Robbk

This was a really weird situation, which rarely occurred in most small label leasing deals to distribute nationally. In most cases, the small record company makes their first pressing locally, and if the sales go very well, hasn't received enough revenue back from them to pay the cost to press up enough records to meet the high new demand from the record shops. So they make a regional or national pressing/distribution deal with a larger record company (label) who has much wider distribution and good distributor sales coverage. Often, the smaller label has not enough cash left for pressing enough records even for local coverage. So, the small label leases sales and distribution rights to the larger label and distributor, even for their local area. When the smaller label did have enough cash, they usually kept the local rights for themselves, and continued to press locally (as Tamla did in 1959-60 when they leased some of their records to United Artists and Chess). The first pressing of this Ballad's' release was pressed locally in The San Francisco Bay area. (I bought it new). The second Wee Records pressing was pressed up in Chicago, or L.A. most likely pressed by VJ, the lessee label, probably along with their VJ DJ issues (also containing the "Bunky's Pick" endorsement) as a precursor to VJ's national store stock pressings and their distribution. Bunky Sheppard was still a producer with VJ at that time, who also had his own labels distributed by VJ. A local San Francisco Bay Area label wouldn't have printed the "Bunky's Pick" endorsement on their records, without their being distributed by VJ. It only appeared on Bunky's own labels, and his VJ productions. I suppose that The Wee owners insisted upon retaining the Bay Area sales rights, but didn't have the money to press up their new local issues, and wanted to fill the local shops' orders as soon as possible. So they had VJ press up a new batch of Wee issues to get them out faster, possibly save a bit of cost, and have VJ just recoup their pressing costs from the first batches of VJ sales. You are correct that this 2nd Wee issue is, by far, the rarest issue. I've only seen a couple of them, whereas, I've seen hundreds and hundreds of the first (Oakland) Wee issue, and many more hundreds of copies the various VJ pressing issues (from L.A., Chicago, New York, The South). I think this 2nd Wee pressing was pressed in Chicago (based on the label design and font). L.A.'s Monarch VJ pressing of this record with "Bunky's Pick" on it had a similar style, but the print was sharper, and the letter thickness (width) was a bit different.

Thanks for remembering the thread and posting this. My copy was a bit different. It had James Brown on both sides, and I remembered him singing along with the rhythm track that was the backing for The Bobby Byrd side on this issue. I could have sworn that James was singing to it, rather than just talking. But, it was 55 years ago, and his singing on his last King and his Polydor records didn't sound all that much more melodious to me than just talking. But, my photographic memory still tells me BOTH sides were James, and he was backed (at least on one side) by the Rhythm Track that backed up Byrd on this issue. Maybe mine was just a variant of this public service issue? Maybe there were two different pressings? And maybe my memory just added the "Good Gawd" and screeching yells, and, perhaps a few grunts (conflated from other Funk songs of his). Too bad! MY memory's version was better (and funnier) than this. And that's the way my friends remembered it, too. It's a bit of a disappointment. The "legend" that we morphed it into, was much better than the "real thing".

"Any Girl in Love" by Gladys Knight & The Pips was a big surprise to me. I don't recall ever having heard that song. We had, of course, screened Kim Weston's version for placement in the "From The Vaults" LP series. And I like that one slightly better. But Gladys Knight's version is also very good. I especially like that an extra track with a sax solo was added to the break. But, I like Kim's vocal better, and also like The Temptations' background vocals better than The Pips. I find it interesting that Johnny Bristol wrote and produced a new song for Martha and The Vandellas in 1969 that copies their first hit style from 1963, from "Heatwave", which already had a couple clones in "Quicksand" and "Live Wire". I guess that after 2 years of diminishing sales, he thought to gamble on going back to what made them popular. It's good, but not very memorable, because it sounds like several (many?) other Motown songs. Nice that these new 7 inchers have been made available for 45 collectors.

I can't believe it's been 10 whole years since he's left us. His saving the knowledge of our especially our rare and lesser-known Chicago Soul music heritage, as well as helping many of the former music artists, made The World a better place. It's a shame he left it so early in life. I hope he's in a better place now. Just like Dr. Robert Stallworth, Robert Campbell did for Chicago Rhythm & Blues, Blues and Jazz of the 1930s-early 1950s, and Robert Pruter did for late 1950s and 1960s Chicago Soul, Bob Abrahamian helped to chronicle especially obscure 1960s and 1970s Chicago Soul, for posterity, for the newer generations to learn about their heritage and be able to listen to a lot of great music that they wouldn't have been otherwise able to hear. Interesting to me that he found a fair amount of great recordings by combing South Side record shops and thrift stores many, many years after I did, that I never saw, and in addition, he made the effort to meet as many of those artists as he could. We were very fortunate to have him as a member of this forum. And I'm very glad to have met him, and dealt with him personally. He was a stand-up guy, and will be fondly remembered.

I have that record. I think the "A" side, Gene Chandler's "Miracle After Miracle" is 1000 times better. The Van Dykes were a "Four Seasons clone group", whose original label was New York's Co-Op Records, which released several of their 45s. After having a minor regional hit with "Miracle After Miracle", they had to change their group name to "The Van Dyke 5", because of The Van Dykes, who had been recording for King Records. Here is one of their charted cuts from their original Co-Op label:

I have a couple 45s by The Vondors, who were from Columbus, Ohio, and recorded in Cleveland. I have their record, Holiday 125 "Look In The Mirror"(vocal)/"Foot Loose"(Instrumental)". I think I got it in 1966 or '67. My copy is a darker orange, but couldn't be thought of as being red. I think it sold decently in The Columbus area, because I've seen several copies. I've never seen any Vondors' record on a red label. I've never heard "Rich Girl". I'd love to hear that. "Look In The Mirror has a great "Chicago-like" late '60s sound, with a super sax break! Here it is:

A very interesting theory! Knowing what some of the record company owners did to save money, I wouldn't be a bit surprised. And, of course, when the record shop owners complained that they got demos instead of store stockers, they would just apologise and claim it was a printing error, but the customers won't even notice the small print.

