Robbk

I believe that ALL the Drew releases were distributed nationally by Laurie. But, sometimes they were sold in thin blank white and blank manila-coloured sleeves, and other times they were sold in the Laurie Records company sleeves. I don't remember any MULTI-COLOURED Laurie sleeves. All those I remember, and still have, were only ONE colour (powder blue)-with the logo formed as a snapping finger. I've never seen any other Laurie sleeve. If I remember correctly, the music industry newspaper adverts stated (roughly): that "a new record label, Drew Records, is being formed as a subsidiary to owner, Sidra Records, specifically to handle releases by The Precisions. Sidra has signed an agreement with New York's Laurie Records, to distribute the new label, nationally."

Still no Edward Earling??? Only 2 Pronouns, and NO Sons of Zion!!!! Oh well, nice to see so many Creations, Freddie Gorman and Hattie Littles. And a bunch of Mike and The Modifiers! What about that so-called "enough Linda Griner cuts to fill an album" ? How come they still haven't seen the light of day? And what about those 1972 cuts by Gwen Owens? We should still have lots of nice surprises coming our way over the next several years (if the Motown gods are kind.

Don't forget the female Magnetics (Motown unreleased).

In addition, the seller should be required to upload a clear 200 dpi label scan of both sides, and clear-sounding audio MP3 of both sides.

I also think no one would disagree with your point. I've seen some unbelievable frauds on e-Bay in the last several years. People selling artwork looking absolutely nothing like the artwork of the famous artist purported to be the creator of the auction item. The fraudulent purpetrators are getting bolder, and seemingly more ignorant and stupid, to boot. They are laughing in the face of the public. They should be made to pay large monetary fines (and threatened with jail sentences for repeat offences). I don't care if it is the buyer's responsibility to check out what he is buying. It is the seller's responsibility to reveal just what he is selling (especially when the prospective purchaser can't examine it physically). Misrepresentation is fraud, and a misdemeanor (unless the monetary amount is over a given threshold, and then it becomes a felony). I realise that a problem occurs because we are not allowed to sell an "unauthorised" pressing (bootleg) on e-Bay. But that problem is solved by calling it a "re-pressing". If the seller knows that the record he is selling was pressed in the mid-to-late 1970s, rather than 1966, when the original was issued, it is up to him to reveal that to potential bidders. That should be required. I resent that we have to e-mail the seller to ask what is stamped or etched in in the groove trail, when the seller is trying to get 10 to 20 times the value of the boot from an unsuspecting novice collector, who wouldn't buy it if he were to know the truth about the pressing.

Regardless of the "relative ease" of finding information on the boots and original record, the seller should have laid out very clearly that the record he put up for sale was not the original 1960s release.

I started listening to my parents' Jazz, Blues and R&B 78s from the late '30s, '40s and beginning of the '50s, and, naturally progressed through the '50s in real time (being exposed to the '50s Black music while working in my uncle's store on The South Side of Chicago during summers). I progressed into the '60s and from R&B to Soul. I didn't move into the '70s with anything but Jazz. The Soul became either too funky, or the sweet Soul too formulaic and having a synthetic sound with synthesizer/keyboard replacing acoustical instruments. But, yes. I thought it was very strange during the '70s that Northern "Soulies" liked only "stompers", and didn't like mid-tempo Soul(Beach and Popcorn) and ballads, and deep Southern Soul, and Gospel and City Blues, Chicago and Delta Blues. Now, Soulies finally have much wider taste. And many of them like '70s and "Modern Soul", which I don't like all that much.

Not exactly Soul per se, but there was Monti Rock III. I don't know if he ever sang about two men in love, because I didn't like his singing enough to listen enough to hear the lyrics. What about Tiny Tim? I only remember him singing standards.

I thought that Aware Records operated out of BOTH Detroit AND North Carolina (probably more the latter, than the former (possibly at different times? (i.e. Detroit first?).

Jock Mitchell was either sole owner or co-owner in Golden Hit and Golden Hit Productions. I have also heard that James Barnes was Jock Mitchell. But Jock Mitchell was working out of Detroit, at the same time as well-known J.J. Barnes (another James Barnes) was at the height of his career. Why would Mitchell choose a stage name the same as a known rival singer/songwriter? Not to mention the James Barnes from New Jersey (of Jimmy Barnes & Gibralters). I also seem to remember a James Barnes Gospel singer (or was that just Jock Mitchell?)

Joe Hunter played piano and arranged this. Naturally, he had several other Motown session players playing on it. What I can't figure out, is why Armen Boladian didn't release "It's Alright To Cry Sometimes" by J,J, It's fantastic. Also, it was so modern sounding for 1965, that, at first, I thought it was an unreleased Motown cut. Speaking of that, -I've only heard 28 seconds of it. Can anyone send me an MP3 of "It's Alright To Cry Sometimes"? I'd really appreciate it. 1964-66 Motown (and related Motown soundalikes by Motown session players) are my first love in music. I've GOT to hear that whole song!

