Neil Rushton

I used to import lots of West Coast singles from Bob Cattaneo, 45's by Marvin Holmes, Celeste Hardie, Don Thomas, and loads more. Bob used to supply copies of "Shy Guy" - Johnny Baker and because he knew I could take quantity of a record (I remember having 500 copies of "Come On Train" and "You Better Keep Her" and flogging them upstairs at Wigan one night) he encouraged Johnny to make a track which would work for the UK Northern scene... one of the first "tailor-mades" I suppose. I had progress reports on how the recording ,spoke to Johnny while he was in the process of coming up with the track,and eventualy got from Bob a lovely looking 10" acetate which I road tested out and about and then ordered the first pressings of the record, asking (as you do) for a mixture of white label demos and red stock copies. There definitely was not a pressing with "Please Accept Me As I Am" as the flip in existence before I had my copies which had "Operator Operator" on both sides. I cannot remember the quantity,at least 1,000, maybe more, but I had trouble getting rid of them...I would say this was in 1975. All the Best, Neil

Paul, A friend of mine is after the Garnett Mimms, if still available can you please reserve it for me or better still send with the others and I will send you payment tomorrow - am going to be in London today working so wont be able to send it till tomorrow.. Thanks, Neil

NO RIGHT TO CRY - MAMIE P.GALORE (USA SACK) OFFERS Vinyl nice and clean, letters XCMD written on a side label. TOUCH ME,HOLD ME, KISS ME - INSPIRATIONS (UK POYDOR) £225 A few scuff marks on vinyl but plays perfect, a side label has small markings "A" and "23/3" in felt tip WHOLE LOT OF SHAKIN' IN MY HEART - THE MIRACLES (UK Tamla Motown TMG 569 Red and White demo) £220 Look great on red and white! Label perfect, no blemishes or marks. Vinyl few scuff marks but plays as new) FIRST TASTE OF HURT/FUNKY FUNKY TWIST - WILLIE TEE (GATUR 500) £170 Label perfect, no marks or blemishes few scuf marks on disc but plays as new) TRYING TO GET BACK TO YOU - JACKEY BEAVERS (UK JOE BOY) MINT/UNPLAYED £25 BABY I'M HERE JUST TO LOVE YOU - THE STAGEMASTERS (USA SLIDE) MINT £10 I will pay postage. PM me or e-mail neilrushton2@btinternet.com Thanks, Neil

Sorry I don't mean Joey Jefferson, forgot the name of the guy I do mean but have mentioned the whole story before on Soul Source. Neil

Joey Jeffrson who owned The Sunlovers master was very very very pissed off...which is why he messed me and Bill Baker about re oringals of "No One Else can take Your Place" - The Inspirations. He was moaning about Simon and I remember saying take it out on him ,not us, he's not hard to find, you both live in LA. Neil

I spoke to Jack Ashford in the seventies when I was importing records - I was after quantity of "There Can Be A Better Way" - The Smith Brothers (the pressing plant was hanging on to them as they had not been paid for and it was all a bit complicated). I asked Jack about the version of "I Love You baby" credited to Lorraine Chandler and he said that it was not a bootleg as he had been commisoned by Simon Soussan to record it for the Black Magic release but that he (Jack) used another singer on it. I was still writing for Black Echoes at the time so included the name of the singer in a piece I did, I can't remember the name, maybe Paula Buclow or someting similair.I thought it was a good scoop and it is the mag f anyone has back copies.Jack was in LA at the time so it would have been recorded there, with the new vocal over the original backing track. I think Jack was told it would be released under correct name of the new vocalist- not as Lorraine Chandler. It sounds nothing like Lorraine Chandler so apart from being fraud what was the point? Incidentally that "My Sugar Baby" - Sherlie Matthews is quite rare - we had 500 45's, all coloured vinyl,from Soussan and he never repressed it, it was typical Simon scam to credit it to Sherlie Matthews.Ian Dewhirst and myself were told he had discovered it in the Mirwood archives and it was Sherlie. That was bullshit,but he did have some kind of deal with Randy Wood for the Mirwood tapes and so the track had some kind of legitimacy, albeit a seventies vocal over a sxities backing track.Typical Simon he comes up with a good idea, makes an OK record and blows it by having to lie about who the artist was. Neil

Yes, no,yes,no...he had success but even then he messed up...Ian Dewhirst and myself were due 10% of the profits from "Uptown Festival" - but we never get it,when I went to see Simon in LA at the time I ran into various others who had 10% share, to the extent Simon would have needed more than 100% to pay everyone if you know what I mean - it was a bit like a scene from Mel Brooks "The Producers". The success of "Uptown Festival" led to deals with Casablanca etc so Simon certainly got some advances etc but he never followed through and he had nothing to do with the real massive success of Shalimar afterwards, where as if he had played it straight he might have done. He was well connected enough at the time to have really gone for it - in New York following the success of "Uptown Festival" he got me on table with Joe Tarsia of Siigma Sounds at an industry bash, so he was moving in the right circles, but you could just tell he was going to blow it. Neil

I met Randy Wood in London in the late seventies when I spoke to him about licensing the Mirwood catalogue for Inferno.The deal with Contempo was up so he wanted to do something but it was never sorted as he said he could not supply the tapes.. Anyway he told me that he had done a legitimate deal of some kind for Mirwood with Simon and been paid something for it...Simon was very very difficult to deal with and basically had a Walter Mitty thing going on where he lied all the time but he was funny....if he had been straight he would have made a fortune out of the music industry. Neil

I must have had 50 copies from Bob Cattaneo in the 70's - sold mostly to lads in the West Midlands. Neil

They weren't boots, they were repressed for me by Larry in the early 80's, between 1,000 and 2,000, can't remember the quantity, probably more like 1,000 than 2,000. Neil