Robbk

I've always seen VJ 441 as "Tragic/Come to Me", and "Loving You" on Abner. But, i do think I remember seeing the Tragic/Loving You combo on VJ 441, as well. Maybe it was a later re-issue, when VJ was desperately releasing records to try to bring in cash?

The Four Tempos, Invinctbles, Soul-jers, Atlantics, Village Callers and Barry White had good records out on that label. Even Cannibal and The Headhunters, whose fast songs I don't like in the slightest, sang a few nice ballads for the label.

So THIS Ernie Fields is NO RELATION to the band leader I listened to in the '40s-'60s?

That's a great cut. Is that the SON of Ernie Fields who was the house band leader and arranger for Cash/Money records from 1953-63, and also recorded for Imperial and Rendezvous Records in the late '50s and early '60s? He can't be the same guy, he'd be 80 years old now.

There are printer errors all the time. The error could have been on a second issue, but the label owner decided to have the title changed by hand, as their publicity all had had the correct spelling. We had some printer errors on Airwave Records, despite having sent correct information to the printer.

No. The Kittens Three.

I have it on the plain pink label.

I'd vote for the powder blue (turquoise) being the older, as Bob stated, it has the older design, and i saw the powder blue and white DJs with that design when the record was out. I never saw the dark blue version until much later.

I've got a pink one I'll consider swapping, eventually (after the going price gets high enough).

I didn't know that The Five keys did any recording for any RCA label (or does that album include non-RCA recordings (maybe bought out later by RCA's conglomerate)?).

I had the 1000 series issue at one time, but traded it away, years ago.

Yes, Chicago, Detroit, L.A, SF, Cleveland, Cincinatti, etc. all had R&B bloomings with people who had later success in Soul music.

Here's OUR version:

That looks to me NOT like a "light blue" demo copy, but rather, a black on pure white demo, whose colour looks a bit grayish, caused by the scanning process. My black on white DJ copy looks like that. I've never seen the blue one, and never seen any Chex Record without a stamp, and with "Chex" scratched on. I've seen many Jay-Gee distributed issues on the cream-coloured block lettered Chex. But they all had a stamp (Sheldon?), and also the record number etched on, and no "Chex".

I was around at tha time the record came out, and remember only the white cream-coloured issue with block letters, that was also picked up by Jay-Gee fro national distribution, and the yellow and green "checkerboard" issue. i don't remember seeing the blue issue until the late 1970s or early 1980s. That doesn't mean that it's a boot, but I don't remember Chex using blue on other issues, and would be wary of pressings with no stamps, and only "Chex" scratched on.,

"Landy" was Landy McNeil. Definitely a Philly label. I wonder how The Vontastics got on it. No other relation to Chicago. Definitely not in operation in 1965. Very late 1966 for The Dippers MIGHT be a possibility. But 1967 sounds right.

Valerie & Nick's version blows The Bee Jays' away.

Round Robin was Domain's main artist, and he worked out of L.A.. Not sure whether or not Sepe/Krasnow and Brooks worked out of NY/Brill Building, or L.A. Rust/Laurie being in NY has no bearing on where the labels they distributed were located. On the other hand, a NY local label could have signed L.A. artists. I'm not at all sure that Van mcCoy was involved at all in the Carol Slade recording sessions. She could also have been an L.A. artist, whose producer just wanted her to sing a Van mcCoy penned song. Highland was a local L.A. label, that picked up L.A. local productions for regional (California/Southwestern US) distribution. I'm guessing that Carol Slade was an L.A. artist, and that Domain Records was located in L.A. Carol Hughes was an L.A. artist who also sang a Van McCoy song ("Let's Get Together Again"). It's also curious, that she had the same first name (Carol). It's also interesting that her label (Corby Records) was also similarly distributed by Malynn Enterprises (as were Malynn and Highland). I think I remember that Domain Records was located in Hollywood.

That LP was probably made from taping off of Dave W.'s playing of them at Stafford, or possibly even a "generation" later (from an in-between source). No wonder the quality wasn't so good. That's why some of the boots were even lower quality, as they came off 4th generation tapes (The Vandellas comes to mind).

Yes, Rod, I've forgotten who the dealer was who auctioned off the various acetates. But others had gotten others of the acetates we saw. They were sold out from under Motown by more than one source at more than one time. Soussain probably got some of them, but they probably went to several dealers in several batches.

I'm sure that someone else took a copy of our tape and sped it up. When I heard that "new" version, it sounded like mine sped up a bit. THAT so-called "version", had nothing to do with the other two alternate takes. We heard at least 2 different vocal and instrumental versions in The Vaults, and neither of those 2 were the "Baby Have Mercy On Me" version, shown above.

I think that Sepe-Krasnow and Brooks were the owners or part owners of the Domain label.

I remember the Carol Slade coming out on Domain in very late 1962 or early 1963(the latter being more likely). Domain was nationally distributed by Rust (Laurie). I don't remember seeing a Domino pressing before 1964-65. That must have been The Domain people re-issuing it. They leased in to L.A.'s Highland in late 1963 or early 1964. Highland was distributed by Malynn. The Malynn re-issue was around 1966. So, if you have a Malynn pressing with a Monarch code from 1970, that must be a second Malynn re-issue of the Highland rights.

The Darrell Banks, J.J. Barnes, Roz Ryan all sound like they were recorded at United Sound, in Detroit (but, in 1967-69), The strings on William Bell, Johnny Taylor and other Stax/Volt artists sound like Detroit players (Detroit Symphony Orchestra players used by Motown/Golden World/Solid Hitbound). I'm sure all those Stax singers' vocals were recorded in Memphis. Maybe Don Davis recorded some Detroit artists' vocals in Memphis after 1969 (but, I don't follow '70s music). The Dynamics recorded in Tennessee before the end of the '60s (but that wasn't Don Davis). The Dramatics recorded in Memphis (maybe starting in 1969?-or was that 1970 or 1971?)

No! This was a 3rd different take. Ours had a different vocal, and the instrumental was different as well. I remember hearing 3 different takes on this song, with 3 different instrumental recordings (not just different mixes). Unfortunately, I'm in Denmark now, away from my records and tapes, so I can't play it. But Rod (ModernSoulSucks) should be able to play his original tape, and see which version we chose.