Ian Dewhirst

That'd be Desa Basshead right Barry? He's best mates with my old best mate, Johnnie Williams from Birkenhead. Johnnie was the guy who graffittied "The Commodores" on a bridge in Liverpool.... Ian D

Come on Denbo. You were the ONLY Northern Souler from Liverpool in the early 70's! I had mates who used to go to Les Spaine's club, the Timepiece which was mainly upfront funk and quite a few went to Terry Lennaine's do's in Birkenhead which was commercial soul and disco but Northern soulers from Liverpool you could count on one hand. One finger in fact! Ian D

Great album and great 'lil label. I wonder if that was my old copy.....? It's not one you see around that much...... Ian D

Yes. Back in the day there was essentially a small nucleus of DJ's and serious collectors which probably worked out to about 2% of the total audience. The other 98% were more interested in dancing or listening to the music. In my opinion that was probably about the right balance. These days at some gigs it almost seems the other way around LOL..... Ian D

I'm happy to say that we will hit the 17/06/13! Licensing issues got ironed out by 10.00pm tonight. It's been a long hard road. But we got there in the end. I'm so proud of this package and so relieved it's finally ready to go go go..... Ian D

Sorry Robb. Here in the UK we simply cannot afford the possibility that a yank could possibly challenge our grasp and in-depth knowledge of American Black Music. We have invested the last 50 years in utilizing our expertise to unearth 10 cent records from the U.S. and turn them into investment returns of 10,000% plus - our return on investment outstrips Goldman Sachs over the same period. Yourself and, that other pesky yank, Boba, set off alarm bells at the highest levels, so we blocked you on the basis that we have to protect our cultural heritage, which, being an anglophile, I'm sure you'll understand. Ian D

Yippee! Nice to have 5 of the next bunch already in Amazon's Top 10 Soul Chart! I think they may be catching on...... https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/music/761124/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_m_h__1_3_last £3 a pop? Ridiculous. Ian D

The first copy I ever saw back in 1972 was a blue issue (I'm not sure but I think it may have been Howard Earnshaw's). There were a few around initially and then it all seemed to be yellow promos after that....... Ian D

I don't think the Charades on issue is that rare. They used to sell stock copies for a quid apiece on Bradford Market back in the day. Probably all in collections these days but deffo not one of the rare ones IMO....... Ian D

It's not paranoia if they're really marking your set with bingo cards..... Ian D

Most of the ones I have I don't think ever reached radio stations since they're all pretty much mint. Could be ex promo stock that got dumped by the promo people. Most of 'em were bought for 10-25 cents each simply 'cos I can't resist a Soul hit on a beautiful white promo. Some are exceptionally rare. I just sold a "Why I Came To California" - Leon Ware mint Elektra promo for £60.00. I think that's every bit as rare as many Northern things..... Don't have to time to scan 'em unfortunately. You may find a few on here though (once you've got past the UK stuff):- https://www.discogs.com/seller/Mastercuts?format=Vinyl&condition=Mint+%28M%29&format_desc=7%22&format_desc=Promo&page=8 Ian D

Interesting that all these have now fallen into public domain. It's good that people are keeping this era alive..... Ian D

Well I took this batch to the limit due to some last minute paperwork delays. Amazon should have got their stock today or Monday latest, so maybe they need another day or so to deal with my tardiness LOL. I can't believe they've dropped the price to a staggering £3.00 each including delivery! You can get 3 of this new batch for £9 or all 6 for £18 which is madness. They are selling like the proverbial hotcakes though which is obviously good news.... Ian D

Haha LOL. I've always contended that putting great tracks on compilations increases the worth of record rather than diminishing it. When I did the Mastercuts series back in the 90's, I'd get people moaning at me because I'd suddenly made a rare track available and they thought their original vinyl would drop in price. Never happened. Within months of a Mastercuts album coming out, the original vinyl prices would often double or triple very quickly. Eventually even the most hardened record dealers would thank me for widening the potential audience which had the effect of making more people want an original. Compilations are essentially good sampler albums. You hear something you like, then you start digging around for more. They encourage musical curiosity which I think is a good thing. That's why I encourage multiple compilers because you get plenty of different views. There's enough brilliant music out there to sustain the Soul scene for another 100 years. But if you can grab 75 minutes of expertly selected music on a physical format for £3 delivered to your door, then I reckon that takes some beating for convenience and value. You hear something you like, then track down an original. What's not to like? Ian D

That's a good system Andy. I might try it myself since I never have time to listen to 'em at leisure! Ian D

My pristene beautiful original copies of Roy Handy, Shirley J. Smith and Tamala Lewis now reside with one George Clinton esq. He didn't have any of 'em so I gave him my copies. How's that for benelovence ay? I still feel kinda good about it..... Ian D

That's mine and Sean Hampsey's volumes. You'll be well happy! That is a ridiculously great deal. To get almost 3 hours of quality Soul music all beautifully mastered and legally licensed delivered to your door for less than £8 is almost too good to be true. The series was designed for the recession and hopefully it's brought some joy into people's lives without costing a fortune. Grab 'em while you can! There's over 50 volumes out there and I recommend all of 'em LOL. 70 hours of music for less than a beat up copy of Skip Jackson sounds like a bargain to me! Ian D

Finished copies should be in tomorrow touch wood. These 6 will probably appeal to those with more eclectic or wide-ranging tastes I reckon. But I must say there's some killer stuff in these 6. I went through hell trying to locate decent masters for the Paaaarty time volume but got there in the end. Can't believe how difficult some of those Jewel/Paula/Ronn funky 45's are! Thank God for serious collectors! Ian D

Thought we were talking CD's? Ian

Phil-La-Of-Soul is a subsidiary label of Jamie-Guyden along with Landa. I presume that Jamie-Guyden must have lost the plates for the Landa artwork and thus re-pressed it on Phil-La-Of-Soul. They're quite a 'Northern aware' label so it didn't surprise me that they'd re-press Harold Melvin..... Ian D

Good luck on the licensing Chalky. That'll be a barrow of fun..... Ian D

Couldn't agree more. Finding demos on bona-fide hits is difficult. I've got some hellishly tough promos many of which have never made it to either Discogs or E-Bay yet..... Ian D

That doesn't surprise me. I may have heard about it elsewhere thinking about it. Sounds like the sort of thing the Cosmic Disco mob would like.... Ian D

Anyone know that "Poker Face" track? It seems to ring a bell as being a major rarity but I can't recall it offhand...... Ian D

Interesting 'cos some of the Roadshow stuff is still controlled outside of Wand/Scepter/Gusto. Demon actually licensed the BT Express catalogue plus some other bits and pieces in the UK until a couple of years ago. I guess I'll have to read the book LOL.... Ian D