Ian Dewhirst

Well something else I never knew. There's now 2 different recordings of TAGIMH then? How weird..... Ian D

Yep. It never fails to amaze me this scene. You're never too old to learn....and never too young to fall in love. I think I'm done now. Good thread! Ian D

Well, I think we need some guidelines on this! Shall we say a 2mm margin for human error but anything over that and the record in question should be stripped from the collection, hung up on the wall and used as a dartboard for the rest of it's natural life? It's the only way these bastards learn! Ian D

Wow. What can I say guys? Apart from the fact that Motown LP's were a lot less collectible back then and maybe didn't get the same kind of scrutiny that they would these days. But that's no excuse really. We were a bunch of twats who wouldn't know our R. Dean Taylor 1968 compilation album tracks from our elbows! Ian D

Wow. How did we miss it then? There's me thinking that we were actually quite good at Motown............ Ian D

Wow. I'm stunned. How about that. Never seen one of them in my life. It's not one of those Dutch-only Tamla Motown pressings or something is it? I would have thought that someone would have had that album between 1968-72 'cos it's packed with Northern and plenty of rare tracks. It certainly slipped through my net that's for sure. But EVERYONE'S net........? It's not a wind-up is it? Ian D

Still no track listing though. I'm sure the album exists but I'd be stunned if TAGIMH was on it and we all missed it. SOMEONE would have caught that track surely......? Ian D

Heaven forbid. The mind boggles LOL! Very interesting question Steve. Does the wily Soul Fox qualify on first release stuff? I don't know what else he did for the first time but I suspect there quite a few from the Mirwood vaults. "He's Alright With Me" - The Mirwood Strings would be another wouldn't it? Ian D

LOL! I don't think so. I think it would have been found before 1972 in that case. I don't know that album and I suspect no one else does either. Would love to see a scan of the track listing as this is news to me. Anyone seen Tamla Motown TML11077 Motown Memories Vol. 2 [ UK ]? It exists in the listings for sure but there's no track listing on my info..... Ian D

I love the design. It's what's known as a pastiche in some circles. I've seen a zillion pastiches of the Deram, Brunswick, Blue Note, Capital and even Motown labels over the last few years, so a nice little homage to a great label IMO. In fact it would be really odd if we DIDN'T do some kind of retro link with a record of this nature. I'm getting more of buzz from this little 7" single then I've had with anything else just lately! We want to get the bugger out there which is why we're working around the clock to turn it around as I'm already fielding calls from a variety of different sources who have discovered the record, just as we did! Some of the calls indicate that this record will find favour outside of just Northern Soul circles which is interesting. At the end of the day it's just a great rekid! Plus we're doing what it says on the tin IMO. Here's the Press Release and I'm quoting verbatim:- PRESS RELEASE "In Autumn 2008 a bizarre series of events took place which led to the formation of Soul- Intention Records. Ian Dewhirst and Phil Dick were two veteran Northern Soul DJ's and fans from the early 1970's and were both spending a bit of time perusing the popular Northern Soul website, Soul Source (www.soul-source.co.uk) when they both stumbled into a huge thread on the forum which was discussing another veteran DJ's contribution to Northern Soul, Ian Levine. In the course of the thread, a record called "Caf Regio's" by Gary The Master Blaster was discussed which has only ever been available on a long-deleted CD from 2000, so Dewhirst checked his CD collection, found the CD and played the track and was immediately blown away by the quality and ethos of the recording. Meanwhile, 200 miles away, in Leeds, Yorkshire, Phil Dick was re-discovering the track himself and coming to the same conclusions. Gary The Master Blaster was the legendary radio D.J. from Miami radio station WCKO who established a huge local audience as a result of his organic early radio 'raps' which were typical of the personality DJ's on U.S. black music stations in the early 1970's. Luckily, Ian Levine had some 40 hours worth of Gary The Master Blaster's original radio shows which he had recorded onto cassette at the time. One of the most evocative raps from Gary was over Isaac Hayes' "Caf Regio's" - the 'B' side to the multi-million selling "Theme From Shaft". So in 1999, Levine re-discovered the Gary The Master Blaster cassettes and re-made "Caf Regio's" skilfully cutting in the original vocals from the cassettes in the process making a brand new record, which itself was a tribute to the skills of this extraordinary DJ from some 30 years previously. Dewhirst then posted the track up as a downloadable file on Soul Source where it gathered a staggering 500 downloads in just 7 days. Following Dewhirst's suggestion that Levine should re-issue the track, Levine threw the ball back into Dewhirst's court by suggesting that he would allow Dewhirst to re-issue it but only if the record would be issued on 7" vinyl with the straight instrumental on the 'B' side. At this point, Phil Dick contacted Dewhirst and offered his assistance if required. Within the space of a few minutes it was jointly decided between the two veterans that a new record label should be formed which propagated the ethos of Soul Music on the 7" vinyl format and thus the name Soul-Intention was created. Soul-Intention Records will be issuing a number of 7" vinyl only releases throughout the future with the first release being "Caf Regio's" - Gary The Master Blaster/"Caf Regio's" Inst - The Master Blaster Band. The record will be pressed a limited-edition U.S. 7" pressing of 1000 records only on the Soul-Intention label and will be released on Monday 13th October 2008". I mean that's how this whole thing happened and it's right here on this thread! Plus what I love about this whole thing is that it's going right back to what the independent music biz USED to be like, i.e. guy hears rekid, likes rekid, makes offer and puts it out. It's been done a zillion times before but doing it again in 2008 when the traditional music biz is on it's arse seems like a statement of intent, which is really what it is. Sometimes real life is stranger than fiction! Ian D