Yes! '30s-'50s Blues (both City and Delta. And '50s Vocal Group Harmony, and '40s and '50s R&B. and '40s-'60s Gospel and Afro-latin Jazz, and Avant Garde Jazz, and Be Bop. Having only '60s Soul on my choices was quite restraining.

I remember "Win You Over". I didn't realise that the Ringleaders' "All of My Life" was discovered as early as 1982. I got both of those on tape back then. So, maybe I'm just remembering hearing those tapes over the past 30 years and I don't have that same song on record by another artist. It was so familiar. But, I remembered a recording with fuller sound than I hear on the uploaded MP3 on You Tube.

Bob, ........ I resurrected a 2009 thread on that Ringleaders' song to ask you or anyone in the know if any other Chicago artist/group sang that song, as I remember hearing it a long time ago (probably before the demo record was rediscovered). As far as I remember, I never heard the CD it was introduced on. I think I might have a Chicago record with that song on it. Do you know if anyone else sang that song. The interesting thing about that is that The Ringleaders and Caver wrote their other M-Pac cuts. So, how would that song get to another label? Anyone know who Caver was? Maybe their manager or producer?

Funny..... He doesn't have a Yiddish accent. Is he one of those "Black Jews", like the Chance/Parrot Flamingos were?

I don't think that's a coincidence. That might have been what spawned the project in the first place, rather than Wilson telling Tarnopol or someone at Brunswick that he wanted to record that type of album. I still think it would have been better for us had Tarnopol hadn't pressured Jackie to stay with Brunswick after his first contract was up. If he'd have returned to Gordy at Motown in 1960, history would have been quite different. Wilson's "schmalttzy" material from 1961-65 tossed out, and Holland/Bateman/Gorman, Smokey Robinson, HDH, Stevenson/Hunter, Fuqua/Bristol material and production together with Jackie's singing talent would have produced a lot of very memorable music. Of course, then we might have lost his work with Carl Davis (but, I'd have been willing to take that chance).

Okay then, -getting back to the lighter side,.......Please tell us non-Brits, who Brian Rae is. Thanks in advance. Four of us seem to think we are him.

I don't think I heard that CD, or got the recording of the song from the CD on a hand-made CD from a friend. So, I think I hve a recording of that song, sung by some other artist (probably on a small Chicago label-that may or may not have had a connection to The Leaner Bros. and their companies). So, that's why I'll ask Bob A. and any of you others that are knowledgeable of mid-late '60s obscure Chicago Soul records, if you know of another artist/group who sang that song.

I didn't know about that pressing or the acetate. I know that song well. I must have it by a different Chicago artist/group (but can't place it). It had a fuller sound. Was that song recorded by another One-derful/Mar-V-Lus/M-Pac artist or group? Or was it sung by an artist on a different small Chicago label?

Ha! Ha! It's really strange to hear Jackie sing "My Yiddishe Mama" ! He sounded just like a cantor in a Synagogue. On first guess, someone might think that Nat Tarnopol used the threat of his strong-armed (unsavoury) friends (you know who I mean) to make Jackie to agree to record this album. But the quality of his singing (emotion and feeling he put in), makes me think that it actually may have been his own idea (or, at least, that he wasn't opposed to it).

Being a North American, and a general Soul fan, rather than a "Northern Soul" fan, my votes are probably of less interest. But, I posted them anyway. I'm over 60, so there was no age category for me. So, I chose Brian Rae. I take it that he's the oldest Soulie known to exist. Also, the 3rd poll question is unanswerable (at least in The King's English (we had a King when I grew up). To wit: Would you say this is a BETTER site for allowing all kinds of Soul to be discussed? Better than what? Did you mean would we say this is a good sight or excellent site for discussing all kinds of Soul music? Or might you be more interested in knowing if we think there are better sites to discuss ALL types of Soul music (as this one concentrates on Northern Soul)?

If Earl English and Jack Hill did business with Detroit's Invictus, maybe Big 8 Records and Six Toe Records were located in Michigan, and the songwriter, Willie Woods, is the same Willie Woods who was a member of Jr. Walker's All Stars?

I imagine that it might be one of those early 1952 releases in the 750's. There was only one gospel record released on Checker during that time and I've never seen even a scan of it. So, it might have had a very small press run and almost no sales. But, there are plenty of candidates. Weren't some of the obscure later numbers pulled back? There are some listed in discographies that surely weren't ever pressed up.

There are several fairly rare local Detroit-area garage rock band records or guitar instrumentals that could bring good money. Maybe he has a few of those? Also, records whose recording was participated in by Motown-related personnel, usually go for more than they would on the merit of their sound alone. Maybe he has a few of those and doesn't know it? It might be worth publishing a list. Some Detroit collectors (including historians and researchers) like to run labels. They might overpay for poorly-made records that might seem unwanted by everyone, just to fill a label run.