Autumn of Tomorrow. About two thirds in, after “who you gonna trust in baby”, someone cries out in the background. Always used to think it was me mum calling me for me tea. Still triggers the same reaction to this day.

That’s a brilliant read. I think I’ll print it out and stick it inside the album sleeve. Just think what more they could have achieved with a decent level of support.

Higher Feelings - wanna stay high. Heard it on Kent CD, knew nothing about it, punched it into EBay out of curiosity, mint ‘buy it now’ copy for $9.99.

That’s a fascinating article. I spent 2 years as a student in Philly and was introduced to Val by Tim A, who was over visiting from Stoke. I used to spend a full day in there every couple of months or so. It was a right pain to get to from where I lived…..a train and then something called a trolley, which was a tram-type thing. There was never any guarantee that Val would let me in, when I got there. Usually, a volley of verbal abuse, before I talked him round, but once past the door, he’d give me full access to the shelves. Everything filed by label and alphabetically by artist. I had to promise to remove a handful of records at a time, and then replace them in exactly the same sequence. I can hear Val now, saying “misfile it and you may as well steal it”. He would remain Ill-tempered throughout the day, occasionally levelling a “f’ing limey b*****d” comment at me. Anyone phoning the shop to enquire about a record would get the same treatment. If he had the record, he’d sometimes refuse to sell it, if the caller had irked him in any way. After a day listening to an incessant wave of expletives, we’d settle up. $3 per record, but occasionally, he’d pull one out of the pile, randomly, and say $5 for that one. It was always a good laugh to say, I’ll leave that one then. His assistant, used to grimace as Val told me in a forthright way, I wouldn’t be welcomed back. Then there was the arduous journey home in the dark, praying I’d make it without getting shot or stabbed before I’d had a chance to play the records. As a student, I had to be selective about what I bought. For example, if I found multiple copies, I’d normally only take one. I’m still convinced the blue Superlatives is rarer than the yellow, as I took the only blue from Val’s, leaving a dozen yellows behind. Like most collectors these days, all I can think of is the stuff I left in there. I saw a you-tube video of the shop a few years ago, which revealed a number of other rooms, stuffed with records. I never even knew about those, and always wonder if I could have sweet talked him into letting me loose in there. Over time, I think Val started to trust me on the mis-filing front, and although he never stopped cursing me out, I think he became a bit more tolerant. Anyway, I always thought he was a fascinating character. I often forget where some of my records came from, but I know every single one that came from R&B Records, Upper Darby. Yeah, you’re absolutely right. It was always good natured with him. He was all about the music, and he left a lasting impression on me.

That’s a fascinating article. I spent 2 years as a student in Philly and was introduced to Val by Tim A, who was over visiting from Stoke. I used to spend a full day in there every couple of months or so. It was a right pain to get to from where I lived…..a train and then something called a trolley, which was a tram-type thing. There was never any guarantee that Val would let me in, when I got there. Usually, a volley of verbal abuse, before I talked him round, but once past the door, he’d give me full access to the shelves. Everything filed by label and alphabetically by artist. I had to promise to remove a handful of records at a time, and then replace them in exactly the same sequence. I can hear Val now, saying “misfile it and you may as well steal it”. He would remain Ill-tempered throughout the day, occasionally levelling a “f’ing limey b*****d” comment at me. Anyone phoning the shop to enquire about a record would get the same treatment. If he had the record, he’d sometimes refuse to sell it, if the caller had irked him in any way. After a day listening to an incessant wave of expletives, we’d settle up. $3 per record, but occasionally, he’d pull one out of the pile, randomly, and say $5 for that one. It was always a good laugh to say, I’ll leave that one then. His assistant, used to grimace as Val told me in a forthright way, I wouldn’t be welcomed back. Then there was the arduous journey home in the dark, praying I’d make it without getting shot or stabbed before I’d had a chance to play the records. As a student, I had to be selective about what I bought. For example, if I found multiple copies, I’d normally only take one. I’m still convinced the blue Superlatives is rarer than the yellow, as I took the only blue from Val’s, leaving a dozen yellows behind. Like most collectors these days, all I can think of is the stuff I left in there. I saw a you-tube video of the shop a few years ago, which revealed a number of other rooms, stuffed with records. I never even knew about those, and always wonder if I could have sweet talked him into letting me loose in there. Over time, I think Val started to trust me on the mis-filing front, and although he never stopped cursing me out, I think he became a bit more tolerant. Anyway, I always thought he was a fascinating character. I often forget where some of my records came from, but I know every single one that came from R&B Records, Upper Darby.