Maybe, but isn't TAGIMH on U.S. V.I.P. still incredibly rare? I've got a feeling that this was one of the rarer ones 'cos no one could find it at the time, however I take your point. The record would have had a longer lifespan and possibly not become a hit had the the MFP album not been found...... Ian D

Double Oops as Michael and Sean just said before me! Ian D

LOL, I hate to shoot you down Steve, but I've just realised that if there's any gaps in your knowledge then they're from this era which, as you quite rightly point out, was when you were a nipper. So since this is probably one of the few times I'll be able to contradict your good self by saying that in actual fact, R. Dean Taylor WAS a household name in the U.K. by the early 70's as he'd already had two Top 20 UK hits by 1971:- 19/6/68 Gotta See Jane No.17 TMG656 3/4/71 Indiana Wants Me No.2 TMG763 This explains the significance of TAGIMH when it was found in '73. It SHOULD have been known as R. Dean Taylor was essentially a hit act in the UK. But it wasn't KNOWN at all plus the song was written by H-D-H and was a pounding stomper hence the excitement when the record was unveiled on the Northern scene. Plus there was only one known OV which added to the buzz! I do of course defer to you on most Rare Soul matters post '76! Ian D

Oi you! I thought I'd been vindicated? Ian D

Haha LOL! It probably was Paul! However it doesn't look too sexy for the OVO crew knowing that "There's A Ghost In My House" - a No.3 Pop hit selling almost 500,000 copies, triggered one of the first OVO debates does it? Thinking about it, had the OVO debate been as rigerous back then as it is now, then TAGIMH would never have become a hit as there was only the one original known US copy back then........until everyone found the album for under a quid! I'm trying to think of another example of early OVO situations and I can't think of too many before R. Dean Taylor funnily enough....... Ian D

Course I'm right Paul! This was pre-drugs........... Plus I ran round and bought every copy I could lay my hands on and flogged 'em @ Wigan that weekend......... Ian D

All records are released for the Pop market surely? Especially Motown ones above most others. My point was that Holland-Dozier-Holland wrote a pantheon of great songs and I don't necessarily see TAGIMH as being any different from say, "I Can't Help Myself", "Nowhere To Run", "You Keep Me Hangin' On" etc, etc. Or were ALL Holland-Dozier-Holland songs pop? I just don't get why TAGIMH is that different Bridget/Chris.......... Ian D

Actually that's wrong Steve! The "Indiana Wants Me" album was in every Newsagent in the county BEFORE Levine found the U.S. V.I.P. 45. Thus we had a situation where literally every DJ at the time was desperate to get hold of the record and it was literally right under everyones noses without 'em realising it! Myself included until the word got out The exact opposite to what happened with "Baby Hit & Run" in fact! Good era for 'unknown' Motown whatever the merits though! Ian D

Well, if you were there, then you'll know that despite being issued on a Motown subsidiary it did jack shit in the U.S. and only became a 'pop' record AFTER it broke on the Northern scene. Would it still be a pop record if the Isleys or Four Tops had done it? Or is 'cos R. Dean Taylor was white that you're classifying it as a pop record? Is it so different from the other Holland-Dozier-Holland classics? Just curious as to why you think it's a pop record.........? Ian D

When was this tune ever rare? Are you serious? When TAGIMH was first found there was only one known U.S. V.I.P. copy in the UK and it was the biggest record on the Northern Soul that year (1973 I think)! In fact it was so popular as a direct result of being discovered on the Northern Soul scene that it eventually got released in the U.K. and made No.3 in the UK chart in May 1974. It's a tremendous record! Produced by Holland, Dozier, Holland it's still the epitome of perfect Northern Soul record. I guess you had to be there! Ian D

Yep. Established that the single came out 3 months before the album appeared, so the Contours should deffo be on the list. Ian D

I think Luther Vandross had the same zig-zag weight problem didn't he? It's an occupational habit when one likes food so much! Mind you, we've all got crosses to bear one way or another, so I wouldn't dwell on it. Have you heard the Robin Thicke record by the way? Here's a sneak preview........ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feKSDMZVH_w Ian D

Good. So it's not just me then Malc? I like that photo when he came back from the States looking like John Travolta LOL...... Ian D

No Steve, that was mainly the 'lost' years of the mid 80's flying around the world in drug-fueled frenzy looking for action! Bloody good time though. Shame I can't remember it LOL............ I was actually young and innocent throughout the Northern Soul years believe it or not which is why I can remember things from then much easier than the mid 80's.......... Ian D

Also a nice little Soul Source exclusive....... Can do the following two books for £30.00 the pair (+£5.00 P&P) The Northern Soul Top 500 - Kev Roberts (latest edition) The In Crowd - Mike Ritson & Stuart Russell This is effectively half-price as both books retail @ £29.95 each! PM me if interested! Ian D