Thanks for the snippets! I really like the idea of the Doo Wop song. Too bad they hit those flat notes. The base parts, however, are super. It sounds like straight out of New York in late 1956 or early '57. Takes me back to my early teens. Which Shrine group sang that one?

Yes! I agree 100%. JD Bryant's A side is one of my couple favourite Shrine cuts. It's a shame it's not included. Why was it left out? Not available for remastering? - or the only available copy was too beat up?

Must be backstock directly from Sammy Kaplan's kids or grandchildren.

Thanks. I have The Supremes Four, Twilighters and Harvey Scales & 7 Sounds, and Birdlegs & Pauline on 45. But I never heard The Esquires (which is very nice). I hadn't ever heard Step by Step, and 2 of the Betty Moorer or The Devilettes. I guess I should have gone to Kirchstein's more than once.

Can we hear snippets of those LP cuts? I couldn't find any listening files on the sellers' link.

Lots of good singers and interesting groups on this one. It should be excellent, especially for fans of the '60s Chicago Soul Sound, and Kirchstein's Wisconsin version of it. I can't wait to hear those recordings.

So, this proves that it is most likely to be Little Anthony, as Randazzo and Pike were the writers.

Apparently, Vic Damon also ran a record label (Damon Records) from his recording studio in Kansas City. Here's a link to its 45-Cat page: https://www.45cat.com/45_list_view_record.php?li=1888

Is this a Soul group? Male or female, or mixed? About what year do you think it was recorded (based on the song's lyrics, songwriting style, and sound of the instrumental background?

45-Cat has Peak Records listed with dates from 1966 to 1983. The 1966 is listed for issue #108. But Peak's 100 series started with 101 9which I'm guessing was, at the latest, probably during 1965. Their 1000 series seemed to start around 1970. They appear, based on 45-Cat entries to have been primarily a Pop and C&W label, maybe with one or 2 Soul releases (Teardrops)?

Does anyone here know where Damon Recording Studio and Peak Reacords operated, and who was involved? The team "Darnell-Taylor" seems to ring a bell with me.

That definitely sounds like Little Anthony, late in his career. It sounds like New York songwriters, with a touch of Thom Bell & Linda Creed. What made someone think it was a Canadian production?

They sounded a lot more like there were three of them, and that the 3rd wasn't an overdub of one of the 2.

I would guess that Dolly of Dolly and The Fashions was NOT Dolores Hall, who it seems to me, had a deeper and fuller singing voice and more range than Dolly. The two voices seem to sound very much like different people.

OF COURSE THAT black Challenge label was printed in L.A. and all over USA. It ran longer than the green one. I can't believe I forgot it ever existed. Other than the auburn 1958-61 label, this black one should have been the one I've seen on the most individual 45s. I guess I'm becoming senile - losing long-term memory. That's pretty scary to me. Up to now it's been mostly losing short-term memory. Worse yet, now, remembering this black label, I'm seeing Ron Holden's name in those block letters on that black label, in my mind's eye. So, even with a gun to my head in Russian Roulette, I now would bet that I've seen at least one black store stocker issue 45 of Holden's '67 record, because I feel it is much more likely that I really did see it, rather than my memory playing tricks on me. Still, I am not 100% sure. So, I'll still say it was likely VERY rare, as I can't remember seeing it at the distributor, or in the major South L.A. record shops. And so, we still can't know whether it really existed, or not, for sure, until we have some concrete proof, such as a scan, or documentation.

This is interesting to me. I don't remember ever seeing those. They must have come from a single pressing plant in an area I've never been. The only part of The US or Canada I never was during the mid-to-late 1960s was The Deep South of USA Mississippi. Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina). Maybe the black labels were printed only in a Miami plant? Can someone post a scan of one? I Do remember some black Challenges, -but only early ones, from 1958-60 by The Champs and a few late '50s artists. I would have guessed that the 1967 Ron Holden would have been green if pressed at Monarch.

I can't remember seeing a legitimate late '60s Challenge record with a black label.

I doubt it, too, as his wording is vague. If he really had seen it with his own eyes, he'd have mentioned the circumstances, and who had it. But, we can only guess whether it was ever pressed up until we see one, or read confirmation by official documentation, or testimony from someone from the company who we know was there at the time, and whose memory we can trust. I was around at the time (although not on the inside), and my memory used to be excellent, but now sometimes I conflate memories into confusing one memory for another. So, in some instances actual evidence will turn up later, and others never will, and we can only make "best guesses" based on the "circumstantial evidence" we have. In this case, we must assume that it is more likely than not that no store stock pressing was made, but not certain that a small, test run wasn't made, or that a middling run wasn't made , but never marketed successfully, and destroyed, or unbelievably still stored somewhere (but with water damage, heat damage, or dust damage), or a small, test pressing was made, and the number of them now in people's hands is very, very small, and further that those collectors that DO have one are not in communication with The greater Worldwide Soul Music record collectors' scene.